Red Bull racing ace Sebestian Vettel scored his fourth pole position of the season after using Bridgestone’s super soft tyres around the streets of Valencia for the European Grand Prix.

And there was more good news for Red Bull, as Vettel’s team mate Mark Webber joins him on the front row of the grid for tomorrow’s race.

Even McLaren were delighted that despite tough competition this weekend, Lewis Hamilton set the third fastest time and will be joined on the second row by local Ferrari favourite Fernando Alonso.

Hirohide Hamashima, director of motorsport tyre development for Bridgestone, said: “Today the track condition continued to improve and we saw a new record set for pole position.

“The morning session did not point to a clear pace advantage between the two tyres, with the super soft offering more grip but less rear stability than the medium.

“The cooler temperatures this morning and the rapid track improvement made it difficult to analyse the data so qualifying was interesting for different approaches in use of the super soft or medium compounds.”

He added: “Tomorrow has potential to be quite interesting as the super soft appears to give quite good durability here, which offers the possibility for longer stints from this tyre than we have seen in many races, and certainly greater durability than we saw in Montreal.

“As overtaking has been difficult here in the past, track position and the timing of the pit stops will be crucial.”

Alex Kapadia, Operations Team

By Oliver Hall

Traffic police have seized more than 12,500 vehicles for using illegal and unsafe tyres on the Abu Dhabi roads during the last five months.

The staggering statistic supplied by the Department of Traffic and Patrols at Abu Dhabi Police highlights the extent of the tyres problems faced on the highways.

Col. Khamis Ishaq Mohammed, deputy director of the department which is trying to crackdown on the number of accidents, said that tyre blow-outs cause serious accidents, many of which lead to death and critical injuries.

He said: “The tyre burst accidents which occurred last year across Abu Dhabi emirate were 76 accidents, leading to 20 deaths and 15 critical injuries, compared to six deaths this year from January 1 to May 31, while two persons were injured, two of them were serious.”

Col. Khamis called on motorists not to use cheap, poor quality tyres and to ensure that their tyres are compatible with their vehicle specifications before buying them.

A survey by uSwitch.com has revealed that 67 per cent of consumers feel worse off after the emergency Budget earlier this week.

But you can ease the pressure on your finances by making sure your their tyres are properly inflated which will help you get more miles out of a tank of fuel.

Checking tyres only takes a few minutes, but it can make your car run more efficiently.

According to uSwitch, almost 33 million consumers believe they will be worse off than before, because the new emergency Budget will impact directly on their finances and 51 per cent are less confident about their money situation.

The main concern is the increase in VAT to 20 per cent from January as this could cost a family an extra £500 a year.

Ann Robinson, director of consumer policy at uSwitch.com, believes consumers can offset this extra cost.

She said: “You can easily claw this back by ensuring you are paying the lowest possible price for the basics. This will free up some cash so you can carry on enjoying your current standard of living.”

One way of saving money is by driving carefully. Shell UK suggested recently that families can save money on fuel bills by driving slowly and inflating tyres properly.

Denna Bowman, Head Office

By Alex Kapadia

Pirelli has created a ‘Formula One Team’ who will work exclusively on the development and production of tyres for what it describes as “the highest level of global motorsport.”

The Italian tyres manufacturer revealed that the team will be based at Pirelli’s Research Centre in Milan and the tyres will be produced at its Izmit factory in Turkey, which is where its other competition tyres are currently manufactured.

The team will be made up of engineers and researchers who have accumulated experience at the highest levels of motorsport: creating winning products for the world rally championship (WRC), Superbike, the Rolex Sports Car Series in North America and GT racing, as well as various one-make series.

In order to meet the F1 teams’ requirements in terms of reliability, safety and performance, Pirelli’s engineers are already working on simulation models and tyre compounds that will be most suited to the demands of F1 racing.

