Bridgestone have revealed that they will have a new range of soft compound tyres for the Monaco Grand Prix this coming weekend, as they look to get back on the top step of the podium at the Principality after an absence of four years.

Speaking in the count-down to the seventh round in the championship, Bridgestone's director of motorsport, Hiroshi Yasukawa predicted they have a number of drivers who could get on the podium, although as usual there key hope will lie with the Ferrari of Michael Schumacher, who took the last victory for them here in 2001.

"Looking at the competitive performances of several of the Bridgestone teams over the past six races, there are a number of Bridgestone drivers who are capable of making it onto the podium this weekend," confirmed Yasukawa. "The Monaco Grand Prix is a very prestigious race so we are keen to see our teams do well there."

Monaco's unique street circuit features one of the smoothest track surfaces on the calendar and its coastal location can make it prone to unstable weather conditions. Overtaking opportunities are rare and therefore qualifying will be vital. It is a big challenge for teams and tyre manufacturers alike but it is a challenge Bridgestone is relishing.

"As the only real street circuit on the F1 calendar, the Monaco Grand Prix is extremely special," added Bridgestone's technical manager, Hisao Suganuma. "The cars need to have precise handling as they run so close to the sides.

"From a tyre point of view, the tyre manufacturer needs to provide tyres which give the drivers good handling characteristics. Being a street circuit with very tight corners, the tyres also need to provide good acceleration out of the slow corners. The tarmac on Monaco's street surface is another factor taken into consideration by the tyre manufacturers. The surface is very smooth and therefore compounds are from the softer end of the scale to ensure enough grip. With tyre changes now permitted and our recent developments progressing well, Bridgestone is taking a combination of both raced and previously unraced very soft compound tyres. The new compound tyres are actually softer than those used in 2004 [prior to the single tyre rule]. The Bridgestone wet weather tyres will also feature a soft compound.

"In terms of strategy, I expect the majority of teams will stop twice in the race - although a one-stop strategy is possible due to the shorter length of race distance. However, race strategies will ultimately be tied into a qualifying strategy and at Monaco, qualifying as far up the grid as possible is essential as overtaking is extremely difficult.

"All in all, I'm looking forward to seeing our teams perform at Monaco. We have made significant efforts to give them the necessary tyres which will perform well not only on the smooth surface but also in qualifying, the race and in potentially unstable weather conditions. It's going to be an interesting weekend!"