Bridgestone to mark Extreme Wets

(GMM) Bridgestone in 2008 will mark its extreme wet compounds with a white line in the bottom of the middle groove, the official F1 tire supplier announced on Friday.

Throughout last season, at the behest of the FIA, the Japanese marque marked the softer of the two dry-weather compounds on offer at grands prix with a similar white line, and the practice will continue this year.

Because the practice did not extend to wet tires, however, some observers and teams remarked that it was difficult to differentiate normal wets from the deeper-grooved 'extreme' tires when they were circulating on the tracks.

The wet tire marking has therefore been introduced for 2008 "at the request of the teams and in consultation with the FIA", Bridgestone said.

The tire supplier says it is happy with the concept of marking its products for formula one because it enables "the media and the public to further understand the strategies employed by various teams and potentially increase their enjoyment of the race".