Brawn: Michelin Didn't Follow the Regulations

Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn believes Michelin have at best misunderstood the FIA regulations regarding front tyre tread width, the Briton stating Michelin have been running with illegal tyres for some time now.

"The FIA only strenghtened the rule which is rather clear: the contact patch must not be over 27 centimetres," Brawn said in an interview with the Gazzetta dello Sport published today. "Otherwise it wouldn't make sense to set limits, would it?

"Bridgestone has followed the rules and we have constantly been under the limit. To put it in a nice way, let's say that our competitors so far have not fully understood the rule."

Explaining how Michelin's tread becomes wider, Brawn said: "Everything starts from the particular design of the shoulder of the Michelin: on the top of it there is a small step separating the proper tread from the outmost part of the tyre. A minimum amount of running is enough to round off the step, thus obtaining a wider tread, even by 10-15% according to our calculations.

"At this point the tyre is outside the regulations. This explains many things - for example the reason why, during a race, Williams almost never changed the front tyres, or why the French weren't able to supply them with wider tyres in Monaco. We just couldn't understand that."

Brawn said such a tyre would provide a significant advantage. "For example, with the weight distribution, a better balance with braking at the front, a more efficient turn-in of the car in corners, and being able to use softer compounds, giving better traction," he said.

Asked why Ferrari had only found out about this issue this month, Brawn responded: "It isn't that easy to uncover solutions such as that of the small step. There are many things to look at during a GP, and some details may be overlooked."

He added that Ferrari will not hesitate protesting if Michelin continue using this tyre, however he said he does not believe it will be used again.

"I hope we won't get to that stage (of protesting), and that Michelin will realize they have enjoyed an illegal advantage for a long, too long time, and will adapt to the FIA's ruling," Brawn said. "We don't like losing but we are ready to accept that, as long as there isn't anyone not playing by the rules."