Irvine predicts Michelin win

Rubens Barrichello has admitted that even if he hadn't suffered an engine failure in Malaysia he would have finished a not-too-close second behind Ralf Schumacher's Williams-BMW.

And, despite Schuey Jr's assertion that Michelin advances seen in Barcelona testing last week will not take full effect until Imola, Irvine said: "I think the Michelin is going to beat Ferrari here whatever car they've got, to be honest. The tyre Michelin has here is a huge step forward from Malaysia.

"Malaysia's was not a great tyre but I really don't think Bridgestone have got a chance here. They might qualify well but in the race they are going to have to adopt a clever strategy because I expect Michelin to have a lot more pace."

Asked whether he thought the balance of power was shifting towards Williams, Irvine replied: "As I said at the beginning of the year, the only thing that can beat Ferrari is Michelin. And if Malaysia is much to go by... Jeez!"