Bridgestone CEO sets 'number one' mission as Formula E partnership commences

Bridgestone will return to an FIA world championship for the first time since quitting Formula 1 in 2010, with the Japanese manufacturer's CEO setting out a mission to reclaim the "number one" position in the tyre industry after the firm was confirmed as Formula E's sole tyre supplier for the championship's upcoming Gen4 era.

The Japanese manufacturer departed grand prix racing at the end of the 2010 season, shifting its global motorsport focus towards sponsoring the Olympics and Paralympics instead. 

But that chapter has now closed, with Bridgestone agreeing a four-season deal running from the 2026/27 campaign through to 2029/30, replacing Hankook as Formula E's tyre supplier.

Bridgestone CEO Yasuhiro Morita has explained that the pull back towards top-level motorsport came from within the company itself.

"It's obviously very exciting," Morita told RacingNews365 in an interview. "After we left Formula 1 in 2010, we supported the Olympics, Paralympics and other sporting events. It was also wonderful for us as a very strong global platform. 

"What was missing was a product at the centre of that support. So that does, in some sense, but not really directly, help us improve our technologies. So we wondered some years ago, when we were ending the Olympic sponsorship, what could be next?

"And most of our team-mates, I would say, I don't know, I didn't count, but about 99%, I would say, really said, 'We want to go back, we want to go back to an FIA World Championship.' 

"Bridgestone is a global company, not a local company, and everybody wants to go back. So the voice of the employees is there, and that helps me and the management teams to move forward with this."

Bridgestone CEO draws similarities to 1997 F1 arrival

Morita joined Bridgestone in April 1996, meaning he was with the company throughout its entire F1 spell, from its arrival in 1997 to its exit in 2010. 

Asked whether leading the firm's return to an FIA world championship felt like a personal and emotional moment, Morita drew a direct line between where Bridgestone stood when he joined and where it stands now.

"So we were trying to be number one at that time, and Formula 1 was a challenge," he said.

"Nobody wanted to use our tyres in the first few seasons, and after that, we became number one in Formula 1. But today, many things have progressed. So it's not because of Formula 1 or Formula 1 alone, but today, where we are is number two.

"So I feel the same as when I joined Bridgestone in 1996: try to be number one. We are not number one. We are number two. Let's be number one. What do we need to do? And then that goes along with [joining Formula E]. So for me, it's a really emotional moment. And with all the team-mates, we want to grow again."

Bridgestone currently sits second behind Michelin in global tyre manufacturer rankings, having previously held the top spot for 11 years before losing it in 2021.

The Formula E deal, however, may not be the full extent of Bridgestone's ambitions. According to RacingNews365 sources, the manufacturer is actively pushing for a return to F1 as well, targeting the tender for the 2029 season and holding exploratory discussions within the paddock at both the Singapore and United States Grands Prix the past couple weeks.