F1 at Indy

[bpthirteen]

Only 6 cars raced due to tire complications. I wonder if anybody asked for a refund?

[stuckthrottle]

I thought that F1 couldn't get much worse, i was wrong. IMO, they (FIA, IMS, and the Teams) should've compromised and added a chicane or something similar on turn 1. But as the SPEED commentators mentioned, F1 is all about politics. Things can and will get worse for F1.
I recently heard a rumor about CHAMP Car and F1 possibly merging???
Also, IRL at Watkins Glenn sounds rad, but are those cars capable of turning right?

[deleted.]

CART is honoring all F1 ticket stubs at its race at Cleveland next weekend..... Tony George needs more slaps in the face like this for what he managed to do to Open Wheel racing in America

[Tom_Willis]

Looks like the deal shook out like this:
a)Michelin didn't have a backup tire available. And that was f&ckup #1.
b)Bridgestone-shod teams would never agree to a last minute change in the track which would give up an advantage to their competitor, why should they?
c)The team owners running Michelins refused to let their drivers race.... Said they were concerned that somebody might crash. This was based on Ralf Schumacher crashing due to a puncture- (not a blowout caused by excessive downforce).
d)Nobody was gonna tell the spectators who have paid a lot and put up with a lot that there wasn't going to be a full field that day and that maybe they should leave.

If this stuff happened at a world cup soccer event (or a Raiders game) there would be dead people in the stadium...

[OldStroppeTeam]

One other point, Bridgestone supposedly tested at Indy last month, Michelin did not.

What are these folks thinking? Oh thats right they,and specifically King Bernie, do not care what the fans think.... it is all about the money they can make (steal) from each other, the fans are actually of little concern in their world......The constructors pay Bernie (with their sponsors money), the event organizers pay Bernie ( with the fan's money), the series sponsors pay Bernie(with the fan's money), TV pays Bernie ( with the fan's money) and they don't give a rat's a@# about the fans......Hey Folks, what are we chopped liver?
I almost agree with twillis....someone needs to end up as a ripple strip or safer barrier, that way they would always be in view to reminded us of what happened the last times the fans got shafted.......

[michael_loomis]

sure glad michelins off road dept. is much better at the tire game :)

[btshannon]

Looks like the FIA is going to punish the 7 teams that did not race.

http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=192191

[Tom_Willis]

So Michelin accepts no guilt for the whole mess, but will reimburse the ticket holders for money lost..... Hmmmm, they must have the same counsel as that freak Michael "I love 'em young" Jackson.

[El Chinero]

I was there ... on the start-straight. I didn't know one could toss a Foster's "Oil Can" that far.
The "upside", if any, was that the crowd was NOT of a NASCAR mentality. LOTS of large Indiana State Troopers (They had been pre-warned, suggesting that this was not a TOTAL surprise!). No trouble, tho. No arrests. The general aura was one of total depression!

Paid-admission auto racing is "entertainment" and the idea that "The show must go one" was overlooked by the FIA! Car racing IS dangerous; they make it that way. For $33-million a driver SHOULD take a risk or three! But the teams are deathly afraid of the FIA!

[MM Pit Boss]

This is From Michelin What do you think? I think they did what they had too. Good job.

June 22, 2005
Michelin shares your disappointment about the 2005 Formula One United States Grand Prix and regrets that
our tire solutions were not suitable for the track conditions. Before offering some facts about that race, we
would like to present some information about Michelin tires used in other race series.
The extraordinary events of the United States Grand Prix overshadowed Michelin’s performance at the
legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans race. There, Michelin teams won overall – for the eighth consecutive time –
and in three of the four classes. Our partner teams succeeded at one of the hottest 24 Hours of Le Mans using
some of the same competition tires found at American Le Mans Series races. Those tires, along with Michelin
tires for Formula BMW, Porsche SuperCup and Porsche Club races, can continue to be raced with confidence.
We hope the following information helps better explain what took place at the United States Grand Prix.
Michelin-equipped teams did not participate in the Formula One Grand Prix at Indianapolis on Sunday, June
19, out of concern for driver safety. Michelin equips seven teams (14 cars) in Formula One. As a result of the
race conditions, only three teams (six cars) on non-Michelin tires participated in the race.
During the weekend, it became obvious that there was a tire issue at the track. Two Toyota cars had rapid
deflations of the left rear tire during Friday practice. Michelin technical teams in France and in Greenville, S.C.
worked through the weekend to determine the source of the issue and to find a solution before the start of the
race.
Formula One racing is one of the most demanding applications for tires in the world, equipping highly complex
and technical vehicles that operate at speeds well over 200 mph. Tire regulations for the race are also very
strict, severely limiting the tire solutions that can be brought to the race, used by the teams and also limiting tire
maker access to the tracks and to tire testing. The circuit at Indianapolis had been resurfaced and diamond
ground since last year’s Grand Prix. Michelin was not allowed on-track testing on the new surface before the
race weekend, and therefore had to make many critical assumptions about the new surface, race circuit and its
interaction with the tires. Bridgestone (through its Firestone brand) participates in the Indianapolis 500, which
allowed experience with the new track surface prior to the Formula One event.
Michelin, working with its partner teams, devised several solutions which would have allowed all teams to
compete in the race. These solutions included airlifting in replacement tires from Spain which arrived in Indy
early Sunday morning. However, FIA regulations would not allow the new tires to be used in the race.
Nine of the ten competing teams also suggested adding a chicane just before Turn 12-13. A chicane is
essentially a lane change feature, or quick turn added to the track layout to slow down the field at critical points.
While the Speedway was prepared to add the chicane and start the race on time, one participating team and
the FIA refused to allow the change.
Aware of the need to find a solution that would allow all teams to compete safely, the nine teams considered
yet more options such as racing and only allowing non-Michelin teams to earn championship points.
Additionally, Michelin teams agreed to cede their starting positions and to start at the back of the field of cars.
Given the rejection of all Michelin solutions, the only option was to advise its teams not to participate in the race
with the available tires. Michelin regrets that the tires were not suitable for use at the United States Grand Prix,
but driver safety is always a priority. Michelin will never change its stance on this principle, whether it concerns
tires for competition or any other purpose.
Michelin is very disappointed about the way the United States Grand Prix turned out at Indianapolis, for the
public, the drivers and the teams. It is regrettable that our pre-race suggestions, agreed in conjunction with our
partner teams, were not adopted. If those proposals had been accepted, we could have guaranteed driver
safety, the participation of our teams and added interest for the public.
Michelin would like to thank its seven partner teams for their close collaboration, for having made propositions
to the FIA and for having respected our advice on safety issues. Michelin continues to investigate the technical
reasons for the tire-related incidents.

[El Chinero]

They thought that they HAD to do something after being "caught out" with crappy tires and NO fall-back! (Not their first rodeo, huh?)
IMFHO, all of this would have never escalated to this level of this FIAsco if the inane "one tire" rule had not been formulated: The "FIA Formula One Tire Series"?

Then the inability of the multi-national FIA to agree on a chicane solution? Says much about the FIA. Note that I have not even tried to play the "French" card?!