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Formula 1 Features & Interviews (2006)
Hirohide Hamashima
04/10/2006
"One of the most important things for Bridgestone this year has been having a bigger pool of partner teams to work with. Previously we had to rely on developing our tyres mainly with Ferrari. For 2006, that all changed.
Last year our Research and Development (R&D) department suggested a new prototype construction. It was a design that was very difficult to produce so it needed extensive testing. WilliamsF1 was the first team to try it and it showed a really promising performance. So after that Toyota tried it and the results persuaded Ferrari to test it as well. It was a team effort, and as a result the tyre was adopted for use this season.
The main difference with the tyre for this year has been the wear rate. It is a 50 per cent improvement on 2005 using the same compound - that means we and our partner teams can choose a much softer compound than before making the car go faster. It has been more consistent too.
The synergy between the teams has been fantastic. For instance one team is able to concentrate on a new set-up while others test other elements. Then all the data will be collated. It means everything happens much faster than with just one top team and the speed of change has made us much stronger.
The speed of R&D and the resulting success on the track has had a huge affect on morale and motivation within Bridgestone and especially with our designers in Tokyo. There is a very high level of motivation there. When they work all hours of the day and night, that is important!
Next year we will be the sole tyre supplier but we will still develop our race tyres. For Bridgestone racing is a real life laboratory. And if another manufacturer eventually comes into F1 we need to be as competitive as we can be.
In reality the pace will be down a little for 2007. The pace of development this year has been very fast, with tyres evolving every two weeks, and that will inevitably change next year. It will mean we can study more deeply the designs as they evolve next season.
Personally I prefer to have competition in F1. F1 teaches us so many things about tyres and the higher the level of competition the more we learn and the faster we learn. Bridgestone is committed to F1 for the long term. The awareness of Bridgestone since we have been in F1 has increased and we believe the quality of our road tyres have improved from the research done on the track."
Hirohide Hamashima is Bridgestone's Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
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