"It will definitely be better"Ralf Schumacher has welcomed the end of F1's tyre war.
Michelin is pulling out at the end of the year, leaving only Bridgestone on the grid, but from 2008 the FIA rules mandate that a second tyre supplier is not allowed to compete.
''It
will definitely be better,'' the German told Auto Motor Und Sport. ''If there is no tyre competition then the manufacturers no longer have to go to the limit.''
30-year-old Schumacher is perhaps forgiven for being a little cautious about tyre safety -- particularly after, in sequential years, exiting Indianapolis in the back of an ambulance following right-rear Michelin failures.
But the German insists that, on the eve of his return to the scene of the United States grand prix, he is not at all worried.
Ralf said: ''It is clear that these things can happen. When I recovered I wanted to drive again immediately, and when I got back into the car it was the same as usual.''
Still, he likes the idea that - with a 'control' tyre supplier in the future - the four black things connecting his Toyota with the road will be safer.
''It's an advantage for everyone,'' he said, adding that - with Toyota now on Bridgestone boots - it shouldn't be a problem for him this weekend anyway.
He also thinks the reaction to Indianapolis' 2005 debacle did more damage than the farcical race itself.
''There was an over-reaction,'' said Schumacher, ''which was absolutely senseless. For us, it was a very unpleasant situation, but it was simply not possible to drive.''
He disagrees that Bridgestone contributed to the six-car disaster by not also pulling out.
Ralf asked: ''Why should Ferrari and the other Bridgestone teams have been punished? It wasn't their fault that Michelin was not able to build a suitable tyre.''
Source GMM CAPSIS International
