Helping Ferrari get a grip on tyres
In a high-pressure year for Ferrari, the Italian giant has turned to a Japanese tyre expert to help get the best out of its rubber. Niki Takeda spoke to Hirohide Hamashima
Whenever Formula 1 teams get back together again after the winter break, it always takes a bit of time for the regulars to familiarise themselves with fresh faces in new teams.
Yet rather than it being Kimi Raikkonen in his Lotus overalls, or Bruno Senna in his Williams gear, it was an old friendly face from the past who was causing a few double takes in the Jerez paddock this week as he walked around in his new Ferrari uniform. Hirohide Hamashima, who since 1997 had been head of Bridgestone's motorsport tyre development in F1, last month embarked on a fresh chapter in his career - and one that could prove instrumental in helping Ferrari rediscover its title-winning form.
Share Or Save This Story
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.