Bridgestone will use green markings on this year's slick tyres to identify the softer compound at each race, similar to the successful method of white grooves that was utilised in 2007 and 2008. In confirming its decision, Bridgestone said that green was chosen as the colour to show their continued support to the FIA's Make Cars Green campaign.

When the Make Cars Green campaign was launched last October, Bridgestone painted all tyres with green grooves to highlight the FIA's efforts, and that will continue in 2009 with a green band on the shoulder of the softer compound of tyre at each race. The colour will enable fans at home and at the race track to see which type of tyre each driver is running.

However, Bridgestone also revealed that 2009 will see a greater range of tyre being brought to each race. While in 2007 and 2008, teams were able to choose between consecutive compounds, such as super-soft and soft, or soft and medium. However, in 2009 drivers will have to race on non-consecutive compounds, meaning either super-soft and medium, or soft and hard compound tyres will be the available options to them at each race.

The move has been made in an attempt to mix the field up further, with the difference in tyre compounds last year seen as too small. As a result, the FIA is looking for different compounds at races to differ by about half a second per lap. However, such a move is likely to force teams run with even more predictable compound sequences.

2009 marks the return of slick tyres after 11 seconds of their grooved counterparts, and as a result, Bridgestone has been able to use softer rubber, albeit keeping the same allocations of super-soft, soft, medium and hard. The Japanese supplier will again be supplying teams with extreme wets and intermediate wets at all races.

Hirohide Hamashima, Bridgestone (Director of Motorsport Tyre Development):
“2009 looks like it should be a very exciting season with very big changes to the cars. From our perspective we have changed our allocation strategy so that we can bring non-consecutive allocations to races. The compounds will not only vary in terms of compound hardness, but also working range. We have tried to have one tyre which has a quick warm-up and delivers a fast lap time immediately, and the other tyre which has a higher working range, so will not deliver immediate fast times, but gives very consistent and durable performance when it is at its operating temperature. Of course, we are subject to many variables such as different cars and drivers, not to mention the weather, which was such a big factor in 2008. We hope that the change in allocations gives competitors a good challenge and the fans entertaining racing. We are also proud to support the FIA's Make Cars Green campaign through our tyre markings.”

2009 Grand Prix tyre allocations:
Australia: Super soft & Medium
Malaysia: Soft & Hard
China: Super soft & Medium
Bahrain: Super soft & Medium
Spain: Soft & Hard