Michelin Austrian Grand Prix Preview
By Andrew Hooper
May 9 2002
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| Michelin: Austrian Grand Prix Preview | |
| The sixth
round of the 2002 FIA Formula One World Championship takes place at the
A1-Ring in Zeltweg, Austria. Juan Pablo Montoya (BMW WilliamsF1 Team/Michelin) and David Coulthard (McLaren-Mercedes/Michelin) finished second and third respectively in the previous race, the Spanish GP at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya – but there is not a lot that can be added to the comments that were made in the immediate aftermath of the event. Michelin motorsport director Pierre Dupasquier says: "Together with our partner teams, we were a second and a half per lap shy of challenging the Ferraris in Spain. A better understanding of our latest tyres and a slightly less conservative approach might have gained us three or four tenths of a second – but even that wouldn’t have been enough.” Serpentine… but fast with it Michelin is looking forward to racing again at the A1-Ring in Styrian foothills, where sprawling nature and motor sport come face to face. Last season, buoyed by Ralf Schumacher’s victory at Imola and Juan Pablo Montoya’s second place in Barcelona, the BMW WilliamsF1 Team arrived in Austria in a positive frame of mind: second and third in qualifying, they were full of optimism for the race – although in the end both drivers had to cede to the Ferraris. The A1-Ring features a number
of long corners through which cars are placed under maximum load for several
seconds. It is known as one the most picturesque venues of the season – and
also one of the fastest. In terms of track surface it is the complete
opposite of Barcelona because the A1-Ring is smooth and thus very easy on
tyres. The grip level is not high – a factor that is particularly amplified
if it rains, which it does quite often. |
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