Grapevine: McLaren Tipped for Michelin Switch in 2002

The McLaren team will switch from Bridgestone to Michelin tyres in 2002, according to the latest speculation surrounding the Woking-based outfit.

McLaren are believed to be under pressure from Mercedes-Benz to get back to winning ways after rivals Ferrari have clinched both the Drivers' and Constructors' titles in 2000 and 2001.

Since the Italian team already announced earlier this season that they have decided to continue using Bridgestone tyres until the end of 2004, a switch to Michelin seems to be the best option for McLaren to have the edge over their rivals.

The French manufacturer returned to Formula One this season after an absence of more than 15 years, and they have scored three wins so far with the Williams team. Michelin's boss Pierre Dupasquier admitted at the Belgian Grand Prix they are willing to supply to another top team.

"For a tyre manufacturer to understand the result of a technical solution, you need to make sure the result is not coming from a particular car," said Dupasquier. "So having two or three front-running teams is a must â€" two is mandatory, and three is perfect. That is the objective and we are pushing."

At the same time, World Champion Michael Schumacher admitted he would not be surprised if McLaren switched to the French manufacturer in 2002.

"I don't know whether some rumours have been more or less confirmed, or more or less denied, but there's no doubt that a lot of things point in that direction," he told Gazzetta dello Sport. "But it doesn't concern us, we're thinking about ourselves."