View Full Version : Formula 1 US Grand Prix to be cancelled for unsafe tires?
SirFozzie
06-19-2005, 12:28 PM
Michelin tells teams not to use tires in Grand Prix.
Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS -- The United States Grand Prix was in jeopardy hours before its scheduled start Sunday because tiremaker Michelin advised the seven Formula One teams it supplies not to compete because of safety concerns.
Michelin, the world's largest tiremaker, has been unable to determine why some of its tires failed during Friday's practice sessions at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. One failure led to an accident that knocked Ralf Schumacher out of Sunday's race.
In an effort to salvage it, Michelin bosses met with Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone in a lengthy, closed-door meeting Sunday morning that ended roughly 90 minutes before the scheduled start of the event.
Several team bosses said nine of the 10 teams agreed to run if a chicane was placed in the final turn to slow speeds. Ferrari was the lone holdout.
The FIA, which earlier in the day adamantly refused to use a course obstacle, didn't immediately rule on the agreement.
Team bosses also said it wasn't clear if the U.S. Grand Prix would count in the championship standings.
"This is disappointing because Formula One, at times, can't realize it is a sport first and a political battle second," Minardi team boss Paul Stoddart said. "Nine teams have agreed to drive for points or no points as long as a chicane is installed. It is now in the FIA's hands, but for nine of us our position is this is sport and there are hundreds of millions of people wanting to see a race."
During the meeting, all 20 drivers were summoned to join the discussions that could be seen through glass office doors. The drivers left about 10 minutes later and declined comment.
The talks were clearly heated at times, and Ecclestone and Renault boss Flavio Briatore engaged in an animated conversation. Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Tony George was seen pacing and talking on his cell phone. He looked displeased when he left the meeting shortly before the drivers arrived.
In a letter to the FIA sent late Saturday night, Michelin officials said they informed teams that it could not guarantee that its tires are safe -- particularly in the high-banked final turn where Schumacher and Toyota teammate Ricardo Zonta both wrecked.
Schumacher sustained a serious concussion and two broken vertebrae in a similar accident here last season.
The tiremaker asked for permission to change the tires -- F-1 teams are forced to race on the same set of tires they qualify with -- or the use of a chicane in turn 13.
The FIA sent back a sharply worded response, questioning how the tiremaker landed in this position and warning the teams that they would be heavily penalized if they changed tires.
Michelin responded Sunday, saying its teams could not use the original tires. The company supplies tires to seven teams -- 14 of 20 cars in Sunday's race -- including championship leaders Renault and leading rival McLaren-Mercedes.
"We confirmed that with the tires on which we have qualified we are not able to sufficiently guarantee the total safety of the drivers," Michelin officials wrote Sunday. "As a result, we reached the conclusion that we will not compete with these tires in the current configuration of the circuit."
The FIA replied with a terse letter, refusing to budge on the issue.
"Your teams have a choice of running more slowly in turns 12/13, running a tire not used in qualifying [which would attract a penalty] or repeatedly changing a tire [subject to valid safety reasons]," FIA race director Charlie Whiting wrote.
"It is for them to decide. We have nothing to add."
Michelin had been trying to ship a fresh batch of tires in from its warehouse in France, but was unable to get permission from the FIA to allow teams to use them.
The FIA replied in its first letter Saturday night that if teams broke the one-tire rule, they would be heavily penalized.
"We believe the penalty would not be expulsion but would have to be heavy enough to ensure that no team was tempted to use qualifying tires in the future," Whiting ruled.
He also ruled out the use of a chicane.
"To change the course in order to help some of the teams with a performance problem caused by their failure to bring suitable equipment to the race would be a breach of the rules and grossly unfair to those teams which have come to Indianapolis with the correct tires," he said.
Only Ferrari, Minardi and Jordan use Bridgestone tires.
Points leader Fernando Alonso of Renault and Kimi Raikkonen of McLaren-Mercedes, who is second in the world championship standings, are among the Michelin drivers
Airhog
06-19-2005, 12:37 PM
This is really sad when you put the lives of your drivers at risk. And for what good reason? I dunno, but I just dont like the smell of this at all.
Put a chicane in turns 12/13 and race.
