Schumacher wins six-car Indy farce

[qwags]

good am guys... medyo bago ako dito and because of this "race", i think a have to give my 2 cents also...
i'm a mclaren fan... but today i'm really disappointed at them and all the michelin runners...
well medyo disappointed din ako sa mga rules ng FIA... kalokohan talaga yung 1 set of tire rule... but all the teams agreed to it... so dapat they should abide by it... i think FIA was right in nit giving in to michelin... tama nga kayo na it will set a bad precedent.. mamya baka sabihin naman ng brakes manugfacturer na hindi sila kampante sa brakes nila... pull out nanaman mga teams... hay naku... no offense to the ladies here but ika nga sa local lingo natin... yung mga michelin teams walang usapang lalaki... they all agreed with their rule revisions at the begining of the season tapos eto sila humihingi ng concessions because their tire supplier sucked... sorry for the ranting but just sharing my sentiments...

[luckytruck]

anyone know why there are only 2 tire manufacturers in F1?

andy

[RedHorse]

michellin dug its own grave!

ang tawa lang ng bridgestone.... never a michellin tire fan anyway he he he

[kimpOy]

michelin never really tested before in the indy with its new track surface unlike bridgestone who i guess have data and technical aspect from sister company firestone in the nascar scene.

if bernie e is so strict in the tires rules sana strict din siya sa minimum racers, ang alam ko dapat more than 10 dapat or else cancel ang race.

change the 1 set per weekend tire rule na yan!!!

[mazdamazda]

michelin never really tested before in the indy with its new track surface unlike bridgestone who i guess have data and technical aspect from sister company firestone in the nascar scene.

Michelin has 6 teams to do that. I don't think that they don't have time / resource to test their tires there.

if bernie e is so strict in the tires rules sana strict din siya sa minimum racers, ang alam ko dapat more than 10 dapat or else cancel ang race.

That's because they surprised everyone by retiring just after the parade lap. Heck, they didn't even bother to finish even a single lap! The nerve of those teams.

change the 1 set per weekend tire rule na yan!!!

I agree. A lot of mishaps have already resulted because of tire degradation. The drivers & cars can't run as hard as before. Although this has resulted in a lot more savings & less logistical headache.

IMO, at least give the teams a chance to change their tires at least once during a race!

[kimpOy]

well cant blame anybody, the teams just followed michelin's safety measure,
cannot blame ferrari for not agreeing the chicane at turn 13 (or 12)

baka naman michelin teams are ganging up on bernie and in the future creating their own race body...

hay naku a sad day for F1 indeed...

[qwags]

i agree na kalokohan talaga yang 1 set tire rule...
mahirap din kung pagbigyan ang michelin... there were times din na dehado mga yung bridgstone but they still pushed through...
the michelins were given alternatives naman... i still cant see why the teams not opted for changing their tires as often as needed and just swallow the penalty? they chose michelin and michelin did not deliver... tough luck!!! they could have done the honorable thing and pushed through with the race... magdahan-dahan na lang doon sa delikadong part...
well baka next year (kung meron pa rin US GP) lalagyan na nila ng p!#*-i%!! chicane na yan... i guess nag decide din ang FIA na medyo too late to change the track...
sayang din talaga walang compromise na ngawa... kawawa naman mga fans...
F1 shot itself on the foot again... maybe both feet this time...

[kimpOy]

well i guess why teams did not race and slowing down on track will result in fighting for P7 and P8 which is just measly points compare to carnage of injuries or fatalities

i blame max mosley as everyone is...

[niky]

My 2 centavos:

I was up all night last night watching, and the ebb and flow of the story was dramatic, to say the least.

Sure, a Michelin car took the pole (and 2nd... AND 3rd), but the point was that lab analysis showed that the Michelins were really to blame for Ralf's off on Saturday. There was a veeeeery long discussion about changing the track by adding the chicane, which ultimately amounted to nothing.

Michael was right, though... what guarantee is there that teams would honour the "gentleman's agreement" about the chicane? A lot of drivers still overshoot the similarly created chicane at Monaco, and it annoys me to see so many drivers take a whole lot more out of the rumble strip (with tires almost halfway over) than should be legally allowed.

