This season Bridgestone tyres feature on all cars lining up in the FIA Formula One World Championship.
Bridgestone made its Formula One debut in Melbourne in 1997 when Olivier Panis scored points for fifth place.
Panis, driving for the Prost team, was one of six drivers to score points with Bridgestone tyres that year, with the notable high points that season being second places from Rubens Barrichello in Monaco, Panis in Spain and Damon Hill in Hungary. Hill’s second place was particularly notable as the then reigning world champion was leading the race driving for the Arrows squad until the last lap, and would have scored Bridgestone’s first Formula One victory.
1998 saw the first victory on Bridgestone tyres, with McLaren Mercedes’ Mika Hakkinen winning the season opener. Hakkinen went on to win the drivers’ title, and McLaren the constructors’ with the aid also of David Coulthard. Bridgestone were the tyres on the winning car for nine Grands Prix that season and it was the first time an F1 title had been won on its tyres in only the manufacturer’s second season in the sport.
Being the sole tyre supplier brings a different challenge from that of a competitive environment, but is something that Bridgestone has experienced in other race series around the world. Indeed, 1999 and 2000 saw Bridgestone as the sole tyre supplier in Formula One.
2001 saw a return to a competitive tyre supply environment and Bridgestone maintained its title winning ways despite the presence of opposition, with Schumacher scoring almost double the points of his nearest challenger, David Coulthard. Bridgestone tyres were on 13 race winners, compared to four for the opposition. The following season was another of Schumacher domination, the German scoring eleven wins and 144 points compared with four wins and 77 points from his team-mate Rubens Barrichello, all on Bridgestone tyres. The opposition won two Grands Prix to 15 on Bridgestone tyres. 2003 was a far closer season, with Schumacher winning six Grands Prix and the drivers’ title by two points from Kimi Raikkonen. Bridgestone shod cars took nine wins to the opposition’s seven. A year later Ferrari was back to the fore with another dominant season from Michael Schumacher, the German winning his seventh and final title. Bridgestone tyres were on 15 race winners, with the opposition winning three.
The run of titles on Bridgestone ended in 2005 with Fernando Alonso winning his first title, on Michelins, becoming the youngest driver ever to do so in the process. With a change in regulations, Bridgestone won just one event, the US Grand Prix, where only the Bridgestone-shod runners were able to run due to safety concerns. Last season saw a thrilling battle between Alonso and Schumacher with Alonso taking the title at the final round after both had scored seven race wins during the year.
Teams supplied by season: 1997: Prost Gauloises Blondes, Danka Arrows Yamaha, Stewart Ford, Minardi Team, Mastercard Lola Ford 1998: West McLaren Mercedes, Mild Seven Benetton Playlife, Danka Arrows, Stewart Ford, Gauloises Prost Peugeot, Minardi Team. 1999: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, West McLaren Mercedes, B&H Jordan, Stewart Ford, Winfield WilliamsF1, Mild Seven Benetton Playlife, Gauloises Prost Peugeot, Red Bull Sauber Petronas, Arrows Grand Prix, Minardi Ford, British American Racing – all teams 2000: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, West McLaren Mercedes, BMW WilliamsF1, Mild Seven Benetton Playlife, Lucky Strike Reynard British American Racing BAR Honda, Benson & Hedges Jordan, Orange Arrows, Red Bull Sauber Petronas, Jaguar Racing, Minardi Fondmetal, Gauloises Prost Peugeot – all teams 2001: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, West McLaren Mercedes, Sauber Petronas, Benson & Hedges Jordan, Lucky Strike Reynard British American Racing BAR Honda, Orange Arrows Asiatech 2002: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, Sauber Petronas, DHL Jordan Honda, Lucky Strike British American Racing BAR Honda, Orange Arrows 2003: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, Lucky Strike British American Racing BAR Honda, Sauber Petronas, Benson & Hedges Jordan Ford, European Minardi Cosworth 2004: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, Sauber Petronas, Benson & Hedges Jordan Ford, Minardi Cosworth 2005: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, Jordan Grand Prix , Minardi F1 Team 2006: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, Panasonic Toyota Racing, WilliamsF1 Team, Midland F1 Racing / Spyker MF1 Team, Super Aguri F1 Team 2007: ING Renault F1 Team, Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, Honda Racing F1 Team, BMW Sauber F1 Team, Panasonic Toyota Racing, Red Bull Racing, AT&T Williams, Scuderia Toro Rosso, Spyker F1 Team, Super Aguri F1 Team – all teams
Bridgestone made its Formula One debut in Melbourne in 1997 when Olivier Panis scored points for fifth place.
