Michelin upset over rule change

Tyre manufacturer Michelin have registered their “concern” at a Formula One rule change which threatens to hijack the championship battle.

McLaren and Williams are believed to hold the upper hand going into the final three races of the season courtesy of Michelin streaking ahead of rival manufacturer Bridgestone, who supply Ferrari.

But world governing body the FIA have controversially opted to change the rules with three races to go as Michael Schumacher leads Juan Pablo Montoya by one point and Kimi Raikkonen by two.

Under the new rules, measurements will be carried out on front tyres after they have been used to ensure they comply with FIA standards. Prior to this ruling that check was done before the tyres were used.

It is believed Michelin stand to lose significantly more than Bridgestone under the new rules and the French company issued a statement voicing their worries.

It read: “Our front tyre profile has been deemed to comply with the Formula One regulations in writing by the FIA. The controls have been made on new tyres, which confirms the interpretation of article 77c.

“The procedure to measure the width of a contact patch as required now is unknown at the moment, which prevents any further work.

“All Michelin’s partners are concerned by this regulation change, as they all use the same front tyre profile.”