Bridgestone Motorsport heads for the Italian Grand Prix on the back of a four day test last week which saw all three of its teams prepare for this weekend’s round of the FIA Formula One World Championship. After the high of Hungary and the low of Turkey, this season is proving to be somewhat of a rollercoaster ride for Bridgestone and its teams but with just five grands prix left to run, Bridgestone is determined to finish the season on a positive note. Providing further incentive, Monza is the home race for both the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro and Minardi F1 teams. However, the world famous circuit in a park is also the fastest track on the calendar, giving teams and tyre manufacturers plenty to think about for this high speed challenge.

Hiroshi Yasukawa, Director of Motorsport, said: “Traditionally the Monza round is one of the most exciting and prestigious events of the year. It is also the home grand prix for two of our teams: Scuderia Ferrari and Minardi; and they will no doubt be supported by thousands of their fans. After a great deal of hard work with our teams at the Monza test last week, we hope they can give them something to cheer about.”

Tyres for Monza (5.793 km)
Bridgestone Motorsport’s Formula One Potenza tyres arrive in Monza this week from Bridgestone’s F1 distribution facility in Langley, UK. The tyres were produced in Bridgestone’s F1 production facility before being sent by air to the UK. The specifications for Monza will consist of two dry, grooved specifications for each team and the same wet weather and extreme wet weather specification for all Bridgestone teams.

Hisao Suganuma, Technical Manager, said: “Being the fastest circuit on the F1 calendar, the Monza GP is always a fast and furious race. The cars reach around 350km/h in four different places and in the approach to the first chicane, they are actually reaching close to 360km/h. As a result of these high speeds and low downforces, the tyres experience very high centrifugal forces, which can put stress on various parts of the tyre. Tyres for Monza, therefore, must be strong. The tyres are also rotating at such a high frequency that there is a lot of heat generated, particularly when braking hard from top speeds. Consequently, heat durability is a key issue in Monza while wear rates tend not to be so critical. Stability under braking is also key to a good lap time. And finally, Monza has no fewer than three chicanes which means that the performance of our tyres when changing direction will also be very important. All in all, it’s another challenging circuit and one we have been working hard to prepare for after all three of our teams had a productive test in Monza last week.”

2005 Italian Grand Prix - Main Page

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