F1 Race @ Indy

[jmanz6]

It's sad, but pobably true. F1 may not be back at Indy and may be done in the US. There are other tracks it should be at instead of Indy that wold be better for F1. I hope this isn't the end of F1 in the US.

I have to disagree with your statement about it not being a good b usiness decision to bring F1 to a different track. It was not the track's fault. It was the tire mfr not having a tire that was able to compete. Bridgestone brought the right tire. If Michelin didn't bring the right equipment, oh well, they must suffer the results. It was bad show for the fans, and was bad for the teams to want to change the rules so they could race. You MUST play by the rules all the time, not just when it works out for you. If your equipment isn't right, then too bad. The teams running the Bridgestone tires made it thru the whole race on the same set of tires, as is within the rules. It was a true let down, and a horrible spectacle, but that happens sometimes. The guys from Minardi and Jordan were sure happy though. Good thing they were running Bridgestone.

[Sweetpea]

Ricklandia,

Thanks for responding... you've validated your opinion very well. I cannot disagree with you as I didn't take as much into consideration as I posed the question.

[240znz]

Food for thought. I'm not jumping to Michelin's defence here but....

Didn't the track get re laid after the 500?

I heard the new surface was too slick so they cut 1 to 2mm grooves in it combat the problem.

Doesn't Bridgestone supply the tyres for the entire Indy Car field. So they new what was required to change the side wall so it could handle the extra heat.

It was too late for Michelin when they found the problem on the Friday.

Internal bickering between the upper levels of F1 prevented the inclusion of a chicane that would have allowed the show to go on (slow down the entry speed to the banking and therefore side wall loading). The last qualifying was done and Michelin had no choice to do what they did.

Shame on F1 is correct. Complete blame on Michelin no.

[26th-Z]

A couple of good articles coming out today from Fox Sports.

http://msn.foxsports.com/motor/story/3704474

http://msn.foxsports.com/motor/story/3704212

[EricB]

Manufacturing defects do happen as stringent as QA is in F1. Maybe what happened to the Michelin tires could be traced to something like that. It's interesting to note that according to the Speed TV commentators the second emergency set of tires Michelin had made for Sunday's race also apparently exhibited the same problem.

I don't understand why faced with the possibility that 14 cars would not participate in the race Max and Bernie couldn't for once make an exception and institute some kind of "coned" chicane" before T13 to reduce speed through it as the 7 Michelin teams suggested. Making an exception to the FIA rules would surely have been less of a public relations snafu than to see 14 cars decide not to race making a mockery out of the whole event itself. I for one am completely on the side of the 7 Michelin teams.

What if they had raced and god forbid someone HAD had a bad accident, one even worse than RSchumacher's from last year.... I'm sure people would be hoping today that those teams would have chosen not to race as they did...

What amazes me though with the exception of the VIPs in the boxes with access to TV coverage and such it seems that no announcement was made to the fans in attendance as to why 14 cars peeled off the warmup lap as they did. No wonder they were so stunned and then pissed.... but still you figure someone could have made some kind of announcement??? I'm sure that had such an announcement been made people would have still been upset but at least they wouldn't have started throwing things at the 6 cars that WERE on the track and travelling in excess of 200mph... Can you imagine if one of those full water bottles of aluminum cans happened to hit Schumi in the head as he drove down the front straight??? Totally ridiculous and irresponsible on behalf of the fans in attendance.

I wouldn't be surprised if this kills the USGP for next year and several years into the future.

-e

[Bambikiller240]

Michelin should be fined and put on probation for coming to the USGP so ill prepared that it's tires were unsafe to compete.

The FIA should have allowed a chicane between T12 and T13, even if it meant that the race became a non-points paying event.

I disagree that the 1 set of tires per GP rule is good for the sport. In the example given in a previous post, if Kimi had trashed his tire and had to come in for an additional pit stop, his race would have been run anyway.

I was at the race yesterday... I was disappointed for the first time with my favorite sport... I will continue to love it though. It just pisses me off, though.

Shame on Michelin for not testing/developing a tire that would perform at Indy... Bridgestone did their homework, no excuse for Michelin. No doubt, Michelin learned their lesson here...

Shame on the Michelin teams for trying to point fingers at the FIA and Ferrari... this further builds their "case" for a break-away series in 2008.

Shame on Bernie & Max for creating such turmoil in the sport through their back-door manipulation & strong-arm tactics. It will catch up with them soon... and yesterday may have been the beginning.

............

