Michelin Brazilian GP Preview

By Michelin Press Release
April 1 2003

 

 

  
Michelin: Brazilian Grand Prix Preview
 
"The recent Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang was a fine event,” says Michelin motorsport director Pierre Dupasquier, “but we need to underline a few points to put the result in context. As we saw previously in Australia, the new rules laid down by FIA president Max Mosley create an air of unpredictability and make the races interesting to follow.

"But there is no reason to suppose that the excellent results obtained by cars running on our tyres are an artificial by-product of the latest regulations. For the second consecutive race we offered our partners tyres that were better suited to the conditions than those provided by our rival supplier. We have made a flying start to the season and want to keep up the pressure.

"Kimi Räikkönen showed great flair and control as he finally nailed his first F1 victory – something that has been on the cards since last season’s French Grand Prix.

"Promising youngster Fernando Alonso qualified his Renault on pole position. We know that the French team has an excellent chassis, with cutting-edge aerodynamics, and it is working hard to fulfil its engine’s development potential.

"We are in the fortunate position of having several top-level partner teams and can’t be sure which of them is likely to spearhead our challenge for victory from one race to the next. Things are going to be interesting…"


BMW WilliamsF1 Team driver Juan Pablo Montoya:

"Brazil has proved positive for us in the past and I have no doubt Michelin has taken big steps over the winter. As a result, I am pretty confident for the forthcoming race at Interlagos. I am sure our tyres will have the grip which is needed for the bumpy surface and will make an essential contribution to my effort to reclaim the victory I lost there two years ago."


Pierre Dupasquier, Michelin motorsport director


“Interlagos is an unusual circuit because cars lap anti-clockwise. It is very technical and tends to be physically taxing for the drivers. Although the track has been partially resurfaced I anticipate that it will still be fairly abrasive and don’t expect the rate of tyre wear to have changed substantially since last year.

“Tropical storms are always a possibility, although I don’t expect them to be quite as violent as those we saw in Malaysia. Temperatures should be lower, too. We have developed a new rain tyre for this grand prix and, if needed, it should be very suitable.

“A heavy fuel load slows cars by about 0.3 seconds per lap for every 10kg."


Technically speaking, with Pascal Vasselon (F1 project manager)


PARTNERS’ AVAILABLE OPTIONS
“We determined our Interlagos tyre choice immediately after the previous race in Sepang. Even though the new regulations allow us to bring different tyres for each partner team, there is a consensus of opinion for this race and two particular types have been chosen from our range."


NEW CONSTRUCTION FOR DRY
“We have modified the construction of our dry-weather tyres. This has nothing to do with the nature of the Interlagos circuit but represents a fundamental improvement that will benefit our whole dry-weather tyre range.”


WET, WET, WET
"Our wet-weather tyre should be very effective if it rains at Interlagos. It is designed to work in temperatures a little bit lower than those in Malaysia and to cope with slightly milder storms. We will be using the same tread pattern that we took to Sepang."


TESTING, TESTING…
“Although the purpose of pre-grand prix testing is to focus on a race set-up for the weekend rather than doing tyre development work, our team have the possibility to evaluate some of our options. This was the case during the Friday morning session in Malaysian for the Interlagos Grand Prix."

TOP OF THE STOPS
“Race strategies are more or less determined by the fuel level teams choose to run in qualifying – and a single stop doesn’t look viable for drivers who hope to challenge for pole position. That said, however, pit stops tend to be quite time-consuming at Interlagos, which has a very long pit exit lane. Each stop loses a driver about 40 seconds rather than 35, which was typical in Malaysia.”
 
 
Message Board

Bookmark or share this story with: