I'd say Michelin was at fault for the problem, and FIA then made a decision that's delivered one of the worst outcomes possible.
F1 itself is a victim of this, just like the fans.

Changing the track would be unfair to bridgestone they managed to make a competiitve tire. This would be like turning down the horsepower to match the most uncompetitive cars.

If they had agreed, then FIA would have been forced to install a chicane and the show would have happened, safely. Michelin is not to blame to let the drivers know that their tires are not safe under such circumstances. If a deadly accident had happened and that Michelin had knowingly let the drivers race, then they would have been accountable for not disclosing a known problem. Michelin did the right thing, most teams did too, Ferrari goofed. What did they have to gain? They are almost dead last in the points...

(nt)

They can bring two. all this shit came out at 5am this morning. When did it become acceptable for a race event to change the track to accomodate new "unproven" tires. There's nothing out there that says the new tires they flew in were any better and changing the configuration of the track is out of the question. Would it be OK if in the middle of a bitter points battle for Michael Schumacher to request a track change at the last race because it favors his tires. The bridgestone tires weren't engineered for this new chicane either. Who's to say they wouldn't be adversly effected by the extra corner and braking, engine strain, etc. Run what ya brung or go home like the pansy you are. Lee you certainly wouldn't lobby your local SCCA or Vintage Officals to install a corner because your car has tire problems that result in increased tire wear. Michelin should start writing checks to all their teams and quit paying for the "safety report" in the pre race show.

(nt)

supposedly problematic corner. Their choice, as when I have a tire problem I drive slower. Let the Minardis and Jordans get points.

(nt)

But to change the track because Michelin blew it is just not right. Where are the back up tires they are required to provide? and didn't they provide tires to run the same highspeed turns just 3 weeks ago? you would think some of that data would of transfered to this race.

I think that if my tires are not safe when I dive at 300-340km/h i should go slower, that is why I think this is no excuse for todays race.

URL: http://www.jennaishealed.org
if the driver feels his tires are going away, they should slow down, not throw themselves into the wall as martyrs to french tiremaking honor. Jesus!

michelline should hang their heads in shame. this is idiotic french "make it fair--FOR ME" ... idiocy. Only in the pampered air of F1.

If I had my way, F1 would be TOTALLY FREE, rules wise. They would issue each team a 400mph certified carbonkevlar space survival capsule and let the teams attach whatever chassis that made it around a given track the fastest to it. The fastest car wins, period. The technology race is so ridiculous, even within the supposedly cost-saving roolz as it is. The roolz just make it worse. The companies that back F1 throw as much money at is as they deem ultimately profitable. Too many roolz!!



-Rob

why in the hell does F1 rules require that they "cannot" change tires at all during a race, yet they won't sanction a race because of "tire safety" reasons due to a fluke in a particular tire manufacturer and a specific corner at "one" race track!....that's just plain hypocracy!!!!

I'd be pissed if I spent $100 or more for a seat to watch that fiasco. The problem should have been remedied before race time!!!

(nt)

it's FIA that screwed everyone. If I was there I would start a class action to get a refund. When the track owners go after the FIA chumps, action would be taken in favor of the sport. Furthermore, screw Ferrari and Minard, they should have supported all the teams to make the race fair and most of all safe for everyone, not look for the opportunity to steal a win!

It all looks pretty bad for F1, especially here where that sport is trying to make inroads against all the Yahoo Good Old Boys of Nascar etc. This is just more ammo in their corner. The F1 organizers should have made some concessions to the teams using Michelins, by giving in to their demands to place a chicane on the problematic high speed turn where the Michelins were blowing out. It would have been a stop gap measure, but far better than putting a sour taste in the mouth of the American public and the fans who had come out to support the event.

URL: http://www.jennaishealed.org
is that chamonix? inka whoooom?

-Rob

The engine builder's are competing to put together a winning product, so are the chasis builders...etc. etc...and so are the tire manufacturers. Bridgestone won the battle today. What's alarming is that Michelin failed on an unprecedented scale. You don't change the rules to accomodate failure in racing...Even Michelin knows that by their statement on their website posted well BEFORE raceday:

Pierre Dupasquier, Michelin motorsport director

"Indianapolis represents a real challenge because tires have to cope with sustained heat build-up for more than 20 seconds as cars negotiate the season's longest flat-out section, which incorporates the banking and the pit straight. In addition, they also need to generate sufficient grip to maximise traction on the tight infield.

