The Europe view:
The Michelin teams were offered 3 solutions according to the rules:
1. Drive slower at this turn
2. Change tires every ten laps and receive the punish for that
3. install the new tires Michelin flewed in over night and do the race with new
tires an be punished for changing tires.
The Michelin teams wanted a track change ( chicane) which is against the FIA
rules because the tracklength is changed, the drivers didn't practise on and
the chicane isn't accepted by the FIA officials.
Black day for the F1 reputaion - especialy in USA. Sad for the paying people at
the track.
Chris
----- Original Message -----
From: "Joe Curry" <spitlist@cox.net>
To: "'Bill Babcock'" <BillB@bnj.com>; <KLynch7589@aol.com>; <fot@autox.team.net>
Sent: Sunday, June 19, 2005 10:32 PM
Subject: RE: F1's Cluster
> According to what I heard on SPEED, if they had installed the chicane,
> the FIA said that the race would be run without sanction and therefore
> the points would not count.
>
> Joe C.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bill Babcock [mailto:BillB@bnj.com]
> Sent: Sunday, June 19, 2005 1:30 PM
> To: 'Joe Curry'; KLynch7589@aol.com; fot@autox.team.net
> Subject: RE: F1's Cluster
>
> I watched the whole debacle. I bet Rubens wants to shoot Michael--what a
> loon. I'm sure the blame will be pointed in every possible direction,
> but
> I'd vote for Michelin. Of course who really can understand what's going
> on
> with the Indy surface, but they should have at least understood they
> were
> going to need something more durable.
>
> If they'd stuck the chicane in then they'd be racing in a configuration
> that
> no one had practiced or qualified on--lot's of room for protest and
> pointing
> fingers, especially if a Bridgestone-shod car crashed there. If they let
> Michelin replace the tires then they'd give a huge advantage to the
> Michelin-shod cars, at a time when Bridgestone has had to struggle
> against
> tire restrictions.
>
> Probably no good answers. The tire rule needs fixing.
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