That will be an impressive display that I will applaud loudly. Er, hardly ... they did win but a few scattered ones last century. This century their record is exemplary Pete
Agreed. Actually, based on those comments, Michelin is only to blame for bringing an inferior tire to USGP... same thing Bridgestone has been guilty of at the earlier GP's this season. The BS destruction of the USGP was the fault of the TEAMS driving the Michelins who basically said, "Well, if you won't let us change the rules so that we can win... then we just won't play!" The TEAMS had the option to tell the drivers to race and slow down in the one corner... its not like MS has had to drive slower than he wanted to in the last several GP's!! Ferrari could've whined and said "put the tire rules back to like last year 'cause Bridgestone can't compete with Michelin with these rules... if you don't change the rules back, then we won't race. Phttt!" Fortunately, Ferrari isn't a childish baby... can't say the same for the Michelin teams.
Brian, there is a difference between a tire manufacturer supplying teams with tires that don't perform but remain safe (Bridgestone) and another that supplies teams with tires that are practically guaranteed to be very dangerous (Michelin). Michelin issued a very public and very explicit advisory to all their teams that their tires just weren't safe. Even assuming that the teams had full autonomy to go out at their own risk (I don't accept this - I'm sure that Michelin could've twisted the screws on their teams forcing them to sit this one out), who in their right mind would've done it ? Maybe this would've been acceptable a decade ago, but with the litigious climate today, do you think it really would've washed ? It's not just the drivers at risk, it's other drivers, marshalls and even spectators. Not to mention that it would've been a far worse PR debacle for everyone involved had a tragedy occured with a Michelin shod car. I don't think slowing before the banked corner is really a viable solution. It's not speed that kills, it's relative speed. And the difference between speeds would just be too great to make for safe racing. And there would've been no guarantee from Michelin that the tires were safe even if the teams had voluntarily slowed down - remember they were only willing to accept responsibility for the safety of the tyres if the chicane was put in forcing cars to slow down. So it wouldn't have been a sensible thing to do (legally speaking) for the Michelin teams to go out anyway telling their drivers to slow down of their own volition - and what guarantee they would've listened ? I suppose the one thing that could've been done is to bring the 14 offending cars through the pit lane instead of through turn 13 for every lap of the race. I can guarantee you that this would've been even more of a farce, and there would've been just as many irate "fans" demanding "compensation". Nothing would've changed, it just wouldn't have been a race at all.
That's what I've been saying was their only good remedy that would allow the race to run. I don't believe it would have been more of a farce at all for the Michelin teams to run through the pits. How can you say that considering the full field would have turned at least 2/3 race distance and they would have scored points?
Granted all the cars would've "run" the full length. But is it racing if you don't stick to the prescribed course at all and detour through the pits every lap ? As a matter of fact, I was happier with the way it happened, controversy and all. At least it didn't seem so much of a put-on-show, which I happen to abhor. Taking 70 % of the field through the pits at every lap would strain the definition of "racing" to ridiculous lengths. Points aren't everything. I believe the Michelin teams actually showed more integrity this way, by just abstaining from running in what would've been an even worse farce.
That's simply untrue. The Michelin teams did not want the rules changed to something that would allow them to win. The fact that they were willing to give up points with a chicane proves this. There is a difference between a tire that underperforms and one that will fail catastrophically potentially injuring drivers and fans. The Ferrari situation is vastly different than the Michelin one and the two are incomparable. The problem, IMO, would be that you have one of the fastest turns on the track, and some drivers are going much slower through that turn. Yet, these slower drivers are still 'racing', passing one another, etc, etc. What happens when MS comes up on 3 cars side by side with a 50mph differential, hits the brakes and slides into the wall or worse? Artificially creating such a situation would be a horrible idea. Furthermore, if everyone agrees to go 50mph (or whatever) in that turn, they will go as fast as possible right up to that point, then slam on the brakes, just like pit entrance. I sure as hell would not want to be in one of the faster cars on the fastest part of the track, in a turn, and 14 out of 20 drivers are slamming on their brakes at near lockup every time around. I still don't see why Todt would not go to the meetings. I think that was childish. He does this all the time - abstains from a vote and then claims it was not in his hands. Any non-unanimous decision goes to the FIA. Todt knows if he abstains from a vote, he can say "I was never asked", and claim he had nothing to do with it, when reality is he was everything to do with it. I just think sometimes you need to put aside your stubborness and think about what's most important. This farce did nothing to improve Ferraris image in North America. Isn't that their biggest market? OF COURSE a race with a chicane would be a massive bending of the rules. But how would it have hurt Ferrari? The other teams were willing to give up all their points. They wanted to put on a show. Ferrari said no. They preferred to be hardasses about it and get the points the easy way.. IMO of course. It's not Ferraris fault at all that this happened, but they sure are taking some of the blame around the world, and also they sure didn't do anything (which they could have done) to help ease the situation ONCE it had happened.
SRTMike, glad to see a voice of dispassionate reason amid the sea of righteous indignation! Think EVERYONE would agree that Michelin screwed-up royally, but we didn't have a race because of the Ferrari and the FIA, IMHO. Nothing here intended as a flame!
