Michelin will dominate, despite departure

By Phil Huff
February 20 2006

Michelin, Honda Racing F1's tyre supplier, are convinced that the new Formula One season will see the French firm continue to lead, despite the company withdrawing from the sport at the end of the year.

Michelin's Formula One director, Nick Shorrock, explained that the effort the company puts in won't diminish, saying that "everybody remains totally committed – and our advanced research team will be able to focus all its efforts on this year, rather than dividing its time between the present season and longer-term projects."

Although Michelin are committed to leaving F1, Shorrock himself is a little disappointed that he won't be able to continue. "It's a pity that we won't be carrying on," he explains, "but everyone here understands the reasons why. Next year, all of the F1 personnel will move on to new, equally challenging roles within Michelin. In the meantime, our motivation is as strong as ever."

Michelin are unhappy with the rule changes within Formula One, not least the last minute change to allow tyre changes into the sport once more following just a single year without.

This followed last seasons Indianapolis race, which was a low spot for the company and, indeed, the sport, when the tyre manufacturer failed to supply the race teams with a durable product, leading to the embarrassing sight of just six Bridgestone shod cars racing.

Following these changes, the company entered into a very public and distasteful spat with FIA chairman Max Moseley.

Now the decision to leave has been made, the team at Michelin are still very much looking forward to the new season, testing an incredible number of tyres in order to beat their Japanese rivals.

"Our first job has been to develop tyres that provide consistent speed, durability and balance on a 2006-spec chassis," explains Shorrock. "We are now in the process of tailoring the rubber to specific tracks. The weather in southern Spain is now milder, which gives us a better baseline for forthcoming races such as Bahrain and Malaysia."

The company will have tested some 16,000 tyres by the time the first race starts, 2,000 at each major test. At present they are testing about five or six compounds and four or five casings at every test.

The new V8 rules for 2006 have also affected the tyres. "Our tyres are subjected to a reduced load on the straights, where speeds are lower than before," continued Michelin's F1 director. "There is a possibility that cars will slide more when cornering, because drivers are using a different technique to get the best from their new engines, but so far vertical and lateral loads seem to be about the same as they were in 2005. As testing has progressed there is generally a tendency to use softer compounds than we did in 2005"

Despite the changes, Michelin have still referred back to previous constructions and compounds in order to speed up the development process.

"Last year there were a number of developments, particularly with regard to tyre safety, that can be carried over into the new season," adds Nick. "We have also been looking at some 2004 compounds that didn't work as well as we had hoped at the time, but which seem to suit the latest regulations. We are still in the throes of analysing everything and I'm sure there are many more evolutions to come."

Another big change for 2006 is the loss of two major Michelin runners, namely Toyota and Williams, both of which have chosen to switch to Bridgestone tyres in advance of a Japanese monopoly in 2007.

"Michelin actively sought more balanced tyre distribution in F1 for 2006 and has achieved that," explains Shorrock. "Everyone is going about their business in the usual, professional manner – as they always do. That has been a constant since we returned to F1, just as it is in all the other disciplines in which Michelin is involved. It's certainly true that there has been a very open exchange of information between our partner teams so far this year. We are all working together to accumulate valuable data as quickly as possible. There has been some very productive collaboration and there is a real sense of team spirit."

Honda Racing F1 remain on Michelin tyres for 2006.