Well, I agree with most of what you said, but Bernie and the FIA had an obligation to put on a show and they let it go all to hell. Michelin is not blameless, but there were options that could have been used to ensure a safe race for all drivers, and a show for the paying (and non-paying) fans

B E is an A$%, the whole world knows it, and T George is his twin.......

Amen!

Shame on them all. Michelin, Bernie & Max, and the FIA.

[sopwith21]

Try this one:

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050620/SPORTS0103/506200369

IMHO the blame lies squarely on the FIA. Michelin goofed up, but they had the decency to admit it. They asked the FIA to install the chicane which would allow their drivers to race and even offered to start Michelin-shod cars at the back of the field and surrender race points. The FIA still refused, and let race fans around the world watch six cars instead. That's pitiful.

F1 has burned every bridge they've crossed in the USA. They're unapproachable, arrogant and difficult in every possible manner, and have managed to convince themselves that we're lucky they're here. This is but an extension of the petty bickering they've done in Europe for years. As far as I'm concerned, they can go back where they came from. If F1 is the self-proclaimed "pinnacle" of the sport, I'd rather race go karts.

BTW, somewhere, somehow, this will end up being all Tony George's fault. You heard it here first.

[Bambikiller240]

BTW, somewhere, somehow, this will end up being all Tony George's fault. You heard it here first.

You won't hear that from my lips. I don't like him, period. But he's blameless on this issue, IMO. He and his Mum even had the decency to boycott the farcical trophy ceremony.

He should file suit against the FIA and Bernie in order to recoup funds to refund ticket sales.

[SJGREEN71]

I think Michelelin did the right thing. This isn't the 50's anymore where drivers were expected to die for the sport. 9 out of 10 teams agreed to a change in the track layout that would keep speeds to a safe level. FIA and Ferrari refused, and you end up with a dull race and guess who (Ferrari) taking first and second place.

No wonder F1 has so few fans in the US, however, if Danica Patrick had been in the race no one would have noticed that the field was down by 14 entries.

[panchovisa]

Well Sopwith and I finaly agree!

No it is not Tony George's fault. But that said, I do believe the ticket buyers entered into an agreement with the speedway as the promoter of the race. The ticket buyers had no such contract with F1, the FIA, Michelin, or as the FIA calls them now "the Michelin 7".

Tony and the Speedway had a contract with the "Almighties". It is TG who can directly recover his damages from them.

I belive it would be fitting of TG to give refunds for the tickets (much cheaper than the total cost paid by the fans), and to use that refunded amount as clear and proven damages against the "Almighties".

TG would come across as a hero to the racing public and he could use his "power" for good to hold the untouchables to justice.

The other option for the only damaged parties (the fans) would be a class action against the "almighties" AND THE SPEEDWAY. In this case Tony gets unfairly lumped with the guilty parties. Also, in a class action some legal beagle will be including hotel rooms, air fare, emotional hardship and probably beer and lap dances.

By the latest news it looks like Max and Bernie are already to PROFIT from their culpibility by fining the "Michelin 7" , who by the way will be M & B's competition in 2008.

[Ricklandia]

I still don't understand how anyone can blame Tony George or IMS for any of this? Believe you me, I an NOT a big supporter of TG although I do give him credit for bringing back F1 to the USA after a long and embarrassing abscence here. In fact, looking back on it, even when it WAS here, some of those races were pretty pathetic...Las Vegas parking lot???

Anyway, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this the EXACT track layout as last year? And aren't these the same teams that were here last year? Face it, Michelin blew it. I don't blame the teams for not fielding thier cars if they thought it was unsafe, but don't blame the FIA for not bending the rules just to fix your own errors. If the teams that refused to race have any beef, it's with Michelin, not the FIA or IMS.

I merely suggest that the "Michelin" teams grow some nads, and take responsibility for thier error, stop crying and DEAL WITH IT. This crybaby approach is what makes F1 so unappealing to so many.

The unfortunate participants in all of this are the fans, and unfortunately nothing will likely be done to compensate them for this debacle. If the FIA is truely intent on making Michelin and/or "the 7" pay for thier bellyaching, they should levy fines and send the collection to the ticketholders at IMS.

[ZCCOR#109]

It is racing without the fans, but it "don't make any money" so we have fans.

If the show is crappy, there won't be any fans. F1 and FIA will figure this out in the US next year.

NASCAR has figured it out. The rules are for the show.

So what if half the field is out. So what if I don't ever go.

I don't go to Indy at all any more because they don't race in the rain except F1, and I'm not wasting my time to come home again because it rained. Been there and done that.

I'll take showroom stock in the rain at Mid Ohio any day over Indy.