CHEMICAL SOLDIER
06-19-2005, 12:48 PM
So, I take it there are a lot of not so happy fans and race teams out there.
Bernie just said they're going to race, however Speed Channel doesn't seem to sure about it.
Oh my....
They plan on starting the race and then the Michelin teams (along with Jordan and Minardi) are going to park it, after a lap. This would kill F-1 in Indy.
Jordan and Minardi decided to race, but the Michelin teams did retire. Six cars on the track now. This has to be the strangest thing I've witnessed in racing.
Dutch
06-19-2005, 01:18 PM
Another dagger in the death of open-wheel racing in the USA.
This is the worst joke you could have ever dreamed of happening.
JOKE. JOKE. JOKE.
145,000 fans. 6 Cars left on the track after protest. Nice job.
Formula 1 - Go Away.
From the broadcast (which is quite intriguing for some reason)....
All teams with the exception of Ferrari agreed to the chicane. Also, Michelin said they had the same problem with the backup tire compound, so it couldn't be used.
SirFozzie
06-19-2005, 01:57 PM
Here's some information from another board.
They just interviewed Paul Stoddart (Minardi) and he couldn't care less about the points they're going to get - he flat-out called the race a "farce" and said they're only racing because Jordan is.
I think F1 might be dead at Indy, if not the States after this. Apparently the BBC's saying points will count, which I find absolutely disgusting. Ferrari's going to jump to a tie for 2nd in the constructor's standings if they complete the race
and
ITV just interviewed fans leaving Indy and they were, for lack of a better word, pissed off.
I think F1 will have to give refunds if they want to keep the race alive, otherwise you might as well pull it off the schedule and replace it with something else. There's no way you're going to pull in 100,000 next year with no refunds.
The French commentators just had a fun idea - imagine a bunch of cars come out with two or three laps to go trying to get 7th/8th place. Make it even more of a farce.
Dutch
06-19-2005, 02:01 PM
It's a mess. The drivers/owners/FIA are all right and wrong. The race fans are all right and....have left. :)
Of course, they get their money back, but undoubtedly there are fans coming in from Canada, the West Coast, East Coast and everywhere who have spent money on plane tickets and hotels and kennels for their pets and taken days off from work....
Very irresponsible for F1 to not be prepared to race at this track.
JonInMiddleGA
06-19-2005, 02:08 PM
If it ain't safe, you don't race, so I don't blame those who dropped.
I understand why teams on other tires didn't feel a need to be penalized for that too.
And I _really_ understand why NASCAR went to a single tire supplier.
What a mess, what a farce.
Galaxy
06-19-2005, 02:15 PM
If it ain't safe, you don't race, so I don't blame those who dropped.
I understand why teams on other tires didn't feel a need to be penalized for that too.
And I _really_ understand why NASCAR went to a single tire supplier.
What a mess, what a farce.
F1 is a joke to me. Way too technical. Whoever has the most money, can build the best cars. NASCAR and ChampCar actually place an emphasis on the driver. Personally, I hate the "team uniform" thing in F1. And this the end of F1 trying to return to the US.
If anything good comes out of this....
Hopefully they'll move the USGP to Vegas (as rumored) and then I can finally attend a F1 race in America.
Dutch
06-19-2005, 02:19 PM
The only good thing about this crap is it's hilarious that the two Ferrari drivers are probably going to wreck each other fighting for the "win".
Blackadar
06-19-2005, 02:31 PM
What would be very funny is if a bunch of those teams went out with about 10 laps left and just parked their cars across the track so no one could get by. With 14 cars, I think you could do that pretty easily.
CHEMICAL SOLDIER
06-19-2005, 02:58 PM
Another dagger in the death of open-wheel racing in the USA.
This is the worst joke you could have ever dreamed of happening.
JOKE. JOKE. JOKE.
145,000 fans. 6 Cars left on the track after protest. Nice job.
Formula 1 - Go Away.
Now what happens to the 11 other cars? Would they pick up points or not?
CAsterling
06-19-2005, 03:00 PM
That was hilarious......Max Mosely and Bernie Ecclestone really screwed themselves this time....The people that run F1 are assholes, and have been for years and maybe when the realise how much potential money they have lost in America they will stop running the sport as if it is their own personal toy.
