TyreSafe has entered into a partnership with RED Driver Training, one of the UK’s leading driving schools, as its first dedicated driving school supporter.

TyreSafe's goal to increase road safety, especially for new drivers starting their adventures as road users, has reached a major milestone with this partnership. In order to promote lifetime habits that lead to safer roads, TyreSafe hopes to increase its efforts to teach new drivers the value of tyre safety and maintenance by collaborating with RED.

By providing thorough driving instruction throughout the UK through a robust network of RED franchised driving instructors, RED Driver Training plays a crucial part in helping thousands of students annually get their driving licenses. RED offers advanced driving experiences in addition to training, such as their well-liked ‘skidpan’ sessions, which assist new drivers in successfully navigating hazardous situations. In order to guarantee that students have the information and abilities necessary to drive safely and responsibly, they also assist them with a dedicated theory and practical test preparation app.

Stuart Lovatt, Chair of TyreSafe, said “We are thrilled to partner with RED Driver Training, an organisation that shares our commitment to road safety and education. New drivers are at a crucial stage in forming safe driving habits, and through this partnership, we have an incredible opportunity to instil the importance of tyre safety from the very beginning of their journey on the roads. Together, we hope to create a generation of drivers who understand the vital role tyres play in road safety.”

Colin Paterson, Head of Marketing at RED Driver Training, said “At RED, our goal is to equip new drivers with the skills, confidence and knowledge to stay safe on the roads, and tyre safety is an integral part of that. Joining forces with TyreSafe allows us to enhance our offering and emphasise the critical role tyres play in keeping drivers and passengers safe. We’re proud to be TyreSafe’s first driving ‘school’ supporter and look forward to working together to make a real difference. Our ‘Learn to Drive with RED’ app makes us more than just a normal driving school, and in co-operation with TyreSafe, we are keen to explore the creation of collaborative video content and more.”

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Pirelli is preparing for the FIM Grand Prix World Championship's next round at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit in Lombok, Indonesia, for the Grand Prix of Indonesia. The circuit's aggressively textured surface delivers strong mechanical grip, but track temperatures exceeding 60°C can render it slippery, placing tyres under severe thermal stress. These conditions make Mandalika an ideal proving ground for new solutions.

For Moto2, Pirelli will offer two soft-compound rear tyres: the standard SC0, used by nearly the entire field in 2025 as development specification E0125, and the new F0515. The latter shares the SC0's compound but pairs it with a newly developed structure for greater stability and more consistent performance. To aid evaluation, each rider's maximum rear tyre allocation rises from eight to nine.

Front options for Moto2 comprise the standard soft SC1 and medium SC2. Over the past two seasons, every rider has selected the soft tyre for the race, as it provides superior grip in high temperatures. In the entry-level class, the soft SC1 and medium SC2 are available for both front and rear, with both solutions proving competitive throughout the season. Last year's Mandalika results reinforced this: Honda's Adrian Fernandez claimed pole on SC1s front and rear, while KTM's José Antonio Rueda won both the race and the title on SC2s.

Giorgio Barbier, Pirelli Motorcycle Racing Director, said, “As at several rounds this year, also in Indonesia we will continue our Moto2 development work. After focusing on front tyre specifications at the most recent Grands Prix, we will introduce a new soft rear solution at Mandalika. With its highly macro-rough asphalt and temperatures that can exceed 60°C, the circuit places the tyres under severe thermal stress, making it a particularly valuable proving ground for testing new solutions.

“The F0515 development specification, which will make its debut this weekend, uses the same compound as the standard SC0 but pairs it with a newly developed structure designed to deliver greater stability and more consistent performance. Completing the rear allocation will be the standard SC0, successfully used by almost the entire field in 2025, when it was introduced as development specification E0125. Having both solutions available will allow a direct comparison over the course of the weekend and enable us to gather valuable data to support the next stages of development.”

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Webfleet, Bridgestone's advanced fleet management solution, has expanded its partnership with Mobito, a connected vehicle data intelligence platform. The agreement positions Mobito as a commercial partner and exclusive reseller for selected Webfleet connected vehicle datasets.

Mobito aggregates and transforms vehicle data into actionable intelligence for businesses, cities, road authorities, infrastructure operators and technology providers. Through this collaboration, organisations gain easier access to data supporting applications such as transport and traffic analysis, urban planning, mapping and road condition monitoring.

Jan-Maarten de Vries, President of Fleet Management Solutions at Bridgestone, with George Cambanis, CEO and Co-Founder of Mobito

The shared datasets are aggregated and anonymised in compliance with applicable data protection laws. Governance measures protect privacy and prevent identification of individual drivers, vehicles or fleet customers. Existing Webfleet Data Solutions customers will experience uninterrupted service, with Webfleet continuing to provide underlying datasets and support delivery while account management transitions progressively to Mobito.

Jan-Maarten de Vries, President – Fleet Management Solutions, Bridgestone, said, “Connected vehicle data has the potential to provide valuable insights beyond the individual fleet, helping organisations better understand how transport networks are being used. Mobito brings specialist expertise in applying mobility data to real-world challenges, helping organisations make more informed mobility decisions.”

