Silverstone, home of this weekend�s British Grand Prix, is one of Formula One�s most famous venues. The former military airfield staged the very first world championship event on May 13 1950 (when Alfa Romeo driver Giuseppe Farina led home the 21-car field) and this year�s grand prix will be its 39th � only Monza and Monaco have hosted more.

The circuit also has a special place in Michelin�s history, because it was here � on July 16 1977 � that Bibendum competed in its first F1 race. Renault driver Jean-Pierre Jabouille retired that day, but Michelin�s pioneering radial rubber was subsequently adopted by all manufacturers and remains the technology of choice in contemporary F1.

This year�s race will be the 55th British GP � the event has also taken place at Brands Hatch (on 12 occasions) and Aintree (five) � and Michelin has won five times, with Carlos Reutemann (Ferrari, 1978), John Watson (McLaren-Ford, 1981), Niki Lauda (McLaren-Ford, 1982 and McLaren-TAG Turbo, 1984) and Alain Prost (Renault, 1983).

This weekend the company will be looking for its first British GP success since it ended its 17- season F1 sabbatical in 2001.

Pierre Dupasquier, Michelin motorsport director
�Unlike Magny-Cours, where we won last weekend�s French Grand Prix, Silverstone is a track our engineers know very well because we conduct a number of test sessions here throughout the year.
�Silverstone features a number of rapid directional changes and it is very important to have a chassis with good stability. Furthermore, the asphalt tends to be quite abrasive and the high-speed corners put a significant lateral load on tyres, which makes this one of the most challenging venues of the season from our perspective.
�With these parameters in mind, Michelin�s partner teams will each be able to choose two of four available tyre compounds from the harder end of our range.
�Variable weather can also influence the outcome at Silverstone, but come rain or shine I hope that Michelin will once again demonstrate the winning edge that has been a hallmark of the 2005 Formula One season.�

Driver perspective:
David Coulthard, Red Bull Racing �There is no individual section that�s the key to a good lap at Silverstone. Nailing Becketts � a high- speed corner with a sudden change of direction � always helps and is particularly satisfying from a driver�s point of view. With regard to optimising tyre wear, all a driver can do is ensure his chassis is well set up � balance and consistency are definitely the key. Silverstone is one of my favourite tracks and I love driving there.�

About Michelin

Manufacturing locations: Algeria, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States

The Technology Center: Asia, Europe, North America

Rubber plantations: Brazil, Nigeria

Michelin operations
Tyres and wheels.
Mobility assistance systems: Michelin PAX System, tyre pressure monitoring systems, etc.

Travel assistance services:
ViaMichelin, GPS, Travel Guides,Road Maps, etc.

Plantations
The plantations cater for 3.6% of Michelin's natural rubber consumption
Brazil: 2 plantations, 1,848 staff
Nigeria: 4 plantations, 1,485 staff

2005 British Grand Prix - Main Page
2005 British Grand Prix - Team and Driver Preview Page

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