Japan preview quotes: Bridgestone

Q. What challenges does Fuji present?

A: "The major feature of Fuji is the very long straight, and this straight goes into a slow corner which will mean some interesting overtaking opportunities. There are only two high speed corners, with the 100R and 300R. We will see dry set-ups with low downforce configurations. The surface is quite smooth, so I do not expect problems with wear. As we saw last year, the biggest challenge could be the weather and I will certainly be bringing wet weather clothing."

Q. Are you confident in Bridgestone's tyre choice if the weather is dry?

A: "We have learnt a lot from racing in mother racing categories at Fuji, such as Formula Nippon and Super GT, over the years and it is from this knowledge that we chose the Formula One tyre position of the medium and soft tyres from our range. Of course, last season we did not see too much dry running, but we know that the 100R corner will be a challenge for graining on the left front tyre. However, if competitors manage this well we are confident of a strong performance from our tyres."