Sauber Petronas switch tyres to Michelin


By Phil Huff
November 2 2004

In a move widely speculated, but unexpected, Sauber Petronas have signed a contract with French tyre manufacturer Michelin. This agreement comes into effect immediately, and the team will conduct its first test with Michelin tyres between November 24 and 26 in Barcelona. Sauber, despite working closely with Ferrari for a number of years, struggled to extract performance from Bridgestone tyres, most noticeably in one lap qualifying. The team are hoping to repeat BAR's gains since moving to the French manufacturer, moving up the constructors championship rankings.

"I'm very pleased that we were able to sign this contract with Michelin," explains Peter Sauber, "and I'm looking forward to a successful co-operation. At the same time I would like to thank Bridgestone for a good partnership during the past six years."

Pierre Dupasquier, Michelin's Motorsport Director, commented "As we demonstrated in 2004, our technology makes a significant contribution to the performance of Formula One cars equipped by Michelin. I look forward to enabling Sauber Petronas to benefit from this progress."

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