Bridgestone will return to a FIA World Championship for the first time in a decade-and-a-half when it begins delivering tyres to Formula E starting in the 2026/27 season. The company will succeed Hankook as the sole tyre supplier under an agreement that covers 2026-2027 through 2029-2030. The start of Bridgestone’s Formula E engagement will coincide with the introduction of Gen4 cars in the championship’s 13th season.
Upon introducing Bridgestone as a future supplier, the FIA stated that the Gen4 era will “bring the next major leap for the series, ensuring Formula E remains at the bleeding edge of world championship electric motorsport.” As was the case when developing the current Gen3 cars, sustainability has taken “centre stage” in the Gen4 tender process.
The FIA required suppliers to identify all their measures to optimise product sustainability, as well as to reduce emissions and resource consumption through a lifecycle assessment process. Like its predecessor, Gen 4 will be a net zero race car by design, but the FIA states that the “boundaries of what is possible in this space are to be pushed yet further.”
Motorsports cornerstone
Elaborating upon the FIA’s announcement, Bridgestone emphasises that the all-electric race series will become “a cornerstone of the company’s sustainable global motorsports strategy.” Furthermore, it intends to use supply arrangements such as this to “continue to develop and refine sustainable technology” and to “accelerate innovation” that delivers value throughout the entire tyre lifecycle.
“Motorsports is Bridgestone’s passion. Always has been, and always will be,” declares Shu Ishibashi, global chief executive officer of Bridgestone Corporation. “I am delighted to be able to announce our return to an FIA World Championship this year as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of our motorsports activities. Carrying on our 60-year legacy in motorsports, we are very excited about being the FIA’s sole tyre supplier for Formula E from the 2026 -2027 season.”
Tyres carry life
“Sharing the passion to race and passion to win, Bridgestone has empowered the best performance of cars, drivers and teams in racing conditions by repeatedly taking on the ultimate challenges while ensuring safety and peace of mind based on our fundamental principle ‘tyres carry life’. This ‘ultimate challenge’, as we call ‘challenge for excellence’, is our origin as a tyre manufacturer and shaped the foundation of our premium tyre business,” Ishibashi continues. As we face our next stage, Bridgestone aims to evolve sustainable global premium motorsports products with our enduring passion to embrace the ultimate challenge and to pursue excellence in every moment.”
Ishibashi confirms that the core of Bridgestone’s supply arrangement with the FIA will be the expansion and enhancement of its Enliten tyre technology in a manner that will enable “ultimate customisation.” While the Bridgestone boss doesn’t elaborate on this, he reiterates the positioning of Enliten as Bridgestone’s “new premium in the EV era”. Shu Ishibashi concludes by stating he is “looking forward” to the company’s Formula E engagement.
The Japanese tyre maker will follow on from Hankook, which began exclusively supplying tyres to Formula E in 2023 after accepting the baton from Michelin, who had been sole tyre supplier since the championship’s inauguration in 2014.
