15/02/2006
NEWS STORY
Talking on the third day of testing at the Sakhir Circuit in Bahrain, where his company is providing rubber for two of the teams on duty - Ferrari and MF1 - Bridgestone's Hisao Suganuma has admitted that the test, which has only attracted three teams, is vital.
"With the new season under way in under one month, we are finalizing our preparations and still need to test compounds and construction," he said. "It is far better to test at the venue of the first race rather than in Europe, particularly as it is so cold and last year's track temperatures were 50 degrees.
"I have spoken with local Bahrainis," he revealed, "and they think that today's temperature (35 degrees) is closer to what we will get this year, as the race is a month earlier. Possibly 40 degrees.
"Even more importantly the information we are building here means that we can also predict the tyre specifications for the second race in Malaysia and it is vital to have this information as early as possible."