|
Bridgestone will bring its soft
and super soft Potenza tyres for the only night race of the 2009 FIA Formula
One season, the Singapore Grand Prix, which takes place on September 25-27.
This allocation has previously been used in Monaco, Budapest and Valencia
and will suit the requirements of the 5.07km street course which weaves its
way through the Marina Bay area of the sovereign city state.
Hiroshi Yasukawa - Director of Bridgestone Motorsport, said:
"Last year's Singapore Grand Prix was Formula One's first ever night race
and it was a tremendous success. Singapore is an important hub in Asia so
having a race here is very beneficial for enhancing Bridgestone's brand
awareness in the region. We are looking forward to visiting Singapore once
more and seeing many more fans introduced to this fantastic sport."
Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre
Development
What are the challenges of Singapore?
"Last year was the first time we ran at Singapore and we learnt a lot. It is
a street course so we will see a lot of circuit surface evolution and
improvement as the track is first cleaned by cars running, then racing
rubber is laid, meaning better grip. This makes finding a good set-up
difficult as the track condition is a moving target."
What are the primary tyre performance considerations?
"There are the usual considerations for a venue which is not solely designed
for motor racing. This means we bring the softest tyres from our range, both
of which are lower temperature working range tyres. Last year we saw that
the track was quite bumpy. This adds an additional requirement for the
suspension set-up as an uneven surface can bounce the tyre out of contact
with the track, which means less grip." |
