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New Track: Yas Marina hosts first Abu Dhabi Grand Prix28/10/2009

New Track: Yas Marina hosts first Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Bridgestone heads to the exciting new motor sport venue of Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi for the first ever Abu Dhabi Grand Prix which will crown the end of an exciting 2009 season.

This was the first year of the return to slick racing tyres in Formula One after eleven seasons of grooved tyres, and Bridgestone’s medium and soft compound Potenzas will be used on the all new Yas Marina Circuit.

Bridgestone’s involvement in Formula One is intrinsically linked to its desire for increased brand awareness, and racing at a new location brings many benefits for Bridgestone. Hiroshi Yasukawa, Director of Bridgestone Motorsport, explains further.

“It is wonderful for us to be ending the season at a fantastic new venue and all credit to everyone involved with the Yas Marina circuit for creating a superb new facility to be seen by millions of television viewers around the world,” says Yasukawa.

“Any new venue gets added interest around the world and the Middle East is a strategically important market for us. At this race we will be welcoming a large number of important customers and guests.”

F1 Tyre Performance

In terms of tyre performance it is always a challenge going to a new venue.

“This will be the first ever race meeting at this circuit so it is very much a step into the unknown,” explains Hirohide Hamashima, Director of Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development.

“Of course, we work very closely with the circuit and teams with simulations and evaluations of the track layout and from these we can predict cornering speeds and so the likely loads on the tyres.

“We have also worked with a sample of the track surface which was kindly given to us by the Yas Marina circuit. From this we can analyse the roughness of the surface on many levels by looking at how the individual stones that make up the surface are spaced, how rough each stone is, and how much bitumen is covering them.

“The track sample also lets us see how dark the surface is, and this is important as it has an effect on how quickly and how much the track surface heats up in sunlight.

“The race starts at 5pm, and the track should be quite warm because of its dark colour in the sunlight. Sunset is around 45 minutes after this, meaning that we predict the surface will cool fairly quickly after time and it should get quite near the ambient temperature as the race progresses.”

First racing at Abu Dhabi

Although there has not been any previous racing at Abu Dhabi, a GP2 Asia test was scheduled at the track in the week before the Grand Prix.

“Any track running is of assistance to us,” explains Hamashima.

“However, in our allocation choice we have chosen the medium and soft tyres. These are in the middle of the range and we do not predict that the medium will be too hard or the soft too soft. We have not used the concept of leaving a gap between the tyre allocation for this race.”

So, with the analysis of the track, what are the conclusions?

“In terms of expected lateral forces we can say that the circuit is similar to Valencia,” says Hamashima.

“The track surface is similar to Barcelona or Fuji. Our ambient temperature predictions place Abu Dhabi as being similar to Bahrain. “However, the track material is new so very dark in colour, meaning it could get quite hot. As with any new venue we expect to see a lot of surface evolution as the new surface is cleaned by the cars running, then gets more grip as tyre rubber is laid on the surface.”

F1 Tyre Management

Once the drivers are out on track, tyre management becomes key.

“The circuit layout is a typical stop and go street course so there will be a lot of traction demands,” explains Hamashima.

“As with any new surface we can expect the possibility of graining early in the weekend so competitors will have to work carefully to minimise this.”

From a logistics perspective any new race is a big challenge. There is a new layout to be learnt, not just that which the drivers are concerned about, but also the circuit infrastructure. To add to the challenge for Bridgestone, not only will tyres be needed for Formula One, but there is also the start to the GP2 Asia Series season. Peter Grzelinski, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Logistics Manager, explains further.

“This is a new race in a new country at a new venue so there is a lot to be learnt,” he says.

“We have to consider the logistics of ensuring that all the tyres and equipment are delivered on time and for that we have to consider new shipping routes and customs and so on. Fortunately we have good logistics partners who assist us with this aspect.

“Then we have to consider the layout of the circuit facility. We need sufficient space for all our fitting equipment and to store the tyres. Bridgestone bring 1800 F1 tyres to every Grand Prix and the teams’ allocations need to be ready for them in a timely fashion so there are many factors to consider to ensure this happens. On top of this we have brought GP2 Series Asia tyres for the test and races.”

Once all this is done, the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix can take place, and then there will be no more F1 racing until the start of the 2010 season in Bahrain.