Turkish GP - Bridgestone preview - 18th August 18:07pm GMT

Just five races remain on the 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship calendar and the constructors' and drivers' title races are still wide open with Bridgestone shod Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro and Michael Schumacher set for an eagerly awaited end of season showdown. Although testing has not been permitted since the washout in Hungary two weeks ago, Bridgestone has been busy preparing for next weekend's Grand Prix of Turkey, which is taking place for only the second year running.

Logistics arrangements for the Turkish GP are more complex than for most European races with Istanbul spanning both the European and Asian continents. Bridgestone's fleet of tyre trucks travelled down to Trieste in Italy before sailing on ferries round to the port of Pendick, Turkey. From there they headed for the impressive 5.33km Istanbul Park circuit.

Hiroshi Yasukawa, Director of Motorsport:
"Turkey hosted a fantastic grand prix last year and we are very much looking forward to returning this year. The championship battle is looking very close but Ferrari has been strong in the second half of this year and Bridgestone is working hard to give them the best possible chance of regaining the championship titles. Toyota and Williams too should be chasing podiums now so we are hoping to see a thrilling race next weekend in what is a key market for Bridgestone."

Tyres for Turkey -- 5.338km
The 2006 tyre regulations permit each driver seven sets of dry tyres, four sets of wet weather tyres and three sets of extreme wet weather tyres. Combined with the increased number of teams running with Bridgestone in 2006, approximately 1,200 Bridgestone Potenza Formula One tyres have been sent from the Technical Centre in Kodaira City, Tokyo, to the Istanbul Park in Turkey.

Hisao Suganuma, Bridgestone Motorsport Technical Manager:
"The Istanbul Park circuit is one of the fastest on the calendar. Turn eight is a particularly long and fast corner which can be tough on the tyres. As the circuit is anti-clockwise, the front right tyre can be susceptible to high wear. However, what makes this circuit interesting is that the track surface itself is very smooth similar to Monaco and Montreal and consequently we require a tyre compound which can provide grip as well as durability."

"We also need to be prepared for possible high track temperatures. Bridgestone's tyres therefore for Turkey will be from the current specification range with medium to soft compounds, which we believe will be well suited and competitive in Turkey next weekend. We are now entering a crucial stage of the championship and it is vital that our teams are in a position to take plenty of points and podiums in the remaining five races."