Bridgestone has revealed that it will run special 'green' tyres in this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix to show its support for the FIA's 'Make Cars Green' campaign.
Dani Pedrosa released the pressure on his shoulders to prove that his mid-season tyre switch was the correct decision by finishing on the podium in only his second race with Bridgestone, in Honda's home Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday.
Pramac Racing, which runs the Alice Ducati MotoGP team, has sought to clarify that Makoto Tamada's success during the 2003 and 2004 seasons came as a Pramac rider rather than part of the JiR team.
Kawasaki began the process of adapting its ZX-RR to run the same specification Bridgestone front tyre as world championship leaders Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner, during Monday's post-race test at Misano.
Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner has admitted that the Milton Keynes-based outfit needs to raise its game over the remaining six races of the Formula One season if it is to remain in the battle for fourth place in the constructors' championship.
It has been officially confirmed that Dani Pedrosa will make a shock switch from Michelin to Bridgestone tyres with immediate effect - splitting the Repsol Honda Team in two for the five remaining rounds of the 2008 season.
Growing rumours in the Misano paddock suggest that Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa will make a shock switch from Michelin to Bridgestone tyres in time for the forthcoming Indianapolis Grand Prix on September 14!
Michelin, once the dominant force in MotoGP, appears to be fighting for its MotoGP future after struggling at the last three events - culminating in a top-eight sweep by Bridgestone in Sunday's Czech Republic Grand Prix.
After a humiliating US Grand Prix weekend, caused by overly hard tyres ill suited to the Laguna Seca circuit, Michelin aims to rebuild confidence in its product by returning to what it knows works at this weekend's Czech Republic Grand Prix.
With some in the grand prix paddock suggesting he is embroiled in a battle to save his seat at BMW-Sauber beyond the end of the 2008 Formula 1 campaign, Nick Heidfeld has come out fighting, underlining his belief that his form over the early stages of the season has been portrayed as being worse
With race wins divided equally between Bridgestone and Michelin during the first four rounds of the 2008 MotoGP World championship, Tohru Ubukata, manager of Motorcycle Race Tyre Development at Bridgestone, believes the tyre war is 'about as even as it could possibly be'.
Although conditions at the Istanbul Park circuit are unlikely to be as harsh as in recent years, due to a date change, Bridgestone has attempted to head off possible problems with its tyres.
Starting from fifth, the new Bridgestone rider did not get the best of starts and finished the first lap in sixth, but he soon settled into a good rhythm and was stalking Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, then in second, by lap three.
Casey Stoner may have taken a dominant victory in the Qatar season opener, but the inaugural MotoGP night race was something of a tough event for Bridgestone - in overall terms - with only two riders finishing in the top seven.
Bridgestone has confirmed that it will conduct a second slick tyre test in April, one week prior to the Spanish Grand Prix, the fourth round in the 2008 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.
Rossi has been with Michelin ever since his 2000 premier-class debut and won the 500cc/MotoGP title five times with the French manufacturer from 2001-2005. However, chatter problems during 2006 and especially the dominance of Bridgestone in 2007 has seen the relationship rapidly cool.
Bridgestone, who won their first two MotoGP races with Camel Honda's Makoto Tamada this season, look set to expand their premier-class line-up further for 2005.
Bridgestone Motorsport is eager to get to Brazil this week for the 2004 FIA Formula One World Championship season finale and assist its teams who are all keen to finish the year on a high.
Guests: Ross Brawn (Ferrari), Hiroshi Yasukawa, Hirohide Hamashima (Bridgestone) Q: Mr Yasukawa, how do you view the performance of all the Bridgestone-equipped teams this season?
Extremely wet weather put Bridgestone and Michelin to the test today [Friday] during practice at the Japanese Grand Prix, however it was Bridgestone that came out top, thanks to rain master, Michael Schumacher, who topped the times in both sessions in his Ferrari F2004.
Michelin boss, Pierre Dupasquier reckons that the Chinese Grand Prix could have been won by Kimi Raikkonen, had the Finn got ahead at the start, and not been 'held up' by eventual winner, Rubens Barrichello.
Michael Schumacher was in dominant form Sunday in front of his home crowd, winning his third German Grand Prix from pole position and giving Bridgestone its 90th victory since entering the FIA Formula One World Championship as a tyre supplier in 1997.