[Leica] Totally OT: What the HELL is F1 doing?

[Frank.Dernie at btinternet.com (Frank Dernie)]

I have just got home from the US and can give a view from my  
perspective, which contains more facts than I have seen printed so far.

Michelin had a major problem. There were two tyre failures on the  
Toyota and several other tyres showed external signs of the onset of  
failure on other Toyota and some McLaren tyres. At first it seemed to  
be related to tyre pressure and suspension geometry/setting.  
Unfortunately following x-ray analysis it was clear that even the  
cars who's tyres had no outwards sign of deterioration showed signs  
of internal degradation such that a 10 lap old tyre was more like one  
that had done a whole event. The design of tyre has been testing and  
racing for many thousands of miles so everybody was baffled by the  
sudden incidence of the problem. From Friday through 'till Sunday  
morning test rigs in France an the US were trying to simulate the  
problem without managing to do so. Perhaps it is a manufacturing  
problem with this batch of tyres but by race day an explanation had  
not been found. It was proposed that, for the benefit of the crowd of  
paying spectators, a chicane could be put before the highest load  
point allowing the race to go ahead safely and all the Michelin teams  
would line up behind all the Bridgestone shod cars and accept being  
ineligible for World Championship points. Otherwise it was considered  
to be too dangerous to run as a failure would risk the driver and  
even perhaps spectators.
This was considered unacceptable by Max Mosely, president of the  
governing body, so he instructed Charlie Whiting, the race director,  
not to allow it.
It seems to me to have been a "correct" but pig headed, narrow minded  
and short sighted decision. We had a World Championship race but the  
fans were robbed of a good spectacle, given the offer from the teams  
with a Michelin contract the points scored in the race would have  
gone to Ferrari anyway, the losers were the paying spectators.

Clearly, the fundamental problem was the Michelin cock-up but this is  
a genuine mistake and the reason still a mystery and anybody putting  
about any other story is not in possession of the facts. The disaster  
could have been ameliorated for the paying spectators but the FIA  
excercised their right to insist that no changes should be made to  
the race format. This resulted in only the 6 cars with the  
Bridgestone tyres taking part.

It should be noted that Max Mosely is a strong advocate of a one tyre  
formula for Formula 1 and has been trying for some time to get  
agreement to do this. Favourite to win the contract would be  
Bridgestone.
FWIW I personally am also in favour of a 1 tyre formula.

Hope this answers some questions.
Frank


On 20 Jun, 2005, at 16:41, Adam Bridge wrote:

> I was astounded at the debacle in Indy when only 6 . . . SIX  
> cars . . . raced.
>
> I can't imagine anything worse for the US market.
>
> What the HELL was going on? Was this some deep political thing?
> Michelin with it's pants in a bundle? What?
>
> If this keeps happening Leica will actually sell the DMR and show a
> digital M! Apple changes to Intel and now THIS.
>
> Sheesh.
>
> Adam
>
>
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