George Cambanis, CEO and Co-Founder, Mobito, said, “Through this expanded relationship, we can leverage the high-quality data from Webfleet across a growing range of enterprise and public-sector location intelligence applications. Our ambition is not only to make the data more accessible but to embed it more deeply into customer workflows and combine it with other mobility datasets. This way we can generate new intelligence around areas such as EV performance, road safety and strategic delivery corridors.”

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JK Tyre & Industries Ltd. has been conferred the Mahatma Award for Community Initiatives 2026, recognising its sustained community development and social welfare efforts. This marks the fourth consecutive year the company has received the honour, reaffirming its commitment to creating meaningful, sustainable impact across communities.

B S Dagar, Vice President of IR, EHS and CSR at JK Tyre, received the award at a distinguished ceremony. The event was graced by prominent dignitaries, including Rajya Sabha member Dr Santrupt Mishra, Konkan Railways CMD Santosh Kumar Jha and Amit Sachdeva, known as the CSR Man of India, who presented the award.

The company's CSR programmes primarily target communities surrounding its manufacturing locations, addressing local needs while enabling long-term socio-economic development. Under its Sarthi initiatives, JK Tyre runs programmes spanning livelihood, education, healthcare, water conservation and rural development. During FY2025-26, these efforts benefited over 130,000 people, bringing their cumulative reach beyond 1.5 million lives. Specific interventions include Shiksha Sarthi for education, Arogya Sarthi for healthcare, Ajivika Sarthi for sustainable livelihoods through skill development, Jal-Vayu Sarthi for water conservation and environmental priorities and Vikas Sarthi for rural development.

Founded in 2021, the Mahatma Award recognises organisations, leaders and changemakers driving meaningful social impact towards a more sustainable and equitable future. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's legacy and values, it celebrates exemplary efforts creating positive change across communities and society. Instituted by the Mahatma Foundation with the Aditya Birla Group and Liveweek Group, the award honours impactful and responsible initiatives across the private, public and development sectors.

Anshuman Singhania, Managing Director, JK Tyre & Industries, said, “At JK Tyre, our commitment to the communities we operate in is an integral part of our journey towards responsible and sustainable growth. Receiving the Mahatma Award for the fourth consecutive year is a matter of great pride and reinforces our belief in creating impact that is meaningful, inclusive and enduring. This recognition belongs to our CSR teams, implementation partners and the communities who have been an integral part of these initiatives. We remain committed to deepening our efforts and contributing towards building stronger and more empowered communities.”

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Pirelli has confirmed it will bring the same tyre allocation used last year to the Singapore Grand Prix, as Formula 1 remains in Asia for a weekend that also hosts the season's final Sprint and concludes a long triple-header that started in Baku. The Marina Bay circuit, one of the most physically demanding venues for drivers, will again feature the C3 as Hard, the C4 as Medium and the C5 as Soft.

The 4.940-kilometre street circuit is characterised by barriers close to the racing line and limited overtaking opportunities. Changes made to the third sector in 2023 increased the number of high-speed sections, making the lap smoother and faster than before. Although some straights are present, the track remains defined by numerous braking and traction phases across its 19 corners, allowing modern power units to recover energy throughout the lap.

Marina Bay has a medium-to-high level of surface roughness for a street circuit. Since no resurfacing has taken place, values are expected to be broadly in line with last season, if not slightly higher. Track evolution will be significant over the weekend, while intermittent rainfall typical of the equatorial climate can influence grip levels and alter conditions from one session to the next.

The race is held at night, with track temperatures between 30 and 35 °C. Under these conditions, tyres tend to operate within their working window without particular overheating concerns. Mechanical stress is not especially high, and expected degradation will mainly be linked to the normal performance drop-off of the rear axle during traction phases. Graining and wear are also not expected to become limiting factors in race management.

Strategically, Singapore remains one of the races where a one-stop strategy is the preferred option, also considering time lost in the pit lane and the frequent likelihood of neutralisations. While Hard and Medium are again expected to be the reference compounds for the race, the Soft could receive greater consideration on Sunday from more than one team. The softest compound has shown at Budapest, Monza and Baku that it allows drivers to maintain a strong pace thanks to limited degradation, while offering an advantage in grip and confidence. These characteristics could prove even more valuable at a circuit known for significant track evolution.

Latest-generation cars also appear to make better use of softer compounds, allowing the softer end of the range to be used for longer and more competitive stints than in the past. It would therefore come as no surprise to see the red-sidewalled tyre used in Saturday's Sprint or more extensive C5 use throughout the weekend. Medium and Soft were chosen for the opening part of the race, with 14 drivers starting on the C4 and the remainder on the C5, while the Hard was ruled out because the track was still damp after earlier rain. The C3 then became the preferred compound for the second stint, and almost the entire grid completed a one-stop race, with only three drivers opting for two stops.

This will be the seventeenth edition of the Singapore Grand Prix, held continuously since 2008 with the only interruption caused by the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Sebastian Vettel leads drivers with five victories and Lewis Hamilton has four, while Mercedes leads constructors with five wins. The podium cap will feature an orchid-inspired design, celebrated in Singapore for thriving in heat, humidity and heavy rainfall. The special edition Pirelli Podium Cap is produced by Pirelli Design and signed by designer Denis Dekovic.

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