JULY 1, 2023

F1 teams say Bridgestone late to prepare for 2025

It may be too late for Bridgestone to enter Formula 1 for 2025.

It may be too late for Bridgestone to enter Formula 1 for 2025.

Although the Japanese manufacturer has been coy about the story, it is believed the FIA has rubber-stamped Bridgestone's technical application to bid for the 2025-2027 official tyre contract.

Commercial negotiations are said to now be taking place so that F1 can choose between Bridgestone or the incumbent Pirelli.

"We have absolutely no issue with Pirelli at the moment," said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner in Austria. "They're both quality companies."

He said the biggest issue could be the teams "squabbling" over who provides a test car so that Bridgestone can develop its brand new tyres for 2025.

Franz Tost, the Alpha Tauri boss, hopes Bridgestone has already started that process.

"If they haven't started then I think it's quite late," said the Austrian. "To develop tyres for the current Formula 1 is huge challenge and it's not so easy to find the correct way to have also safe tyres."

Haas' Gunther Steiner agrees, recalling Pirelli's "very difficult" first years in Formula 1.

"In the end now, I think Pirelli is doing a good job," he said. "As Franz said, maybe Bridgestone have already started to develop some tyres. Who knows? They know, we don't know.

"But it will not be easy and it will not be pain-free," Steiner added. "I think if they come in it will be difficult but in the end it's up to the FIA to check if they've got the technical capabilities, so we're not going backwards in a way competitive-wise with the tyres."

(GMM)