You can not blame Ferrari, the FIA or Indy speedway but that was by far the worst F-1 race I have ever seen. Michelin on the other hand. To come to the sanctioning body the day of the race and say that they can not provide a safe, competitive product and therefore need to change race track configuration is absolutely ridiculous.
I missed the beginning of the race to get the full story. Was it because the course was recently re-paved and therefore too slippery for their tires? Why are their tires diff than the others?
Yeah, but the Michelin "kiddy kart" track was hoppin' All the Michelin teams were seen leaving in one of these: Image Unavailable, Please Login
Michelin's tires would not last the full race without a blowout and told the teams they were not safe to race on, and all the 14 teams pulled there cars after 1 lap, only 6 cars raced!
The cars did not take one single lap the formation lap does not count there fore they did not take the green light they all did not start the race. I came to Indy to see a race not a Bridgestone Tire Test.
I was thinking it was like a protest because Bridgestone *****ed at Michelin for trying to get new tires just for today. Michelin's wouldnt hold up because of the new "diamond" like surfacing on the 13th turn.
Michelin determined their selected tire for the weekend would not be safe to run. R Schumacher had a failure in practice because of the tires. I think the other Toyota also lost a tire on the infield. Michelin asked for FIA to put a chicane somewhere just before the long straight (turn 1 of Indy/Nascar races) to make the race "safe" for the Michelin drivers. I hear M Schumacher suggested they drive slower (ROFLMAO). 6 cars started. Ferrari, Minardi and Jordan. The driver of the Jordan who finished third looked like a very happy man.
The FIA was right in what they did, rules are rules. Anyone want to bet that Indy will lose their a$$ next year when no spectators show up? Right but very, very wrong. They should have worked something out. Art
It would seem to me that Michelin should have been better prepared for this. I also think the current tire policy is pretty bogus too.
But Art, there are so many situations where the rules are adjusted in cases of extreme need. This certainly is one of those situations. It would have been wrong to adjust the track layout for the benefit of other teams, but since they agreed to give up their points - who would have lost out? Or, why not allow the cars to change their tires to the new ones that Michelin had flown in? Why not let them change to the new Michelin tires and put them all back 10 spots on the grid? I think the FIA was WAY too stubborn on this one, and I think Ferrari were a bit stubborn too. It does not put them in a good light that they were hardasses about not letting anything be done to allow the other teams to run. Ultimately, what is F1 all about? It's about the sport, the racing, the sponsorship, the competition, and (being totally honest) about the money. This was a HUGE slap in the face to the US market. The worst problem they have had in F1 in all the years I've been watching and it happened at the ONE place they are trying harder than ever to pump up as a new market for F1. They even had Scott Speed there all weekend doing test laps and god knows how many interviews where they asked about F1 and the USA and how to get it to take on here. I think that all together is more than valid for "extenuating circumstances" and something should have been done that would allow the race but not hurt Ferrari. Taking away all Michelin runners points would be a bit harsh, IMO, but putting them 10 or 20 spots back on the grid would be acceptable and still provide a great race, while penalizing the Michelin teams, and giving Ferrari a huge upper hand.
What was "that?" THAT was the finest minds involved at the top level of motorsport, men and companies who've been around the sport for years, who love it and have profited from it, making a sublimely idiotic decision that completely cheated the fans.
Ultimately, the fans have paid the price for this abomination. They paid out hundreds of dollars to support F1 in the USA, from hotel rooms, air transport, practice sesssion admission, general admission to the race etc etc. And no doubt those same fans will have now lost F1 from the USA, through no fault of their own. A very difficult day, just who is to blame? It's a situation that will be debated for many years....
The FIA gave the michelin guys three choices: 1. Slow down in the turn 2. Change tires before the race and take a penalty 3. Change a tire as necessary if it was a safety hazard Instead of doing any of those Michelin decided to stage a protest, because the FIA wouldnt change the track, and in doing so Michelin ruined the USGP. They acted on their own and what happened today is no fault of the FIA or the IMS. MS said Bridgestone had tires that had better grip, but they left them at home since they werent as durable. Michelin could have done the same thing.
The Fans would have hung Ferrari if Bridgestone had a similar concern. As a matter of fact, Ferrari was very good about keeping a low profile and racing as planned. Screw the other teams. The rules are the rules. IF our fans get penalized then all other teams will pay in points and scores as a result. This isnt about the fans, this is about team politics crossing the lines of being reasonable. If Ferrari asks for a rule change everyone is inflamed. Give the fans refunds, but I have no pity for Mclaren and Renault. They made their bed today.. MM If the chicane was granted would Bridgestone be given a mulligan at the next track they are concerned with? Where does it end. Im not a big fan of f1 politics, they had no choice, Michelin is an expert in their field. If their tires blow. Move over.
Any rule that limits tire changes, $$$ spent, or HP sucks. Let them go at it. Isn't racing all about who can come up with the quickest car, the most HP, the best suspension set up, or the best aerldynamics. (Also best drivers) Why dont we just make a few more restricting rules and call it.......NASCAR.
It would have taken the whole night and the next day to build and they would have to race it wothout testing it, how is that safe or fair? Long story short, the right thing was done. It was right because it was safe when all other suggestions were not.
And then what happens? You have 6 F1 cars going 180mph+ behind you while you're going half that speed? Very unsafe. It would be best to retire from the race in this case. To what? The 2nd set they have, which are EXACTLY the same as the tires they're currently on? No thanks, play it safe and sit out. When? After your left rear tire goes out on turn 13 and you slam into a wall? I think you have more concerns than changing a tire at that point. You might get luckly though and blow that tire on a flat chicane in the infield, but will you still risk hitting that wall? Everyone here knows that the FIA could've bent the rules to allow fans to see a real race, but they didn't do that. Now hundreds of thousands of fans are out of a lot of money and the city of Indianapolis will probably never see business boom during the time where the USGP could've been in the future. Everyone lost, no one wins, F1 sucked today.
You could blame michelin but people must rememeber the one tire rule was introduced rather late so to expect everyone to be ready for every race is not realistic. Actually when you think about it, it was a brave move to pull all the cars from the field because of safety. In the end the blame lays with everyone. Teams, manufacturers ,FIA officals, Bernie, etc were too worried about thier own interests to give a **** about the fans and they are really the ones that got the shaft, especaily the ones that were there.They should have worked something out, modifyed the track or allowed for one tire change with no penalty for everyone for this race only. No one was thinking about that though, in the end it's all about me. A complete joke.