Thoughts on the United States Grand Prix

polo2028 · Post by **polo2028** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 1:37 am

alonsofan wrote:i am very sad, a very close friend of mine travelled from brazil to watch the race. he was so excited before the race, it was his first race outside brazil, i haven't talked to him yet but he will be very dissapointed (even if he is a barrichello fan!)

they should have come up with a solution, they are the experts but i think they didnt want to, they don't care about the fans

I think those who watch would also be very disappointed as this has been the darkest race in Formula One history.

POd in Atlanta · Post by **POd in Atlanta** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 1:45 am

I hope that anyone paying for their Indy Grand Prix tickets would file a dispute and withold payment.

Byron Forbes · Post by **Byron Forbes** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 1:52 am

Kapel wrote:Hmm,So u mean bridgestone knew as the track was resurfaced ,on turn 13, the track has been relaid with sharp carbon which would slit their tyre.How would Bridgestone have known what tyre Michelins are bringing which would not perform here ?? Ahh,Michelins gives them day to day report of the compound & constrution of their tyres!!!!!
Baseless

Well, Bridgestone were the ones bragging about this secret they had up their sleeve. It is clearly a situation that Bridgestone had plenty of warning about and Michelin simply had no time to respond too.

Bridgestone are very lucky that Ralf was not severly injured or worse. Bridgestone endangered the lives of over 14 Michelin runners at this event.

N. Jones · Post by **N. Jones** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 1:53 am

My friend who bought the tickets is calling them today.

This is all very sad and I just don't know who to blame.

I DON'T blame Ferrari - I don't see why they should be penalized because their tire supplier got it right.

I think the best thing would have been to let the Michelin runners use the Spanish GP tires but push them behind Ferrari, Jordan, and Minardi. (if this was still an option).

This way they could all have run safe and competitivly.

Either that or run slower through turn 13. Minardi and Jordan have suffered at the back for years due to low budgets and components not up to par. This time the Michelin riders would have been doing the same. Yes, it hands the win to Ferrari but oh well - they have had tough luck all year - ESPECIALLY with their tires. Now its Michelin's turn.

N. Jones · Post by **N. Jones** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 1:55 am

One other thing - the only problem I could see with running slow in turn 13 is the potential for an accident if one of the Bridgestone runners wasn't paying attention. That plus a backup of slow cars on that turn might have made things slightly more dangerous...

polo2028 · Post by **polo2028** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 2:00 am

If you still remember, the Canadian Grand Prix draws record crowds.
If FIA don't do anything to restore the interest of F1 fans (especially in the US), a major decline will be expected in the following races.

Byron Forbes · Post by **Byron Forbes** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 2:38 am

Please people, lets not follow in the hopelessly idiotic footsteps of the FIA here.

1/ Drive slower thru T13? - are you off your head? How slow is slow enough? The temptation of going flat out to gain position is irresistable. What complete and utter nonsense!

2/ Change tyres when it becomes dangerous? - once again, how would you know this? Ralf did 2 laps on Friday b4 his crash. Another completely idiotic suggestion from the FIA - and they do this for a living?

Not surprisingly, since it is inline with FIA cluelessness, they knocked back the only sensible suggestion of a chicane b4 T13. This would have been a great solution except for 1 tiny thing - the FIA's ferrari master said "NO!". They throw that money around our good old ferrari buddies, let me tell ya!

Pitiful!

N. Jones · Post by **N. Jones** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 3:27 am

Why penalize the Bridgestone runners? For the good of the sport?
It was Michelin who weren't competitive. Let them run slow in turn 13 - or let them change their tires, give them a drive-through penalty or disqulaify them after the race. That way the fans get to see something... This farce just ruins F1's image in the US.

F1greyhound · Post by **F1greyhound** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 4:00 am

Exactly.

Don Lindsay · Post by **Don Lindsay** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 1:02 pm

Well! Michelin failed with it's tire, that is unacceptable. FAI failed to come up with a solution, that is far more unaceptable. They as the ruling body of the sport should have found one (a solution) and enforced it. Michelin identified the problem early and made it known to them (FAI). It is their role in the sport to find a way around it. Many were offered from both sides and one could not be agreed upon. These men that run and compete this sport can't seem to agree on anything. One thing they will all have to agree upon is that they made an absolute farce of the US Grand Prix. They will still bank the $m they made from it. I said in an earlier posting that I will protest their actions by not forking out the $450 AD I would have given them by not attending next years Australian GP. Money is the only language these a@#$%^&*! understand, speak loudly with your wallet, it is the only way to get the message through. Untill fans stop paying at the gate nothing will change.

Graham Ross · Post by **Graham Ross** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 2:03 pm

Blame and counter blame.

Running on lower revs or changing tyres every 10 laps would have been a farce too not a race.

A chicane was the only viable option. Remember it was done in 94 after Senna's crash

Due to the unforseen cirumstances a non championship race should have been held and the Bridgestone runners compensated by points

Any other solution would have been a farce IMHO

Kapel · Post by **Kapel** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 2:31 pm

sgd wrote: you may ask "but if it would be renault?" "but if it would be Mclaren?" I said: I don't care, it was Ferrari and they are the guilty ones.
all the teams would agree the race would heppened...that's for sure.

Ur living in an illusion sgd,when u dont miss a chance to blame Ferrari for no fault of theirs,ur trying to tell me that the other teams would have supported to change a few things in the US GP if Ferrari were in trouble

I can imagine what ur going thru since Ferarri came 1-2,N i have full sympathy with u

I didnt like the race either dude,but blame the ppl who r at fault not the one u dislike N sometimes u can blame the team u support

Ed · Post by Ed » Tue Jun 21, 2005 7:03 pm

The seven Michelin teams summoned to a hearing of the FIA World Motor Sport Council to be held in Paris on Wednesday, June 29, 2005. Separate thread here

mcheung · Post by **mcheung** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 12:36 am

I don't really know the politics behind all these. But looking at the facts, I feel like Michelin is the only one to blame. First, there's the tyre rule set by FIA. It is very clear, although it may be very stupid. Changing tyre for whatever reason is clearly against the rule. Tyre failing to meet the safety criteria is Michelin's problem. You can't ask for a change of rule because you fail in something. Safety of drivers is just an excuse! Second, erecting a chicane in the last minute is actually changing the track somewhat. If some serious accident happened at the turn, who's the blame?

Lastly, I really don't understand why making the turn slower will solve the problem. Can't you drive into the corner slower if the car or the tyres can't endure a higher speed? I may be completely ignorant in this regard, I am not a professional race car driver.

N. Jones · Post by **N. Jones** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 12:57 am

You could, but with six Bridgestone shod cars coming around at full speed, trying to pass say, two to four Michelin cars, the potential for disaster increases big time.

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