|
Qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix would see a strong result for Michelin with second place taken by BMW WilliamsF1's Ralf Schumacher. Of the top ten grid positions eight were held by Michelin supplied drivers.
With the track drying during the final qualifying run those drivers using Michelin tyres appeared to be at a major advantage. This is even taking into account the fact that pole was secured by Bridgestone's Michael Schumacher.
As for Michelin Motorsport Director Pierre Dupasquier he was confident that the dry tyres that the teams will use in the race will perform well.
He said: "All our partners used dry-weather tyres during the decisive qualifying session. It was almost feasible to use dries towards the end of pre-qualifying, but one or two parts of the track remained definitely too marginal.
"The track had improved considerably by the end of the second session, but previously it was clear that Michelin’s dry tyres gave teams a significant edge in cool, slightly damp conditions."
"Both of our dry-weather compounds will be used in this afternoon's race and, although they hadn't been tried prior to this morning's second session, our partners were able to make a confident choice thanks to their previous experience and our databank."
He added: "It might have been an unusual weekend, but it has also been very interesting. We have been able to try our latest extreme wets and intermediates, which have generated good performance." |
