United States Grand Prix (Michael Schumacher wins!)

Ed · Post by Ed » Mon Jun 20, 2005 5:42 am

Only Monteiro celebrates on the podium while the crowds were booing!

Julian Mayo · Post by **Julian Mayo** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 5:45 am

The Qualiflyer wrote:
Ed wrote:Michael and Rubens didn't shake hands as they got out from their cars!
would love to have a transcript of that conversation when it happens!
What odds on Rubens at Ferarri in '06?

Depends on whether Barrichello has a backbone!.His fairly dramatic swerve towards the pit wall at the end was a statement, of what! I would have liked a close up of that!

Ed · Post by Ed » Mon Jun 20, 2005 6:00 am

Toyota team principal Tsutomu Tomita said

First we would like to apologise to all the race fans and sponsors watching, both here and around the world. We are sorry to have to take this decision, particularly in the light of Jarno Trulli's pole position here yesterday. But the safety of our drivers always has to come first. After a detailed explanation of the tyre problems encountered this weekend we could not legitimately send our drivers out for a race distance. Therefore we did not race either car this afternoon. We look forward to returning to the track at the French Grand Prix in a fortnight

remeberthis1 · Post by **remeberthis1** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 6:03 am

exactly as i predicted on page 17 of this forum.... i hope you guys heeded my advice and threw some money on schumey ( he had good pace and fuel anyway so wwas worth a bet even if the michelin runners drove)... i only wish id put a couple of pounds on monteiro podium - 200/1! poor monteiro, first podium and he cant even celebrate properly!

anyway.. i think this is the final nail in the coffin for F1 after this concorde agreement expires in 2008... bring on the GPWC.. i only hope they can put the right people in charge so it doesnt go belly up.
I feel embarassed to be an F1 fan, all my mates are gonna be takin the piss on monday.

Andre_Brasil · Post by **Andre_Brasil** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 6:05 am

If the Bridgestones were failing do you think Renault, McLaren, Williams and BAR would allow the creation of a chicane?

I doubt it.

Michelin didn't do their homework but they should have started the race and changed all tires by the ones brought from France in lap 2 no matter what FIA would say.

What about the commitment with the paying crowd and the sponsors?

remeberthis1 · Post by **remeberthis1** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 6:08 am

barichello will not be racing for ferrari next year, no way! if he is, he truely is the biggest team b#$% in f1 ever. ( sorry for that immature statement, but you gotta tell it like it is!)
unfortunate thing is now ferrari are in such a great position in terms of both championships, and although it could make things more interesting, it will ensure that people never forget this grand prix, especially if ferrari and schumey are still in the hunt towards the end of the season, every1 will blame his grand prix for it all.

Julian Mayo · Post by **Julian Mayo** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 6:10 am

In the cold harsh light of dawn, I can only conclude that this has totally devalued the manufacturers championship, and the drivers championship.
Michelin, The FIA, Bernie, and Moseley have to share this shame.
I believe that the ramifications of today are going to be bloody massive, and only further damage F1. It needed strong leadership to solve todays problem, and get a race happening. That did not happen.

remeberthis1 · Post by **remeberthis1** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 6:12 am

andre, michelin never brought those tyres to indianapolis in the end... they talked about it, but their use would have broken 4 or 5 FIA rules, so they couldnt do it.

Sadly, i doubt the spectators are gonna get their money back, after all they did see a race, even if it wasnt what they expected - had all the cars gone in the pits it may have bin a different matter.
not even Bernie knew what was going on, when asked if he knew what was going to happen 5 mins before the race he said "i have no idea"!!
where was the leadership and control?

Ed · Post by Ed » Mon Jun 20, 2005 6:21 am

Statement from the Michelin run teams

The Michelin teams deeply regret the position that they have been put in today and would like to apologise to all the spectators, TV viewers, Formula One fans and sponsors for not being able to take part in today's USA Grand Prix.

Following Ralf Schumacher's accident on Friday morning, we were advised by Michelin that none of the tyres that were available to the teams could be used unless the vehicle speed in Turn 13 was reduced. Without this Michelin did not consider the tyre to be safe to be used for the race.

