Team-mate Yamamoto will be racing in Asia for the first time since leaving the Formula Nippon series to replace Franck Montagny in the
Super Aguri line-up, and he is looking forward to the opportunity.
“It will be nice for me to go back to an Asian race for the first time since joining
Formula One as an Asian driver, and I have been working hard on my preparations for the Chinese Grand Prix," he said, "I know the circuit pretty well now, and we tested our Shanghai package at Silverstone last week, so I think that we have collected good data for the race and I hope that the SA06 will suit this exciting circuit.”
TYRES:
With
Michael Schumacher winning, but
Kimi Raikkonen taking pole and running the German close, especially in the early stages of the race, the balance of power in the tyre war remained evenly shared at Monza, but fevered development and evaluation has been the name of the game since then, and it will be interesting to see whose work has been best suited to China - and beyond - as the season draws to a close.
After extensive tests at both Mugello and
Silverstone,
Bridgestone heads to Shanghai knowing that every point counts with just three rounds remaining, but equally aware that rival Michelin will have been working hard at both the British venue and
Jerez to make sure that
Renault and Alonso can match, if not beat, Schumacher and
Ferrari.
“We are now at a crucial point in the season," Bridgestone director of motorsport Hiroshi Yasukawa, "Ferrari is battling for the drivers’ and constructors’ championships while, for our other four teams, every point gained is essential.”
“The Shanghai circuit has a unique track layout, with one corner like a corkscrew putting the left front tyres under some strain," technical manager Hisao Suganuma continued, looking at specifics, "At the previous two grands prix in China, we have seen quite high levels of graining on the front lefts, so controlling the graining will be a key factor this weekend.
