Monaco Preview Quotes: Bridgestone

Hiroshi Yasukawa, Director of Motorsport: "Despite all the excitement of Austria where Michael [Schumacher] and Rubens [Barrichello] finished first and third under somewhat unusual circumstances, I think it is clear that Bridgestone provided the right tyres for the job. Jenson Button's fourth was also very encouraging and I think we are beginning to see the potential of the BAR Hondas. I'm looking forward to seeing them in action in Monaco. Being a street circuit, it has very different demands on drivers, cars and tyres. We had a strong race there in 2002 and I fully expect to be strong again this year."

Hisao Suganuma, Technical Manager: "Monaco is one of the most difficult circuits to test and select tyres for. The fact is that we need such a soft compound for Monaco that all the circuits we test on are far too abrasive. A Monaco tyre would not last a lap on a normal purpose built F1 circuit. After two or three corners, there would be significant graining and understeer. This means that the tyre selection process for Monaco is quite unique and we have to cooperate with the teams far more closely. We can't rely on lap times, wear durability or the other normal assessment procedures. We rely more heavily on car data and sector times. Using the latest family of compounds, this year's tyres are an evolution of those used in 2002. Even with the resurfacing work on the track we believe the circuit will still be very low in grip. Last year's tyre was an excellent race tyre but we are also confident that the developments we have made recently have produced a good qualifying tyre too. It's going to be a fascinating weekend!"