Japanese tyre-maker Bridgestone Corp is quitting Formula One at the end of the 2010 season, following other high-profile firms citing the global downturn.

Bridgestone said on Monday it would end its contract as the official tyre supplier to the FIA, raising questions over who would replace it after French rival Michelin pulled out in 2006 and US maker Goodyear left in 1998.

"Bridgestone today announced that it will not enter into a new tyre supply contract with the FIA Formula One World Championship series," the Tokyo-based tyre and rubber industry giant said in a statement.

The move comes after Toyota Motor pulled out of hosting the Japanese Grand Prix, while Honda sold its Formula One team a year ago as the companies struggled to fight off the global recession..

Bridgestone has supplied tyres to F1 for 13 years and has been the exclusive supplier since 2007.

Battered by a global auto industry slump amid the economic downturn, Bridgestone said it was "addressing the impact of the continuing evolution of the business environment."

Bridgestone, which vies with Michelin to be the world's top tyre maker, posted a net loss of Y38.34 billion ($A476 million) for January-June, a turnaround from a year-earlier profit of Y37.24 billion ($A462 million).

Last month Bridgestone said it would shed nearly 900 jobs in closing factories in Australia and New Zealand.

Bridgestone says on its website that in 2009 it made about 40,000 Formula One tyres for 10 racing teams in its factory in Kodaira, a western suburb of Tokyo.

F1 exposure boosted brand recognition over the years.

"In 1996, Bridgestone's brand recognition in Europe's five largest countries was 13 per cent, but by 2003 it had risen to 34 per cent.

"In recent years the arrival of Bahrain and China to the F1 championship has enabled Bridgestone to increase its activity in the Middle East and Far East."