And by the way, the other cars only staged a formation lap. They technically didn't start, but their rankings were carried over as per their theoretical grid positions if they did. It is only if the Jordans had pulled in that they would've called the race, as six IS the minimum number of cars required to start an F1 grand prix.

Ferrari was initially painted as the villain in this set-piece, for being the one team that didn't agree to the track change, but it is only after the race that their position became clear. Every team works under the same handicap in each race in F1. Ferrari did not whine and moan when their set-ups proved uncompetitive or when they had to run much slower than the other teams because of tire problems. These tire problems that Michelin had with this track mirror the problems both tire manufacturers have had over the course of this season. Ferrari have had to live with going slower than they wanted to, race after race.

So, now that everyone else has that problem, they think "tough luck". Nobody leveled the playing field for them.

Sure, it was an unsportsmanlike decision, but it was the right decision from the competitive point of view. Michael was proving pragmatic about it, but then, he IS a heartless bastard, intent on ONLY winning.

As for Rubens, I won't be surprised if he decides to trade himself at the end of the season. Racing your teammate is one thing, but with Michael being so ruthlessly selfish out there, you can't help but think that he is now starting to look at future options that don't include a Ferrari red racing car.

The analysts were wrong, though, about the other teams not having a choice in the matter... they did. They could have raced... driven slower... and lost... but honorably.

That's the reason why NASCAR has it all over F1 in the US. Most of those guys don't have a chance in hell of even coming near the leaders... but they STILL race... and they race hard.

I think the REAL villain in this drama is the no tire-change rule. Maybe it should become the "1 tire change rule"... but then, that's not for us to decide...

[empy]

hmm...should i be worried? my car has michelins on it now, and i do drive a little bit like JP Montoya

Sure, it was an unsportsmanlike decision, but it was the right decision from the competitive point of view. Michael was proving pragmatic about it, but then, he IS a heartless bastard, intent on ONLY winning.

As for Rubens, I won't be surprised if he decides to trade himself at the end of the season. Racing your teammate is one thing, but with Michael being so ruthlessly selfish out there, you can't help but think that he is now starting to look at future options that don't include a Ferrari red racing car.

i agree with this comment. Rubens HAS to be tired of being a second-class citizen on his team, when he's a pretty decent driver in his own right. he'd probably look pretty good in blue and white

[IPSG_SlimShady]

Michael was proving pragmatic about it, but then, he IS a heartless bastard, intent on ONLY winning.

As for Rubens, I won't be surprised if he decides to trade himself at the end of the season. Racing your teammate is one thing, but with Michael being so ruthlessly selfish out there, you can't help but think that he is now starting to look at future options that don't include a Ferrari red racing car.

For me, it's cool for champions to be cold and ruthless. I'm tired of all those "feel good" and "happy-faced" heroes, like your friendly neighborhood spiderman types. I like the mean types who live on the edge and will break your balls if you are not up to the challenge. Like how Shaq described how ruthless he is to Kobe: "Kobe will be like a Corvette smashing to a brick wall when he comes here".

P.S. on Rubens, that guy doesn't deserve to whine if he always ends up second fiddle to Schumacher. He had the opportunity to turn-in a superb qualifying time so he can end up infront of the grid ahead of Schumi and ensure a top place finish than Michael .... but he couldn't. Unlike NASCAR, individual points in F1 are more stellar than team points. So helping a team mate in F1 during the race is boring stuffs.

[Monseratto]

Dapat i-penalize yung Michelin for the mistake they made. They should be made to answer for the refunds demanded by the local US fans. Tapos si Ecclestone dapat i-refund lahat ng commercial rights na binenta niya sa US GP. Aabot to sa Korte at malaking damages ang sisingilan.

[EL Chicane]

Dapat i-penalize yung Michelin for the mistake they made. They should be made to answer for the refunds demanded by the local US fans. Tapos si Ecclestone dapat i-refund lahat ng commercial rights na binenta niya sa US GP. Aabot to sa Korte at malaking damages ang sisingilan.

