Bridgestone Clarify: Our Tyres are Legal

Bridgestone Motorsport released a statement today, clarifying the company's position on tyres for the 2002 Australian Grand Prix, following speculation in the media during recent days.

The FIA president Max Mosley recently stated that one of the tyre manufacturers may plan to use a tyre that could be deemed illegal. "There is supposed to be a new tyre, with asymmetric grooves which is not allowed," Mosley said in a press meeting. "The grooves have to be uniform, which we think means they have to be the same whichever way you look at them."

Following that, speculations have risen as to whether the tyre manufacturer in question is Bridgestone or Michelin. Today Bridgestone confirmed that the tyres they taking to Melbourne will comply fully with the FIA regulations - that is, with four grooves with the correct dimensions as set down in the rules.

"The FIA regulations state that each front dry-weather tyre, when new, must have four circumferential grooves which must be arranged symmetrically about the centre of the tyre tread, at least 14mm wide at the contact surface and which taper uniformly to a minimum of 10mm at the lower surface," said Hisao Suganuma, technical manager of Bridgestone Motorsport.

"When grooved tyres were introduced in 1998, we believed the FIA's intention was for all four grooves to be symmetrical. We have followed that spirit ever since. Bridgestone's tyres for the 2002 Australian Grand Prix will comply with the rules set down by the FIA and, visually, will be the same as officials, competitors and spectators have come to expect in Formula 1."