Bridgestone do the right thing

By Karl King
October 29 2005

In a meeting in London on Monday, the FIA decided that, much to the fans demand, tyre changes will again be allowed in 2006. The majority of fans, in an online survey on the FIA website,

voted that they would like to see tyre changes brought back into action to rekindle some of the excitement Formula 1 has been lacking recently.

Michelin, the French tyre brand which ruined the US Grand Prix, recently went on record whinging about the fact that tyre changes will add more to development, production and logistic costs.

However Jap giants Bridgestone, who were on poor form without tyre changes in 2005 have welcomed the changes, but insist they are only happy for the fans - not themselves.

"The changes in regulations have been made for several reasons," a Bridgestone spokesperson told F1Racing.net. "Firstly, television viewers and spectators have made it clear that they would prefer to see tyre changes as it adds to the excitement of Formula One. Secondly, from a tyre point of view, allowing tyre changes increases safety and for Bridgestone, safety is a priority. Bridgestone did not request a change to the regulations and we were willing to compete under the existing regulations if that is what the FIA and teams wanted as it would have given us the opportunity to try to beat our opposition under the single tyre rule. However, the FIA and teams have opted for a change and we are happy to meet these new challenges." "Bridgestone has always made clear that it would prefer to retain a competitive tyre environment in F1 as it enables us to showcase our technology against a rival global brand. However, Bridgestone has made a long term commitment to F1 and foresees it would still be able to gain benefits from being a sole tyre supplier, just as it did in 1999 and 2000. Consequently, should the FIA and teams wish to return to single tyre supply status Bridgestone would still consider maintaining its presence in F1."