Toro Rosso secure Michelin deal

The former Minardi outfit put in a request for a switch from Bridgestone to Michelin in September, because team owners Red Bull wanted their junior team to run on the same tyres as Red Bull Racing.

The situation remained uncertain for several weeks, however, while Michelin pondered whether it had the capabilities to supply a sixth team.

And although there has not been an official announcement yet, autosport.com has learned that a deal is in place and the Scuderia Toro Rosso cars have already been fitted with Michelin tyres in Barcelona ahead of their first test tomorrow.

Bridgestone have also confirmed they will not be supplying the team with rubber. A spokesman for the tyre company told autosport.com: "We had an agreement with Minardi, but we do not have any agreement with Scuderia Toro Rosso."

The switch to Michelin is entirely logical for Toro Rosso, as the team bid to share as much technical knowledge with Red Bull Racing as possible. There could also have been the problem of technical knowledge from either tyre supplier finding a way to their rivals.

Bridgestone supplied tyres for Minardi's final test at Vallelunga last week, with their contract with the Italian team running until the end of this month. The Japanese tyre manufacturer are likely to stay involved in the two-seater Formula One project that former Minardi boss Paul Stoddart runs.