I loved how happy the Jordan driver was to get hsi first ever podium finish.
Oh yeah, also what jerks the fans were to throw bottles on the race track, there is no excuse for that type of moronic behaviour.
CHEMICAL SOLDIER
06-19-2005, 03:04 PM
Is the US GP being televised here in US cuz I cant find it anywhere on tv.
I loved how happy the Jordan driver was to get hsi first ever podium finish.
Oh yeah, also what jerks the fans were to throw bottles on the race track, there is no excuse for that type of moronic behaviour.
I think someone forgot to tell Monterio that all the other teams dropped out. Although, he probably didn't see any scenario this year where he'd see the podium. It was kind of funny, but also a slap in the face to the remaining fans.
ShaqFu
06-19-2005, 03:16 PM
Is the US GP being televised here in US cuz I cant find it anywhere on tv.
It was on Speed.
from the same thread SirFozzie was referring to earlier:
Fox Sports: F1 boss winning more friends :( (http://msn.foxsports.com/motor/story/3701634)
Formula 1 chief Bernie Ecclestone commenting about Danica Patrick:
"She did a good job, didn't she? Super. Didn't think she'd be able to make it like that. You know, I've got one of these wonderful ideas that women should be all dressed in white like all the other domestic appliances."
Brilliant http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif
damnMikeBrown
06-19-2005, 04:06 PM
I give a HUGE amount of credit to the folks at Michelin for coming out with this. It will likely generate huge amounts of publicity featuring the failure and potential failures of their tires. That they honored the drivers safety more than the negative knocks is the ultimate in corporate responsibility. Kudos to them.
Ryan S
06-19-2005, 04:39 PM
I think Michelin in done in F1. That was inexcusable.
I think that there was more to the mass pullout today than just tires, but I really can't be bothered typing page after page about the politics of F1. I just am not surprised that all the teams that pulled out are behind the GPWC.
CHEMICAL SOLDIER
06-19-2005, 05:03 PM
I think Michelin in done in F1. That was inexcusable.
I think that there was more to the mass pullout today than just tires, but I really can't be bothered typing page after page about the politics of F1. I just am not surprised that all the teams that pulled out are behind the GPWC.
Are there any web sites out there detailing the politics of F-1 racing? If so I would like a linky so I could read them thanx.
SirFozzie
06-19-2005, 06:06 PM
Now what happens to the 11 other cars? Would they pick up points or not?
Only the top 8 cars in F1 get points.
BTW.. here's something interesting. You read earlier that Ferrari said "no" to the chicane, being the only team to do so, right, and F1A had to bow to their wishes..
well..
But nine of the F1's 10 teams are in dispute with Eccletone and others over the running of the sport and have threatened to start their own series in 2008. Only Ferrari has signed to stay with Ecclestone after the 2007 season.
Dutch
06-19-2005, 06:12 PM
Only the top 8 cars in F1 get points.
BTW.. here's something interesting. You read earlier that Ferrari said "no" to the chicane, being the only team to do so, right, and F1A had to bow to their wishes..
well..
But nine of the F1's 10 teams are in dispute with Eccletone and others over the running of the sport and have threatened to start their own series in 2008. Only Ferrari has signed to stay with Ecclestone after the 2007 season.
Well, to be fair to Ferrari, it was not their fault that Michelin had sent the wrong tires. Ferrari runs on Bridgetone afterall.
The alternative that the Michelin crowd was offering Ferrari was to run a "friendly" match for no points thus putting Ferrari as the only team to do everything properly and get no credit for it.
Installing a chicane would have violated the FIA rulebook and would not have been a sanctioned race.
The bottom line is that 14 drivers got screwed by a mixup at Michelin. No reason to suggest that's Ferrari's doing. At least not from what I've gathered.
rexallllsc
06-19-2005, 07:23 PM
I think someone forgot to tell Monterio that all the other teams dropped out. Although, he probably didn't see any scenario this year where he'd see the podium. It was kind of funny, but also a slap in the face to the remaining fans.
Not really his fault that their equipment was faulty.
