Scuderia Toro Rosso with Michelin tyres

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Michelin has confirmed that it will supply tyres to Scuderia Toro Rosso next season. The news means that both Red Bull-owned outfits will use the same rubber, a key objective of the energy-drink company in order to ensure a meaningful flow of technical information between its two teams.

With the defection of Toyota and Williams to the rival Bridgestone camp, Michelin will equip six of the 10 teams in 2006 compared to seven this year.

The French manufacturer would have preferred a 50-50 split but a spokeswoman told Reuters that Michelin had to accept Toro Rosso’s request for tyres under rules that oblige tyre manufacturers to supply 60 percent of the grid if there is the demand.

The Faenza-based team will run with Michelin-shod cars when it begins testing at Barcelona tomorrow.