Bridgestone technical manager Hisao Suganuma was delighted by Ferrari's 1-2 success in the Australian Grand Prix and, in particular, by the performance of his company's new larger, square-shoulder front tyres.
Previously, Bridgestone had elected not to follow the route taken by Michelin and had used a narrower front.
“We brought the new shape of front tyre and it worked really well,” Suganuma explained. “That is our pattern of development. We will be bringing that type of tyre to all the races. We have seen good performance today, so why not?
“Changing the front tyre is actually very difficult because the shape has a very big effect on the aerodynamic efficiency of the car, so you need to have some time. I am sure the team will be able to develop the car to return the aero efficiency.So once everything is up to the new fronts, the performance will be even better.”
The increased pit lane speed limit (from 80 to 100kph) is likely to prompt more three-stop races and also had a bearing on Bridgestone's thinking.
“The stints will be shorter this year so we needed to take into account that the tyre life can be transferred from durability to performance,” Suganuma said. “I am very pleased to see today's result but moreover, during the winter season people kept saying that Michelin had the upper hand. I am pleased to reverse their expectations! Today's result showed that our way of development was very correct. “
Lähde: Autosport
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