Jaguar Team Up With Michelin For The 2001 F1 Season

Michelin has entered into a partnership with Jaguar Racing as its tyre supplier starting with the 2001 FIA Formula One World Championship season. We are very proud to be associated with a company with such a tradition of sporting excellence, commented Neil Ressler, Chariman of Jaguar Racing and Chief Technical Officer of Ford Motor Company. We are looking forward to a strong partnership with Michelin, and the fact that this is a long term agreement shows the strength of commitment from Michelin and Jaguar Racing to succeed.

We’re very pleased to have signed with the Jaguar Racing team, said Michelin Racing Director, Pierre Dupasquier. We have already started our tyre test programme at our research centre in France and are looking forward to meeting the challenge of Formula One. It was announced in December 1999 that the BMW Williams F1 team would source Michelin tyres beginning with the 2001 season.

Toyota announced late last year that it will enter Formula 1 (expected by the 2002 season) and would also be running on Michelin rubber. Jaguar Racing made its Formula One debut at the 2000 Australian Grand Prix. Michelin will end a 16 year absence from the sport when it enters the 2001 season.

Back in 1977, Michelin brought the radial revolution to F1. When the company left the sport in 1984, all F1 cars were on radial tyres and Michelin had 59 wins, 3 Drivers’ World Championship titles and 2 Manufacturers’ World Championship titles..