Michelin may no longer be in F1, but their history in the sport is long and successful. The French tyre supplier made its first F1 world championship appearance at Silverstone, Great Britain, on July 14- 16 1977. Jean-Pierre Jabouille’s Renault – the first turbocharged car to compete in F1 – retired from the race, but Michelin’s pioneering radial technology became the industry standard and remains so to this day.

Carlos Reutemann (Ferrari) scored Michelin’s maiden F1 victory – the first for a radial-tyred car – on January 29 1978 at the Jacarepagua circuit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ferrari was the first Michelin team to win the F1 world championship for constructors, with Jody Scheckter in 1979. McLaren scored the company’s second such success, with Niki Lauda in 1984.

In addition to its four constructors’ titles, Michelin has supplied five champion drivers – Scheckter, Nelson Piquet (Brabham-BMW, 1983), Lauda and, for the past two seasons, Fernando Alonso (Renault). Michelin’s first F1 stint lasted from July 1977 until October 1984. During that time it scored 59 F1 victories – more than any other tyre company.

Since returning to the sport in 2001, Michelin has increased its victory tally to 102 from 216 starts. It has also recorded 111 pole positions and 108 fastest race laps. Ralf Schumacher (BMW WilliamsF1 Team) was the first driver to win a grand prix for Michelin in the grooved-tyre era, at Imola, San Marino on April 15 2001.

During 2006, its final season for the foreseeable future, Michelin’s six partner teams have scored nine wins, taken 11 pole positions and notched up scored 455 of the 702 available points.

Michelin