Bahrain preview quotes: Bridgestone

Q. What are the crucial elements to get good use from tyres in Bahrain?

Van de Grint: "Good traction is essential at the Bahrain International Circuit. At six corners in particular it is very important to gain speed for the long straights which follow. After these straights there is of course heavy braking but maximising the traction out of the corners is crucial. If the traction is less than optimum it creates heat and high wear to the tyres."

Q. Bahrain, like Malaysia, is a circuit where the teams have tested extensively. Will this be a factor?

Van de Grint: "Testing at a venue where we are going to race allows us, as sole tyre supplier, to confirm that we have made the correct predictions from our theoretical data about which tyre compounds to use. For teams it allows them to engineer their car to be as fast as it can be at the circuit and this is particularly the case with Bahrain where most of the teams have tested for six days already this year."

Q. Are you happy with how the tyre marking fared in race conditions?

Van de Grint: "I am very happy with how the markings performed in race conditions. They could be seen well by spectators and the media and on television they showed particularly well on the onboard cameras."