For the tyre firms, F1 is a "proxy war" in their global struggle for sales, says Justin Hynes
This Formula One glamour ain't all it's cracked up to be. Hunched over a bowl of cereal and steaming mug of coffee in a cold garage, watching your breath fog the early morning. It's 7.15 a.m., the temperature gauges in the nearby trucks must be showing digits a few notches lower than that. It's Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya, the first Formula One test since the season ended in October. Not exactly Cristal and caviar on a floating palace in Monaco's harbour.
But it's important stuff. You can tell because just as you're getting used to the cold and the hour of the day, Sauber's mechanics fire up the C22 sitting in their garage. An ear-splitting howl anticipates the arrival of Giancarlo Fisichella to drive the thing in about an hour an a half, but the Swiss, being a thorough bunch, want to have it shipshape in good time.
Serious stuff - most importantly for the tyre makers. This is their test really. A chance to try out some things that have been on their minds since the end of the season, a couple of "what ifs", some niggling "buts".
Hisao Suganuma, technical director of Bridgestone, has plenty to mull over. At his disposal on this test are three Ferraris, driven by Felipe Massa, Luca Badoer and Luciano Burti and a Sauber driven by Fisichella. Down the other end of the paddock are BAR, who have just announced that they are severing ties with the Japanese company and running with Michelin rubber in 2004. For champions Bridgestone it's eyebrow-raising and slightly annoying.
But there are other things to focus on. Last season Bridgestone won the world championship with Ferrari, again. But, unlike previous victories, this one wasn't without its moments of doubt and pain. Midway through the year, the Japanese company's previously immovable dominance faltered as Michelin-shod cars began destroying all in their path. Juan Pablo Montoya won in Monaco, team-mate Ralf Schumacher at Magny Cours and the Nurburgring and, most humiliating perhaps, Renault's Fernando Alonso lapped Michael Schumacher at the Hungaroring to take victory. Something had to be done.
It was. Bridgestone spotted a loophole in the regulations being, legitimately, exploited by Michelin and called a halt. Bridgestone won at the next race in Monza, and the next race at Indianaoplis and the final race at Suzuka. Equilibrium restored - but not quite.
At Monza a dreadful start hampered Montoya, at Indianapolis it rained and Bridgestone profited thanks to its season-long superiority with wet tyres and at Suzuka, with Montoya out of the title race, only Kimi Raikkonen could catch Michael Schumacher and the Finn's McLaren was never up to that task.
So Suganuma know there can be no let up. The race now is too tight.
"We always try to do our best effort, but so do our rivals," he says. "They want to beat us and they're not stupid. From Austria on they began to be more and more competitive and then in the summer time from Nurburgring to Hungary it began to get difficult.
"After Hungary there were a few things we needed to think about - the track temperature, weather conditions. But we couldn't test after that race for three weeks.
"But we were able to win at the crucial moment (at Monza) and for a difficult season we could still achieve nine wins," he smiles. "It was a struggle compared to last year but you have to realise that Michelin were in their third year and we are only four years. They have lots of experience. People forget that."
But the panic at Bridgestone and Ferrari was clear in September when the rules governing the scrutineering of tyres to establish tread width were queried. Suganuma now believes that the rules now give a clear indication of what can and can't be done. "It's now a more logical understanding of the regulation," he says. "All we wanted was a better regulation. Now I'm happy with the regulations."
His opposite number, indeed his negative image, Pierre Dupasquier of Michelin naturally disagrees. "No! Bridgestone made a mistake. In developing a smaller tyre at the front for Ferrari, because that is what Ferrari asked for, Bridgestone made a mistake. They almost lost the championship because of that. We also tried it, because we were asked by out teams, but we didn't think it was good and went the other way. Bridgestone chose a narrow tyre because they only have Ferrari to develop for and it was wrong.
"So there was a big noise but nothing really happened. We were still competitive. At Monza, Montoya got a terrible start. In Indianapolis on drys we were much better. On Inters (intermediates) we were also good. In fact, Ralf Schumacher came to me after the race and said 'by the way those tyres had really good grip' which is something he never does. He is usually criticising us. But then he said 'but they degrade after three laps', which to be fair to him was right and we will look at that.
