Italy Preview Quotes: Bridgestone

Hisao Suganuma, Technical Manager: "Being the fastest circuit on the F1 calendar, the Monza GP is always a fast and furious race. The cars reach around 350km/h in four different places and in the approach to the first chicane, they are actually reaching close to 360km/h. As a result of these high speeds and low downforces, the tyres experience very high centrifugal forces, which can put stress on various parts of the tyre. Tyres for Monza, therefore, must be strong. The tyres are also rotating at such a high frequency that there is a lot of heat generated, particularly when braking hard from top speeds. Consequently, heat durability is a key issue in Monza while wear rates tend not to be so critical. Stability under braking is also key to a good lap time. And finally, Monza has no fewer than three chicanes which means that the performance of our tyres when changing direction will also be very important. All in all, it's another challenging circuit and one we have been working hard to prepare for after all three of our teams had a productive test in Monza last week."