2006 Monte Carlo Grand Prix - Race 7/18

Mikol said:
It was quite odd how it was slow as well. Someone as experienced as Schumi could easily have avoided that and continued with his turn.


From the slow-mo onboard, it looked very much like he was able to make the turn, but steered out of it.
 
Memphis said:
From the slow-mo onboard, it looked very much like he was able to make the turn, but steered out of it.

Exactly. Schumi will say he 'tried to correct it', but at that speed it wouldn't need correcting. Not like he was going to spin out ...
 
And now....the news...

Michelin ensures continuity

Edouard MichelinMichelin's co-managing partner Michel Rollier will take over Edouard Michelin's responsibility in the company, the French tyremaker said in a statement tonight.

"Michelin has just learned the tragic news of the accidental death of Mr. Edouard Michelin, the company's co-managing partner," the statement said.

"It is an immense sadness for his family as well as for all of our 130,000 Michelin employees throughout the world.

"In accordance with Michelin's established governance policies, Michel Rollier, our current co-managing partner, will ensure the continuity of the group's management."

Edouard Michelin, grandson of the company founder, was 42 years of age when he died in the accident off the Ile de Sein island in Brittany in Western France.
 
And now....the news...

France mourns the death of 'Michelin Man'

Edouard Michelin with France president Jacques Chirac at a Paris car showNews of Edouard Michelin's death in a boat accident on Friday was greeted with dismay by French political and business leaders, with President Jacques Chirac leading tributes.

Michelin, the head of the iconic French tyre maker, died at the age of 42 while on a fishing trip off the Ile de Sein island in Brittany, western France. The cause of the fatal accident was not immediately clear.

Frace president Chirac mourned Michelin, one of France's most promising company executives.

"At the head of a company that has a special place for French people, Edouard Michelin had considerably modernised his company and made it into a universally renowned French industrial champion," Chirac said in a statement.

Michelin was regarded as one of France's leading business executives and his death cast a particular shadow at a time when France has been going through a crisis of confidence amid political scandals and disagreement over economic reform.

"For a new generation of French company heads, this is really very cruel," Laurence Parisot, head of France's MEDEF employers group told French radio.

The French local authority in Brest said the alarm was raised when Michelin and local fisherman Guillaume Normant failed to return from a fishing trip. Michelin's body was later found but rescuers failed to recover any trace of Normant's.

The Michelin company, the world's largest tyre manufacturer, said that Michel Rollier, who had been joint managing partner along with Edouard Michelin, would "assure the continuity of the company's management."

Michelin Man

Edouard Michelin's great grand-father set up the company with his brother Andre in 1889 and their brainchild quickly became embedded in French culture.

In 1898, the group brought out the Michelin Man, a jovial, rotund figure made of tyres who came to symbolize the company.

At the turn of the 20th century, Michelin then published its first Red Guide.

The guide encouraged people to use their cars to travel around France and gave advice on the best restaurants and hotels in the region, resulting in the coveted "Michelin Star" awards given out to dining establishments today.

Edouard Michelin entered into the prestigious family set-up in 1985, armed with an engineering degree from the Ecole Centrale de Paris.

He had a stint in France's navy from 1987 to 1988 before going back to the Michelin group where he held various posts in areas such as production and sales.

Edouard then succeeded his father Francois, who had run Michelin for more than 40 years, as head of the company in 1999.

Faced with growing competition from global rivals such as Bridgestone, Edouard Michelin decided to cut 7,500 jobs in 1999 and restructure the company's north American activities to improve the group's profitability.

The decision to cut the jobs led to an attack on Edouard Michelin by then French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, who called on workers and politicians to unite in protest at the move.

However, Edouard Michelin rode through the backlash, saying the job cuts were necessary to enable his family's company to compete with global rivals in Japan and the United States.

Edouard Michelin had presided over the company's annual shareholder meeting only two weeks ago. His warning that it would be hard for the group to achieve its financial targets for the year due to higher commodity prices sent Michelin shares sliding earlier this month.

Edouard Michelin leaves behind a wife and six children.
 
And now....the news...

FIA extends condolences to Michelin

Motor racing's governing body has expressed its sympathy following the death of Michelin CEO Edouard Michelin.

A statement issued by the FIA in Monaco on Saturday said: "The FIA extends sincere condolences to the Michelin family on the sad news of the death of Edouard Michelin.

"Our thoughts are with Mr. Michelin's family, his friends and colleagues at this difficult time."

Michelin lost his life in a boating accident off the coast of France on Friday.

The FIA endured a frosty relationship with Michelin ever since last year's United States Grand Prix fiasco.

Michelin was critical of the governing's body attitude, and backed a withdrawal from Formula One because of the move to a control tyre.

Late last year he was also unhappy at the way the sport had abandoned the one-race tyre rule after just one season.