Ryan S
06-19-2005, 07:52 PM
Tony George's press release - http://www.brickyard.com/news/story.php?story_id=4898
<!--StartFragment -->Sunday, June 19, 2005
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway shares in the disappointment with the loyal fans of IMS and Formula One that we did not see the exciting race we all anticipated due to circumstances beyond our control. The FIA, Formula One, the constructors and manufacturers that represent the cars on the starting grid made decisions on an individual basis to limit participation in today’s USGP.
We suggest the fans who wish to make their feelings known, contact the following:
Michelin
46, rue du Ressort
63100 Clermont-Ferrand
France
www.michelinsport.com (http://www.michelinsport.com/)
FIA
8 Place de la Concorde
F-75008 Paris
www.fia.com (http://www.fia.com/)
Formula One Management
6 Princes Gate
Knightsbridge
London SW7 1QJ
United Kingdom
I actually thought it was a joke when I first saw it on another forum....
I bet this promotion went over well.... http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif
Renew Tickets For 2006 USGP, Drive Lap On IMS Road Course June 20
http://www.usgpindy.com/news/2005/images/drivearnd-280-06182005.jpg
By Eric Powell
usgpindy.com
Formula One fans can drive on the same Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on Monday, June 20, just one day after the superstars of Formula One raced the sixth United States Grand Prix, if they renew their USGP tickets for the 2006 race.
The USGP Ticket Renewal Drivearound is scheduled for 4-8 p.m. (local time).
Anyone who renews their ticket for the 2006 United States Grand Prix and holds a valid driver’s license can drive their passenger vehicle around the 13-turn, 2.605-mile circuit on which their F1 heroes raced June 19.
“For six years, United States Grand Prix fans have proven they are among the most dedicated and loyal race fans in the world, so we’re pleased to say ‘thank you’ to our customers with this once-a-year opportunity,” said Joie Chitwood, Indianapolis Motor Speedway president and chief operating officer. “Fans should remember to bring a camera or video recorder to capture the memories, while they experience the thrill of driving the course and look ahead to the 2006 USGP.”
To participate in the Drivearound, USGP tickets can be purchased online at the IMS Ticket Office or at (http://www.imstix.com/)www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com (http://www.imstix.com/). Tickets will be on sale at 8 a.m. (local time) at both the Ticket Office and online.
Ticket renewals also can be made at the Speedway’s Gate 10 off of 30<sup>th</sup> Street, where fans will enter for the Drivearound.
Online ticket renewals also will be accepted if the participant brings a printed copy of their confirmation. Mail-in renewals will not have been processed by the Drivearound day and will not be eligible for the track lap.
One more chuckle for the night...
The Champ Car Grand Prix of Cleveland Presented by U.S. Bank to Honor Tickets From the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix
Indianapolis (June 19, 2005) -- The Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford has always been a series about its fans, and in support of the international open-wheel racing community, the organizers of the Champ Car Grand Prix of Cleveland Presented by U.S. Bank and Champ Car officials have announced that tickets for Sunday's Formula 1 United States Grand Prix will be honored on June 26.
Open-wheel racing fans will be able to see the 750-horsepower Champ Car's battle on the temporary circuit constructed in Downtown Cleveland at Burke Lakefront Airport as the headliners of a full day of racing. Joining the Champ Cars will be the Toyota Atlantic Championship Presented by Yokohama, the Speed World Challenge GT cars and the Formula Ford 2000 series.
Details will follow on www.grandprixofcleveland.com and www.champcar.ws explaining how fans can redeem their F1 USGP tickets for race-day seats at the Champ Car Grand Prix of Cleveland Presented by U.S. Bank.
Fans who are unable to benefit from this unique opportunity, the Champ Car Grand Prix of Cleveland Presented by U.S. Bank will be broadcast live on CBS Sports on June 26 at 1:30 pm ET.
Dutch
06-19-2005, 09:45 PM
One more chuckle for the night...
I'm sure that makes people who travelled from all over the country and paid big bucks to go to Indy feel better knowing they can do it all over again! Right!
I'm sure that makes people who travelled from all over the country and paid big bucks to go to Indy feel better knowing they can do it all over again! Right! Even if nobody takes them up on their offer (which I can promise you, some Midwest race fans will), it's an incredibly smart move and hopefully they will get some good press for the offering.
