Bridgestone lodges bid to replace Pirelli as F1 tyre supplier

Bridgestone has lodged a bid to become Formula 1's tyre supplier from 2025.

Senior sources have told BBC Sport the tender document submitted is "impressive" and the Japanese company is being seriously considered as an option to replace Pirelli.

The Italian company, which has supplied F1 since 2011, wants to continue.

The drivers are aware of Bridgestone's bid and some are supportive of the idea of it being F1's new supplier as a result of frustrations with Pirelli.

Drivers have been urging Pirelli for years to produce a tyre that is less sensitive to overheating when pushed hard or trying to overtake.

Insiders say Bridgestone has pledged as part of its bid that it can produce a tyre on which drivers can push harder for longer.

Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and and Nico Hulkenberg are the only active drivers to have experience of driving on Bridgestone tyres in F1. They used them from 2007 to 2010, after which the company pulled out of F1.

A leading driver told BBC Sport that the two multiple champions have been vocal within the driver group in expressing their approval of the way Bridgestone tyres behaved when the company was last in F1, especially for the way they could drive flat out throughout grands prix without fear of the tyres overheating.

However, some senior figures are sceptical of the wisdom of changing supplier, saying Pirelli has been a loyal partner of F1 for more than a decade, has been effective and supportive, and there is no guarantee a replacement tyre company would do a better job.

Some point to the extreme demands put on tyres by modern F1 cars, which are of a different magnitude to those experienced in Bridgestone's time in the sport from 1997 to 2010.

The cars are 200kg heavier than they were back then and produce significantly more downforce, meaning the forces imposed on tyres during cornering are significantly greater.

Others more supportive of a Bridgestone bid have told BBC Sport that there is no reason to believe a company with such a strong reputation in motorsport would have significant difficulty producing the tyres required.

Another complication is the relatively short timeframe involved.

Pirelli's current contract runs out at the end of 2024, which gives a new manufacturer only 18 months to produce the equipment and logistical capacity to supply a season of 22 or more grands prix.

A source close to Bridgestone said one reason for the company's interest in F1 could be the sport's growth in the US market, where the company is keen to raise its profile.

Bridgestone already supplies the tyres to the US-based IndyCar series under its Firestone brand.

Bids from both Pirelli and Bridgestone have been received by the FIA. The governing body is conducting a technical assessment which is likely to conclude in the next few weeks before the companies enter commercial discussions with F1, which could take a few months.

As a commercial matter as well as a sporting one, no-one in F1 would talk to BBC Sport on the record about Bridgestone's bid.

A Bridgestone spokesperson said: "Bridgestone has a 60-year heritage in motorsports and we are a partner in many motorsport events. We will continue to advance and refine our technologies through top-level races around the globe that require top-level tyre performance. F1 is considered as one of the various options."

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