This week's Grapevine brings you information fresh from the paddock on: The Goodyear Factor Safely Negotiating Monaco

The Goodyear Factor

By withdrawing from Formula One after only two seasons of competing against Bridgestone, it seems that Goodyear might have shot themselves in the foot, so to speak.

In 1998, when McLaren took to the park on Bridgestone rubber, the two manufacturers were effectively head to head on the track, with roughly comparable teams. The significance of the tyres ahead of any other aspect of a car's performance was brought to the fore, generating massive publicity for both players. Sales and market share for both went up, and anticipation of Goodyear's imminent withdrawal from the sport served only to heighten the exposure.

In leaving Bridgestone to be sole supplier, Goodyear believed that they would be saving a considerable expenditure on their racing budget, which could be better placed in more traditional marketing, and of course, shareholder pockets. In their experience, being sole supplier in the sport, whilst moderately useful as a marketing tool, was an expensive game considering the results in terms of sales. Leaving Bridgestone to it should have given the Japanese supplier little benefit. Remaining on the track, however, promised to see Bridgestone develop tyres that would become regular winners. At board level, it was considered that this could provide an adverse affect on sales...

As it turned out, Bridgestone made the most of their sole trader status, and continued to grow their business, despite the massive Firestone / Ford ruling in the US, which was very bad publicity for the company. With Michelin's entry into the sport bringing the remaining big player into the spotlight again, both teams are improving profits and increasing their market share, at the expense of Goodyear.

Should Goodyear return to the sport, they are facing the possibility of competing against both Michelin and Bridgestone. In a three way battle, even if the spotlight is turned onto the participants, each event offers "a winner" with "the rest failing to win." In marketing terms, there is an important psychological difference to the two horse race scenario, where there is a distinct winner and loser. Besides which, having spent time out of the game, expectations are lowered, so performing "well" becomes relatively much easier.

From a marketing viewpoint, the decision is simple: competition is essential to stop the rot, and retake market share against the other suppliers. The return on investing in a decent racing program has been five percent or better year on year profit growth for Bridgestone, since they started, and indications are that Goodyear can look for the same. Now all that remains is the politics – and that, particularly working with Bernie Ecclestone and Formula One, is never a simple affair.

Nevertheless, the game is afoot, with feelers put out to the teams, in the person of Goodyear's director of racing, Stu Grant, touring the paddock in Austria: almost all of them have contracts that expire this or next year. To the point, all are interested in being the front runner for a tyre company – particularly after being reminded of the benefits by Williams's return to form with Michelin. Accordingly, Goodyear are feeling their way towards a deal with Ferrari or McLaren, but need to pick up followers elsewhere if they are to appear respectable – not to mention meeting the FIA's requirements to make tyres available to a third of the teams...

Initial feedback is positive, though there has been no hint of commitment from anyone other than Sauber this year: the Swiss team is looking to line up a works engine deal. If that sounds familiar, it should – and if it worked for Williams, Sauber can see why it could work for them too.

Safely Negotiating Monaco

As the circus comes back to Monaco, safety concerns are again making a bit of a wave in the paddock, though for a change the traditional complaints about the barriers and no run-offs play second fiddle.

Should four cars be left standing at the front of Monaco's grid on Sunday, things would look very interesting indeed, as there is far less room to manoeuvre than anywhere else on the calendar. The situation is being taken so seriously that the Jordan drivers will, despite solving the issues which left their cars on the Austrian grid, be starting in the traditional fashion.

At any rate, the FIA are not currently planning to do anything about the problem. In the drivers' briefing they will be told to expect the likelihood of cars being left on the grid: the marshals will be particularly vigilant at the start line as they watch for trouble, so they need to be aware of waved yellows on the grid. Otherwise, the issue remains firmly in the lap of the teams. Standing starts is the way Formula One works, and teams there has always been the danger of cars stalling. Even Prost, himself, has done it – on pole.

However, the annual issue for Monaco is the proximity of the barriers in what all the drivers see as a mad, if challenging place to race. Last year, Ralf Schumacher raced strongly with Williams, before being put off his stride by a McLaren exiting from the pits: taking a slightly different line into Ste Devote put the Williams off balance on the curb, and he joined Wurz and Mazzacane in attempting to plough through the same point in the Armco. That collision resulted in a suspension member penetrating the monocoque, cutting his leg.

The strange thing is, that is the biggest injury to come out of Monaco for a number of years, despite the normal exit route for the event usually including attempts to seriously deform the barriers. Those years include Alexander Wurz famously sliding out of the tunnel with no front wheels (post Schumacher battle), Schumacher himself driving straight on in the rain, and Damon Hill choosing to run into the barrier rather than another competitor in an abortive overtaking attempt... and Olivier Panis leading home a field of four in 1996.

You would have thought that the secret to this record was the technology in the barriers that the drivers keep hitting – and to some extent, it is. But the real value comes from those manning them, looking out at each session for ways to improve the safety, and respond more effectively to drivers in distress.

So as the circus again visits the glamorous jewel in its crown, the Marshals who work to ensure this record will once again take their positions, looking out for the safety of the world's best drivers.