Monaco: Michelin looking to complete hat trick

By Michelin Sport (18/05/2004)
May 18 2004

Formula One switches this weekend from the high-speed sweeps of Barcelona to the slower – but no less challenging – streets of Monaco.

This is grand prix racing's showpiece event: crammed within the tight confines of Monte Carlo, the circuit allows precious little margin for error and highlights the drivers' art like no other track. This will be the 51st world championship race in the principality and Michelin has a proud record here. Jody Scheckter, Gilles Villeneuve and Alain Prost won the event on Michelin tyres during the company's first spell in F1. This season Michelin is looking for a third consecutive success to add to the victories achieved by David Coulthard and Juan Pablo Montoya.

"This is a race like no other on the F1 schedule," explains Pierre Dupasquier, Michelin motorsport director. "It has a character like no other track and technically it is the complete opposite of the previous race in Barcelona. In Spain we ran hard tyres to deal with very abrasive conditions; in Monaco we will use much softer compounds. It's a race that requires a very particular approach but Michelin has demonstrated during the past couple of seasons that it knows how to rise to the challenge. I am looking forward to the weekend and am confident we can complete our hat trick."

"It is more difficult to prepare for Monaco than it is for any other event because you can't test in the principality and there is no other circuit like it," adds Pascal Vasselon, Michelin Formula One programme manager. "The track is slow and tight and the road surface isn't particularly abrasive. You also have to consider the 'barrier factor', which can have a psychological effect on drivers. They have to adapt their driving style because the Armco is so close all the way around the circuit. During the past few seasons we have established a system for evaluating tyre performance at Monaco by extrapolating data obtained at other venues. We have three dry-weather tyre options available for this year's race and made our final choice in the wake of a recent test session at Paul Ricard, in the south of France."