You have to adjust yourself to the new situation - Vettel

The switch to the new Bridgestone control tyre represents one of the most significant rule changes for the 2007 Formula One season. Sebastian Vettel, official BMW Sauber F1 Team test- and reserve driver, talks about the new tyres' impact on his driving.

In the forthcoming season, Bridgestone has to face a special challenge: to provide tyre designs and compounds that meet the requirements of all the teams and all the circuits. Obviously, this task has had an impact on tyre performance. "These tyres are different from the Bridgestones used in 2006," reveals Vettel. "They are a lot harder and make you slide much more."

However, the 19-year-old regards the characteristics of the new tyres as stimulating and it's Sebastian's goal to set the best lap times possible despite the changed conditions. However, some flexibility is needed to achieve this goal. "You have to adjust yourself to the new situation," he says. "And you also have to adapt your style of driving as you can't be too aggressive any more. It's vital to focus on driving a clean line. It's true, sliding is fun -but it costs time."

The BMW Sauber F1 Team has responded to this development. In recent weeks it has completed extensive tyre tests. An effort that paid off: Nick Heidfeld, Robert Kubica, Sebastian Vettel and Timo Glock have proved able to cope well with the new BMW Sauber F1.07 and the new tyres and succeeded in setting competitive lap times at Valencia, Jerez and Barcelona.