Actually, yun ang suggestion mismo ng Michelin and all the Michelin cars: na i-penalize na lang sila by allowing them to change tires (thus, breaking the one-tire rule) matuloy lang yung race. In fact, they were offering to have all the Bridgestone cars on the front grid in exchange for Michelin's fiasco. Kaso, ayaw pumayag nung FIA at Ferrari.

Para sakin, maganda na yung deal na yun matuloy lang yung race dahil kawawa yung 120,000 people na pumunta nung araw na yun. Kaso, patigasan talaga sila.

Lastly, hindi mo rin pwedeng sabihin sa drivers na bagalan nila yung takbo dun sa high-speed corner. Kung ka-initan ng laban at dikit ang karera, the drivers will take the risk and push their cars to the limit. Tingnan mo yung nangyari kay Raikonnen last time. He could have went to the pit stop to change a damaged tire but he compromised his safety manalo lang siya. He was just lucky he was not killed in that accident.

Ang the best talaga sana is allowing all Michelin cars to change tires during the race then penalize them for it according to race rules. Atleast natuloy yung race.

[theveed]

ano ba talaga nangyari ? hehe sorry dont follow F1 anymore since 03...

[EL Chicane]

ano ba talaga nangyari ? hehe sorry dont follow F1 anymore since 03...

Check this news story:
http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/050620/2/bo9t.html

[Monseratto]

Baka this is one way of putting Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley in a bad light. Remember the teams that pulled out are the same people who are wants a bigger say on how the earnings from F1 is divided, or they will form their own series called GPWC. And #1 enemy to them is Ferrari. Its a conspiracy thing....

[EL Chicane]

Baka this is one way of putting Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley in a bad light. Remember the teams that pulled out are the same people who are wants a bigger say on how the earnings from F1 is divided, or they will form their own series called GPWC. And #1 enemy to them is Ferrari. Its a conspiracy thing....

I don't think this Indianapolis incident was part of the conspiracy. If it was, then i don't know how much they paid Ralf Schumacher to burst his Michelin tires that caused his spectacular high-speed crash into the wall in last Friday's practice run.

On another angle, it was really hard for anyone to believe (even the FIA) why Michelin never brought a second set of tires to Indianapolis when they are required to do so. They flew in the 2nd set of tires overnight, but they were tested to be no good also.

[squala]

It was plain misunderstanding and refusal to compromise which is why the race was like that. The circuit was modified in such a way that Michelin tires cannot handle one of the turns (13 I think). The people concerned proposed the addition of a chicane in the said turn so as for them to be able to run with no problems. The FIA did not accept it, so the 14 cars had to be withdrawn for driver safety.

So who's to blame? I don't think we can point a finger at Ferrari. They (and Bridgestone) did not do anything wrong, so they're not out of their mind not to start the race. Minardi (at least according to Stoddart) also wanted to exclude their cars, but they were forced to race because Jordan also started. As for the yellow team, they obviously wanted points and there's no other way for them to earn them, that was their only chance.

There's nothing to pick up from this race but a lesson. Things have to be made for driver safety, entertainment and retaining the legitimacy of F1. Due to years of Ferrari domination, drastic changes have been made, stupid and dangerous even, just to prevent that streak from going on. In the case of the USGP, circuit changes have to be stated clearly so that the teams (and tyre manufacturers) can prepare accordingly. If a compromise has to be made for the sake of the fans (and the majority of the grid), then it has to be made. The uncompromising FIA sadly brought a much more compromised race featuring Schumacher and the Schmucks.

[mbt]

wait, why did the Michelin tires fail and pose a driver hazard? because they weren't built tough enough to take the stress of one particularly taxing corner?

[EL Chicane]

wait, why did the Michelin tires fail and pose a driver hazard? because they weren't built tough enough to take the stress of one particularly taxing corner?

Michelin is actually not yet sure what is the problem with their tires. One thing is clear though, in that high-speed turn at Turn 13, tremendous amounts of stress is induced on the rear tires of the car causing them to lose pressure and eventually blow up like what happened to Ralf Shumacher last Friday practice.

Bottomline is, the Michelin tires will not survive 76 laps without changing them. You can extend the life of the Michelin tires if you reduce the stress by slowing down the cars. A proposed chicane on Turn 13 will guarantee that the drivers will slow down. But it was denied.