Malaysian GP: Michelin preview

Michelin preview Malaysian Grand Prix

"The pressure on us could hardly be greater," says Pierre Dupasquier, Michelin's motorsport director.

"We dominated the 2002 Malaysian Grand Prix -- when Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya finished first and second for the BMW WilliamsF1 Team -- and we have just recorded a magnificent 1-2-3 in Melbourne. It would be easy to assume that Bibendum will be invincible in Malaysia -- but we are fully aware of the challenge facing us this weekend."

"Motor sport at this level is always difficult. Although we have upped our game since this time last season, as have our partner teams, we are taking absolutely nothing for granted."

"We have identified a number of areas in which we can improve and the latest Formula One cars are still at an early stage of their development curve, so it is far too soon to be able to predict how the 2003 season will pan out."

"The Sepang tyre challenge," by Juan Pablo Montoya (BMW WilliamsF1 Team driver)

"Michelin has definitely made a big step over the winter which means that if our tyres were good in Sepang in 2002, this year they should be excellent! I remember last year the tyres worked well from the first lap and I hope this happens again next week."

The solution according to Pierre Dupasquier (Michelin motorsport director)

"This circuit is notable for its mixture of quick and slow corners and some of the slower ones are preceded by long straights. The surface is abrasive and the rate of tyre wear is thus quite high. To cope with these parameters, and taking into account the expected high temperatures, we will be bringing a selection of tyre compounds from the medium-hard sector of our range.

"It is always possible that violent tropical storms might affect the event and we will be prepared: we have some new wet tyres available and they have been developed specifically with this grand prix in mind.

"Finally, every extra 10 kilos of fuel slows the cars by about 0.3 seconds per lap."

-michelin-