Bridgestone have announced they will introduce a brand new intermediate wet-weather tyre at May’s Monaco Grand Prix. The new softer compound has been designed to counter some of the lost aerodynamic grip in wet conditions, prompted by this season’s new regulations
“Our new intermediate tyre compound will debut at Monaco and we will use this for the rest of the season,” said Hirohide Hamashima, Bridgestone director of motorsport tyre development. “It is a softer compound and will allow more mechanical grip, however, the lower downforce from the latest cars means that it is still more of a challenge driving in the wet than before.”
Bridgestone also confirmed the dry-weather compounds teams will have to use at the upcoming races. In a break from their allocation rationale for this season, the Japanese company plan to bring adjacent compounds to the Monte Carlo.
“Our allocations for the next four races from Monaco onwards are based on the data we have collected so far this season, and the extensive knowledge we have of the race venues we visit,” added Hamashima.
"In Monaco, there is a change to our allocation philosophy due to the unique characteristics of this smooth and slippery track. This means we will bring the super soft and soft tyres, which are next to each other in terms of softness, and also both from our low temperature working range family."
From Monaco on, Bridgestone will revert to their normal routine of non-consecutive allocations. So for June’s Turkish and British races, soft and hard compounds will need to be used, while at July’s German Grand Prix the teams will be allocated super-soft and medium rubber.
Announced Bridgestone tyre allocations for the 2009 season:
Australia - super soft, medium
Malaysia - soft, hard
China - super soft, medium
Bahrain - super soft, medium
Spain - soft, hard
Monaco - super soft, soft
Turkey - soft, hard
Britain - soft, hard
Germany - super soft, medium
Source:
http://www.formula1.com
“Our new intermediate tyre compound will debut at Monaco and we will use this for the rest of the season,” said Hirohide Hamashima, Bridgestone director of motorsport tyre development. “It is a softer compound and will allow more mechanical grip, however, the lower downforce from the latest cars means that it is still more of a challenge driving in the wet than before.”
Bridgestone also confirmed the dry-weather compounds teams will have to use at the upcoming races. In a break from their allocation rationale for this season, the Japanese company plan to bring adjacent compounds to the Monte Carlo.
“Our allocations for the next four races from Monaco onwards are based on the data we have collected so far this season, and the extensive knowledge we have of the race venues we visit,” added Hamashima.
"In Monaco, there is a change to our allocation philosophy due to the unique characteristics of this smooth and slippery track. This means we will bring the super soft and soft tyres, which are next to each other in terms of softness, and also both from our low temperature working range family."
From Monaco on, Bridgestone will revert to their normal routine of non-consecutive allocations. So for June’s Turkish and British races, soft and hard compounds will need to be used, while at July’s German Grand Prix the teams will be allocated super-soft and medium rubber.
Announced Bridgestone tyre allocations for the 2009 season:
Australia - super soft, medium
Malaysia - soft, hard
China - super soft, medium
Bahrain - super soft, medium
Spain - soft, hard
Monaco - super soft, soft
Turkey - soft, hard
Britain - soft, hard
Germany - super soft, medium
Source:
http://www.formula1.com