Katuska said on June 19, 2005 18:48:

I’m watching! :-) It’s a shame!!!

Kiwein1 said on June 19, 2005 19:14:

It isn’t a farce. It was the best decision the team managers could make. Anyway: it’s the fault of Michelin and not FIA or Ferrari! It’s pretty bad for the audience..

Vixzter said on June 19, 2005 19:31:

kiwein: exactly, its not the team nor the drivers fault, after seeing the wreckage of Ralph Schumacers Toyota i don’t blame them at all.
but then i also dont blame Ferrari either (as much as i hate them) as its not their fault that Michelin have messed up.

pitty the poor sods that have gone to watch, i think they need to sue the FIA or Michelin or both.

Mari said on June 19, 2005 20:25:

It’s also FIA’s fault, not only Michelin’s. FIA said no for new turn, new tires etc.
Damn, now it’s bit harder for Kimi to win Championship.

MiracleMan said on June 20, 2005 02:26:

Déjà vu. Or as this was posted first, après vu.

TinyBubbles said on June 20, 2005 13:35:

Good thing i saw this thread - was about to start a similiar one myself. (vix always has to be first :S)

At first i was very angry but now i just find it hilarious!!! I loved it when they interviewed a sheriff or something (the race was so boring they had to find other things to entertain us with) and the guy said they wud have nooo problem with the angry crowd cuz their police force is soooo many men strong anddd there is the FBI. Ha ha ha omg it is a formula one race for crying out loud. No need to involve the FBI hehe.
And i loved it when Michael Shumacher said he cud taste beer. They shud disqualify him cuz it is illegal to drink and drive in the USA!!

Ah it is true - Michellin totally messed up and there was no reason for Bridgestone runners to pay for the mess, but surely the FIA cud have come up with a better solution. From my point of view cancelling the race altogether and giving refunds would at least not have made Formula 1 look so ridiculous. Cuz yesterday’s race was a total farce and i felt embarresed.

Gooo KIMI!!!!

girl7twenty7 said on June 22, 2005 10:01:

It was the strangest GP. I hadn’t a chance to see on Sunday. When I knew the result, first i thought it was a joke but it wasn’t!

For the people who came to see the race it wasn’t fun at all. Anyway no one can blame the teams which participated in the race (it’s not their problem). The other teams... There could be an uncertain risk for the drivers, it looks like true. But they could find a way out of it without ignoring the race as well. They didn’t want to. They didn’t come to agreement with FIA, one of two to blame the most. The other “hero” is of course Michelin. Let;s face it, it hadn’t managed to develop suitable tyres for this GP. I think after that Michelin should leave F1, there’s no trust to them anymore. And a couple of sues to FIA and Michelin will be a right thing. Also I think Michelin teams should get some punishement, the what they did was against the rules (looked like a ). I’m not talking of taking off the points, a fine can be the best decision cos it doesn’t involve drivers, only the team bosses.

I want Fernando Alonso to become a champion this year if Ferrari won’t do well, i like him. Can’t stand Kimi! :S :S :S

per_mson said on June 22, 2005 14:06:

I must first of all say I’m quite impressed that 7 out of 8 (now 9) persons writing here are females!!! :) No offense, but I seriously thought F1 was more a mens sport as a lot of other motor sport. But it is fun that the ladies are interested as well!! :-)

I also think the US GP was a farce! I don’t blame Ferrari and the other two teams that participated, but I must say I think it is a bit bad of them to participate at all. It was in a way free points for Schumacher & Co. But F1 is more about money than sport nowadays... a bit sad I think.

girl7twenty7 said on June 22, 2005 21:06:

Quote “Why what did Kimi do lol?”
Really nothing. Simply don’t like him.

I think the new tyre rule is stupid and dangerous, the consequences of it we already got in the USA. If they wanted to change the rules they’d better cancel refuelling instead. It would be interesting as much and more safe for the drivers.

One more thought. Funny how “anti-Schumacher” rules supposed to stop him and Ferrari from winning had worked right for Michael this time LOL

Santi said on June 22, 2005 21:38:

Is it only $80 in the USA???? Wow, that’s cheap... here in Europe it may cost you € 200 the cheapest seat! And of course that includes no travels :O
Btw, I can’t stand Räikkönen either... I just hate his voice, I find it annoying to have to hear him in the press conference :P
Is that reason good enough or shall I show my passport also? :D

TinyBubbles said on June 23, 2005 12:50:

yeah i paid $85 for both race and qualifying.

