Michelin aims for third consecutive victory

Mark Webber (Jaguar Racing/Michelin) will start from the front row for the first time in his Formula One career after qualifying second for tomorrow’s Malaysian Grand Prix.

As track temperatures continued to hover around the 50-degree mark at Sepang, the Australian gave Jaguar its highest grid position since the team entered F1 in 2000. Juan Pablo Montoya (BMW WilliamsF1 Team, fourth), Kimi Räikkönen (Team McLaren Mercedes, fifth), Jenson Button (BAR Honda, sixth), Ralf Schumacher (BMW WilliamsF1 Team, seventh), Jarno Trulli (Renault, eighth), David Coulthard (Team McLaren Mercedes, ninth) and Cristiano da Matta (Toyota, 10th) will give Michelin a strong presence at the front of the grid tomorrow. All six of Michelin’s partner teams have drivers in the top 10.

• Fernando Alonso (Renault/Michelin) set the pace in the opening qualifying session but will start the race from the final row after spinning off during his final run.
• Takuma Sato (BAR Honda/Michelin) has also been condemned to the back of the grid after spinning into the gravel during final qualifying.

Pierre Dupasquier, Michelin Motorsport Director:

“We have done some good work during the build-up to this race and that puts us in a positive frame of mind as we prepare to chase our third consecutive victory in the Malaysian Grand Prix. We have had absolutely no worries at all from a technical perspective, despite the fierce heat.”

Pascal Vasselon, Michelin F1 Programme Manager:

“I would like to compliment Mark Webber and Jaguar Racing on their first front-row start in Formula One. Assuming the rain holds off, our six partner teams will use two of the three available dry-weather compounds in tomorrow’s race.
Everything we have seen during the past two days leads us to believe that our tyres will be as fast and consistent as they are durable."