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Originally posted by DanH:
Whereas IndyCar at Detroit was awesome. You had an active battle for the lead at a tight street course.

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Earlier this year, the FIA opened up the tender process for F1's official supply contract from 2025 to 2027, with the possibility of it being extended until 2028.

The deadline for applicants was May 15, with the FIA now going through the process of evaluating the proposals from interested parties before making a call on who the approved bidders are on 16 June.

The successful candidates will then move on to the next stage of the process, which will include discussions with F1's commercial rights holder.

The last tyre tender process, from 2020 to 2023, saw Pirelli face a challenge from South Korean company Hankook.

Pirelli was then granted a one-year extension until the end of 2024 due to the delays in the introduction of new technical regulations prompted by the COVID pandemic.

With the deadline for applicants for the 2025-2027 tender having passed, it is understood that Pirelli is not alone in having put in a bid for the new tyre contract.

And while there has been no confirmation from the FIA about the number of candidates nor their identity, sources have suggested that Japanese company Bridgestone has applied.

Bridgestone was last involved in F1 from 1997 to 2010 and had been the single supplier from 2007 onwards following the decision of Michelin to quit the championship at the end of 2006.

Since leaving F1, Bridgestone has remained involved in major Japanese categories as well as other international series. Its Firestone brand is the sole supplier of IndyCar.

Speaking to Motorsport.com recently, Bridgestone's manager of motorsports planning Eiichi Suzuki said that the company was evaluating involvement in other series, including F1.

"We are always thinking about what and how we can best supply our motorsports activities in global categories, including F1," he said. "Of course, we are conducting research on such matters."

Bridgestone itself has, however, declined to confirm whether or not that interest has extended to it formally applying for the tyre tender contract.

A spokesperson for the company said: "Bridgestone has a heritage of over 60 years in motorsports and we will continue to pursue sustainable global motorsports activities. However, we refrain from commenting on any particular categories."

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Formula One's plan to hold a South African Grand Prix in 2024 has fallen through, sources have told ESPN, meaning the popular Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps should return for another year.

F1 has been exploring a return to the Kyalami circuit in recent years as part of a push to find a race on the African continent. The South African track hosted 21 F1 races between 1967 and 1993.

The event had the support of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who told ESPN in May he was pushing F1 for the event to take place as racing in Africa would be "a big dream."

Talks with the original organisers fell through, with questions over the funding behind the project to bring the venue up to modern standards.

New promoters -- Miami-based sports investment company 777 -- had given the event renewed hope of appearing on the 2024 schedule, but sources have told ESPN that will not happen.

According to RacingNews365.com, the race has been abandoned because of South Africa's alleged political alignment with Russia. F1 cancelled the Russian Grand Prix in the wake of the nation's military invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The Belgian Grand Prix was the race which would have fallen off the schedule at the expense of the Kyalami event and currently only has a deal for the 2023 edition. It is believed Spa will get another year for 2024.

The longer term future of the Spa-Francorchamps event, considered one of the iconic venues on the F1 calendar, is unclear as it is understood to want a long-term deal to remain on the calendar.

F1 is still keen to find a race venue for Africa, which has not hosted a grand prix since 1992.