Fia F1

[kirkmears]

probably one of the most important things done in a while regarding the F1 sport in the good ol US of A :hammer:

http://f1.racing-live.com/en/index.html?http://f1.racing-live.com/en/headlines/news/detail/050628193024.shtml
i'm just glad to see somebody actually doing something about what happened...
:beer:
im no longer officially protesting FIA F1 :tu:


<edit>
<<by no means am i disagreeing with the way they handled it...it was just seriously fuct up.>>

[dboat]

They totally mishandled the situation, but at least they have the backbone to step up and refund the tickets.. Hey, I might even go next year if I can get in on a couple of those 20,000 freebies.. :nana2
Dana

[sonicbluetommy]

They totally mishandled the situation, but at least they have the backbone to step up and refund the tickets.. Hey, I might even go next year if I can get in on a couple of those 20,000 freebies.. :nana2
Dana

I am not sure how you see Michelin "mishandled" the situation.

IMO and it's just that, not ragging you (i would be very pissed if i had spent my vacation time and money to see that race) just my views of the situation.
1)They admitted their tires were incapable of handling that particular corner of Indy BEFORE the race began.
2)They were concerned for the safety of all drivers even the ones not using thier tires.
3)They worked furiously, making several proposals to F1 to allow the race to continue up to the moment they were told "no deal, race as is".

My one complaint towards Michelin and the teams using thier tires is gridding and running the pre-race laps getting everyones hopes up (especially the fans). They should have refused to participate from the moment F1 said "Race the track as is, no more proposals.".

My other thought here (and I have heard no one on here or in the press voice this-but I dont read the paper or watch sportscenter every day) is why in the HELL would F1 and the teams not using Michelin tires want those other cars on the track racing with unsafe tires. The thought of being taken out and possibly seriously injured by a car put on the track KNOWING it was unsafe would freak me out.

If I were a driver for F1, I would be out of there as soon as my contract was up. I would never race for a series that does not put the safety of all of it's teams first.

[dboat]

Believe me, I understand your position and but my level of sympathy for Michelin is very very low.
The crux of the issue is that they brought inferior equipment to the track. Michelin wanted to make those that brought the right equipment to compromise their position so that they could be more competitive. Well the Bridgestone teams have been dealing with less than competitive tires almost all season, but they didnt ask for changes in the tracks or rules because of that.
Furthermore, Michelin and Bridgestone were told by the FIA that they needed to make sure that they had two sets of tires for every track, one that is the fastest tire they think they can run and one tire that may be less competitive but would be guaranteed to run. This correspondence went out to each team and tire manufacturer on June 1, 2005. Their proposals came at the end of qualifying, which would have placed all the drivers in jeopardy since they wanted to change the track without anyone having a chance to run the new course.
It should also be noted that the FIA gave the Michelin teams some options as well. They didnt have to run the one turn all out but at a reduced speed that the tires could handle, they could have pitted more often to check the tires or they could have avoided the corner altogether by coming in and driving through pit lane. The teams would still have been able to get championship points.
I didnt take your post as a slam as I hope you dont think mine is either. I have been following this story since I was at the race, used PTO time and my hard earned money to attend.
I am glad to see that Michelin is going to step up and reimburse ticket costs, but what about parking too?
hotel, meals, etc.,.. I realize that is probably too much, but I do feel they created the problem when they didnt follow the rules.
Dana

[Tex Arcana]

Given the negative publicity, it's about time Michelin stepped up to the plate; now FIA needs to step up the rest of the way and finish the job. Yeah, they "followed the rules", but they still should've made damn sure Michelin had the right tires, especially after going to the trouble to fly in replacements to begin with.

Still, at least they're trying...