Bridgestone has lodged a bid to turn into Formulation 1’s tyre provider from 2025.

The Italian firm, which has equipped F1 since 2011, needs to proceed.

The drivers are conscious of Bridgestone’s bid and a few are supportive of the thought of it being F1’s new provider on account of frustrations with Pirelli.

Drivers have been urging Pirelli for years to supply a tyre that’s much less delicate to overheating when pushed onerous or attempting to overhaul.

Insiders say Bridgestone has pledged as a part of its bid that it may well produce a tyre on which drivers can push tougher for longer.

Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and and Nico Hulkenberg are the one lively drivers to have expertise of driving on Bridgestone tyres in F1. They used them from 2007 to 2010, after which the corporate pulled out of F1.

A number one driver advised BBC Sport that the 2 a number of champions have been vocal inside the driver group in expressing their approval of the best way Bridgestone tyres behaved when the corporate was final in F1, particularly for the best way they might drive flat out all through grands prix with out concern of the tyres overheating.

Nonetheless, some senior figures are sceptical of the knowledge of fixing provider, saying Pirelli has been a loyal associate of F1 for greater than a decade, has been efficient and supportive, and there’s no assure a alternative tyre firm would do a greater job.

Some level to the intense calls for placed on tyres by fashionable F1 automobiles, that are of a special magnitude to these skilled in Bridgestone’s time within the sport from 1997 to 2010.

The automobiles are 200kg heavier than they had been again then and produce considerably extra downforce, which means the forces imposed on tyres throughout cornering are considerably larger.

Others extra supportive of a Bridgestone bid have advised BBC Sport that there is no such thing as a cause to imagine an organization with such a robust popularity in motorsport would have vital problem producing the tyres required.

One other complication is the comparatively brief timeframe concerned.

Pirelli’s present contract runs out on the finish of 2024, which supplies a brand new producer solely 18 months to supply the gear and logistical capability to produce a season of twenty-two or extra grands prix.

A supply near Bridgestone mentioned one cause for the corporate’s curiosity in F1 could possibly be the game’s progress within the US market, the place the corporate is eager to lift its profile.

Bridgestone already provides the tyres to the US-based IndyCar sequence underneath its Firestone model.

Bids from each Pirelli and Bridgestone have been acquired by the FIA. The governing physique is conducting a technical evaluation which is more likely to conclude within the subsequent few weeks earlier than the businesses enter industrial discussions with F1, which might take a number of months.

As a industrial matter in addition to a sporting one, no-one in F1 would discuss to BBC Sport on the report about Bridgestone’s bid.

A Bridgestone spokesperson mentioned: “Bridgestone has a 60-year heritage in motorsports and we’re a associate in lots of motorsport occasions. We are going to proceed to advance and refine our applied sciences by way of top-level races across the globe that require top-level tyre efficiency. F1 is taken into account as one of many varied choices.”

What have drivers mentioned about tyres?

Within the first a part of this season, quite a lot of drivers have spoken in regards to the impact of the overheating of Pirelli tyres on overtaking.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz mentioned: “As quickly as you’re behind a automotive and lose a little bit of traction, a little bit of braking grip, you begin slipping the tyre and that further slip means the subsequent nook you will have much less grip after which you will have a bit much less and you’re solely capable of observe for one or two laps, after which it’s a must to again off.”

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso added: “The tyres nonetheless get overheated fairly closely when you observe automobiles. You’ll want to determine correctly whenever you need to be too near a automotive in entrance of you, in order that’s the issue.”

The drivers acknowledge that Pirelli has improved this attribute of the tyres over time, and has made an additional step following the introduction of lower-profile tyres on 18-inch wheels alongside new technical guidelines for the automobiles in 2022.

Nonetheless, they are saying the elemental problem of the tyres having to be managed to maintain the temperature beneath a particular restrict or undergo a major lack of efficiency stays.

One driver pointed to the tyres utilized in endurance racing classes in Europe and the US.

The automobiles are slower, he admitted, however the Michelins utilized by many groups in sports activities automobiles will be pushed onerous for the whole thing of their for much longer races. They nonetheless drop in efficiency as they put on – a phenomenon often known as degradation and a requirement of F1 tyres due to the necessity for pit stops – however accomplish that whereas nonetheless permitting a driver to push to the restrict.

One other mentioned the drivers as a bunch had been open to the thought of a brand new provider however had no uniform place on which one it ought to be.

The opposite concern drivers have is the slim working temperature vary of the Pirelli tyres, and the truth that getting them into that window is tough.

This could result in drivers struggling an absence of efficiency for no different cause than being unable to completely perceive the working necessities for a tyre they imagine is just too delicate and tough to foretell on this space.

What does Pirelli say?

Pirelli motorsport director Mario Isola advised BBC Sport: “We simply received the affirmation from the FIA that we’re authorised as a bidder and we will begin the negotiations with F1.

“It’s not a secret we need to proceed. We need to proceed to produce a tyre that’s consistent with the expectations of all of the stakeholders.

“Generally it’s tough to agree with all people as a result of they’ve completely different positions.

“Drivers need one type of tyre, F1 a special one. However previously it was the identical and we had many discussions with all of the stakeholders to search out the perfect compromise for the game. I imagine we’ve the identical pursuits because the FIA and F1.

“I imagine that particularly with the 18-inch tyres we’ve delivered product, the drivers are joyful.

“OK, generally there are complaints, however that is regular when you’re a sole provider.”

Requested for his response to drivers’ observations that tyre overheating behind different automobiles was nonetheless a major think about making overtaking harder than F1 needed it to be with the brand new rules, Isola mentioned: “That is one thing we’ve to know.

“Final 12 months, with the brand new automobiles and the 18-inch tyres, I keep in mind that the final remark was: ‘A lot better. We do not lose downforce. Once we observe, we do not have overheating’.

“So it is a bit unusual that with roughly all of the compounds now they’re complaining about overheating.”

Bridgestone’s historical past in F1

Bridgestone entered the game in 1997 when competitors between tyre firms was permitted – these days, a single provider is remitted – and made an instantaneous impression in opposition to incumbent Goodyear.

Most famously, Damon Hill got here near successful the 1997 Hungarian Grand Prix in an uncompetitive Arrows earlier than a automotive downside within the closing laps as a result of his Bridgestones had a major benefit over the Goodyears on the day.

McLaren, then a high workforce, switched to Bridgestones for 1998 and dominated the beginning of the season earlier than Goodyear, which equipped rivals Ferrari, improved its product and Michael Schumacher was capable of problem McLaren’s Mika Hakkinen for the title earlier than the Finn lastly prevailed.

Ferrari switched to Bridgestones for 1999 earlier than dominating F1 for 5 years in opposition to Williams and McLaren automobiles now operating Michelins, after the French firm entered F1 in 2000.

Michelin, which pulled out of F1 after 2006, has toyed with the thought of coming again to F1 quite a lot of instances over time of Pirelli’s tenure however an settlement was by no means doable between the French firm and F1.

Korean firm Hankook, which provides the all-electric Formulation E sequence, bid the final time the tender was up for grabs however F1 most popular to stay with Pirelli.

On the time, Hankook was an out of doors wager as an organization that had no vital expertise on the highest stage of motorsport.

Bridgestone’s bid comes from an organization with a really completely different, a lot stronger popularity and marks the largest menace to Pirelli’s tenure within the sport because it entered F1.