LittleSpooky said on June 23, 2005 19:40:

U.S. GP future in doubt after F1 fiasco
By JENNA FRYER, AP Motorsports Writer
Wed Jun 22, 12:06 AM
When 14 Formula One drivers walked out the back gate at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, they quite possibly took the United States Grand Prix with them.
For a series that claims it wants a larger piece of the American market, the fiasco at Indy was a tremendous setback. Only six cars competed Sunday, creating a sham of a race that has jeopardized F1’s future in the U.S.
“Formula One is damaged, very damaged,” team boss Frank Williams said as he left the track. “Maybe irrevocably so in North America.”
Although F1 is the most popular racing series in Europe, Asia and South America - its TV ratings trail only World Cup soccer and the Olympics - the series has yet to catch on in America. In the weeks leading up to the U.S. Grand Prix, drivers, teams and even F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone talked of their desire to change that.
Ideas were discussed and Ecclestone was persuaded to award the U.S. television rights to four races to a startup company that bought air time on CBS for the broadcasts.
He also leaked information that Renault boss Flavio Briatore was hosting a Las Vegas businessman during the Canadian Grand Prix two weeks ago. It led to widespread speculation that casino magnate Steve Wynn was working with the series to stage a race along the Vegas strip.
But all those talks, efforts and ideas were sabotaged when concerns over tire safety for the seven teams that use Michelin caused them to pull out of the U.S. Grand Prix. The teams begged to reach a compromise with the FIA, the world motorsports governing body, that would allow them to race safely at Indy.
When no resolution could be reached, 14 cars pulled off the race track following the warmup lap and went home for the day. The fans at Indy were disgusted. Across the world, even the most ardent F1 supporters were mortified.
“It was, frankly, a sick joke and although I am long retired and was 4,000 miles away, I felt humiliated and embarrassed by what went on,” said former world champion Nigel Mansell of Britain.
“It was like watching someone commit suicide in public. My heart goes out to all those thousands of F1 fans who traveled from across America - not to mention those who came from overseas. They will not want anything more to do with F1.”
Before worrying about recapturing fans, Formula One first must figure out if anyone in the U.S. still wants to host a Grand Prix.
The contract with Indianapolis runs through next season. Indy track boss Tony George, who could be seen pacing and chatting on his cell phone during a frantic race-morning meeting, has yet to make himself available for comment.
He did, however, refuse to wave the checkered flag when Michael Schumacher crossed the finish line for his first win of the season, and George also boycotted the post-race podium celebration.
Track officials have said only that they are evaluating their options for future events, although they began accepting ticket renewals on Monday morning for next year’s race.
If the race does return to Indy, some doubt the fans will.
“Even if we do come back, half the crowd in the stands won’t be back, that’s for sure,” driver David Coulthard said. “Having this mistake take place, it will be a question of what actions will be taken to do damage limitation.”
Sports marketer Marc Ganis of Chicago’s Sportscorp Ltd. questions F1’s sincerity in its efforts to build an American fan base.
“They can talk all they want about it, but they certainly don’t act like they want to do it,” Ganis said. “They talk and talk and talk, then to go ahead and shoot themselves in the foot by basically destroying the event in Indianapolis ... that leaves me to question whether it is a desire or commitment to grow in the U.S.”
Ganis believes F1 must increase its marketing efforts, take its drivers on an American promotional blitz and stage more than one race a year in the U.S. He points to seven-time world champion Schumacher, who rivals soccer star David Beckham in worldwide popularity, as an example.
“His reach here is extremely limited, he can walk down Fifth Avenue in New York and no one would know who he is,” Ganis said. “It’s the same way it was with Beckham. They had to work to build him here. Now he comes into New York and L.A. and he is treated like a rock star.
“That’s the price of entry into the U.S. sports market. If they aren’t prepared to do that, they shouldn’t be here.”
Drivers agree that the series needs more than one event in America. Of the 19 races now, Indy and Montreal are the only two in North America. Most of the rest are in Europe and Asia, and the time difference forces Speed Channel, which holds the U.S. broadcast rights, to air them live early on Sunday mornings.
“F1 needs a couple of American drivers, an American car and five races in the States, which won’t happen,” Canadian driver Jacques Villeneuve said. “So Las Vegas would be a good place for us because it is international, people go there for a good time, for a party, for gambling, so anything will work in Vegas.”
Now it’s just a question of whether Vegas - or any other U.S. city - wants Formula One.
————————————————————————————————————————
This was taken off my Comcast.net page. Now, it’s my understanding that they discovered some problems with the Michelin Tires on some of the cars. FIA and the racers couldn’t come up with something acceptable (say running on a different brand of tires until the problem could be resolved). My opinion of all of this is:

I’m proud they walked away. If your driver doesn’t feel safe running on his tires, don’t force him. There is no amount of money worth a life because of a shoddy tire. Firestone came under SERIOUS flak when a bunch of their tires sold to the public caused numerous blow outs and what not due to weakened tire walls and the like. I’m sorry that Formula 1 may not compete again in the US because of this, but it’s not worth it to watch someone DIE because their tire exploded and they hit a wall.
I feel bad that a compromise couldn’t be reached. I don’t know what FIA told the crews... but if it amounted to most everyone pulling off and leaving, then it had to be something along the lines of: Run on what you have and so what if your driver is injured or killed. We sold tickets and we are going to put on a race whether you like it or not.