"The decisions, the changes at the last minute, always bring you to wonder about the reasons or the real motivations," said Michelin.

"I think for motor racing to function well, one needs transparency and a clearness of intentions and objective.

"At the moment there is at the same time confusion on the objectives and of the urgency of the deadlines.

"It is a sign of problems, problems that are beyond us, but ones which will not throw a shadow over the formidable season that we had with our partners."
 
Renault saddened by Michelin's death

The Renault team have extended their condolences to Edouard Michelin's family and friends, after the young tyre company executive was killed yesterday in a boat accident.

Renault and Michelin have a long history together, and Renault F1 Team's president, Alain Dassas, said his compatriot will be greatly missed.

"The links between Michelin and Renault are strong and long-standing, and we are deeply saddened to learn of the tragic death of Edouard Michelin," Dassas said in a statement.

"His dynamic, modern style of leadership set an example for French business throughout the world as he drove his company to global competitiveness. He will be greatly missed."

Team managing director Flavio Briatore added: "Our memories of Edouard Michelin are of a fantastic competitor. He was always extremely supportive of the team, and delighted by last year's world championship victory."
 
Dennis 'maps out' Hamilton's F1 future

McLaren team boss Ron Dennis has assured 20-year-old Briton Lewis Hamilton that he will be driving in Formula One before long.

"He will be in Formula One, there's no question of that," Dennis told Reuters at the Monaco Grand Prix.

"And I'll be delighted to see him succeed, because it was more an experiment than an investment."

Hamilton, on pole position for the GP2 support race in Monaco, has been backed by McLaren for the last decade since he approached Dennis in a borrowed tuxedo at an awards ceremony in London.

"He was so confident. I was just in total admiration. I was just pathetic at that age and he had absolute perfect eye contact," Dennis recalled. "I thought this youngster could possibly go somewhere."

Hamilton has won every series he has entered so far and is poised to take the outright lead in GP2 at Monaco.

The same series catapulted last year's champion Nico Rosberg, son of 1982 world champion Keke, into Formula One with Williams this year.

"We've mapped out his year, he's going to concentrate on GP2 and we're not going to get distracted from that," Dennis said of Hamilton's future.

"As and when I feel it is appropriate, we'll give him the opportunity to test and really settle in to driving a Formula One car. Then, according to how that works out, we'll decide together the next best step."

McLaren have signed world champion Fernando Alonso from Renault for next year but are expected to lose Finland's Kimi Raikkonen to Ferrari with Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya's position also in doubt.

"Obviously our own driver line-up is still open in respect of one of the two seats," Dennis said. "Many people ask, is there any possibility of him (Hamilton) driving? Well, it's not impossible but it's just one of the options.

"We don't know whether either of the drivers will stay with us or go, it's just too early in the season to make those sort of decisions.

"When we have to take a decision, we will."
 
FIA opens tender for ECU supplier

The FIA has announced today it has begun the tender process to elect the standard ECU supplier in Formula One in 2008.

The governing body has decided to introduce standard ECU (Electronic Control Unit) as part of the FIA's efforts to cut down the costs of competing in Formula One.

But the move is seen by some manufacturers as particularly detracting from Formula One's place as the pinnacle of motoring technology.

The FIA said today the supplier would receive a 3-year contract, for the 2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons.

Bids will be accepted by June 23rd 2006 the latest.
 
GPDA rumblings

Within minutes of the end of qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix, there were rumblings in the paddock that a number of the F1 drivers are so unahppy about what happened to Michael Schumacher that the Grand Prix Drivers' Association is going to demand Schumacher's resignation from the board of directors of the organisation because they consider his manoeuvre at Rascasse to have been unsporting and detrimental to the image of the sport.

Michael denied doing anything deliberate to get pole position for the race but the mood in the paddock and in the media centre was very clear indeed.

Fernando Alonso did the right thing and remained diplomatic but everyone knew what he was thinking.

The FIA Stewards are investigating the incident and their reaction will be interesting to watch as their credibility is, to some extent, depenedent on what they rule.
 
Dennis won't stick around for 50th jubilee

McLaren chief Ron Dennis has admitted he did not expect to remain at the head of McLaren in ten years.

McLaren celebrate the 40th anniversary of their 1966 race debut in Monaco this weekend, and Dennis, who took over the famous marque in 1980, doubts he would be around for the team's 50th anniversary.

"It's my birthday in a few days' time, and unfortunately I'm going to be 59," the Briton told Reuters.

"To be quite honest, I'd just be delighted to be around in ten years, let alone thinking about what I'm doing.

"I enjoy very much the sport and I am very passionate about it, but definitely another ten years seems a hurdle too great for me to jump.

"I want to be on a beach well before then."
 
