DECEMBER 6, 2006

Tyre strategies or publicity plan?

The departure of Michelin from F1 means that Bridgestone is facing a great deal less publicity from the sport than was previously the case. It is inevitable that if everyone uses the same tyres, the only mention of the company involved will be when there is a problem.

The departure of Michelin from F1 means that Bridgestone is facing a great deal less publicity from the sport than was previously the case. It is inevitable that if everyone uses the same tyres, the only mention of the company involved will be when there is a problem. Not surprisingly, Bridgestone is trying to do something to stay in the spotlight and has been arguing in favour of a similar system to that used in Champ Car in which teams have a hard option and a soft option and must use both in the course of a race. In order for the fans around the world to know who is using which tyres, Bridgestone uses red markings on the softer tyres so that the action can be more easily understood.