Ferrari drivers Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello recording a one-two in the opening qualifying session for this weekend’s San Marino Grand Prix. But WilliamsF1 BMW drivers Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya ended up third and fourth respectively this afternoon.

For Ralf this race was where he recorded his maiden F1 victory, and the first of Michelin’s comeback season, in 2001. After a successful start to the season in Australia, Malaysia and Brazil, Michelin had a positive start to its European campaign. Five of its drivers recorded top-ten times today.

Behind the WilliamsF1 BMWs, Jaguar's Mark Webber backed up his excellent turn of speed in Brazil with another strong performance, his qualifying lap would see him fifth. West McLaren-Mercedes drivers Kimi Räikkönen (eighth) and David Coulthard were eighth and ninth.

Pierre Dupasquier, Michelin Motorsport Director, commented on various topics.

WILLIAMS THE CONQUERORS?
The BMW WilliamsF1 Team spearheaded Michelin’s challenge during the opening day of this weekend’s San Marino Grand Prix. Ralf Schumacher, winner here in 2001, and Juan Pablo Montoya set the pace in free practice and were third and fourth in this afternoon’s qualifying session. Mark Webber (Jaguar) gave Michelin a further boost by backing up his excellent Brazilian GP form with a strong run to fifth place. Michelin motorsport director Pierre Dupasquier said: “There were one or two surprises today, but overall we are pleased with the way our tyres have performed and there is everything still to play for this weekend. You have to remember that some cars might have been running on very soft rubber. The forecasters predict that we might have rain, however.”

SLIP-SLIDIN’ AWAY
Michelin has brought three types of dry-weather tyre to this race – and Pierre Dupasquier expects his five partner teams to race on the same compound if the rain holds off. He said: “One of our three tyres proved to be particularly suitable for this circuit. Things were quite difficult right at the start of the day, because the track seemed to be much more dusty than usual and tyres were beginning to grain quite quickly because drivers were sliding around so much. The right fronts seem to be under particular duress. Once conditions became more settled, however, the wear rate improved dramatically and the decision-making process became reasonably straightforward.”

STOP AND GO = NO PENALTY
Pierre Dupasquier predicts that the pit lane will be a busy place during the San Marino GP. He said: “Everything points to drivers making at least two stops on Sunday. The penalty for a heavy fuel load is quite substantial here – about four- to five-tenths per lap for every extra 10kg you carry – and the pit lane entry and exit are quite short, so refuelling stops are not too time-consuming. If any driver opts for a longer run, however, our tyres will sufficiently durable."