Bridgestone has been a key and underpinning technical cornerstone for the GEN4 project according to the driver who has logged more miles in the car than any other driver.
James Rossiter has accrued approximately 7000kms of running in the original GEN4 development car and has worked intensively with Bridgestone engineers, a relationship he re-kindled after years working with the company in F1 testing and Japanese Super GT racing.
Bridgestone unveiled its GEN4 Potenza models at a recent launch in Rome, the home of Bridgestone’s Technical Centre Europe.
Rossiter told Formula E Notebook that the development phase had been “really, really impressive on the track throughout the testing and development phase, but also equally as impressive off the track,” Rossiter told FEN.
“And certainly, having a partner like this on board for me is really showing how much it’s ramping up and how much excitement there is ahead of us as we move into the ‘GEN4 way’.”
Rossiter drove on multiple circuits in a variety of conditions to accrue data for Bridgestone and other key technical suppliers throughout the latter half of 2024 and across 2025 and 2026.
“It was an amazing process and nothing was left to chance,” added Rossiter.
“There was a huge engineering team from Bridgestone from day one. The resources they put into this is second to none and it’s been one of the most impressive tyre development phases I’ve enjoyed in my career, having worked with Bridgestone in Formula One and in Super GT in tyre development
“It was very, very impressive to see the amount of energy, enthusiasm, and excitement that they put into this this GEN4 tyre.”
The challenge in terms of instant power, instant torque and four-wheel drive, the first time it has been permanently available in an international single-seater, has meant that many unknowns have had to be tackled from day one of the development programme.
“They have been very reactive in terms of their response and their ability to problem solve was extremely impressive,” added Rossiter.
“In terms of the development, the way they cycled through different compounds, constructions, found the correct operating window, and found the ability where we can take all the power that the Gen 4 car creates-that instant 600 kilowatts of power-and be able to put that into the road was a massive challenge, and they took that on head-to-head. There is no one better for the GEN4 job than Bridgestone.”
Anthony Rowlinson contributed to this report
