Bridgestone to have early upper hand?

Williams ace Ralf Schumacher claims that Michelin has to make some big improvements before it can hope to threaten its Japanese rivals.

"It is obvious we still have a lot of work to do," he said at the Barcelona test before Christmas. "The new tyres are a lot different and at the moment they are not as good as the Bridgestones of last year."

And Gerhard Berger, the BMW Motorsport Director, believes that it may take several races before Michelin is able to mount a serious challenge to Bridgestone.

"We have a big question with tyres," he said. "We don't know how long Michelin will take to be ready and Jordan and BAR for example will be a lot stronger. Consistency will be the key for Michelin and I don't think that will come in the early races, we will have to wait."

In the only head-to-head test held so far, Bridgestone proved quicker in dry conditions, but the Michelins proved more consistent and better in the wet.