Monaco GP: Bridgestone preview

Bridgestone Motorsport Monaco Grand Prix Preview

Formula One heads to the jewel in the crown of the season in Monte Carlo for the sixth round of the year where Bridgestone's soft and super soft compound Potenza tyres will face the slippery twists and turns of the Monaco Grand Prix.

This will be the 55th running of a Formula One Grand Prix at the Principality and the street course presents a unique challenge in motorsport. Despite its relatively short length, the track has a seemingly endless supply of corners with barely a straight to mention, giving tyres and drivers plenty to do over the 3.34km duration of a lap.

As the track uses the roads of Monaco's road network, finding grip will be the express priority of competitors next weekend. Bridgestone brings its softest compound tyres, the soft and super soft. The super soft compound has been modified from that used last season and it is the only compound in the four compound range to have changed. Teams had their first opportunity to use the revised super soft compound in the test at Paul Ricard in the week preceding the Monaco Grand Prix.

Last year Fernando Alonso (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes) won the Monaco Grand Prix from pole position, using a soft-soft-super soft tyre strategy.

Hirohide Hamashima - Director of Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development, said:

What are the challenges of Monaco?

"Monaco is a difficult circuit to master and every mistake is punished as the Armco is so close. We are bringing the softest compounds in the Bridgestone range for this event, the soft and the super soft. There will be high demands on our tyres at this track and rear traction is called upon a lot. With no traction control and the slippery surface drivers will have their work cut out."

What are the changes to the super soft compound?

"The super soft has been modified from last year to give more grip, and we have tried to achieve this without sacrificing any of its other characteristics, such as its wear rate and stiffness. Monaco will be the first race weekend where we use this compound this season so it will be interesting to see how it performs, especially as we will be using it again in the Canadian Grand Prix which follows Monaco."

Stats & Facts
Number & Spec of tyres brought to Monaco: 2,200 (wet/extreme wets and soft & super soft dry)
Pole position time 2007: 1min 15.726 (Alonso)
Fastest race lap 2007: 1min 15.284 (Alonso)
Top three 2007: Alonso, Hamilton, Massa

-credit: bridgestone