Spain Preview Quotes: Michelin

Pierre Dupasquier, motorsport director: "This race presents us with something of a paradox. Obviously we know the track very well, because our partner teams accumulate many thousands of kilometres here during winter testing. Temperatures are much cooler at that time of year than they are likely to be this weekend, however, so we can't rely on that data alone when evaluating our options for the Grand Prix. It is well known that Barcelona is one of the most demanding circuits in terms of tyre wear, but that doesn't cause us any particular concerns. We are used to dealing with a wide variety of conditions. Our tyres have been very well suited to every track on which we have raced this season and I expect that to be the case once again this weekend."

Pascal Vasselon, F1 programme manager: "We began working on a specific range of race options for Barcelona a few weeks ago and finalised them recently after a test at Silverstone. We will offer our partner teams a selection of three dry-weather compounds. For the first time this season we will be using tyres from the harder end of our spectrum - very different from those we took to the previous race in Imola. Barcelona is one of the season's most challenging tracks for a tyre manufacturer. The asphalt isn't a great deal more abrasive than that used elsewhere, but the layout of the circuit puts a real strain on rubber because there are so many long, high-speed corners."