Formula One news

Michelin focused on Suzuka win

Michelin did not participate in the first 16 Japanese Grands Prix - the company made its world championship debut in 1977, but its sole partner Renault did not travel to Fuji - and only recorded its maiden Suzuka F1 success in 2005. The circumstances could hardly have been more spectacular: Kimi Räikkönen charged through from the back of the field and passed Giancarlo Fisichella at the start of the final lap. It proved to be the campaign's most memorable race and Michelin drivers filled the top six places.

"Suzuka is one of the most demanding tracks on the calendar," noted Michelin's F1 boss Nick Shorrock. "In terms of severity it is quite similar to Silverstone - and that is where we tested to prepare tyres for this weekend's race. Suzuka's figure-of-eight configuration might even things out in terms of wear rates, but it still puts significant mechanical forces through the tyres. Following the Silverstone test, our six partners selected a range of compounds and we will have 10 different products available. A small section of the famous Suzuka crossover has been resurfaced since we last raced there, but I don't expect this to make a great deal of difference."

"The fact that we are using V8 engines, however, has allowed us to reduce the
tyre rigidity by up to one step," he added. "Weather conditions can be very variable in Japan at this time of year, so we had to think very carefully about the possible extremes of temperature in which the tyres might have to perform. We've taken that into account and our excellent performance in China last weekend puts us in a very positive frame of mind for the season's final two grands prix."

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