Dutch
06-19-2005, 10:13 PM
I wish IRL and CART would offer us a real racing series for the price of full admission. Now that would be a neat marketing gimmick.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder... I guess.
I paid $120.00 for my ticket for Cleveland and I have no doubt I get my monies worth.
Dutch
06-19-2005, 10:35 PM
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder... I guess.
I paid $120.00 for my ticket for Cleveland and I have no doubt I get my monies worth.
Well, going to a race is one thing. I love going and I think your money is well spent. But getting CART and IRL out of their really, really, really small niche market they have created for themselves is a whole 'nother mess and until they either merge or one of the series is killed off, it will remain an ugly blemish that will remain hopeless in the wake of the NASCAR marketing juggernaut.
CHEMICAL SOLDIER
06-19-2005, 11:28 PM
Did the fans actually stay or was there a mass exodus after the announcement was made?
nilodor
06-19-2005, 11:53 PM
I'd say roughly 50% stayed. There were alot who were throwing stuff on the track.
I'm not sure how much this will hurt F1 overall. Eccelstone has said on many occasions that he could care less if people show up to the events. The money is made through TV viewership and will this "race" kill off TV viewership? Who knows? The worst part is that this race is on in prime time in the UK but will it really make them stop watching? Did that many americans really watch the race to begin with considering most of the races are only available on a specialty channel in the middle of the night in the US? I figure that this will help move the grand prix to somewhere like Long Beach right about the time that all the smoking adverts go away so they can start with a clean slate in a venue that is more attractive to sponsors.
HomerJSimpson
06-20-2005, 07:00 AM
"You know, I've got one of these wonderful ideas that women should be all dressed in white like all the other domestic appliances."
That is just wrong....
but funny.
Blackadar
06-20-2005, 07:44 AM
The whole thing is absurd. If I had purchased tickets via Credit Card the past 90 days, I'd immediately protest the charges. What a big middle finger to the fans.
FWIW : the USA Grand prix was not televised in France
CHEMICAL SOLDIER
06-20-2005, 09:41 AM
How much dsoes an average ticket cost for an F1 race? F1 looks like one of those $ 1,000 per ticket.
How much dsoes an average ticket cost for an F1 race? F1 looks like one of those $ 1,000 per ticket.
Nah not that much, the standard ones are around $150.
Samdari
06-20-2005, 10:10 AM
Well, to be fair to Ferrari, it was not their fault that Michelin had sent the wrong tires. Ferrari runs on Bridgetone afterall.
Sure, but put yourself in their situation.
Do you risk the lives of your opposition in order to keep a competitive advantage over them due to it being "fair"?
Warhammer
06-20-2005, 10:28 AM
In a sport like racing, it is up to the teams to make sure they use the right equipment. If one engine runs better than another, do the teams that have better engines get penalized because other teams are running inferior engines? No.
The fact that the Michelin tires that most of the teams decided to use were not fit for the track is not the fault of Bridgestone teams. The teams that raced on the Michelins should have determined before the race whether or not their tires would perform.
Samdari
06-20-2005, 10:59 AM
In a sport like racing, it is up to the teams to make sure they use the right equipment. If one engine runs better than another, do the teams that have better engines get penalized because other teams are running inferior engines? No.
Actually, NASCAR does do this. They want the cars as close as possible to each other, to guarantee right races (following the NFL's parity model). Thus, if one manufacturer gets ahead of another (be it frame, engine or whatever) they impose restrictions on those cars to bring them back to the field.
RPI-Fan
06-20-2005, 11:05 AM
I think the appropriate solution here would have been to allow the Michelin teams to use safer tires (ones that weren't initially brought along), but to penalize them for the next 5 races, or something, by in qualifying guaranteeing the Bridgestone drivers the first 6 spots. That way, this race would have been competitive, as would each of the next several races.
And Bridgestone would feel like they still got something out of being appropriately prepared.
RPI-Fan
06-20-2005, 11:06 AM
FWIW : the USA Grand prix was not televised in France
Are you sure? On SpeedTV they frequently refered to the French broadcast (and how it was dropped shortly after the 6-car race started...).
