Extreme weather tests Bridgestone and Michelin.

Extremely wet weather put Bridgestone and Michelin to the test today [Friday] during practice at the Japanese Grand Prix, however it was Bridgestone that came out top, thanks to rain master, Michael Schumacher, who topped the times in both sessions in his Ferrari F2004.

Bridgestone technical manager, Hisao Suganuma was pleased with their performance, which saw six Bridgestone drivers in the top ten in the morning session and five in the second.

"The weather was really quite bad in today's sessions with a lot of rain which meant our teams all used extreme weather tyres," he explained.

"There was quite a lot of water on the track, both rivers and standing puddles, through which the cars had to run, but our tyres performed well. We did see a few instances of aquaplaning through the puddles but this was the same for everyone.

"We had six Bridgestone cars in the top ten in the first session and five in the second session, which says a great deal about the strength of Bridgestone's wet weather tyre technology. So if it is raining on Sunday, we will certainly be competitive."

Michelin meanwhile relied on Kimi Raikkonen and McLaren to take the fight to 'the reds', however that didn't stop the Bridgestone shod Sauber of Giancarlo Fisichella getting in on the act, demoting the Finn to third fastest overall.

"We have obviously done relatively little running today, not least because Suzuka poses a few particular problems in heavy rain," stated Michelin's F1 programme manager, Pascal Vasselon.

"The circuit features a number of elevation changes and, as a result, a number of mini-rivers form at various points around the track. The biggest problem is not so much generating grip as trying to prevent cars from aquaplaning. We have seen a number of drivers sliding off the track today, although Fernando Alonso was the only Michelin runner affected - and then only in a minor way."

Qualifying tomorrow [Saturday] has been cancelled due to the typhoon heading for the Suzuka track. It will now be held Sunday, before the grand prix.