Formula 1 anyone?

[Aaron]

I was surprised to see that nobody has brought up the subject of what happened at Indy on Sunday. Needless to say, I sure felt my $85 was a total waste of a ticket considering we watched Ferrari whoop Jordan and Minardi the entire time. Anyways, this major f-up lands right on the shoulders of Michelin and their ignorance. Contrary to popular belief, this was not really the fault of the FIA. Let's just hope the froggies didn't kill F1 racing in the USA, else I'm moving to Europe!

[dkveuro]

Originally Posted by Aaron

...................................was not really the fault of the FIA. Let's just hope the froggies didn't kill F1 racing in the USA, else I'm moving to Europe!

MICHELIN, USA. Or hadn't you heard...?

Just like any big corporation, everything's international now...

Anyway....wos wrong with the Kermits ....?

[cmac2012]

Originally Posted by Aaron

Contrary to popular belief, this was not really the fault of the FIA.

I don't know, from what I read, Michelin was pleading with the FIA to let them provide different tires but the FIA wouldn't relent on the rule that you had to use the same tires in the race that were used in qualifying.

I can see merit in that rule but you'd think they'd be a little concerned with not pissing off a whole bun' a people, paying customers, that they were trying to attract to the sport!

Maybe I'm missing something here. I can also imagine Michelin would liked to have avoided all the bad publicity. Seems like a lose-lose-lose to me.

[yhliem]

I'd have to agree with cmac.

Furthermore, is it really any coincidence that Ferrari, the only team signed on with F1 past the 2007 season was the one that FIA sided with. Remember, the other Bridgestone teams were willing to agree to concessions.

I aslo see the merit in the rules that have been set, but really, hardlining the way they did FIA can't in all reality expect people to believe that they expected the teams running Michelins to slow down or pit every lap.

[mbdoc]

Max & Bernie both are Ferrari lovers & all of FIA just plain sucks!!!!!!

[fastpakr]

The blame is only VERY slightly on Michelin's shoulders. They saw a problem, investigated it, and did EVERYTHING within their power to correct it. FIA, on the other hand, did permanent damage to the league's reputation by refusing to bend when 9 out of 10 teams voted for either a chicane or permission to install a new set of tires (which Michelin went out of their way to provide at the last minute). Ferrari did nothing to prove its own interest in a fair competition by refusing to level the playing field.

F1 has in the past been my favorite racing league, but between this incident, the comments by Ecclestone last week regarding Danica Patrick, and several other things, I'm all for the 9 teams that had already indicated their intentions of creating a new league for next year.

[MTI]

Originally Posted by Aaron

I was surprised to see that nobody has brought up the subject of what happened at Indy on Sunday.

Aaron, you should check out the Open Discussion forum more often . . . it's being discussed down there.

[Bill Wood]

Originally Posted by Aaron

I was surprised to see that nobody has brought up the subject of what happened at Indy on Sunday.

Look HERE.

[MTI]

The Michelin teams could have used new tires and taken the penalty by starting in the pit, not on the grid. You have to wonder how it was that Michelin's tire testing didn't come up with the issue before Friday/Saturday.

[cmac2012]

If I forget, remind me to never buy another Ferrari again.

[Aaron]

2005 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX
20.06.2005

Formula One is a sporting contest. It must operate to clear rules. These cannot be negotiated each time a competitor brings the wrong equipment to a race.

At Indianapolis we were told by Michelin that their tyres would be unsafe unless their cars were slowed in the main corner. We understood and among other suggestions offered to help them by monitoring speeds and penalising any excess. However, the Michelin teams refused to agree unless the Bridgestone runners were slowed by the same amount. They suggested a chicane.

The Michelin teams seemed unable to understand that this would have been grossly unfair as well as contrary to the rules. The Bridgestone teams had suitable tyres. They did not need to slow down. The Michelin teams’ lack of speed through turn 13 would have been a direct result of inferior equipment, as often happens in Formula One. It must also be remembered that the FIA wrote to all of the teams and both tyre manufacturers on June 1, 2005, to emphasise that “tyres should be built to be reliable under all circumstances” (see correspondence attached).

A chicane would have forced all cars, including those with tyres optimised for high-speed, to run on a circuit whose characteristics had changed fundamentally – from ultra-high speed (because of turn 13) to very slow and twisting. It would also have involved changing the circuit without following any of the modern safety procedures, possibly with implications for the cars and their brakes. It is not difficult to imagine the reaction of an American court had there been an accident (whatever its cause) with the FIA having to admit it had failed to follow its own rules and safety procedures.

The reason for this debacle is clear. Each team is allowed to bring two types of tyre: one an on-the-limit potential race winner, the other a back-up which, although slower, is absolutely reliable. Apparently, none of the Michelin teams brought a back-up to Indianapolis. They subsequently announced they were flying in new tyres from France but then claimed that these too were unsafe.

What about the American fans? What about Formula One fans world-wide? Rather than boycott the race the Michelin teams should have agreed to run at reduced speed in turn 13. The rules would have been kept, they would have earned Championship points and the fans would have had a race. As it is, by refusing to run unless the FIA broke the rules and handicapped the Bridgestone runners, they have damaged themselves and the sport.

It should also be made clear that Formula One Management and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as commercial entities, can have no role in the enforcement of the rules.

Love; The FIA

[MTI]

There is now an issue that the teams violated the FIA rules regarding notifying the stewards at least 45m before a grid start that their cars were not going to participate. Taking the parade lap was clearly an "in your face" gesture by the Michelin teams.

[cmac2012]

It's hard to know what to make of this. At this point, I still can't discern whether or not Michelin had tires on hand that would have been safe, but were disallowed from using them; or, they could have used them after a pit stop; or they still didn't have proper tires.

One thought I come back to, is the distinction between the letter and spirit of the law, or rules in this case. The spirit of the law is designed to reward teams that develop or find the best equipment, to gain support from the public, and in general insure the betterment of the sport. The letter of the law sets about to do that and probably does quite well at it. But when or if the letter of the law contradicts or steps on the spirit of the law, cooler heads should step in and make adjustments.

I know it's easy for me to be the armchair FIA steward -- I'm not saying I would have done any better were any authority vested in me. For example, years ago I did some high school B-Ball refereeing. I'd always thought I was a good judge of proper calls from the stands, but oh man, when you're right in the thick of the action, and everyone on the court turns to you with a "Well!?!" kind of energy, it can be tough, a lot tougher than it was from the stands.

I can't help but thinking that most all of the parties in this lost more than they gained, in the long run.