Bridgestone warns teams of change

[Bram Turismo]

Nov.8 (GMM) Bridgestone's director of motor sport has warned formula one teams that a change of philosophy will be necessary for the 2007 season.

Hiroshi Yasukawa expressed regret that rival Michelin is pulling out of the sport, but said the early beginning of a monopoly situation would make supplying tyres in F1 starkly different in 2007 and beyond.

"The teams will have to learn how to use the tyres," the Japanese said.

Yasukawa, 56, added: "In '06 we tried hard to get the tyres to suit the cars, but the reverse will be true next year -- the teams will have to work hard to get their cars to suit the tyres."

Bridgestone will supply a harder and slower tyre to all teams next year, as Renault, McLaren, BMW-Sauber, Red Bull, Honda and Toro Rosso make the switch from their departing French partner.

Ferrari will definitly be the favorites next season....

 

[Mt. Lynx]

Agreed.
I suppose the FIA are happy now. The main reason for just one supplier was to cut speed, and that looks like it´s been fulfilled.

I must say I think this is bad for the sport, and I think FIA will notice that soon enough. I think they should do the opposite instead, and bring in more suppliers. Maybe a three-team maximum for each tyremanufacturer.

But then again, the FIA do want F1 to be as homologated as possible, introducing FIA spec ECU´s. Whats next? A single enginesupplier?? Soon GP2 will be "the pinnacle of motorsport"!

 

[GilesGuthrie]

Actually, the biggest thing with having a single tyre supplier is that you can control testing, and the teams immediately have one less parameter to test against. It's been said that removing the need for tyre tests (apart from the initial acclimatisation tests you'll see soon) will cut the test load by up to 40%.

Of course, the teams will fill some of that slack with other testing, but it's a big motivator.

This will flip-flop again though as it has done before. Tyre war in 2012 anyone?

 

[Bram Turismo]

Bridgestone will supply a harder and slower tyre to all teams next year, as Renault, McLaren, BMW-Sauber, Red Bull, Honda and Toro Rosso make the switch from their departing French partner

Uh-oh....Woudn't that be alittle unfair towards other teams? Surely, teams will come to complainment, but then offcourse, it's this or nothing

 

[Pupik]

Well, it's as fair as any time throughout F1; tire wars waxed and waned over the past 25 years, it doesn't always benefit every team, but the expenses are less overall.

Michelin came to F1 racing 1977, stayed until the end of 1984 (after a very sucessful year). Goodyear was the predominant tire from the late 1960's through 1997. Bridgestone popped up in 1997, and was the tire on the championship-winning McLarens the following year. Goodyear bowed out after 1998, and Michelin re-appeared in 2001. Also, during that time, Pirelli came and left (twice, a gap from 1987-88, leaving for good again after 1991), but was rarely the dominant tire. I think Avon also gave it a shot in 1981 and 1982 with a few back-marker teams.

 

[Danoff]

This is a horrible move for formula 1 and it makes me want to quit watching. Next thing you know they'll have one engine manufacturer with one type of engine. They're already headed in that direction anyway, it's not so hard to imagine.

It would reduce testing costs, and level the playing field.

 

[Bram Turismo]

Toyota!


No seriously, F1 is getting boring, now with Schumi gone, meh...Hoping for a nice battle Kimi-Alonso-Massa-even Button maybe?

 

[Mt. Lynx]

One good thing about this is that the slicks are coming back pretty soon! IIRC, from 2008, tyresizes will differ F/R and they will run on slicks instead.

 

[Sureboss]

What you mean proper racing slicks? Like in Indy (I think) and Drag Racing? Doubt it, would be too risky in a sudden down pour.

 

[Blake]

Because races have been interrupted by sudden rain storms so many times lately? That is the worst excuse I have ever heard. What is your point? Oh no, if someone is stupid enough to stay out on slick tyres when it’s raining they’ll have a spin at low speed and fall into the masses of run-off. Everybody fear for there lives!

