OCTOBER 20, 2005

Michelin's Brussoz to Ferrari

There has been talk for some time of Michelin's F1 programme losing engineers at the end of the season, following the departure of Pierre Dupasquier, the man who led the company in F1 for many years. It is this which has led Toyota and Williams to make the decision to switch to Bridgestone for 2006. The most significant point is that Toyota has gone as it employs Pascal Vasselon, the former head of Michelin's F1 programme, who knows everything there is to known about the Michelin Competition Department.

The latest departure is Gerald Brussoz, a 39-year-old Frenchman who has been with Michelin since 1993 and with the Competition Department since 1997. In recent years he has been in charge of F1 tyre development. Brussoz will join Ferrari where his job will be to improve the way in which the tyres interact with the chassis, a major problem this year.