Well, it's meant to be starting in just over 50 minutes ago and no one is sure if it'll go ahead or not.

Is all because of the safety of the Michelin tyres on the banked corner on the circuit - the FIA have refused to let them use alternative tyres or put in a chicane to slow the drivers down as of yet - can't believe it's come to this - with 9 teams (out of 10) possibly refusing to compete.

I can't believe how stupid the FIA are being, as I just said to you on msn!

Earlier this month the FIA warned the tyre manufacturers about the safety issues regarding tyres, a problem has been brought to their attention and they're refusing to do anything to assist.

It'll be stupid and disgusting if the FIA aren't going to take steps to help prevent the safety of the drivers, the sport and it's reputation. If only 6 drivers race, it'll be the end of the US GP for sure.

People don't turn up to see the managing body of the sport being such idiots.

I can't help thinking that they do some things to make it interesting for people watching it on TV... just a thought

They're killing any chances of there being another US GP though.

I'm increasingly wishing that the 9 teams, minus Ferrari break off and form the new sport which they were talking about.

I hate Ferrari and I hate the FIA.

The Michelin teams are going to the grid and then all pulling in on the Formation Lap. How completely idiotic and stupid on behalf of the FIA?

Well, 6 car race with only the Bridgestone teams racing!

I support Button, so this sucks.

And they expect people to watch this crap.

First F1 race I've watched in years

What a load of bollocks. I wonder how many of the spectators will sue!

One of the Ferrari cars have already had a bottle chucked at their car.

It's just pathetic. I can't believe the FIA, and the cheek of Ferrari blaming Michelin.

Apparently people are flooding out too. Tickets cost a hell of a lot, it's crazy!

I wouldn't stay. I think it's disgusting.

Ooh, beer cans on the track too.

Why are you blaming FIA - they warned Michelin and Michelin has the bad tires! FIA shouldn't be running Michelin! What could they assist with? Michelin should of had enough employees to fix this problem! Michelin provided bad tires so FIA can't help it.

this is a farce..

michelin need to get their fingers out and sort the problem. the FIA need to review the regulations, as those same regulations could well have resulted in serious injury of someone following kimi raikkonens big accident at the european GP a few weeks ago.

right now there is a 6 car drive to the finish, there has to be rules to prevent these points counting. there is a minimum number of competitors that take the start, only 6 took the start, i think the minimum is 12.

JOKE JOKE JOKE JOKE JOKE

the crowd will injure someone if they throw more on the track, a marshal if not a driver.

Silly people messing it up even more...

Whats the point of trowing stuff like that on the track?!?

I don't think anyone is saying it's not Michelin's fault. The problem is the inability for anyone in a multi-billion pound sport to sit down and sort something out for the public. Without the public there would be no F1.

But the FIA wouldn't let them change to better tyres which they were going to fly in.

Yeah, I know but still, people can't blame FIA for one bit!
What could they do? Send them out on the Michelin tires?

Its a big rule! Not to be able to change tires. Its against the rules

the tyres werent any better. the tyres were used at a GP with similar characteristics, that is a lot of fast right hand bends. at the GP there were no michelin tyre failures.

They could have allowed the teams to use alternative tires, they could have allowed a chicane to be put it.

They chose not to, knowing that if they chose not to 9 teams wouldn't race, and therefore that the reputation and standing, and very possible the existence, of the US GP would be deminished.

Also, whilst it might be a rule, changing the rules for ALL teams is surely acceptable.

Okay, had they known there would be a problem with the tyres, they wouldn't have bought them to the race right?

So they bought tyres which they thought were good enough to the race, but there's a problem with them. So okay, Michelin are the problem.

So there's a big problem, 7 of the teams, 14 drivers now can't race. It's not safe to do so. They spend 24 hours trying to resolve the issue, they have two choices, change the tyres (which up until this season wouldn't be a problem), but the FIA say no. Option two, introduce a chicane to make it safer, FIA said no.