The company also notes that, in co-operation with the teams, it is also ready to develop technical evolutions to the current tyres for the future, “regarding in particular the wheel size.”

The announcement follows the confirmation from the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the teams, represented by the Formula One Teams Association, and Formula One’s organising body, represented by Formula One Management, that Pirelli will be the exclusive tyre supplier for Formula One teams between 2011-13, inclusive.

Pirelli are contracted to develop six different types of tyre for the whole season. Four of these will be slick tyres – with different compounds to suit various dry asphalt surfaces – and one will be a rain tyre, for heavy precipitation. Finally there will be an intermediate tyre, for damp conditions and light rain.

Environmentally-friendly tyres are fitted to the greenest Skoda ever to hit the British roads.

Low rolling resistance tyres help the Fabia Greenline II estate reduce its CO2 emissions as they waste less energy when the car is moving.

Billed as the most economical Skoda ever, the five-door diesel supermini estate goes on sale next week with a price tag of £13,740.

The new vehicle offers a headline fuel economy figure of 83.1mpg which helps it produce CO2 emissions of just 89g/km - so low it easily escapes road tax for the first year ’showroom tax’ and in subsequent years too.

Skoda reckons that despite having an affordable-fill 45-litre fuel tank, it has a range of 932 miles.

The vehicle is powered by a 1.2-litre TDI engine. The three-cylinder unit produces 75bhp and has a standard particulate filter to cleanse exhaust gases. It also comes equipped with standard stop-start, which automatically cuts and restarts the engine in traffic.

Skoda also claims that this feature alone can improve city centre fuel economy by 7.7mpg. Once restarted, the most economical point at which to change gear flashes up on the dashboard via the fuel computer.

The Fabia Greenline II is also fitted with an energy recuperation system that only recharges the battery when the vehicle is slowing down. This reduces the load under power and means less fuel is wasted.

But the most distinctive part is its estate car rear. Estates are already a relative rarity in the supermini sector, so having a practical load-lugger also capable of such staggering economy is a real bonus.

By Denna Bowman

An eco-classroom made out of straw bales and earth-filled tyres has reaped a prestigious environmental award.

UK Youth, a national charity, created the building at Avon Tyrrell in Bransgore on the edge of the New Forest as a base for environmental activities programmes run with young people.

The building won the Sustainable Built Environment category in the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Sustainable Business Partnership Awards.

UK Youth, which specialises in educating young people through non-formal education programmes, received a £20,000 grant from the New Forest National Park Authority Sustainable Development Fund, with the charity raising £50,000.

Claire Gingell, Sustainable Development Officer at the New Forest National Park Authority, said: “Not only is the building made of straw bales but it has a living roof, composting toilet and is in a beautiful setting next to a lake. The building stays cool in summer and warm in winter and has a wood burning stove for added heat when needed.

“It’s a fantastic example of eco-construction and is a showcase not only for the visitors staying at Avon Tyrrell but for other organisations hoping to introduce environmentally-friendly initiatives.”

Ben Hood, of award sponsor SMART, said: “The new classroom embraces the principle of education on sustainability through demonstration. It employs a number of building techniques, processes and materials including re-use of old tyres filled with rammed earth, straw bales between the frames and a living roof.

“The approach not only vastly reduced the impact of the build itself, but also demonstrates remarkable efficiency in its occupancy.

“Crucially, the judges felt that it also very successfully demonstrates that a quite modest project size should be no barrier to fully embracing the principles of sustainable design and construction.”

Just hours after it was announced that Pirelli has clinched the deal to become the official tyres supplier to Formula One, rival tyre company Michelin revealed it was never officially in the race for the contract.

It was long believed that it was a two-horse race between the Italian and the French tyres manufacturers, but according to Michelin motorsport boss Nick Shorrock, it never made an official application to take over from Bridgestone.

