Formula 1
Japanese GP: Michelin preview
Hot on the heels of a grand prix landmark - the success of China's first world championship race - Formula One remains in the Far East for the penultimate event of the season. This will be the 20th Japanese GP and the 18th to have taken place at ...
Published: Oct 5, 2004, 3:38 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Hot on the heels of a grand prix landmark - the success of China's first world championship race - Formula One remains in the Far East for the penultimate event of the season. This will be the 20th Japanese GP and the 18th to have taken place at Suzuka.
Although Michelin has notched up many Japanese GP successes on two wheels, it has yet to break its duck on four. The company did not participate in the first two Japanese GPs, at Fuji in 1976-77, and was not involved in F1 when the event was reinstated to the calendar in 1987, at Suzuka.
Consequently, Michelin did not contest the Japanese F1 GP until 2001, since when it has proved that it has the expertise to tame one of the most demanding circuits on the grand prix schedule. Juan Pablo Montoya (BMW WilliamsF1 Team/Michelin) led last season's corresponding fixture comfortably until a technical problem forced him to retire.
Pierre Dupasquier, Michelin motorsport director:
"This is one of the finest - and most challenging - races of the year. It's a real headache for aerodynamicists, who have to devise a set-up that offers the best compromise for high- and low-speed corners plus some long straights. Its late slot in the calendar makes it a good benchmark for teams and suppliers, because they can capitalise on the lessons that have been learned during a long, hard campaign to gauge their standing within F1's hierarchy."
"The atmosphere should be fantastic, with two strong Japanese manufacturers and one front-running Japanese driver - all using Michelin tyres, incidentally - and I am confident that we can build on last year's promise, when we appeared to have the race in our pocket until outside factors intervened."
Pascal Vasselon, Michelin F1 programme manager:
"The end of the season features some fantastic venues, such as Spa, Monza, Shanghai, Suzuka and Interlagos. It is an absolute paradise for drivers and a significant challenge for us. The key factors in Japan will be several sequences of quick corners, where the slightest mistake can cost an awful lot of time."
"One key facet of Suzuka is its figure-of-eight configuration, which creates an equal blend of left- and right-hand corners. This balances the tyre load so wear rates are not as severe as the circuit's high-speed characteristics might suggest."
"The track tends to evolve significantly during the course of the weekend, too, and that helps to reduce the strain on rubber by Sunday afternoon. We will have two dry-weather options available for Suzuka, from the medium- hard sector of our range."
Driver perspective:
Takuma Sato, B*A*R-Honda/Michelin:
"Everybody knows that Suzuka is a demanding circuit. It is a great venue that offers drivers a little bit of everything, although I don't know it as well as people imagine because I spent most of my formative racing years in Europe. And even if the high-speed 130R has been eased, which is a bit of a shame for drivers who love challenging corners, there is still plenty to appreciate. It is one of those circuits where a driver can really feel whether or not his car is well balanced. Consistent tyre grip is essential - and Michelin has given us that throughout the season."
-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 Japanese GP: Jaguar preview
Next article Senna Experience opens on October 16th
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Juan Pablo Montoya
Team Penske and Chevrolet announce multi-year extension of IndyCar partnership
IndyCar
IndyCar
Team Penske and Chevrolet announce multi-year extension of IndyCar partnership
Juan Pablo Montoya admires Franco Colapinto's "aggressive" approach despite Baku crash
Formula 1
Formula 1
Azerbaijan GP
Juan Pablo Montoya admires Franco Colapinto's "aggressive" approach despite Baku crash
Williams tipped for "huge step" forward at Azerbaijan GP with major upgrade
Formula 1
Formula 1
Spanish GP
Williams tipped for "huge step" forward at Azerbaijan GP with major upgrade
More from
Williams
Franco Colapinto, George Russell to sit out FP1 at F1 Mexico GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
Franco Colapinto, George Russell to sit out FP1 at F1 Mexico GP
Fernando Alonso blasts driving standards of bottom half of F1 grid
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
Fernando Alonso blasts driving standards of bottom half of F1 grid
Latest news
WEC drivers question lack of full-course yellow after heavy Monza crash
WEC
WEC WEC
Monza
1 h
WEC drivers question lack of full-course yellow after heavy Monza crash
Kyle Larson, Cliff Daniels and the Hendrick 5 are who we say they are
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
3 h
Kyle Larson, Cliff Daniels and the Hendrick 5 are who we say they are
Final NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Homestead finale
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
7 h
Final NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Homestead finale
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