Brazil preview quotes: Bridgestone

Hirohide Hamashima, Director of Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development

Q. Why are Bridgestone bringing the soft and super soft compounds to Brazil?

HH: "Interlagos looks like a circuit that would be quite severe on tyres, but this is not the case, as it is not actually that harsh. High levels of grip are an important requirement here, especially in the infield section.

"Because of these grip requirements we will bring the soft and super soft compounds, the softest tyres we have in the 2007 Bridgestone Potenza Formula One range. However, we expect to have less grip here than when we were in a competitive situation last year, so teams and drivers will have to work hard to find the best set-up."

Q. What challenges does Interlagos present?

HH: "It is a track which has a lot of gradient changes and the first corner will be a particular challenge. The corner is downhill and comes after the long straight, so identifying the correct braking point will be vital. T

"his corner is very difficult and drivers often lock their front wheels here, so they will have to be careful to avoid flat-spotting their tyres. This year there is an unknown element too, as the circuit has been resurfaced."