At one stage Michelin was considered to be the FIA’s preferred choice, however, Shorrock revealed that unless there were changes to the regulations - thought to include increasing the wheel diameter to 18 inches, a move which would see larger wheels with lower profile tyres which would change handling and suspension - it wasn’t interested in returning to F1.

He told L’Equipe: “We were asked whether we were ready to supply tyres with the regulations of 2010.

“We had discussions with the authorities, there were proposals to improve the show, to have a positive impact on the environment while controlling the costs, and of course where there is a competition of manufacturers. But the regulations did not change.

“Therefore, in the context of the current regulations remaining in force in 2011 we were not prepared to submit an official application.”

Alex Kapadia, Operations Team

By Denna Bowman

Michelin tyres have announced that a multi-million pound grant it had been offered has not been cut by the new Government.

The French tyres manufacturer had announced back in February that its Stoke-on-Trent plant had been awarded up to £3.9 million through regional development agency Advantage West Midlands (AWM).

But shortly after the formation of the new government, ministers revealed they were reviewing spending projects agreed after January 1 as part of attempts to tackle the country’s deficit.

Last week the Government announced it was shelving 12 schemes to save £2 billion, but Michelin have announced that they received confirmation from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (DBIS) that its grant is still available, according to the Sentinel newspaper.

Michelin’s French parent firm will now release funds to develop plans for a modernisation scheme by the end of this year.

If those proposals are approved, it will unlock investment of more than £20 million over the next five years for the factory which employs more that 1,000 staff.

The project would involve new equipment, enabling the Stoke factory to re-tread the company’s latest range of truck and bus tyres and to reduce its solvent emissions.

Michelin says the scheme will secure the firm’s presence in North Staffordshire for years to come.

Peter Snelling, head of communications at the firm in Campbell Road, added: “We have had confirmation from DBIS that we are unaffected by any of this. The project goes ahead as planned.”

It’s great to hear that Bridgestone has donated tyres to Mercy Ships, an international charity that delivers “hope and healing” to the world’s forgotten poor, for the third consecutive year.

The rugged 4×4 Dueler tyres will enable Mercy Ships vehicles to travel across difficult terrain to reach remote medical facilities and development sites in West Africa.

The charity runs hospital ships with multi-national staff to bring medical services to some of the world’s poorest regions.

In recent years it has focused on the massive need for healthcare assistance in West Africa which has led to the establishment of permanent land-based clinics. The charity also helps local communities develop sustainable water, sanitation and education programmes.

The consignment of Dueler 694 4×4 tyres will be used on Mercy Ships’ fleet of 4-wheel drive Nissans. As an On/Off road tyre, the Dueler 694 is ideal for the mixed use and rough conditions faced by Mercy Ship vehicles around towns, air strips and ports.

Delighted Johan Vroege, Procurement Manager for Mercy Ships Netherlands, welcomed the donation and said: “Our vehicles face very difficult conditions in Africa, even in towns. These tyres will make the job just a little bit easier.”

Bert van Dijk, Mercy Ships Belgium director, added: “This gift-in-kind donation by Bridgestone is a perfect example of how corporate involvement keeps Mercy Ships moving to bring hope and healing to the poor.”

Oliver Hall, Operations Team

By Alex Kapadia

Pirelli has been confirmed as the official sole supplier of Formula One tyres for the next three years from 2011.

The Italian tyres manufacturer has signed an exclusive three-year deal to take over from industry giant Bridgestone at the end of the current season.

“Pirelli has been selected as the single tyre supplier for the FIA Formula One World Championship for a period of three years, commencing in 2011,” FIA said in a statement.

Pirelli beat Michelin in the race to land the coveted contract, while Britisih firm Avon was also an early contender to take over the supply contract.

The tyre company is making a return to the sport for the first time since 1991. However, Pirelli already has 44 Formula One wins to its credit from several previous periods in the sport, starting in the 1950s.

Pirelli is the world’s fifth largest manufacturer in terms of turnover on the tyre market, with levels of profitability among the highest in the sector.