Flowerfred

Well, it couldn't have happened in a worse place. What an absolute marketing disaster for Michelin.
So much for promoting the sport in the US. This will cost thousands and thousands of fans.
Of course they should not have allowed the chicane, but they could at least have the decency to allow a no point race for the sake of the millions of fans. How would you feel if you were sitting there?
At least it is proven that the better team is the one that has their act together A to Z. Well done Ferrari..
A sad day for the sport though..

Iceman

Well, I've been watching the race and was loughing about all the comments from the commentators.

FIA did the right thing! Michelin did knew about the Indianapolis race and what the circuit looks like. They simply didn't made their homework, but Bridgestone did.
Bridgestone provided a tyre which doesn't have any problems on the Indy track. In case you add a chicane, this wouldn't be fair to Bridgestone!
Of course the fans were upset. I would've been too, no doubt! But this is racing. If there would have been a massive crash at the start and they would have had to restart with six cars only, nobody would've complained about. Stuff like this happens. It shouldn't, but it does.

If you ask who benefitted the most, well that's easy: Bridgestone.

And: No. Schuhmacher didn't got the tyre changed. When he made the first pit stop they checked the rear left, then filled up the tank after seeing everything is fine. They can't do both at the same stop, so they did a quick check, saw that the tyre is still ok, and filled him up. The check was necessary because of all the stuff the fans threw on the track. They were checking for damages.

Over all, a hell of a job from Bridgestone!
A shame for Michelin!

ipp

Very true!!

Bokke

Been to every F1 race at Indy, except this year...boy am I glad!

Also, loving my Bridgestones........

swajames

Come on - to make or change a tire buying decision based on the events of today is ludicrous. The only similarity between our tires and those on an F1 car are that they are both black and round. The events of today, for me, said far more about the FIA and how far up Ferrari's ass they are than Michelin, who, faced with a technical issue that represented a safety risk, did the right thing and came clean. Bottom line - when you're riding on the cutting edge as all F1 teams and their suppliers do, sh!t happens and things can and do go wrong. Just unfortunate that this particular issue had such a major impact on the race today as most of the teams are on Michelins. The real shame is that Indy could and should have been a great race at a great circuit. The sooner we get rid of Mosley, Ecclestone and the FIA and let the manufacturers run the series - a la GPWC - the better.

DXXXi

I agree - it looks like the time has come for a rival series. I watched the race anyway but it wasn't very satisfying. A real let down since it's one of the few F1 races that are actually on at a decent time on the west coast. Also, I'm so f-ing sick of Nascar-this, Nascar-that on Speed channel all the time that I'm going to puke and a catastrophe such as this does not bode well.

BMW530

Agreed that Michelin didn't do their homework compared to Bridgestone as they know the circuit from previous years etc.
Did you hear that the track was modified recently for the Indy race a few weeks back. Something about a "diamond-cut track???" which made the track more abrasive. Apparently Bridgestone had more up to date information as cars in the Indy race used Firestone tyres which is the same/sister company to Bridgestone.

mmm

It was my initial reaction to boycott Michelin tires due to the USGP fiasco today and I still may, but forget about who's at fault for a second and ask how they are going to prevent this from happening again. If they really want to kill the sport in the US, this is a great start.

I just got off a plane 2 hours ago, got home to CA from the indy fiasco, my first grand prix and possibly my LAST, and I am still asking rhetorically why it had to be an infamous one. I will be pursuing a refund, not so much to actually expect to get something back but to send a message to these people that they either produce a good product or my motorsports dollar is going somewhere else. My friends and I traveled from CA and took time off from work like most people that went and I feel worse for the fans that came from South America and other countries to watch a race muddied by the politics of the sport.

You can argue that adding the chicane would have solved it but then again, who's to say that it could have caused an incident as well, especially to have a major course alteration like that on race day. Also for the teams to tout safety concerns as the reason for boycotting is LAME. Bridgestone wasn't crying or complaining about the excessive heat in Malaysia and China. Plus, if safety was a real issue, what about McLaren leaving Kimi out in the European Grand Prix, although Kimi did flat-spot his tires, it was a safety issue in that they knew the tire or suspension was going to give and that his life was probably saved by the tire tether as that wheel came flying towards his head after his suspension gave way with one lap to go. So it was either win the race or let's change the tire- cite safety and risk not getting any points.

In the end it is the FANS that are the victims!! I like the statements coming out of Joie Chitwood from Indy, that restitution be made to the FANS and that F1 may not be invited back if crap like this happens. I am curious to see what if any penalties are handed out in the coming days.

So much for my first GP...

BetterMakeWay

Exactly. Thinking about the same thing. Michelin IMO is one of the best if not the very best tire manufacturer. FIA is to blame for the whole circus and for all the f**k ups in all motorsport. Michelin addmited a SAFETY problem...that's all and good for them. Not to try hide it and put people lives in danger. Don't mess up F1 racing with daily driving...pls it's a waaaay different story. I will still buy michelins whatever happens in motorsport...and come on ppl, u tend to forget the other good stuff from Michelin in motorsport (like many times when they where superior at handling and lasting in F1, or in wrc where they dominate, wtcc and so on..). FIA ruined F1 not once, ruined wrc also, KILLED wttc with the new rules.

geneclark

I don't see how this could be FIA's (or Ferrari's fault). Why on earth should the track be changed just because some of the teams have inferior material? What's next?

All the ideas that where put forth basically where about making it possible for those with inferior material to win. Why on earth couldn't Michelin and their teams accept to be punished in order to race? FIA did give Michelin and the teams several options.