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The Silent Witness: Bridgestone's Version

After getting all the flack for Ferrari's slump in form in the first races of the 2005 season, you wouldn't begrudge Bridgestone if they were to, say, gloat at the painful downfall of their competitor Michelin in the US Grand Prix last week. But that wouldn't be Bridgestone's style. The quiet, rather low key Japanese company has done everything to stir clear of the latest controversy, and in an interview with Will Gray, following the events at Indianapolis, the company's head of tyre development, Hirohide Hamashima, expresses his sympathy and sadness for the recent events. In an exclusive interview with Autpsport-Atlas, he talks about Ferrari's tyre development, competition in F1, their return to form, and more

Will Gray Jun 29, 2005, 12:38 PM

As the seven Michelin teams on the Grand Prix grid headed to Paris to face the repercussions from their actions that followed the French tyre supplier's massive mistake at Indianapolis, Bridgestone had their minds fully focussed on the track, plotting the latest move in their accelerated fightback.

The methodical Japanese tyre manufacturer, who suffered a setback this year when Michelin came out all guns blazing in the opening rounds, remained a silent witness over the controversial United States Grand Prix as their rivals were forced to pay the price for making a crucial and fundamental mistake.