I'm sorry, but Michelin have done their best to help the situation, they've tried to make their failing good. But they've been rebuffed and rejected by the FIA and more importantly Ferrari.

All 9 times agreed to introduce a Chicane before Ferrari veteo'd it.

It's disgusting and despicable. Of course Michelin are at fault for the faulty tyres, but certainly not for there only being 6 cars out on the circuit.



You're wrong on that one, they were going to ship out a different type of tyres that would have had a great chance of withstanding the race. Last year there weren't any failures were there, I suspect the new surface has a lot to do with it.

no, the word is that the michelin folks were trying to ship out tyres of spec the same as those used at the barcelona GP.

Even if that is so, there's also speculation that the batch may just be faulty.

Why couldn't they have allowed the teams to use different tyres. It's against the regulations, so let the Bridgestone racers change their tyres if they wish to do so. What's the problem with that?

And you removed your quote saying it was perfect fair of the FIA to prevent them changing their tyres and therefore only have 6 cars in the race. Just like to make sure that's not ignored!

I wouldn't have said a chicane was disadvantging them, as it affects all the teams.

They have the power to change the regulations if it's required, they chose not to and effectivly signed the death warrant of the US GP.

I imagine there's going to be a fair few lawsuits out of this as well. If there's one place you don't want an F1 GP to go wrong, it's America.

I'm sure they could have easily relaxed the rules for one weekend for all teams (including Bridgestone teams to make it fair) to ensure the safety of the drivers - but they chose not to.

had that decision been made, it would have been seen to disadvantage the bridgestone teams. michelin would have had new tyres imported, whilst bridgestone wouldnt have had that oportunity.






id to delete my post, which i didnt quote, in response to hook, when i intended to just quote alex, i think the quoting feature isnt working

Why wouldn't of they had an opportunity - they could have given their teams fresh sets of tyres

bridgestone teams would have had a fresh, ie new set for this race.

michelin would have had tyres imported from a different race specification, ie a different construction to those being used initially.

the change of construction would be seen as unfair has bridgestone had no change.

I don't understand either. Had this mess been sorted out last night (the middle of the day in the states) there'd have been no bad publicity today and nobody would be at any disadvantage.



In addition to above. Do you really believe that when Michelin announced they were going to fly tyres to the race anyway, just incase that had Bridgestone not had a better tyre for the teams to use they wouldn't have done so, again just in case.

That's how business work, and since F1 isn't a sport anymore but a business I can't imagine why they wouldn't.

ANYWAY, regardless of that, if you don't like any of the proposals, what's you're solution. Do you really think the 6 cars are the best race?

What's the problem with the Chicane? And if you're *so* against the tyre proposal, and don't think they should have built a chicane, why not have allowed the Michelin drivers to race with new tyres and not use the race to count as points.

Are you watching ITV? Are you watching everybody leaving? I'm sorry dude, but you have to look past the regulations and look at what is happening to the sport. Just use your eyes and look.

The only reason they would change the tyre is for safety - not to give a performance advantage. Bridgestone could of course have changed their tyre to improve the construction of them too if this had been allowed.

Are people walking out pissed off, quite rightly, some people have paid literally 1000's of $ to go there - could have been prevented by the FIA, but clearly looking at the scenes on TV it wasn't!

all teams were issued a notice by the FIA to improve tyre construction earlier in the season following a number of problems, specifically on bridgestone tyres.

regarding the crowds leaving, they arent happy, and thats including ferrari fans leaving unhappy.

people have paid a fortune to see this spectacle that is supposed to be the pinacle of world motorsport, just a pity they couldnt string a race together.

Every post you makes confuses me. You're totally sitting on the fence in order to not offend anybody and not appear stupid. You don't blame anybody, or when you do slant the blame towards somebody later in the post you backtract and blame somebody else?

What exactly do you believe. Michelin wrong or not? FIA wrong or not? Whose fault is it the race didn't go ahead, since I don't have a clue where you stand.

Will you stop editing your posts? You just deleted a good two hundred of your own words. Please don't use the excuse the quote system is broke, since nobody else is having issues with it that they can't resolve. I add in other quotes and put my words in the right places.

