FIA F2

Silverstone: Bridgestone preview

The British race circuit of Silverstone will present the next challenge for all 26 drivers drawn from 15 nations in the Bridgestone-supported GP2 Series. The current wet weather in Britain - with rain forecast for this weekend - means Bridgestone's ...

Published: Jul 5, 2007, 6:11 PM

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The British race circuit of Silverstone will present the next challenge for all 26 drivers drawn from 15 nations in the Bridgestone-supported GP2 Series. The current wet weather in Britain - with rain forecast for this weekend - means Bridgestone's wet weather Potenzas could well be employed in a GP2 race for the first time this year.

Silverstone is a high-speed, high abrasion circuit which is tough to master whether it is wet or dry. The majority of the circuit is a high speed charge through fast and flowing corners, but with the addition of a lower speed complex at the end of the lap, where tyre grip is key.

Bridgestone will bring its hard compound GP2 Series tyre to cope with the highly abrasive nature and high speeds of the track, and this compound was used at the Barcelona race earlier this season. The Barcelona races were won by current championship points leader Timo Glock (iSport) and Arden International's Bruno Senna. This compound will also be used at the GP2 rounds in Italy and Turkey.

It was the Silverstone round last year where reigning GP2 Series champion Lewis Hamilton gave a stunning show of his talents. Hamilton worked his way through the field with a series of superb overtaking manoeuvres, showing he had truly mastered maximising the grip of his Bridgestone Potenzas on parts of the circuit where other drivers had not.

If it is wet, drivers will use one of Bridgestone's most impressive racing tyres. This tyre starts as being suitable for very wet conditions but wears when faced with a drying track to remain suitable for the now drier circuit. This means this tyre has a wide operating window for wet weather running.

After the Silverstone round, the GP2 Series will next be in action at the Nurburgring alongside the German Grand Prix. The event, which takes place from 20-22 July, will use the medium compound Bridgestone Potenza GP2 Series racing slick tyre.

Quote from Hirohide Hamashima - Director of Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development "Silverstone is a high speed circuit which is demanding on the Bridgestone Potenza tyres. Before the last corner, which is relatively slow, there is less downforce which means the teams have to make the car well balanced to obtain optimum grip. Silverstone is abrasive on the Bridgestones and drivers must nurse the tyre wear especially on the rear tyres, otherwise they will experience oversteer towards the end of the race."

Stats & Facts
Number & Spec of tyres for Silverstone: 650 (hard)

Pole position time 2006:                                1m 29.108s - A Carroll, Racing Engineering

Fastest race lap 2006:                                  1m 31.313s - L Hamilton, ART (R2)

-credit: bridgestone motorsport

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