In a development that has the potential to shake up the formula one tyre wars, Bridgestone seemed to be hinting at a u-turn from its formula one exit announcement. Till now everyone was working on the assumption that Bridgestone who have been the sole tyre suppliers for formula one since 2006 will be exiting at the end of the 2010 formula one season. But recent comments made after the Spanish Grand Prix suggest the Bridgestone may have had a change of heart.

There are rumours that at the FOTA meeting at Spanish Grand Prix, there were indications that Bridgestone may stay much to the chagrin of other players in the tyre wars : Pirelli, Avon Cooper and Michelin who have shown interest in taking the reins of formula one from Bridgestone.

Hiroshi Yakukawa who is Bridgestone’s director of motorsport was quoted as saying :

“This has been a very strong weekend for us.

“We hosted guests from the USA and Brazil as well as many from our European markets, which has illustrated the importance of Formula One as a business tool. Our sales companies continue to support our Formula One activities, showing the significance of this to our business.

“We are proud to have the support of all of the teams in this fantastic sport and now look forward to heading straight to Monaco for what is likely to be another fabulous race meeting.”

One wonders if an official announcement regarding the U-turn does come from Bridgestone, how the other tyre companies hall react.