Panis, driving for the Prost team, was one of six drivers to score points with Bridgestone tyres that year, with the notable high points that season being second places from Rubens Barrichello in Monaco, Panis in Spain and Damon Hill in Hungary. Hill’s second place was particularly notable as the then reigning world champion was leading the race driving for the Arrows squad until the last lap, and would have scored Bridgestone’s first Formula One victory.
1998 saw the first victory on Bridgestone tyres, with McLaren Mercedes’ Mika Hakkinen winning the season opener. Hakkinen went on to win the drivers’ title, and McLaren the constructors’ with the aid also of David Coulthard. Bridgestone were the tyres on the winning car for nine Grands Prix that season and it was the first time an F1 title had been won on its tyres in only the manufacturer’s second season in the sport.
Being the sole tyre supplier brings a different challenge from that of a competitive environment, but is something that Bridgestone has experienced in other race series around the world. Indeed, 1999 and 2000 saw Bridgestone as the sole tyre supplier in Formula One.
2001 saw a return to a competitive tyre supply environment and Bridgestone maintained its title winning ways despite the presence of opposition, with Schumacher scoring almost double the points of his nearest challenger, David Coulthard. Bridgestone tyres were on 13 race winners, compared to four for the opposition. The following season was another of Schumacher domination, the German scoring eleven wins and 144 points compared with four wins and 77 points from his team-mate Rubens Barrichello, all on Bridgestone tyres. The opposition won two Grands Prix to 15 on Bridgestone tyres. 2003 was a far closer season, with Schumacher winning six Grands Prix and the drivers’ title by two points from Kimi Raikkonen. Bridgestone shod cars took nine wins to the opposition’s seven. A year later Ferrari was back to the fore with another dominant season from Michael Schumacher, the German winning his seventh and final title. Bridgestone tyres were on 15 race winners, with the opposition winning three.
The run of titles on Bridgestone ended in 2005 with Fernando Alonso winning his first title, on Michelins, becoming the youngest driver ever to do so in the process. With a change in regulations, Bridgestone won just one event, the US Grand Prix, where only the Bridgestone-shod runners were able to run due to safety concerns. Last season saw a thrilling battle between Alonso and Schumacher with Alonso taking the title at the final round after both had scored seven race wins during the year.
Teams supplied by season: 1997: Prost Gauloises Blondes, Danka Arrows Yamaha, Stewart Ford, Minardi Team, Mastercard Lola Ford 1998: West McLaren Mercedes, Mild Seven Benetton Playlife, Danka Arrows, Stewart Ford, Gauloises Prost Peugeot, Minardi Team. 1999: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, West McLaren Mercedes, B&H Jordan, Stewart Ford, Winfield WilliamsF1, Mild Seven Benetton Playlife, Gauloises Prost Peugeot, Red Bull Sauber Petronas, Arrows Grand Prix, Minardi Ford, British American Racing – all teams 2000: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, West McLaren Mercedes, BMW WilliamsF1, Mild Seven Benetton Playlife, Lucky Strike Reynard British American Racing BAR Honda, Benson & Hedges Jordan, Orange Arrows, Red Bull Sauber Petronas, Jaguar Racing, Minardi Fondmetal, Gauloises Prost Peugeot – all teams 2001: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, West McLaren Mercedes, Sauber Petronas, Benson & Hedges Jordan, Lucky Strike Reynard British American Racing BAR Honda, Orange Arrows Asiatech 2002: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, Sauber Petronas, DHL Jordan Honda, Lucky Strike British American Racing BAR Honda, Orange Arrows 2003: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, Lucky Strike British American Racing BAR Honda, Sauber Petronas, Benson & Hedges Jordan Ford, European Minardi Cosworth 2004: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, Sauber Petronas, Benson & Hedges Jordan Ford, Minardi Cosworth 2005: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, Jordan Grand Prix , Minardi F1 Team 2006: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, Panasonic Toyota Racing, WilliamsF1 Team, Midland F1 Racing / Spyker MF1 Team, Super Aguri F1 Team 2007: ING Renault F1 Team, Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, Honda Racing F1 Team, BMW Sauber F1 Team, Panasonic Toyota Racing, Red Bull Racing, AT&T Williams, Scuderia Toro Rosso, Spyker F1 Team, Super Aguri F1 Team – all teams