Bridgestone wins first battle in 2004 tyre war.

Written off by many during the winter months, Bridgestone bounced back in the strongest possible way by carrying Ferrari to a resounding 1-2 in the Australian Grand Prix.

Outnumbered by those on Michelin rubber, the two scarlet F2004s simply disappeared into the distance at Albert Park, with world champion Michael Schumacher eventually coming home 14 seconds clear of brake-hobbled team-mate Rubens Barrichello. Michelin runners filled out the remaining six point-scoring positions, but the Scuderia's performance, in ideal cool conditions for its rubber, was a clear indication that Bridgestone is far from uncompetitive.

"I'm delighted to see the Bridgestone-shod Ferraris finish first and second today," smiled the company's technical director Hisao Suganuma, "After all the hard work put into winter testing, it seems that, for this weekend at least, everyone's hard work has paid off.

"Today's victory was a good indication that our development direction has been correct over the past few months, and we will continue our efforts to make even better and faster tyres. This is only the first race, but our target is to continue as we started. Michael continually posted fastest lap times this afternoon, but this was not just a one-off performance - all weekend, the Bridgestone tyres have demonstrated excellent one-lap performance, as well as consistency.

"I am very proud of the tyres we brought here this weekend, and I'm sure that the other Bridgestone teams - Jordan, Sauber and Minardi - will all gain momentum as the season progresses."

Over in the Michelin camp, little could raise the disappointment of such a crushing defeat, but the company could at least celebrate a podium finish, courtesy of Fernando Alonso and Renault.

The Spaniard was only third fastest of the Michelin contingent in qualifying, but he made a terrific start from fifth on the grid to pass Juan Pablo Montoya and Jenson Button at the first corner and claim a third place that he would not lose.

"The pace of the race was much faster this season than it was in 2003, to the tune of about two seconds per lap," pointed out Michelin's Formula One programme manager Pascal Vasselon, "The top four Michelin finishers used three different tyre compounds, which underlines that all our options were well suited to the conditions."

Montoya lost time with a relatively slow first pit-stop and slipped back to an eventual fifth, behind team-mate Ralf Schumacher, while Button finished an encouraging sixth to complete a satisfactory weekend for BAR, which was competing on Michelins for the first time. Jarno Trulli (Renault) and David Coulthard (McLaren) - the highest-placed driver to opt for a two-stop strategy rather than three - completed the points scorers.

"We might not have won today, but the season is in its formative stages and it will take a few races for the full picture to become clear," insisted Michelin motorsport director Pierre Dupasquier, "The next few grands prix will be very important, and we are working flat out with our partner teams in the never-ending quest for greater performance.

"I was encouraged by Fernando Alonso's performance today - he was fast and consistent once again - Renault has promised that there are significant developments to come, which bodes well for the future."