A single tyre supplier doesn’t bother me too much, it’s been done before. In fact, so many people bitched about tyres deciding this years title that they wanted to see the end of the tyre war. The same people were jumping up and down in Indy 2005 because Michelin couldn’t make a safe product, and they figured that a single tyre supplier was the way to go. Are these people not in this thread yet, or have they just done a backflip just so they can yell and scream at the FIA?

I agree with Giles and Josh, though. This whole thing has been done before, and it will happen again. The sport survives, and the teams still turn up every other weekend and race.

 

[Sureboss]

It is irrelevant that it hasn't happened often of late, the threat is still there.

And what if it rains in the middle of a lap, true slicks will not work in the rain especially on a track that doesn't drain well, you'd struggle to do 50 round the circuit without spinning.

I agree the likelihood is very rare, but you have to take it into account.

 

[Blake]

It is irrelevant that it hasn't happened often of late, the threat is still there.

And what if it rains in the middle of a lap, true slicks will not work in the rain especially on a track that doesn't drain well, you'd struggle to do 50 round the circuit without spinning.

I agree the likelihood is very rare, but you have to take it into account.

Wait, you’re serious? Do you watch circuit racing of other disciplines? Do you know that almost all forms of circuit racing use slick tyres, and, oh my god, they can actually go pretty fast on slicks if the track is mildly wet? In fact, and this may suprise you, F1 cars used slick tyres from 1970–1997.

It’s not like a track goes from bone dry to soaking wet in less than a lap. Rain doesn’t really deposit that much water on a track all at once.

Current grooved slicks do not work in the rain either. The grooves are not a tread pattern that disperses water. They are solely there to slow the cars down in the dry. There is no advantage to them.

 

[ExigeEvan]

This is a horrible move for formula 1 and it makes me want to quit watching. Next thing you know they'll have one engine manufacturer with one type of engine. They're already headed in that direction anyway, it's not so hard to imagine.

It would reduce testing costs, and level the playing field.

And then everyone would realise they've just re-created A1GP.

It'll certainly have a brief benefit for the teams that had Bridgestone last year , but I don't think it'll last for long.

 

[Sureboss]

Wait, you’re serious? Do you watch circuit racing of other disciplines? Do you know that almost all forms of circuit racing use slick tyres, and, oh my god, they can actually go pretty fast on slicks if the track is mildly wet? In fact, and this may suprise you, F1 cars used slick tyres from 1970–1997.

It’s not like a track goes from bone dry to soaking wet in less than a lap. Rain doesn’t really deposit that much water on a track all at once.

Current grooved slicks do not work in the rain either. The grooves are not a tread pattern that disperses water. They are solely there to slow the cars down in the dry. There is no advantage to them.

Firstly there's no reason to get quite so rude about it. Yes I watch other disciplines of racing, I can't see true slick tyres being used. FIA are trying to slow down the sport, not speed it up.

 

[DQuaN]

But they are trying to encourage overtaking. They want to improve mecahanical grip, and lower aerodynamic grip.

As Blake said, full racing slicks will be no different to the current dry tyres in a downpour as the current tyre has no tread to disperse the water.

 

[Bram Turismo]

Also, if I'm not mistaking, cars will be getting lighter to 550 kg, is this right? I read it somewhere. So if slicks should provide more grip, oh boy, F1 will be getting even faster and who knows: Even more dangerous?

 

[Casio]

So if slicks should provide more grip, oh boy, F1 will be getting even faster and who knows: Even more dangerous?

Yes, but however, with a single tyre supplier could the FIA not force Bridgestone to say make a less grippy tyre for everyone?

 

[Sureboss]

But they are trying to encourage overtaking. They want to improve mecahanical grip, and lower aerodynamic grip.

As Blake said, full racing slicks will be no different to the current dry tyres in a downpour as the current tyre has no tread to disperse the water.

It hasn't? I thought it did?

 

[Pupik]

And what if it rains in the middle of a lap, true slicks will not work in the rain especially on a track that doesn't drain well, you'd struggle to do 50 round the circuit without spinning.

I agree the likelihood is very rare, but you have to take it into account.

Right foot lifts off the gas pedal for a lap, driver uses judgement...haven't I seen this before?

It worked from 1970 (full slicks introduced) to 1997 with no serious injuries or fatalites that I can recall during any "sudden downfall".