All the teams are confident in Michelin and trust their advice as we know they are competent and responsible and their written instruction to us not to race unless changes to the circuit were made was accepted.

After final data from Michelin became available at 06.30 on Sunday morning it became clear that Michelin were not able to guarantee the safety of the drivers. Numerous discussions and meetings took place to find a safe solution to the problem. Every possibility for the race to go ahead in a safe manner was explored. The only practical solution was for a chicane to be installed prior to Turn 13 and nine of the teams were prepared to run under these conditions even forgoing championship points or by allowing non-Michelin teams to take top positions on the grid.

Unfortunately all proposals were rejected by the FIA.

Safety is always the first concern of any team and the FIA. Regrettably the teams were obliged to follow Michelin's requirements not to race.

We are totally aware that the USA is an important market for Formula One and there is an obligation for Formula One to promote itself in a positive and professional manner. It is sad that we couldn't showcase Formula One in the manner we would have liked today.

Julian Mayo · Post by **Julian Mayo** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 6:26 am

So michelin stuffed up, the Fia could have fixed it, and did not.
Were I an American fan who had taken holidays from work, spent a lot of money on travel, accommodation, and entry, (and many did just that), would I be back?

remeberthis1 · Post by **remeberthis1** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 6:30 am

totally correct julian, it might have been michelins mistake, but fia had the opportunity to fix it and they chose not too, i cant wait to see the next race and what goes on between rubens and schumey.. theres a lot of bitterness there now, schumey crossed the line with that move i think.
i think we can safely say that the GPWC will go ahead now, I just hope it suceeds

remeberthis1 · Post by **remeberthis1** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 6:34 am

unfortunately i think ive gotta predict a ferrari 1,2 at magny cours as well now. no way ross brawn is gonna mess up gettin the right strategy sorted this time... if the bookies dont expect it, i guess i can make some more money off schumey - helps soften the blow of watching him win a race

Julian Mayo · Post by **Julian Mayo** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 6:37 am

remeberthis1 wrote:totally correct julian, it might have been michelins mistake, but fia had the opportunity to fix it and they chose not too, i cant wait to see the next race and what goes on between rubens and schumey.. theres a lot of bitterness there now, schumey crossed the line with that move i think.
i think we can safely say that the GPWC will go ahead now, I just hope it suceeds

I think GPWC will succeed, because we have just seen what the opposition F1 series will look like.

The Qualiflyer · Post by **The Qualiflyer** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 6:42 am

julian mayo wrote:
remeberthis1 wrote:totally correct julian, it might have been michelins mistake, but fia had the opportunity to fix it and they chose not too, i cant wait to see the next race and what goes on between rubens and schumey.. theres a lot of bitterness there now, schumey crossed the line with that move i think.
i think we can safely say that the GPWC will go ahead now, I just hope it suceeds
I think GPWC will succeed, because we have just seen what the opposition F1 series will look like.

The question is ... who will control GPWC? How can you have a series not controlled by team bosses with their own agenda's?

Ed · Post by Ed » Mon Jun 20, 2005 6:44 am

Statement from Michelin

Michelin is very disappointed about the way the United States Grand Prix turned out at Indianapolis today, for the public, the drivers and the teams.

Michelin is sorry that the tyres it ran in free practice and qualifying were not suitable for use in racing conditions this weekend, but driver safety is always a priority. Michelin will never change its stance on this principle, whether we are talking about tyres for competition or any other purpose.

It is regrettable that our pre-race suggestions, agreed in conjunction with our partner teams, were not adopted. Had our ideas been followed, we could have guaranteed driver safety, the participation of our teams and added interest for the public.

Michelin would like to thank its seven partner teams for their close collaboration, for having made propositions to the FIA and for having respected our advice on safety issues.

Michelin will continue to investigate the technical reasons for the tyre-related incidents that affected Toyota during Friday?s free practice.

News On F1 Forums - Talk Formula 1

United States Grand Prix (Michael Schumacher wins!)

What if it was Bridgestone's tires with problems?