Yes, it’s another F1 rant; they are coming thick and fast lately. The FIA have brought all seven teams on Michelin rubber up on disrepute charges for not taking the start at Indianapolis. I can’t see that the teams did anything wrong, at least in the eyes of the rules and regulations. The charges are (and my reply below them);
“Failed to ensure you had a supply of suitable tyres”;
Surely that is up to the tyre supplier, not the team; the team can only use what the tyre supplier brings to the race meeting,
“Wrongly refused to allow your cars to start the race”;
Why should the teams run their cars in a state that isn’t safe and risk the lives of their drivers and other drivers on the track, which would be irresponsible. That added to the rule that says “If you are in any doubt about your car, you should always call it in. If you are still in doubt after checking the car in the pits, you should retire it from the race”, so in that respect they have followed the rules to the letter!
“Wrongly refused to allow your cars to race subject to a speed restriction in one corner which was safe for such tyres as you had available”.
In my opinion, this would be just as dangerous, 14 cars going slowly around the fastest corner on the track, what would happen if a Ferrari, Jordan or even Minardi drove into the back of one of these slow moving cars, which resulted in a major pile up and/or people being killed or injured! All the FIA had to do is add a chicane in the final turn to slow speeds down for all cars, and the Michelin teams were even willing to race for no points, but that was too much to ask wasn’t it! Everyone in Formula is to blame to varying extents, but the FIA saying that it was blameless is complete and utter nonsense, the whole situation was completely avoidable, but both sides dug in and the fiasco on Sunday was the result, it really is a sad state of affairs for the leading motorsport in the world today!
Even ex Formula One driver Nigel Mansell has chipped in saying “A compromise had to be found – a chicane being installed at that final fast corner, pure and simple”; and “You cannot disregard warnings about tyres. When the safety of drivers and, possibly, supporters comes into question, you don’t mess about” – and who can disagree with that, I know that I certainly can’t. And the best analogy I have heard about this fiasco so far also came from Mansell; “It was like watching someone commit suicide in public”.