"These two contrasting characteristics oblige teams and suppliers to make compromises in terms of aerodynamic set-up and tire compounds. The banking imposes a significant strain on the left-hand side of a chassis because it partly compensates for centrifugal forces by increasing vertical loads, which are then transmitted to the tires.

"In fact, the banking limits the extent of what we can do when it comes to finalising our tire compounds. We have to base our selections on this, the most demanding part of the track. Softer compounds wouldn't survive the banking but tires that are too hard would struggle on the infield and would soon be chewed up through sliding around excessively.

"The surface of the banking is very abrasive—and that adds another contrasting factor to our preparations, because the infield is quite the opposite." (end quote)

Today's F1 Score: Bridgestone 6, Michelin -14. Given the performance history between Michelin and Bridgestone, it looks like David finally had his day against Goliath in grand fashion. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall..." I wouldn't blame F1, or FIA for sticking to the rules when Michelin floundered.


just my two cents...
-s

i just rolled in from Indy. what an a$$ F%&k that turned out to be. They should have resolved the problem and there should have been a race with
20 cars, period.

How low have Michelin come from the debut of their tires in F1 . . .

Angry fans stream out of US Grand Prix in wake of Michelin tire fiasco

Sun Jun 19 2005 19:57:05 ET
US motor racing fans weren't waiting around to see which Ferrari came out on top in the US Grand Prix Sunday after a failure to sort out concerns over the safety of Michelin tires saw only six cars start the
race. Andy Stevens and Keith Murphy, who had spent several hundred dollars apiece to come to the race from Iowa, were heading for the exit of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway before the race was half over with "f*ck-you Michelin" scribbled on their T-shirts. "We don't even know what's happening, we just know we're mad at Michelin," Stevens said. Both men were aware of the tire safety concerns raised earlier in the week when Ralf Schumacher crashed in practice after a Michelin tyre failure. But they were mystified Sunday as all 20 qualified cars lined up on the starting grid, before the 14 cars on Michelin t

I remember reading about the works Mercedes drivers from the 30s-40s, often racing on public roads, with skinny tires that could not handle the power of the machines, and the heat from the engine in the cockpit was so bad they put a variety of stuff on the soles of thier shoes to keep their feet from burning to bad... what a different culture we live in... pretty boys all of em.

(nt)

... and there would be about five cars racing. I agree that the appeal of F1 is its cutting edge technology and speed, but there isn't enough money around to support unlimited engineering.

Dan

URL: http://members.aol.com/healeypics/lemans.html
when approximately 80 spectators where killed at LeMans in 1955. Read the link on racing's worst catastrophe, which was remembered at LeMans Saturday (fresh in everyone's mind at Indy) . . .

for real action witih more than 2 close competitors. what a finish. the
f1 i stopped watching after 10 laps whne the jordon was already a lap
down. how many of you think f1 will ever race at indy again? bad PR for
indy is going to result in a huge loss of sales if they ever race there
again.

I agree it was a mess - and those of us in attendance had little idea of what was going on. At the Hoosier corral after the event - can't call it a race, there were not enough cars for that - we heard from one of the Formula BMW drivers. He had seen the telemetry from Red Bull and said there was no way the Michelins would have lasted, and that the teams had no choice. He added that between last year and this year, the track has not only been resurfaced, but grooves were cut into the surface, leaving a track that looked like it had been done with a 1/4" notched flooring trowel. We walked on it during the Walkabout on Thursday, and it was like a cheese grater.
Firestone had tons of data on tire performance from the Indy race, and shared it with partner Bridgestone. Michelin was not privy to any of this, and brought tires based on the only data they had. Seeing Ralf smack the wall in T13, same as last year, was bad enough. I for one am glad there were no serious injuries, other than to the the F1 program in the US. "Bullsh*t, bullsh*t" was chanted throughout the stands, several thousand South American fans attempted to storm the Administration Offices of the track, State Troopers had to be called in, etc. It was _this close_ to turning into a damn ugly situation. We got outta there on lap 5 or 6. I don't even know who to be mad at, but I am sure disappointed! 5 years going, finally had great seats and the promise of an interesting race, and this happens...

(nt)

OK, so they wouldn't have been competitive with Ferrari, but err, hello,
this is racing.

I do not understand this collective suicide for F1 - can't see yall
Americans forgiving Bernie's little circus, and who could blame you.

Farcical.