"And in Suzuka? Kimi Raikkonen was a second slower than David Coulthard all the time when all through the season he was 0.7, 0.8 faster. Why? It wasn't us. McLaren say there was nothing wrong. I don't know. It's bullshit."
Suganuma shakes his head at the suggestion that Michelin had the beating of them at Indianapolis. "Yes it suited Michelin early in the race, but it very quickly came back to our side and we had all season developed a tyre that could take advantage of those conditions (rain).
"It was," he adds with sudden sternness, "a weapon we had and we used it. They didn't."
The two men are almost the physical embodiment of their companies philosophies - the almost septuagenarian Dupasquier a whirlwind of activity, Gallic effervescence and forthright opinion; the quiter Suganuma, a calmer, more logical mind, all Japanese reserve and sensible progress. And in those personalities perhaps lies the difference in teams - Bridgestone, relentless developing but perhaps hamstrung by procedure and protocol; Michelin wild outside-the-box thinking, given to moments of inspiration but lacking the cool resoluteness of their Japanese rivals.
Whatever the difference it has made and will continue to make for fascinating competition. And in Barcelona the first feint impacts of that war were being felt with BAR's defection from Bridgestone.
"It's very disappointing from my point of view," admits Suganuma. "Although we did out best effort for the team it is sad. We are disappointed to lose one of the very good teams which sometimes gives us very good data.
"I'm not sure what the reason is and we now have four teams compared with our rivals' six.
"But from a technical point of view we will do our best with what we have and what we have is the champion. And after that it's our job to boost Sauber and Jordan, to make them competitive against teams they wouldn't normally compete with. That is the technical challenge for us. If we can make them competitive then it proves the capability of our tyres."
Duspasquier again sniffs at Bridgestone's reliance on Ferrari. "Like I said, choosing a narrow front tyre because of Ferrari was a mistake that almost cost them the championship. In Hungary a Renault, with I might add less than 270mm (contact patch) was one lap ahead of Michael Schumacher. Technically they made a big mistake going for 250mm."
But Bridgestone still won the championship? "What they did get was a huge psychological boost at Monza, especially for Ferrari," he admits. "It was very good for them." But Dupasquier is convinced that Bridgestone's reliance on Ferrari does them few favours. "When you look at the spread of points over the season, Michelin had, if I'm right, something like 238 compared with Bridgestone's 146. It says a lot about Ferrari and Bridgestone."
Suganuma disagrees. He concedes that his company is concentrated towards the Italian marque, but that it is a function simply of finance.
"Look at this week," he says. "Ferrari have three cars here, Sauber have one. It's only natural that the feedback we get will be greater from Ferrari. Only natural that things develop that way."
The two won't agree on much, but that is what makes the battle so interesting. And 2004 is likely to be no different. Suganuma, while he knows it would displease fans, laughs when he says would quite happily settle for another season like 2002. But he expects the fight to be infinitely closer.
"I suppose the years when have a close fight and we win are more satisfying," he says. "We will try to do another 2002 but I don't think it will turn out like that. Like I said before, our rivals are not stupid. We tried to do a 2002 this year but our rivals struck back and we started to lose. We don't like to lose. So next year we will just try harder again."
And Duspasquier agrees, almost conceding defeat before the season has started. "I can't see one our teams coming through with enough to win it," he says. "There is no team with a set-up like Ferrari. The resources, the back-up, everything. And, of course, Michael. But you never know. It's possible Williams may make the breakthrough, or McLaren may come with something. If they do I will gladly take the opportunity. But I don't see it."
So, the battle will rage on, Michelin's guerrilla tactics allowing their widely spread soldiers to win skirmishes, Bridgestone's concentrated fire looking good enough to win the war. It's a see-sawing contest that offers little middle-ground between the two men. But that's Formula One. Detente is never easily attained, ceasefires are non-existent.
From a cold, misty November morning in Barcelona to the dying moments of the final race in Sao Paulo next October, the conflict will be relentless. Resolution will only be achieved when one lifts the title.