> Bridgestone ties up tyre contracts

Bridgestone has finalised contracts with the six Formula 1 teams who used Michelin rubber last season.

The Japanese manufacturer will be F1’s sole tyre supplier in 2007 following Michelin’s withdrawal from the sport.

Its six new customers – Renault, McLaren, Honda, BMW Sauber, Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso – have been eager to tie up the contracts as they would otherwise be short of tyres when winter testing begins.

Now all 11 teams should be able to run on Bridgestones at the next test session in Barcelona, scheduled for 28-30 November.

Hiroshi Yasukawa, director of Bridgestone Motorsport, said: “We are extremely pleased that we have now reached agreements with the six remaining teams for the supply of Bridgestone Potenza tyres in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

“We are very much looking forward to testing and racing with them all and developing good technical, personal and commercial relationships.

“This year has been an extremely positive year for Formula 1 and we look forward to working with the teams and the FIA to ensure F1 has an exciting future.

“Our role will be to provide safe, high performance tyres of the highest quality and to ensure fairness of service to all the teams.

“We are therefore also particularly pleased that all 11 Formula 1 teams have recently cooperated with each other to agree a balanced programme of testing for 2007 in the interests of fairness and cost efficiency.”