Formula 1
Australian GP: Michelin preview
Pace with added durability: Michelin confronts every challenge Formula One& ...
Edited: Feb 26, 2005, 2:02 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Pace with added durability: Michelin confronts every challenge
Formula Ones four-month racing sabbatical comes to an end this weekend and the 2005 Australian Grand Prix heralds more than just a new world championship season. It marks the dawn of a new era because drivers are now obliged to use a single set of tyres for a full grand prix distance a tactic that has been absent from F1 since the early 1980s.
Host venue Albert Park is not a permanent racetrack but has a distinguished motor racing heritage. It hosted several non-championship Australian GPs during the 1950s British legend Stirling Moss was among the winners but faded into disuse towards the end of that decade.
The sport did not return until 1996, when Melbourne won the right to stage Australias annual round of the F1 world championship (first established in Adelaide in 1985, one year after Michelin ended its original stint in F1). This years event will be the 21st Australian GP to count towards the world championship and the 10th to take place in Melbourne.
Since returning to F1 in 2001, Michelin has scored one victory in Albert Park David Coulthard (Team McLaren Mercedes) led a spectacular Bibendum 1-2-3 in 2003. In last seasons corresponding fixture, Fernando Alonso (Renault) was Michelins leading runner, in third place.
Pierre Dupasquier, Michelin motorsport director:
We face a host of unanswered questions as we prepare for the opening race of the season in Melbourne. How will the latest tyre regulations affect wear rates and consistency in the heat of competition? Ill tell you once the chequered flag has dropped on Sunday afternoon!"
We made very encouraging progress during our final pre-season tests in Spain, where we achieved some excellent lap times, but we dont yet know how that will translate to Melbourne".
The roads in Albert Park are open to local traffic for most of the year, so the track is usually dirty and slippery when F1 cars first venture out. Traditionally, the grip level picks up quite quickly as F1 rubber is laid down, but that process might take rather longer this year."
"With drivers restricted to one set of tyres per race, we are using harder compounds that will leave less rubber on the track."As a result, it is likely that conditions will change less than we are used to between Friday and Sunday.
Driver perspective:
Mark Webber, BMW WilliamsF1 Team:
"The new regulations have posed a very difficult situation for the tyre manufacturers, in that drivers now have to do all of qualifying and the whole race on the same set of rubber. This makes compound selection very tricky."
"In Melbourne, as with other circuits, we need a tyre with lots of grip but it also has to be very durable - a hard compound - to last the distance. This is something that Michelin and WilliamsF1 have been working on very diligently."
-michelin-
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article New faces at Red Bull Racing
Next article Ferrari unveils F2005 at Maranello
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Fernando Alonso
“Am I confident? Probably not” – The unprecedented challenge Singapore is throwing at F1 drivers
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
“Am I confident? Probably not” – The unprecedented challenge Singapore is throwing at F1 drivers
Fernando Alonso set for Dakar Rally comeback with Aston Martin
Dakar
Dakar
Fernando Alonso set for Dakar Rally comeback with Aston Martin
More from
Mercedes
Why Mercedes switched George Russell to its old F1 car spec in Singapore
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
15 h
Why Mercedes switched George Russell to its old F1 car spec in Singapore
Christian Horner admits that F1 rivalry with Toto Wolff became "theatre"
Formula 1
Formula 1
Christian Horner admits that F1 rivalry with Toto Wolff became "theatre"
Latest news
Brennan Poole joins Jordan Anderson Racing for 2027 NASCAR O'Reilly season
NASCAR O'Reilly
NOAP NASCAR O'Reilly
Phoenix II
31 min
Brennan Poole joins Jordan Anderson Racing for 2027 NASCAR O'Reilly season
Kaden Honeycutt wins incident-free Phoenix NASCAR Truck race, extends points lead
NASCAR Truck
NSTR NASCAR Truck
Phoenix
4 h
Kaden Honeycutt wins incident-free Phoenix NASCAR Truck race, extends points lead
GTA VI 'Vice City' blimp to appear at NASCAR championship weekend
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
9 h
GTA VI 'Vice City' blimp to appear at NASCAR championship weekend
Verstappen Racing struggles to 15th as Porsche takes emotional Portimao pole
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance
WCEE GT World Challenge Europe Endurance 10 h
Verstappen Racing struggles to 15th as Porsche takes emotional Portimao pole
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe