Friday, November 11, 2005

Toyota moves to Bridgestone for 2006

According to the BBC, Toyota has joined Williams in moving from Michelin to Bridgestone. link.

This move may not pay off in the near future, thanks to the special relationship between Ferrari and Bridgestone. McLaren moved from Bridgestone to Michelin in 2001 citing the Ferrari-Bridgestone coziness as a concern. McLaren struggled to adapt to Michelin in 2002, but came back strongly in 2003.

BAR found some impressive pace in 2004 when they switched over from Bridgestone. Winter testing will give a good indication of how much of an advantage or disadvantage these moves will be for Williams and Toyota.

Whatever be the result in 2006, there is no doubt that Williams and Toyota elected to join Bridgestone keeping the 2008 season in mind. Only time will tell if Michelin decide to move on in 2008.

I personally feel that more the competition, the better it will be for the sport. Today, we decide that there should be only one tyre manufacturer. Next, some bright guy will come up with a single engine manufacturer or a single chassis. Soon, F1 will end up mirroring A1 and the sport as we know it will no longer exist.

Myopic view of

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