Bridgestone ends its journey with Formula One this Sunday
Just before the Formula One caravan heads for the last round of the season, Bridgestone proclaimed how “proud” it had been to be a part of the sport for so long.
Formula 1 and Bridgestone, the tyre manufacturers have been tied up for the past 14 years but now, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is to see the last of the races with the suppliers.
The Japanese manufacturer decided by the end of last season that they would not renew their contract with the sport which is to end with this weekend’s season finale. This gave way to their Italian rival tyre manufacturers, Pirelli, which would be providing
tyres to all the teams from next season onwards.
The sport got entangled with Bridgestone in 1997 having booked only five teams initially. However, over time the tie kept strengthening and now the manufacturer already has 174 race wins to its name.
As the company spends its last week with the sport, Bridgestone’s director of motorsport, Hiroshi Yasukawa talked to the media expressing his gratitude to all the management of Formula one as well as the drivers and teams. He expressed his feelings saying,
“We are proud to have participated in this wonderful sport for the past 14 years and I would like to thank all our fellow participants and Formula 1 fans for embracing us and the Bridgestone brand in this period.”
While recalling the events of all these years he proudly said that Bridgestone has cherished a lot of happy moments with the sport ranging from earning points to pole positions and victories. He continued saying that the excitement of winning races and championship
battles would always be remembered by all of them.
Yasukawa concluded saying, “Abu Dhabi is an appropriate location for our final Grand Prix as it represents the strength and appeal of this fantastic sport with the superb Yas Marina circuit. The Middle East is an important area for our business development
and I think we will leave a lasting impression here. Although we are leaving Formula 1 we retain our respect and appreciation for this great sport.”
Although Bridgestone lost the first year’s championship with Damon Hill and Arrows in Hungary in 1997, still it was able to bag nine victories and both world titles the very next year.
Since then the manufacturer kept gaining respect and credibility among the drivers and teams and finally four years back, Bridgestone completely took over as Michelin quit the sport.
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