France Preview Quotes: Bridgestone

Hiroshi Yasukawa, Director of Motorsport: "The French Grand Prix marks the second half of what has already been an incredibly rewarding season for all our teams. Scuderia Ferrari has once again proven the dominant force and Sauber Petronas has gone from strength to strength, constantly snapping at the heels of the front runners.

"Jordan Ford and Wilux Minardi Cosworth, too, have worked diligently this season to pick up some all important points. However, there is still much work to be done and we shall keep pushing as hard as we can to ensure our teams achieve their goals this year. Magny-Cours will provide them with as tough a challenge as any so where better to go head-to-head with our rival to start the second half showdown?!"

Hisao Suganuma, Technical Manager: "From a tyre point of view, Magny-Cours is a very tough circuit on rear tyres because of the hard acceleration out of the low speed corners. It is important that drivers are mindful of the stresses placed on the rear tyres at Magny-Cours. Furthermore, while the surface is quite smooth, temperatures can be high so our final choice of three different specifications of dry tyre for this weekend is from the middle of our compound range.

"With regards to getting a quick lap time in France, teams and drivers will need to work closely on the second sector. It is crucial to be quick through there but as always, Bridgestone's engineers will work very closely with its teams to ensure they get the most out of their tyres. We expect to be competitive and after missing out in 2003, we are determined to resume our winning ways in France this weekend!"