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The results of the 2002
Italian Grand Prix would see Jaguar's Eddie Irvine give Michelin a fine
third place after an excellent drive. For Irvine and the Jaguar team it
was only the second podium finish in the team's three-year existence.
For the Michelin-shod BMW WilliamsF1 drivers, Ralf Schumacher and Juan
Pablo Montoya, their race would end in retirement. Ralf would take the
lead at the start but had to pull off with a blown engine at the end of
lap three. Montoya was running third behind the Ferraris when he suffered
an apparent suspension problem on lap thirty three. McLaren's Kimi
Raikkonen would also retire with engine failure just after half-distance.
For Renault Jarno Trulli and Jenson Button would finish in fourth and
fifth places while McLaren's David Coulthard would finish seventh. The
Scot had to make a pit stop for a new nose at the end of the opening lap
after running into team-mate Raikkonen during the first-chicane scramble.
Pierre Dupasquier, Michelin Motorsport Director, answered several
questions.
There was a wave of optimism among Michelin teams after yesterday's
exceptional qualifying performance, but victory eluded you in the race.
Were there any particular problems?
"Not at all. We know in this business that things can always change when
the race comes around. We were unlucky that the Williams-BMWs had
problems. Ralf Schumacher was leading initially but had to drop out with
an engine problem and pole position winner Juan Pablo Montoya had a number
of concerns. It happens. We also lost Kimi Raikkonen, who was well placed
to give us a strong finish. On the plus side, we were delighted by the
performance of Eddie Irvine, who thoroughly deserved to give Jaguar a
podium finish. In addition the Renault drivers ran very strongly and David
Coulthard was setting fast and consistent lap times in his McLaren. He
recovered well after losing so much time with his early, unscheduled
stop."
Generally how would you summarise the weekend?
"It was clear that we had a tyre that was fantastic in yesterday's
qualifying session and also enabled several of our partner teams to
perform exceptionally well today. We didn't add to our F1 victory tally
but we picked up more useful data that will be beneficial in future."
The next stop is Indianapolis. How will Michelin approach that race?
"It is a track unlike any other. It has a very technical section, with
some Monaco-style corners, and then there is the long straight, which is
reminiscent of the circuit here at Monza. It requires quite a delicate
balance to produce a tyre that suit s both extremes but we managed to do a
very good job at Indy last season. We are presently working on new
compounds that will be suitable for the United States GP."
Pascal Vasselon, Formula One project chief, added:
"It is a shame that we lost some of our regular front-running cars, but
those that completed the distance performed very well. The Jaguars and the
Renaults both ran strongly on our tyres. Jaguar has made giant steps
forward in recent races and has gained two places in the world
championship for constructors, while Renault has consolidated its fourth
place. Toyota might have made progress, too, because Mika Salo was well
placed to finish in the points until he picked up a drive-through
penalty." |
