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Teams fight Bridgestone's corner

Team bosses want Bridgestone to stay on © Sutton Images

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Formula One team bosses have asked Bridgestone's board members to reconsider their decision to withdraw from the sport in 2011.

F1 team representatives met Hiroshi Yasukawa, Bridgestone's motorsport director, during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend to try to convince the board to continue with the tyre programme.

Although Bridgestone's stance remains unchanged for now, Yasukawa revealed that European CEO Makio Ohashi also knows about the teams wishes.

"After each race meeting we make a report to Japan, so are going to report to our top board members about what has happened this weekend," Yasukawa told AUTOSPORT.

"Mr Ohashi has also realised that F1 is very important for Bridgestone. I really appreciate the teams' approach, and we are happy that they still trust in our company and they wish Bridgestone to say. Maybe we have to reconsider because of the market and the environment. We also understand that F1 itself is more concerned about the environment now, and there is a new power train coming.

"However, nothing has changed yet. Our company has said, very unfortunately, that we have to stop at the end of this year."

With Pirelli submitting an application to become the sport's sole tyre supplier in 2011, there are other options available should Bridgestone stick to its decision to withdraw from the sport. But Mercedes CEO Nick Fry said a decision needs to be made sooner rather than later.

"I think we have got to make a solution and come to a decision in the next 10 days or so," he explained. "The encouraging thing is we are in a massively better position than three or four weeks ago, when maybe we had one option open to us. Now we have three and discussions are going on trying to persuade Bridgestone to stay."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.