Bridgestone are confident that degradation problems suffered with slick tyres will be resolved before the start of the season.
Chief engineer says teams and drivers need to adjust
Bridgestone are confident that degradation problems teams have suffered with new slick tyres in testing will be resolved before the start of the season.
There were complaints during tests held at the Jerez circuit in Spain last month that the new rear tyres suffer from severe degradation due to increased oversteer.
However, Bridgestone's motorsport chief engineer Jun Matsuzaki told
autosport.com that the problem was more a matter of drivers and teams having to adapt.
"It is still early days for the teams working on their understanding of the slick tyres and the aerodynamic regulations, so we would expect improvements in all areas of how teams use their tyres," he said.
Explaining his rationale, Matsuzaki added: "Jerez's circuit layout is one which is harsh on the rear tyres. Also, Jerez in December is colder than we will see during the season, so there was graining on the rear tyres and this led to greater degradation than we would see in warmer weather.
"Tyre dimension is a factor, but tyre compound and construction play a big part too. The construction of the rear tyres was upgraded for the move to slicks to maintain the balance of fronts and rears.
"The balance of the grip created by tyres is still a little on the oversteer side, but this is something which will be countered by car set-up as teams learn how best to use these tyres."
The 2009 season will be the first in 12 years in which Formula One cars will have used slick tyres.
