Bridgestone wants revenge

Ferrari's Michael Schumacher was the top Bridgestone runner last year, crossing the finish line one lap down in eighth position. Following that heavy defeat, Schumacher bounced back to win the world title, but the Japanese rubber manufacturer is adamant that it will make a fight of it this time around.

"Last year was a significant race for Bridgestone and we learnt a great amount from it," said Hisao Suganuma, Bridgestone's technical manager. "This year we are looking forward to seeing a better outcome. The current test ban meant that our tyre selection for the forthcoming race was mainly completed at the last test in Jerez where we found a positive step forward in our development programme.

"We have also had time to evaluate the performance of our tyres at the last round in Hockenheim and we incorporated those findings when making the final tyre selection decisions for this weekend with our teams.

"We have also taken into consideration the smooth track surface so have chosen specifications from our soft compound range in order to provide good grip. Hungary is the second slowest circuit in terms of average speeds and track temperatures can be expected to be high, which adds an extra dimension to the challenge of producing a competitive tyre."