Ferrari and Bridgestone Reclaim Victory at French Grand Prix

The Bridgestone Potenza equipped Ferraris of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello successfully reclaimed the French Grand Prix crown as they claimed first and third places respectively. Fernando Alonso’s Michelin running Renault took second place.

Bridgestone has made some audacious comments about Michelin in the past but this weekend’s victory over Michelin on home ground must have pleased the Bridgestone motorsport team. Barichello was delighted with his race having fought his way up from 10th place to make his eighth podium of the year.

Bridgestone Motorsport’s technical manager, Hisao Suganuma, was pleased with his team’s performance: “We expected a tough race here but I am delighted with the Bridgestone tyre performance in today’s conditions. We were able to beat our rivals on the strength of both our consistency and our ability to give top end performance. There was a little blistering on our rear tyres but they were consistent throughout the stints which enabled the Ferrari drivers to really pull out the stops when they needed to. Michael set several fastest laps out there today and Rubens utilised his speed and consistency to work his way up from tenth to third. It was a great performance from them both today. I must admit I was quite surprised by Ferrari’s four-stop strategy but it worked very well and I’m pleased Bridgestone’s tyres were able to support their strategies. Sauber, Jordan and Minardi all did their best today but unfortunately were not in a position to take any points but I expect our way of development to help them further in future races.”

Despite losing third and first place to Bridgestone, Michelin Motorsport director, Pierre Dupasquier, remained upbeat, “We seemed to have the race under control during the first two stints, but Michael Schumacher picked up speed after changing his strategy. We need to sit down and pore very carefully over the data from this race. The final result might be disappointing in the wake of yesterday’s pole position, but it was still very satisfying that there were nine of our cars in the top 11. As always, though, Michelin thrives on competition. A defeat such as this won’t discourage us but will motivate us to get back on terms – starting at Silverstone next weekend.”
Ferrari continues to lead the constructor’s championship with 158 points to Renault’s 79.