Michelin will be up to the task of winning this weekend at the San Marino Grand Prix, that's the verdict of the French tyre companies' motorsport director, Pierre Dupasqu༒🐲ier.

Speaking in the build-up to the race, he added that results in testing post-Bahrain hav♐e been very 'encouraging'.

Imola holds good memories for 'Bibendum', having won in 1984 with Alain Prost, during their farewell campaign and having also triumphed in 2001 with🐟 Ralf Schumacher, when they scored a dominant success just four races into the firms' comeback season.

"I have fond memories of Imola 2001," reflects Dupasquier, "when Michelin underlined its capacity to make effective F1 tyres within a c🎃ouple of months of returning t🤪o the sport.

"Will we be able to ꧂score our first victory of the season in San Marino this y❀ear? Well, we have done a considerable amount of testing since the last race in Bahrain and the results are most encouraging.

"It is poised to be a☂ fiercely competitive weekend and I am confident that our tyres will be up to the task."

Michelin and iꦚts six partner teams have carried out some productive development work sinc🧸e the Bahrain GP and the company will be chasing its 73rd F1 grand prix victory on Sunday.

Pascal Vasselon, Michelin's Formula One programme manager, adds: "We finalised our tyre options for the San Marino Grand P🅰rix after completi🥃ng a series of tests with our partner teams at Paul Ricard last week.

"We will take three d🐟ry-weather compounds to this event and none has previously been used during a race weekend. For the first time this season we will be using tyres from the 'softer' end of our range. Imola has quite a short pit entry and exit, so tactical stops take less time than they do at other circuits - and that is particularly the case this season, with the new 100 km/h limit in force on Sunday. That opens up fresh strategic possibilities."