This is a horrible move for formula 1...

I personally don't really care either way; I don't see a problem with a one-tire, or multi-tire scenario. Tire companies spend tremendous amounts on F1 racing with little to gain from it all, which is creates another problem: If said tire company wants to quite the sport (Bridgestone is the only "non-quitter" of F1 racing so far), then it leaves a tire supplier gap.

It's a Catch-22; if you have two suppliers, then it becomes a "space race". Both companies spend lots of money to out-perform the other one, and one eventually one supplier disappears. If you have no competition, then the monopolizer usually gets bored and/or little return on investment. It's all well and good to say you've won 18 of 18 races in F1, but if you have no competition, then who cares about your dominance?

So a single supplier isn't such a bad idea, it forces a contract with the FIA to supply tires, so there won't be a sudden pull-out, and the teams have no rubber. It also has the potential to prevent 2005 USGP-style mayhem.

 

[Mt. Lynx]

It hasn't? I thought it did?

No, it doesn´t. How could it? The treads are parallell, and has no disperscanals at all.

The thing about grip here, is that if (when) they go for slicks, the tyres will be of different width and different size, á la champcar.
Like this:

(FIY, This is the latest Panoz built chassis, wich will be used in champcar from 2007.)
This configuration ensures less grip in the front, so don´t bet on higher cornerspeeds at all! The cars will accelerate better, but turn less efficient.

 

[Blake]

The thing is, the cars have been tuned specifically to deal with the wide front tyres, you could even get away with running full width slicks on the front of the car, and it would give a massive amount of grip.

 

[Mt. Lynx]

Yes, but the idea is to do as I posted. They want to reduce front grip, so that braking will be earlier, and the cornering slower. The purpose is to ensure easier overtaking. They will introduce a new rear wing (2008), to get cleaner air behind the cars to further enhance the possibilities for overtaking.

But at the same time, engineers in F1 has always figured out ways to improve speeds, so approx. by 2010, the speeds will be as they are today again.

 

[Blake]

The CDG rear wing will not be introduced in 2008 as far as I am aware, the design proved to be inefective at increasing the possibility for overtaking.

I don’t think skinnier front tyres will reduce grip much, the contact patch at the front will be pretty similar because there will be no grooves. The contact patch at the rear will be even bigger. Also a lot of the aero on the side of the car may be a little more effient, as it is getting slightly cleaner air.

I don’t think playing with tyres is the way to help generate overtaking anyway – you need to get the aero off the top of the cars and put it underneath. It’s as simple as that.

 

[Mt. Lynx]

The CDG rear wing will not be introduced in 2008 as far as I am aware, the design proved to be inefective at increasing the possibility for overtaking.

I don’t think skinnier front tyres will reduce grip much, the contact patch at the front will be pretty similar because there will be no grooves. The contact patch at the rear will be even bigger. Also a lot of the aero on the side of the car may be a little more effient, as it is getting slightly cleaner air.

I don’t think playing with tyres is the way to help generate overtaking anyway – you need to get the aero off the top of the cars and put it underneath. It’s as simple as that.

I didn´t know they had postponed or even scrapped the CDG wing, thank for that info!

I think you are right about the tyres, but that seems to be the path the FIA has chosen. I don´t know how much more they have decided to change furthermore, but I assume aerodynamic grip will be reduced somehow. Mechanical grip is the way to go! Maybe they should allow active suspension and massdampers, and radically reduce downforce?

 

[Milliethemutt]

I like the idea of one tyre manufacturer. I hate to see teams/drivers do badly because the track was a few degrees too warm or something. It also means they'll have a lot less grip I believe due to the maker not having to worry about compition. It may end up meaning we get more sliding about and locking up aciton as people try moves.

 

[Danoff]

I like the idea of one tyre manufacturer. I hate to see teams/drivers do badly because the track was a few degrees too warm or something.

Yea, I hate it when drivers do badly because their engine isn't as good as another team's also.

 

[Milliethemutt]

That's something that's down to the team or engine supplier. With track conditions it's down to a bit of luck and weather forecasts, hardly the best way to decide who the best team/driver is.