Dutch
06-20-2005, 11:25 AM
I think the appropriate solution here would have been to allow the Michelin teams to use safer tires (ones that weren't initially brought along), but to penalize them for the next 5 races, or something, by in qualifying guaranteeing the Bridgestone drivers the first 6 spots. That way, this race would have been competitive, as would each of the next several races.
And Bridgestone would feel like they still got something out of being appropriately prepared.
Something along those lines were probably in order. A better idea than what they eventually came up with, that's for sure!
fantastic flying froggies
06-20-2005, 02:54 PM
Are you sure? On SpeedTV they frequently refered to the French broadcast (and how it was dropped shortly after the 6-car race started...).
I think that's what Alf meant.
They did start the broadcast and then dropped it to show a rerun of the Experts. :)
Fan sues over Grand Prix 'race'
Larry Bowers, a Colorado resident, has filed a class action lawsuit against the Federation de l’Automobile (FIA), Formula One Group, Formula One Administration, Michelin Tires and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway following Sunday’s United States Grand Prix.
Bowers, represented by Indianapolis-based attorney William Bock III, filed suit claiming the 2005 USGP was fraudulent after 14 of the 20 drivers pitted and withdrew after the formation lap of the race because of a dispute surrounding the use of Michelin tires on the track.
The lawsuit claims Formula One, the FIA, Michelin, the teams equipped by Michelin and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway forged an agreement allowing the Michelin teams to participate in the formation lap and then exit the track prior to the start of the race.
“The alleged ‘race’ participated by just three teams did not constitute a true grand prix race under FIA and Formula One rules in that the race was started with an insufficient number of participants,” the lawsuit reads.
Bowers, who bought five tickets to this year’s race and has been a USGP ticket holder since its inception in 2000, is looking to receive a refund for the tickets as well as other costs paid toward attending the USGP.
The controversy failed to dissuade some fans from showing up today at the Speedway to renew their tickets for next year's race. Others, however, were there to ask for refunds. Speedway officials were not offering refunds, but did take note of those requesting their money back.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050620/SPORTS0103/50620006
Also, IMS held a press conference an hour or so ago. Not much came out of it, besides that they are working with the FIA on how to proceed. Refunds were mentioned as a possibility.
clintl
06-20-2005, 08:04 PM
Actually, NASCAR does do this. They want the cars as close as possible to each other, to guarantee right races (following the NFL's parity model). Thus, if one manufacturer gets ahead of another (be it frame, engine or whatever) they impose restrictions on those cars to bring them back to the field.
NASCAR might do that, but it doesn't really work.
Dutch
06-20-2005, 08:20 PM
NASCAR might do that, but it doesn't really work.
And NASCAR tends to allow certain drivers more flexability in their determination of "that's racin'" than other...less marketable drivers.
I'm sure that makes people who travelled from all over the country and paid big bucks to go to Indy feel better knowing they can do it all over again! Right!
RAPID REFUND
Formula One's problems were Champ Car's gain.
More than 1,100 racing fans who were at the troubled United States Grand Prix in Indianapolis last week redeemed their tickets from that race for free ones to Cleveland's event.
Race organizers made the offer hoping that once fans came to Cleveland they will come back again.
``It's great that they did this,'' said Justin Yager of Greenfield, Ind., who drove to Cleveland with three friends. ``You can't blame F1 for what happened last week. It's all Michelin.''
Only six cars competed in Indianapolis after Michelin raised concerns about the safety of its tires in the final turn of the road course, prompting 14 drivers to withdraw.
and they saw a very good race.... :)
Dutch
06-26-2005, 11:14 PM
I always liked Cleveland, a great place to pass as it requires a lot of judgement on when to brake.
Full Statement from Michelin
Straight talk and a sincere gesture for the American spectators: It could have been an exciting race.
One week after the Indianapolis Grand Prix, Michelin wishes to make a sincere gesture of goodwill towards the people present at the GP, a group whose passion for F1 is encouraging in the development of this sport in the United States.
Therefore, on our own initiative and in total solidarity with our partners, we have taken two decisions:
1. Michelin has decided to contribute to the costs incurred by the spectators present at the circuit on Sunday June 19th 2005 by offering to refund their tickets. This is an important decision, since Michelin is not at all legally bound to do this.
