Bridgestone 2009 Abu Dhabi GP Preview

Bridgestone heads to Yas Marina for the first ever Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on October 30 - November 1, where the medium and soft compound Potenzas will be exploring this exciting new 5.5 km circuit.

This is the final race of a thrilling season which began in Melbourne in March. The combination of medium and soft has been seen previously this year in Belgium and Italy.

Hiroshi Yasukawa - Director of Bridgestone Motorsport, said:
"It is wonderful for us to be ending the season at a fantastic new venue and all credit to everyone involved with the Yas Marina circuit for creating a superb new facility to be seen by millions of television viewers around the world. The Middle East is a strategically important market for us and we will be welcoming a large number of important customers and guests to this race."

Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, said:

What are the challenges of Yas Marina?
"This will be the first ever race meeting at this circuit so it is very much a step into the unknown. Of course, we work very closely with the circuit and teams with simulations and evaluations of the layout, and we have been working with a sample of the track surface. We will also have some data from the GP2 Asia Series test which takes place the week before the Grand Prix. In terms of expected lateral forces we can say that the circuit is similar to Valencia. The track surface is similar to Barcelona or Fuji. Our ambient temperature predictions place Abu Dhabi as being similar to Bahrain. The track is new so very dark in colour, meaning it could get quite hot. We expect to see a lot of surface evolution."

What are the primary tyre performance considerations?
"The circuit layout is a typical stop and go street course so there will be traction demands. As with any new surface we can expect the possibility of graining early in the weekend. We have brought the medium and soft compound Bridgestone Potenza tyres as they sit in the middle of our tyre range. It is difficult to know exactly what the temperatures will be, especially the track surface temperature with such a dark new surface."