2005 United States Grand Prix

Hi,

He's responded:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/4123710.stm

Mosley rejects US race criticism

Formula One boss Max Mosley defended his decision to prevent changes to the circuit at the US Grand Prix.

Only six cars started the race after Mosley refused to have a new chicane set up, effectively forcing out teams with Michelin tyres for safety reasons.

Minardi head Paul Stoddart called on the FIA president to resign.

But Mosley rejected criticism, saying it would have been unwise to make "fundamental changes" without following tried and tested procedures.

"You cannot do that if you wish to remain a sport," he said.

"Formula One is a sport which entertains. It is not entertainment disguised as sport.

"But even more importantly it is a dangerous activity and it would be most unwise to make fundamental changes to a circuit without following tried and tested procedures.

"What happened was bad, but it can be put right. This is not true of a fatality."

"Suppose there had been a fatal accident - how could we have justified such a breach of our fundamental safety procedures to an American court?"

The seven Michelin-supplied teams refused to race at Indianapolis following two practice-session crashes.

Mosley argued that Michelin's advice had been to not race at full speed through turn 13 rather than to withdraw altogether.

And he claimed the decision was down to the teams, who were offered the option of a Michelin-only speed limit through the corner or using the pit lane on each lap to avoid the turn.

"There was no safety issue with the circuit," he said.

"The problem was some teams had brought the wrong tyres. It would be like making all the athletes in a 100m sprint run barefoot because some had forgotten their shoes."

Mosley has summoned all seven Michelin teams to a world motorsport council meeting on Wednesday to answer charges of bringing the sport into disrepute.

"We will listen carefully to what the teams have to say. There are two sides to every story and the seven teams must have a full opportunity to tell theirs," he said.

"The atmosphere will be calm and polite."
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Cheers
 
Luca di Montezemolo's opinion c/o www.itv-f1.com

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has said that the crisis which hit last weekend’s US Grand Prix was the “almost inevitable” by-product of the 2005 tyre regulations.

Instead of blaming Michelin, Montezemolo turned his fire on the rule requiring a single set of tyres to be used for qualifying and the entire race distance, which he argues gives the teams no room for manoeuvre if a tyre problem comes to light.

“I have too much respect for Michelin, with whom we too have won plenty of times in the past, to pass judgment and fail to understand the delicate situation in which they are finding themselves,” Montezemolo told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.

“Besides, in a championship I’ve long been defining as ‘of tyres’, sooner or later the exasperation and the risks of the most extreme innovations were almost inevitable.

“The fact that tyres can’t be changed during a race is against nature, so when there are some problems they tend to be magnified, resulting in what unfortunately happened in Indianapolis.

“There the most damaged party was without a doubt the public, but Formula 1 had one of its darkest moments.”

Montezemolo’s show of sympathy for Michelin did not extend to endorsing its proposal for an impromptu chicane to be added to the Indianapolis circuit, however.

“The Federation [FIA] showed itself to be very responsible by not surrendering to demagogies and to the rightful expectations of the public, for which, unfortunately, a fine figure was not cut,” he said.

“The idea of an improvised chicane at the last minute was absolutely absurd – this is not the circus.

“It’s like a soccer team missing its top scorers [asking] to have the goal posts moved to shrink or enlarge the goals. What a joke.”

Montezemolo added that Ferrari did its best for the fans by “giving life to a real race among our two drivers and not just going on a stroll, as the television audience [testified to] through some notable ratings”.

He also claimed that the Maranello team has been a consistent upholder of the integrity of the sport’s regulations, which “in the last three years have been changed as many times in order to make life hard for Ferrari”.

“I want to highlight that Ferrari are the only team who, since 51 years ago, have always participated in racing with sporting spirit and respect for the regulations,” Montezemolo said.

“In the F1 world Ferrari are always Ferrari, by respecting three values – passion for the sport, fair challenges and our fans.

“What Ferrari did in Indianapolis was perfectly in line with our history.”
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not convinced by that ferrari post almost outrageous, they have done loads of dodgy stuff in the past.

also the football comment was rubbish, the proper one would be its more like a team of 11 players turning up all with heart defects who might all die if they play the 90 minutes :)
 
Correct me if i'm wrong but haven't we got Ferrari to blame for everyone having traction control.

IIRC they were using a crank position sensor to provide a traction control facility - allegedly!! ;)

Cheers
 
I have to admit that some of rants about the USA GP have been misplaced. It very much seems that Max Mosley was the sticking point (assisted somewhat by the ever abscent Todt - I love Ferrari, but he annoys me so so much). Yes Michellin were the cause of it, but everyone including the drivers and most of the team principles had found a suitable solution which Max vetoed for his own selfish reasons.

Oh and ...

Did anyone get the latest F1 Mag? The article with Shuemy going round Mugello is excellent. Worth the cover price alone I think. Thats from a Ferrari fan who has been at Mugello and watched the testing. Why dont they hold a GP there. Easy points for Ferrari Id say!!!
 
Just wondering if anyone has any news and views about the possible Strike/Boycott of the French Grandprix by 7 Michelin teams over the harsh penalities imposed on them by the FIA for aborting the USGP last week.
crash.net said:
The seven teams facing sanction for withdrawing from the United States Grand Prix two weeks ago could also miss this weekend's French round should they consider the punishment to be dished out by the FIA on Wednesday to be unfair.

That is the view of Minardi boss Paul Stoddart who, despite being a Bridgestone rival, has shown enormous sympathy for the seven teams who felt they had been left with no choice but to sit out the Indianapolis event after the tyres they had taken to the USA proved incapable of dealing with the demands of the circuit's unique final corner.

Speaking to BBC Radio Five Live at the weekend, Stoddart admitted that he feared drastic - and damaging - action may be taken should 'draconian' penalties be handed out to the teams - Williams, McLaren, Toyota, Renault, Sauber, Red Bull and BAR - at a Paris hearing later this week.

"I think there'll be action taken, [although] I'm not saying it's going to be at the French Grand Prix," the outspoken Australian said, "In the worst possible situation of [FIA president] Max [Mosley] putting in some kind of draconian penalty, would the other teams race? We'd have to have a meeting and you wouldn't want to guarantee it."

Mosley faced down the teams over the Indianapolis situation, even though he wasn't actually in the United States at the time. Various versions of events have been put forward, with Stoddart claiming that the president forced the hand of the local stewards in refusing to have an emergency chicane constructed ahead of the final corner. Mosley insists that the stewards took the decision, and only informed him afterwards.

Left with the option of running at reduced pace through the final corner, or making pit-stops every ten laps to change tyres, the Michelin teams decided instead to pull out of the event, and duly did so in the most public manner, peeling back into the pits at the end of the formation lap.

Stoddart maintains that the teams were among those who should not be found guilty of what went on at Indianapolis.

"The teams were totally innocent victims, as was the Indianapolis Motor Speedway [and] the American public," he insisted, "I've heard unofficial reports of what [the punishment] might be, ranging from a £1.5million fine for each team to a suspended ban and all kinds of other things. I just hope that Max comes to his senses, but who knows."
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Link to article
And another
 
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