FIA F2
Spa: Bridgestone preview
With just three rounds remaining in the 2010 GP2 Series, Spa Francorchamps will provide the next instalment of GP2 action on 27-29 August, this time on Bridgestone's medium specification slick. Spa presents many challenges in terms ...
Edited: Aug 24, 2010, 12:38 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
With just three rounds remaining in the 2010 GP2 Series, Spa Francorchamps will provide the next instalment of GP2 action on 27-29 August, this time on Bridgestone's medium specification slick.
Spa presents many challenges in terms of car set-up and tyre pressures, and is a relatively stressful circuit for the tyres due to the varying demands of the track and its high speed nature.
The venue offers a lengthy 7.004 km lap distance, also being renowned for its steep elevation changes and variable weather conditions which are often experienced during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend.
Bridgestone's medium compound GP2 dry tyre has been re-introduced to this round of the championship, as the lower working range of this specification is more suitable for the cooler ambient temperatures expected here and the abrasive track surface. In addition to the Potenza racing slick, Bridgestone's wet GP2 tyre is commonly utilised at Spa, and due to the fact that it can sometimes rain on just one section of the circuit, the teams' tyre choices and pit stop strategies can be highly influential on race results.
Alvaro Parente and Giedo van der Garde were victorious at this circuit in Belgium last year on the soft specification Bridgestone tyre, Parente securing Ocean Racing Technology's first ever GP2 win.
Quote from Hirohide Hamashima - Director of Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development
"Many drivers enjoy Spa Francorchamps because it has a fast layout, features some unique sections of track and offers a variety of corners. As well as preparing the car for the high speed turns, the teams also need to adjust the set-up to achieve the traction required on the approach to Eau Rouge and to give stability in the heavy braking zones before turns five and eighteen. Drivers need to manage the front right hand tyres well, as turn ten is a quick left hand corner which loads up the front right of the car. The medium compound GP2 dry tyre has been selected this year for Spa as the track surface is quite abrasive and temperatures can be unpredictable, meaning this specification will offer the best working range."
Bridgestone's 'wet weather' GP2 tyre profile
Spa Francorchamps, located in the forested and mountainous Ardennes region in Belgium, is one of the most likely circuits on the GP2 calendar to provide wet racing conditions. If rain falls during this year's GP2 event it will give Bridgestone's innovative wet weather tyre a chance to demonstrate its full capabilities...
Tyre profile:
Bridgestone's single wet specification GP2 tyre was designed specifically for the F1 feeder series, being required to work in both light and heavy wet weather conditions, and on a drying track. This tyre has a sophisticated tread pattern with sloping blocks. These enable the tyre to deliver good performance on a wet track and a drying surface, due to their clever wear characteristics.
The purpose of the wet specification tyre is to provide a pattern that is capable of clearing water whilst on-track, stopping the car from aquaplaning. Bridgestone's wet tyre compound warms up by the blocks of the tread pattern vibrating.
With the introduction of slick dry tyres to GP2 in 2006, replacing grooved dry tyres, the working window of the wet tyre was extended because the slicks have no ability to clear water and there is no intermediate tyre as per the GP2 Series regulations.
Wear life:
The wear life of Bridgestone's wet GP2 tyre is dependent on track conditions. In heavy wet weather conditions there is little or no wear, however on a drying circuit the pattern is worn down making the sloping blocks stiffer which in turn helps car balance. On a completely or nearly dry track, the allocated slick compound is required.
Regulations:
Three sets of wet GP2 tyres are issued per driver, per race weekend. With the exception of the races, wet weather tyres may only be used after the track has been declared wet by the race director, following which wet or dry weather tyres may be used for the remainder of the relevant session.
-source: bridgestone
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Hungaroring: iSport qualifying report
Next article Spa: Alvaro Parente returns to series
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
Latest news
Alex Bowman hits out at critics in snarky post, shooting down early exit rumors
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
3 h
Alex Bowman hits out at critics in snarky post, shooting down early exit rumors
Ryan Blaney gets sweet redemption after 'nightmares' following 2024 Homestead loss
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
3 h
Ryan Blaney gets sweet redemption after 'nightmares' following 2024 Homestead loss
IndyCar 2026 season review: Dale Coyne Racing
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 3 h
IndyCar 2026 season review: Dale Coyne Racing
Noah Gragson apologizes to Daniel Suarez for spinning him at Homestead
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
3 h
Noah Gragson apologizes to Daniel Suarez for spinning him at Homestead
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe