Well, this is different

[dianec42]

Watching the Indianapolis Grand Prix... there are 6 cars competing.

I don't normally use the F word in my journal, but FUCK the FIA for not letting Michelin fix this.

Edit: It turns out the replacement tyres Michelin flew in had the same issue. Doh.

Crisis-hit US Grand Prix

Can't believe any of these idiot announcers are trying to blame the teams for this. (Or that ANYONE is surprised that the audience are throwing things onto the track. Bloody Americans.)

On the bright side, at least 7 points for Minardi... if they finish...

Comments

[tobyaw]

If they finish...

[qidane.livejournal.com]

Was that the lot with all the smoke coming out of the back of the car at the start?

[tobyaw]

What could Michelin have done to fix it? Fly in new tyres? Would any team race a Grand Prix with untested tyres?

[stuartc.livejournal.com]

"What could Michelin have done to fix it? Fly in new tyres? Would any team race a Grand Prix with untested tyres?"

You are correct of course - ANY change to the race without testing would have been dangerous - new tyres, a chicane, whatever was done, without time to practice and test would have been dangerous.

I don't understand how it could have arisen in the first place- it's not as if this the first race run here, so the turn 13 speeds are well known.

The US commentary team have just told us that the circuit got resurfaced this year, and both the Indy car and CHAMP car test sessions had huge problems with tyre failure due to the new surface. It is being speculated that Firestone may have told Bridgestone how to avoid the issues.....

[stuartc.livejournal.com]

well, as an update, it seems Michelin weren't able fix the problem. The replacement tyres they flew in had the same fault, and they seem to have neglected to bring a "back-up, lower performance" tyre choice with them; which is apparently part of the regulations.

I agree completely with the team's decision to not race with dangerous tyres, and I agree with the FIA's decision to not put in a chicane on turn 13 to slow everyone down, as that would penalise the Bridgestone-shod teams who were fully compliant with the regulations and safety requirements.

This fiasco is entirely Michelin's fault. I hope they are penalised accordingly.

I also hope the fans in attendance get their money back, and that the fuckwits who are throwing water bottles onto the track get thrown in jail.

So we are left with 2 Ferraris driving around with a few uncompetitive cars following them. Kinda like the 1999-2004 seasons, all over again. :)

[tobyaw]

Analysis from the ITV commentary team is that a combination of the extra downforce in the cars (felt most on the banked corners which most teams don't have an opportunity to test on in Europe), together with the new-this-year laser-grooved surface of the Indy track (to add grip for their regular races) are just buggering up the tyres.

[scruffycritter.livejournal.com]

Your initial assessment of FIA is correct.

The drivers would have raced if they added a chicane to turn 13. 9 of the 10 teams agreed to this.

FIA said if they did that, the race wouldn't be sanctioned.

[dianec42.livejournal.com]

I have to disagree, for several reasons.

First of all, the Ferrari thing is a moot point, as it's up to the FIA rather than the teams, and the FIA said no.

In retrospect, I have to admit I can see their point. Adding a chicane would have unfairly penalized the teams that came prepared; there was no guarantee it would have "solved" the Michelin problem; and most to the point, it would have made the race less safe, not more.

Sure, chicanes get added to courses all the time, but not like that. Engineering and safety studies are done, all the drivers get to practice on the altered course, and everyone knows well ahead of time to set up the cars to deal with the changes.

A couple of completely random points:

I particularly liked this quote from the FIA's letter to Michelin: "It is not difficult to imagine the reaction of an American court had there been an accident (whatever its cause) with the FIA having to admit it had failed to follow its own rules and safety procedures."

...and this one from the Jordan team principal: "They are not stopping races when we have a problem."

Michael wins the understatement of the weekend award with this though: "It was a bit of a strange Grand Prix."

[dianec42.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, and....

I read (I think on the itv-f1.com site) that the Michelin running teams were willing to slow down through turn 13, but only if the Bridgestone runners were also slowed down.

If that's the case, then one begins to see where some of the blame can be laid on the teams.

[deguspice.livejournal.com]

In France this was the lead item on radio and TV news on Sunday. It wasn't until we saw the news that we figured out what they were saying (I could pick out Indianapolis, "tire", "rubber", and Michelin, but not enough other words). Watching the tire explode was impressive (though not as impressive as the tire that exploded on Saturday at Le Mans (it took out the rear body work and wing, but the car continued and limped back to the pits on three tires and one chewed up wheel). You could also see that securing the hubs to the chassis with a cable on F1 cars works to limit the potential damage.