Michelin have new tyres for Imola.

Michelin boss, Pierre Dupasquier has confirmed that the French tyre manufacturer will be taking completely new tyres to the San Marino Grand Prix this weekend - ones that have been developed specifically for the Imola circuit.

Furthermore following wins in Australia, Malaysia and Bahrain, Michelin will be keen to continue their run and make it four out of four.

"For this weekend's race at Imola, which marks F1's return to Europe, we have taken into account the frequently fierce braking and the aggressive approach drivers tend to take with the kerbs," he explained.

"We also had to bear in mind the track's distinctive characteristics, because the surface isn't uniform around the lap's full length.

"The tyres specifications we have selected have been developed with the aforementioned factors in mind. They are all new and they have not been used this season."

As for their year thus far, Dupasquier was quick to add that winter testing has been the key to their success and not only have the 2005 tyres been developed to ensure they can run a full grand prix distance, but they have also been adapted to bear in mind the new chassis regulations.

"The first three grands prix of the 2005 season have been very rewarding for Michelin," he continued. "Our excellent results are the fruit of much dedicated work carried out by our research and development teams.

"During the winter, we conducted countless computer simulations using refined mathematical models. Our systematic approach allowed us to evaluate many, many tyre options - and only the most promising made it as far as the track-testing stage.

"All this work resulted in some fresh constructions and compounds that were tailormade for the latest regulations. I'm not sure that people appreciated the full extent of our labours: we weren't simply creating tyres that maintained strong, consistent performance over a full race distance - they also had to be compatible with chassis that had been significantly altered in terms of aerodynamic downforce.

"Our development programme benefited a great deal from work we conducted in parallel with our seven partner teams, which allowed us to analyse and compare all their feedback. Furthermore, our strenuous preparations helped to broaden our research team's field of expertise.

"The rule that permits tyre companies to compete against each other in Formula One drives our constant quest to come up with new ideas, to develop them and to remain ahead of the competition. It also creates a valuable baseline that enables us to assess the quality of our work."