Michelin are wrong for screwing up the tyres. the FIA had asked all tyre companies to improve tyres for all circuits earlier in the season.

FIA have ballsed up to, in that their regulations have prevented an easy solution (ie more tyres) to be used. They put down that no chicane can be used, which is fair enough, as the problem is michelins.

the entire race is a joke.


as for the quoting system, if i press quote i assume the system quotes the text from the post i clicked. when i submit my response it adds that and text from preceding posts, why? i havent been around in an age to understand whats wrong there.

The problem isn't Michelin, it's the sports.

As for your posts, if you post twice in a row without anybody else posting in the middle (ie a double post) IPB merges both the posts together so you don't get a double post. Thought you might have figured that out.

the cause of this problem is michelin's, in the sense that they couldnt provide safe tyres.

the problem is the sport as those involved could not come to an agreement. they have done it in past, why not now.

It appears all the teams bar Ferrari did their best though. A press release has just been issued, let's wait for it to hit the wires.

just finished now..

i dont know what to make of ferrari, i stopped supporting them a number of years ago, primarily because of their control over austria 2002.

i really hope the crowd boos as loud as they did at austria.

I completely agree with FormulaC!

Michelines tires weren't safe so it was there fault! Can't blame anyone else but Michelin.

Of course. The FIA had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Even FC admits the FIA do, although I think he edited that bit out of his post.

the FIA have a problem that needs catered for. the regulations to reduce costs need reconsidered. the sport is loosing credibility year on year. until this race, the sport had regained some respect, in that it was an awesome season.

fair play to ferrari not celebrating on the podium. the chiefs of FOM need to listen to the fans.

for those of you watching ITV, mark blundell seems to have summed it up well.

grim rosental, advertising coronation street, sorry mate, you're crap.

ah well, fingers crossed magny cours, in france in two weeks is more interesting!

You can't blame FIA.

Putting a chicane to slow down, would mean the race will not be official, and no points form the race. No team would spend hundreds of thousands of dolars to race for nothing.

The tires that were a 2nd choice had huge performance drop, no point in racing, again spend $$$ to get no points.

But then, I'm not sure how this will play out, since the sponsers of the teams need to have the teams racing, in order fo the teams to get paid, I would think. So you spend lots of money to race, to make more money, but when you get last place, then what?


You tell me what sport is not about business. This isn't the early days of racing, where a driver gets together with a team of mechanics, and builds a team, and go race. Even they made money.

Its not as simple as most of us think, by just putting in a chicane, and hoping everything would be perfect, and fair, and spectacular for fans....

...ok, I'm out, bbl.

I have to agree!

Unfortunatly F1 is no longer a sport, it's all about politics/power/money and the only people who really suffered from this were the spectators!.

When Michelin found the problem they at least admited to it and tried to resolve it and it is not as though they had a crystal ball and knew in advance that their tyres would have a problem........

At least two solutions were put forward but were they allowed to be implemented by the 'authorities'?

I certainly don't see Michelin being at fault any more than the drivers not being willing to risk their lives, they were just the tip of the iceberg!

Who was really at fault for this farce?

I hope that some good will come from this but I somehow doubt it!

TTFN

You're missing the point though.

Irrespective of whether putting in a chicane would be perfect, the teams WANTED to put a chicane in. You can think it's simple to dismiss it, or simple to dismiss the tyres would be a huge performance drop, but the teams decided to do it. All 9 teams decided it was the best thing to do, the teams with the experts, the teams with the sponsers, the teams with the drivers, the teams who know what they're doing.

We as spectators do not, and that includes you, FormulaC, SamG, Alex and myself. The teams know what they're doing, and they were trying to their best, as were Michelin. And they were thwarted by the FIA and Ferrari, at every stage.

Are you guys all talking about Camp cart or what ever they call it on cbs ch2.

No. Formula One. http://itv-f1.net

D

I was working so I missed it. It sounds rather farcical though, so I'll see if there are highlights on later.