Way to go F1!!! Way to F'n go!!!

[bigd1]

I used to love F1. Now it puts me to sleep. Passes are rare and all the childish sniping back & forth between the teams & Ecclestone is killing the sport. You'd think they'd take a look at what CART/IRL did to open wheel racing in the US. If it weren't for Danica Patric most people would probably not even know they were still running. Since she's back to earth now after Indy, look for it to fade back into obscurity.

[shueman]

And F1 did what? Not delay or change the course differently than what was advertised.
With your attitude you should be boycotting / bashing Michelin, NOBODY ELSE.
The teams know the rules and need to play by them. If they made bad choices on tire compound, that's their problem. They have a responsibility to put on a show for the paying customers, don't they...??
NEVER seen this in American Motorsports....never ever....
Hey F1, go home and stay away....

[boater72]

Not an F1 issue, blame Michelin only.
!
Bridgestone already had the same problem at an earlier race this year. Did anyone complain then? NO!
Not true as this problem was due to the high bank at this track this weekend and there is no other track on the circuit with any banking. Now they (Bridgestone) could have had a problem with there tires at an earlier race this year but not due to the reasons that caused the tire issuse this weekend.

[*BN*]

The teams know the rules and need to play by them. If they made bad choices on tire compound, that's their problem. They have a responsibility to put on a show for the paying customers, don't they...??
NEVER seen this in American Motorsports....never ever....
Hey F1, go home and stay away....
I understand the teams screwed up, but my point was F1 (the sactioning body did nothing wrong)

[Flyinbowtie]

I have not paid much attention to F1 in a long time, but was actually going to watch this race, as I had been able to watch all the practice and qualifying, and was pleased to see an American driver at least get a chance at some seat time for an F1 team.
From my point of view, about 90% of this lies squarely in the lap of Michelin.
They had ample time to come over here and test their race tires, that facility would have worked with them to make it available anytime prior to May when Indy Car arrives.
There is simply no excuse for them not having their product completely de-bugged and worked out long before the evening before the race. That corner has been there since 1909, if I am not mistaken, and has been part of the F1 layout since 2000.
The fact that Eccelstone is a complete ass is confirmed every time the man speaks. Bernie had the sack to say on TV that he didn't feel that the race was properly promoted. Right Bernie, the second largest paid attendance in F1, and the race wasn't promoted?
FIA and F1 get the other 10% of the blame for being a bunch of pompous jerks completely consumed by their own greed and self-importance. Tony George got screwed, the fans got screwed, and Speed Channel got screwed.
And frankly, so did the race teams who are contracted to Michelin.
It is rather ironic that the F1 of today, which touts itself as the absolute pinnicale of "Motor Racing" has tire suppliers that struggle to put a tire on a car that can handle the vertical load on a 8 degree banking.
20 years ago, I believe it was Monza in Italy that was in excess of 30 degrees. If I am not mistaken, NASCAR's taxi-cabs were weighing around 3800 lbs and running at close to 200 MPH on over 30 degrees of banking just a few weeks ago.
I think that F1 has managed to seriously wound itself in the eyes of racing fans in this country, and next years race is in serious trouble.
Perhaps they should send it back to Watkins Glen, a nice, flat track like all the others those guys run on.
By the time this morning rolled around, I don't think there was an ice cubes' chance in hell that the teams, FIA and Bernie and Max were going to come to any sort of compromise that would allow for a race to take place. They can't agree on a damn thing in the best of times, and this sure wasn't that.
The best they could have done was some sort of sham where all the cars went around the track, but only the 6 that wound up out there would actually have been really racing, and that wasn't what the folks paid for. Changing the layout of the track to accomadate a piss poor job of planning by a tire supplier would have been like having all the guys running Denso Plugs take two wires off because the Champion plug guys had a bad batch of plugs. It just isn't racing.
It is just sad. I'm a diehard gearhead, and the sound of an F1 car at 18000 RPM down the straightaway at Indy gives me goosebumps, but they have a real problem with this thing.....

[*BN*]

Not true as this problem was due to the high bank at this track this weekend and there is no other track on the circuit with any banking. Now they (Bridgestone) could have had a problem with there tires at an earlier race this year but not due to the reasons that caused the tire issuse this weekend.
The banking has been there for the past 5 years and they had no problems.
Indy did re-work the track surface prior to the Indy 500 but all the F1 teams had a "TIRE TEST" they were welcome to participate.
The problem with the "TIRE TEST" was that only two MICHELIN teams sent one driver each to participate in the test. These drivers were nobodies.
Where were all the other Michelin drivers for this tire test..................TESTING AT SILVERSTONE.
The Michelin teams are the blame that is all I;m saying.
I also think they are wimps. If they played the Superbowl in a dry climate and for some odd reason there was a down pour just before the game and one teams did not have deep cleats for mud, WOULD THAT TEAM GO HOME for the fear of twisting ankles? NO, they would play more cautiously under the circumstances.
I know the football deal is not a perfect analogy due to life at stake.
----------------------------------------
Here is why they did not race.
Many years ago when Aryton Senna was killed in F1 the reported cause of death was that the steering wheel broke and went through him.
Well in the last year the team owner (I believe Williams was FINALLY cleared of all wrong doing and lawsuits and pending damages were dropped.
Well because "MICHELIN" sent the teams a letter yesterday stating that they could not replicate this tire problem in there labs (Fri-Sat), they informed the teams that the tire was not safe and could result in a major event.
Well with this letter in hand from MICHELIN, if there was a injury or death THE TEAMS could be held 100% liable.
So that why they didn't race and I can understand that, but this is not a F1 sanctioning body issue it is a TEAM MICHELIN problem.
By the way, changing the coarse suggestion by the MICHELIN TEAMS is all a public relations / political maneuver.
By suggesting changing the track, gives the MICHELIN TEAMS an out by saying "We gave you ideas to make the race".....KNOWING THAT THE SHAKAIN or any changes would not have solved the tire problem at all.
Notice how none of the teams blamed themselves for not testing, they all stated that the F1 sanctioning body could have made changes to solve the problem, KNOWING THESE CHANGES would not have allowed them to safely race anyway.

[boater72]

Flyinbowtie and BN great post.

[Dr. Eagle]

F1 is
DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMED!!!!!!!!!!

[Spotondl]

Friggen Michelin is FRENCH... what else would you expect... :argue:

[essexjet]

I had a hard time when they (team, not sure which one) said that with the Michelins, the cars will be running 150km/h slower then the bridgestones