Vixzter said on June 24, 2005 06:19:

i love the way the FIA accuse the teams LOL, so the teams were wrong to think of the safety of their drivers, the marshals around the track and the fans watching the event.
I wonder if Ralph Schumacer had been babdly hurt wether their stance would be different.

its like a school play ground fight, everyone blames everyone else and no one wants to take any responsibility cos of the ’it wasn’t my fault, he started it’ attitude.

well good on the teams for pulling out and good on the 3 that didn’t, they had every right to race and the teams that didn’t had every right not to.

TinyBubbles said on June 25, 2005 12:32:

Yeah Mika Hakkinen sounded just the same. Must be the finnish accent.
Loved Mika.
LOVE Kimi.

alexandre100 said on June 25, 2005 18:02:

Finally a topic about motorsports!

In my opinion, FIA could had averted that F1asco:

a) They could had postponed that race to this weekend (and that could attract more attention to the race), or:

b) They could had allowed the Michelin teams to race with that new tires that Michelin brought from Europe. This can be against the FIA rules, but I doubt that the DISQUALIFICATION of those teams AFTER the race would be worse than all that we watched last Sunday.

Vixzter said on June 29, 2005 16:16:

but of course the FIA have blamed everyone but themselves LOL ;)

LittleSpooky said on June 30, 2005 17:58:

By JEROME PUGMIRE, Associated Press Writer
Wed Jun 29, 10:05 AM

PARIS - Formula One’s governing body ruled Wednesday the seven teams that boycotted the United States Grand Prix were guilty of failing to provide suitable tires and wrongfully refusing to allow their cars to start.

The FIA will announce their punishments Sept. 14.

BMW-Williams, Mercedes-McLaren, BAR-Honda, Toyota, Sauber, Red Bull and Renault declined to race June 19 after their tire manufacturer, Michelin, said its tires were unsafe for the Indianapolis circuit.

In a joint statement, the teams said they were “very disappointed by the decision of the World Motor Sport Council to find them guilty” and will appeal. The teams said they “reasonably relied on Michelin, an approved FIA tire supplier” - meaning it wasn’t their fault if they were given unsuitable tires.

Though Michelin offered fans refunds and free tickets for next year’s race, FIA president Max Mosley had harsh words for the company.

“It’s a big step forward, but delaying as they have done has caused a lot of damage,” Mosley said at a news conference. “The facts speak for themselves. It was a disastrous performance from that company and they should be deeply ashamed.”

But Frederic Henry-Biabaud, Michelin’s deputy director of competition, defended the decision not to race.

“We prefer to guarantee security before rather than after the event,” he said in a telephone interview. “We are not at all embarrassed. We took our decision with rigor and honesty. The only thing we are upset about is for the American fans.”

In September, the teams will face punishments ranging from a reprimand to life bans - but the FIA can only indirectly punish Michelin by applying pressure on the teams using its tires.

“The difficulty here is that the FIA has no contractual relationship with Michelin, we are not in a position to impose penalties,” Mosley said. “Had this been the case and judging by what we heard today, Michelin would have found themselves in a very difficult position.”

Mosley added that until the penalties are determined, the teams and Michelin must show what steps they will take “to compensate the Formula One fans and repair the damage to the reputation” of the Indianapolis racetrack and “to the image of the Formula One.”

Michelin claimed its tests showed the tires were not “intrinsically flawed” and justified demands for a chicane, or a curve, to be installed to slow cars on a high-speed part of the course. Michelin added that the circuit’s banked Turn 13 was unique to the championship and the pressure exerted on the rear left tires was greater than estimated.

The FIA refused the request, even though nine of the 10 teams - excluding Ferrari - said they would race if the turns were installed.

“They were asking for a chicane when they said they didn’t know the root cause of the problem,” Mosley said. “So how did they know a chicane would be safe if they didn’t know the root cause? This completely begs the question: why did they not turn up with proper tires?”

Two Michelin tires failed during practice sessions two days before the race - one causing a wreck that prevented Ralf Schumacher from competing.

Mosley said the race could have gone ahead safely if teams were prepared to adopt a Michelin-only speed limit on turn 13, Michelin runners used the pit lane instead of the banked corner, or there were repeated pit stops to change damaged tires.

In a joint statement, 19 F1 drivers - including Fernando Alonso and David Coulthard - argued against this, saying, “This suggestion would have been an unprecedented restriction ... and would have been completely contrary to the competitive essence of Formula One. It would have been unworkable, unpoliceable and above all, unsafe.”

The problems are the latest that threaten to break up the F1 series.

Nine of the teams are considering a breakaway series in 2008 backed by three key manufacturers - BMW, Mercedes and Renault. Honda and Toyota have also given unofficial support to the idea.

They are opposed by Mosley, F1 owner Bernie Ecclestone and Ferrari. Ecclestone is trying to persuade the teams to sign a new contract beginning in 2008 and Ferrari has already signed up through 2012.

The next F1 race is the French GP at Magny Cours on Sunday.