Australia preview quotes: Bridgestone

"Australia is an important market for Bridgestone and we are hoping to give our guests and supporters some exciting racing and good results.

"We are pleased that WilliamsF1 driver Mark Webber will be launching the FIA-Bridgestone Think Before You Drive campaign in Melbourne on Wednesday 29 March.

"As a popular role model, we hope that Mark's support for this safety campaign will help people hear about and understand the importance of the campaign's key messages: checking the tread depth and pressure of tyres, wearing a seatbelt, using a child seat and checking head rests."

Hisao Suganuma, Technical Manager: "We arrive in Australia several weeks later than normal and one of the main considerations therefore is the weather. Melbourne's climate is traditionally unstable at GP time but we do expect cooler conditions than normal.

"We have been pleased with the way our new range of tyres for 2006 has been providing consistently good performances in the opening races and so the majority of the Bridgestone shod teams have chosen a combination of previously raced and new tyre specifications for the Australian Grand Prix.

"We anticipate that the medium to soft compound range of these tyres will be competitive in the expected cool conditions and on the relatively smooth track surface. We also expect our tyres will cope well with the graining that often occurs while running on the Albert Park track.

"So far this season we have had two exciting races in which several Bridgestone runners have picked up points so we are looking for a strong performance in Melbourne."