In a move that may upset the WRC pecking order in 2003, the Ford World Rally team has switched their tyre supply to Michelin. The M-Sport team has ditched its deal with Pirelli in favour of switching back to Michelin, despite still having a year to run on their existing tyre contract.
The move sees Ford re-establish a relationship with Michelin that began in 1999. Last season the French manufacturer's tyres helped the Peugeot Team dominate the World Championship. Ford's Focus rally car struggled on Pirelli rubber last season and the move is viewed as an attempt by the team to gain ground in the race to beat Peugeot next season.
As of 2003, Michelin will supply 3 of the top 4 World Rally teams, with Ford joining Peugeot and Citroen as customers. Pirelli will remain supplier to the Prodrive-run Subaru squad, which may benefit the Banbury-based squad.
With three top manufacturers supplied by Michelin, the Subaru team will have the full support and backing of Pirelli. Indeed Subaru are potentially the Italian tyre manufacturer's only realistic chance of securing rally wins next season.
Should Pirelli throw their full support behind Subaru, Michelin may find itself struggling to cope with the conflicting requirements of three top teams. Indeed the situation may have strong parallels with Michelin's experiences in F1 this season as it struggled to supply two top teams. Pirelli and Subaru may well reap the benefits of a special relationship akin to that enjoyed by Ferrari and Bridgestone, a scenario that suggests Citroen, Ford and Peugeot may place themselves at a disadvantage if they do not co-operate on tyre development in 2003.
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