Schumacher says error was genuine

Michael SchumacherFerrari's Michael Schumacher said he made a genuine driving error after running wide in the dying seconds of qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix.

Schumacher, who could equal Brazilian Ayrton Senna's record of six wins in the Mediterranean principality, claimed his 67th career pole in controversial circumstances.

The seven times world champion ran wide and stopped on the exit to the penultimate corner in the closing seconds of the final session, with Fernando Alonso and others still to complete their final flying laps behind him.

"Unfortunately I just locked up and ran wide," said Schumacher. "I wasn't sure what was going on after this. The position of the other cars I wasn't aware. I checked with the guys where we were and they said P1. I wasn't expecting to be sitting here.

"We didn't look very good on Thursday. Today we were back on the pace. I'm pretty happy."

Furious Renault team boss Flavio Briatore said it looked like Schumacher had done it on purpose.

"He's just parking the car," Briatore told ITV television. "This is the way Ferrari manage."

Schumacher's pole is in doubt, however, after it was put under investigation by the race stewards.

The governing body could not confirm reports that Renault were protesting in an attempt to have Schumacher stripped of his fastest lap.
 
Schumacher pole triggers Monaco uproar

Ferrari's Michael Schumacher triggered uproar at the Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday by claiming pole after a driving incident that prompted allegations of unsporting behaviour and underhand tactics.

The seven times champion faced pointed questions about his sportsmanship after claiming his 67th career pole ahead of Renault's world champion Fernando Alonso.

The German ran wide and stopped on the exit to the penultimate corner in the closing seconds of the final session, with Alonso and others still to complete their final flying laps behind him.

Alonso said the yellow flags following the Schumacher incident forced him to slow, losing him at least three tenths of a second and possibly robbing him of pole.

"I have my opinion and I won't tell it here," said the 24-year-old Spaniard when asked by reporters whether he considered it a sporting incident.

The governing body could not confirm reports that Renault were protesting in an attempt to have Schumacher stripped of his fastest lap. Pole is particularly important on Monaco's street circuit.

Furious Renault team boss Flavio Briatore said it looked like Schumacher had acted deliberately to make sure others could not beat his time.

"He's just parking the car," Briatore told ITV television. "This is the way Ferrari manage."

Schumacher, looking puzzled in a news conference, denied anything underhand.

"I locked up and just ran out of road," said the 37-year-old, who can equal Brazilian Ayrton Senna's six Monaco wins this weekend. "I tried to get reverse but was hesitant to move and finally I stalled."

He suggested that any critics who doubted him should try to drive the car themselves through the tight and twisty streets.

"Whatever you do in certain moments, your enemies believe one thing and the people who support you believe another," he added. "Some people may not believe it, but unfortunately that's the world we live in.

"I don't care what other teams do. I know Flavio well enough," added Schumacher, who drove for the Italian when he was at Benetton.

Australian Mark Webber was third fastest for Williams with McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen, last year's winner, fourth.

Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella starts on the third row with McLaren's Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, the 2003 winner.

Ferrari's Felipe Massa will start at the back of the grid after crashing in the first part of qualifying.

The Brazilian speared left into the tyre barrier on the blind crest of Casino Square, briefly stopping the session while the car was removed from the track.
 
Symonds: Schumacher error suspicious

Renault's director of engineering Pat Symonds says Michael Schumacher's mistake during qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix was "suspicious".

The German driver's pole position was put under investigation after he ran wide at the Rascasse corner during the final seconds of qualifying.

Schumacher's incident slowed down several drivers, including Fernando Alonso, who claimed he would have been on pole if not for the Ferrari driver.

Symonds joined the paddock uproar at Monaco, saying Schumacher's mistake was one of a rookie driver.

"We were very pleased with the performance of the cars throughout the session, but extremely surprised to see Michael make a suspicious mistake at the end of the super-pole that looked as if it had come from a novice driver - not a world champion," said Symonds.

"There is no doubt that this cost us pole position, and both our drivers had their fastest laps spoiled.

"Nevertheless, we have Fernando on the front row, and Giancarlo in fifth position. The car has been quick and easy to drive all weekend, and the Michelin tyres seem to be relishing the hot conditions. Everything looks extremely positive for tomorrow's race."
 
I know it might at first seem quite a harsh view, but imo, they should penalize Shuey for the obvious tactic, by firstly disqualifying him from tomorrows race, and then my breaking both of his legs, making him unfit to race again, and finally cutting his bonce off....

As I said it could be a slightly harsh punishment, but no more then he deserves.... pretty much everyone was playing fair for the entire quali session, with so many oppertunites for drivers to block and slow other cars, all but him putting on a fantastic sportsmanship display, he goes and spoils it for Alonso and a few other drivers.... Shuey is a very clever chap, but should be beheaded.
 
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