Michelin deeply regrets that the public was deprived of an exciting race and therefore wishes to be the first, among the different groups involved in the Indianapolis race, to make a strong gesture towards the spectators.
2. Michelin also offers to buy 20,000 tickets for the 2006 U.S. Grand Prix to be given to spectators who were present at the Indianapolis race in 2005. We are offering this to promote further Formula One interest in the United States.
We would also like to take this opportunity to underline the fact that it is unacceptable that our partner teams have been accused by the FIA of having boycotted the Indianapolis Grand Prix. The reality is that together, Michelin and its partners have done everything possible to assure that the race could take place in total safety.
We are extremely disappointed that the proposals made with all our teams were not accepted. These proposals, including a chicane, were technically viable and totally met all safety requirements. On Sunday morning, June 19, the sporting authority had all the means necessary to preserve the interest of the race.
And yet, the sporting authority rejected the proposed solutions. Why? In our view this is totally incomprehensible and reflects a lack of respect for the spectators.
It is the spirit of respect for the spectators that brought us, with our partners, to propose solutions to allow the race to take place in total safety. It is this same spirit that leads us today to make this gesture.
Thumbs up Michelin. This is actually pretty cool of them, considering they didn't have to do anything. This will end up costing them in excess of $10 million.
Ryan S
06-28-2005, 04:51 PM
Thumbs up Michelin. This is actually pretty cool of them, considering they didn't have to do anything. This will end up costing them in excess of $10 million.
I am fairly confident that if Michelin did not do this, the FIA would punish the teams tomorrow by asking them to reimburse the fans, and that would lead to a boycott of the French GP.
That would be a nightmare scenario for Michelin at their home race.
Buzzbee
06-28-2005, 05:21 PM
Hmmm...I would have allowed the Michelin teams to use Bridgestone tires. Michelin can't really squawk since it was the failure of their tires that caused the issue. Allowing all the teams to change to a new set of tires would have resolved the 'fairness' aspect and would have resolved the safety concerns. Yes, it would have violated the 'one set' rule, but it would have been extenuating circumstances, would have been applied for all teams, and would have maintained competitive advantage (as far as I know).
Of course if there are substantial differences in the tires that would have made it unsafe or simply not feasible, then never mind.
Dutch
06-28-2005, 05:28 PM
Hmmm...I would have allowed the Michelin teams to use Bridgestone tires. Michelin can't really squawk since it was the failure of their tires that caused the issue. Allowing all the teams to change to a new set of tires would have resolved the 'fairness' aspect and would have resolved the safety concerns. Yes, it would have violated the 'one set' rule, but it would have been extenuating circumstances, would have been applied for all teams, and would have maintained competitive advantage (as far as I know).
Of course if there are substantial differences in the tires that would have made it unsafe or simply not feasible, then never mind.
Being such specialized tires, if they make different tires depending on the race track they may not have had that many to spare.
nilodor
06-28-2005, 07:11 PM
Not to mention the fact that the michelin teams would be screwed because their chassis are built around the tires.
Dutch
06-28-2005, 07:39 PM
Not to mention the fact that the michelin teams would be screwed because their chassis are built around the tires.
Good point.
RPI-Fan
06-28-2005, 08:20 PM
Even if they could run on the tires, how would that be fair to the Bridgestone teams? As far as I can tell, the only fair way to handle it would have been to do what they did, or to give Michelin teams a HUGE penalty for breaking the one-tire rule.
Dutch
06-28-2005, 11:28 PM
Even if they could run on the tires, how would that be fair to the Bridgestone teams? As far as I can tell, the only fair way to handle it would have been to do what they did, or to give Michelin teams a HUGE penalty for breaking the one-tire rule.
Yeah, I really think they should have allowed the teams to switch tires during the race. I mean, for one race, that would have been way better than what we saw.
Maybe they could have forced all the teams to switch tires every pitstop but penalize the Michelin teams with a 5-second stop penalty before they could begin work during the pit stop.
I know that's a lot of maybe's to sort out a day before the race. But still.....anything would have been better than what they ended up doing!
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