Michelin Offers US GP Tickets Refund

[Sol]

Michelin teams expected special treatment?

I support the Michelin teams but they should not expect the rules to be changed for them every time one of their suppliers supplies a dud. Those teams should have paid the penalties for using new tires.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Blah...

Geez, I stop checking this site for two months (out in the bush doing archeology) and look what happens to my favorite motorsport!!!

Michelin gets the blame here - they delivered unsafe tires and no backup tires. They put the F1 powers-that-be in an impossible situation, i.e "we screwed up bigtime, our tires are unusable and our teams can't race unless you allow us to break the rules". How can you blame the FIA for not making unprecedented rules changes and putting Bridgestone cars at a disadvantage just so Michelin can get away with making tires that don't actually work? If I was a Bridgestone team I'd be furious with the idea of the chicane too. What a dangerous precedent - How about a chicane that only Michelin-shod cars have to use? The silliness would never end once it started.

I like how Coulthard begged to race anyway, but if they were really unsafe I'd rather see this fiasco than a driver injured or worse. I'm less angry than sad at the bad taste this leaves in people's mouths and I agree with Villeneuve that the damage done to F1 in the US is huge. A lot of of fans will shrug it off like the decent people they are (after some b*tching), but the bad PR will linger.

Did somebody quote Stoddart earlier? When is he NOT sour grapes?

It's ironic how rule changes have generally hurt Ferrari lately but this time they benefitted hugely from the rules being applied. Too bad that Jordan and Minardi didn't have a fart in the wind's chance of putting up a fight with Scuderia - there might have been some actual racing, not that it mattered.

The last race I followed was San Marino, so I've had plenty of reading to do lately...I was really hoping Renault and Alonso would win it all but Raikonnen and McLaren are superior when they don't break down - and that's happening less often now. I'm expecting a Schumi-like future for Raikonnen so I'm still behind Renault this season. they've got their work cut out for them.

 

[Counterfit]

I'm expecting a Schumi-like future for Raikonnen so I'm still behind Renault this season. they've got their work cut out for them.

I'm seeing more of Senna/Prost between Fernie and Kimi, with less bad blood though.

 

[bigandy]

F1 has been a big joke for the last few years. why am i the only person that seems to realise that? it's just boring now. i'd rather watch my dog lick itself than a F1 race - and i get offered FREE access all areas tickets each and EVERY year for the Silverstone GP, because my father does the licensing for the circuit. Each and every year i turn them down because it's still of no interest whatsoever to me, my family, or my friends. and, going to school three miles from the place we grew up loving the races. and now look at them. yeesh.

 

[Counterfit]

F1 has been a big joke for the last few years. why am i the only person that seems to realise that? it's just boring now. i'd rather watch my dog lick itself than a F1 race - and i get offered FREE access all areas tickets each and EVERY year for the Silverstone GP, because my father does the licensing for the circuit. Each and every year i turn them down because it's still of no interest whatsoever to me, my family, or my friends. and, going to school three miles from the place we grew up loving the races. and now look at them. yeesh.

So give them to me then! Hell, I would have LOVED to be there last year for Kimi v Ferrari!

 

[iGav]

F1 has been a big joke for the last few years. why am i the only person that seems to realise that? it's just boring now.

I can only speak for myself, but I've never seen F1 more competitive.

 

[Sol]

2005 season

I can only speak for myself, but I've never seen F1 more competitive.

I second that. This year we are witness to a real competition between Ferrari, McLaren and the seemingly unstoppable Renault. Politics ruined the Indianapolis GP but that should not reflect badly on a very entertaining season.

 

[iGav]

I second that. This year we are witness to a real competition between Ferrari, McLaren and the seemingly unstoppable Renault. Politics ruined the Indianapolis GP but that should not reflect badly on a very entertaining season.

And Toyota and BAR-Honda too, certainly in my time in watching F1 (20+ years) I've never seen so many competitive teams, capable of winning races. Even the mid grid teams like Sauber and Red Bull have sometimes been up the front end... almost unheard of in recent times.

Alonso's doing a Schu, Kimi is making Montoya look very, very average, and Schu is driving the wheels off a shed. Fantastic!!!

 

[JFreak]

Kimi is making Montoya look very, very average

very true he also made DC and "quick-nick" look average back in the day, but all those are 2nd class drivers and will never be world champions.

 

[JFreak]

certainly in my time in watching F1 (20+ years) I've never seen so many competitive teams, capable of winning races.

you didn't see the 1982 season when rosberg won the championship title with only one victory?

 

[Counterfit]

'99 (McLaren/Ferrari, and to a lesser extent, Jordan) was pretty good, and '03 (less so though). All you need is a combination of 3 teams who are having a great/good/decent year, and make sure you don't have a great driver in a great car (a good or decent car will do), and there you go.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Without doubt, this has been a really interesting season. The USGP was a large blot on F1's reputation in the US and will certainly be a factor in the constant political wrangling surrounding rules changes and the post-Concorde F1, but the racing has been great.

I was always a Montoya fan but he's really not registering on the radar this season - Kimi casts a pretty big shadow these days but JPM's off his own pace on top of that.

But for sure, this is the most exciting season I've personally followed.

 

[Sol]

Montoya fandom & 2005 champion

I was always a Montoya fan but he's really not registering on the radar this season - Kimi casts a pretty big shadow these days but JPM's off his own pace on top of that.

I am a fan of Montoya too so this season I feel a bit disappointed that he has not kept up with Alonso, Schumacher and Raikonnen. He is a skilled driver, talented and aggressive when he needs to be but his luck has been terrible this year.

My money is on Alonso to be the 2005 champion. Kimi has to concentrate on defending against Schumacher's charge since there is such a small gap between them in the points.

 

[JFreak]

My money is on Alonso to be the 2005 champion.

how much did you bet?

renault has had good season beginnings before, but often losing performance in the end season. mclaren on the other hand often becomes faster and faster every race.

last season france was a turning-point:

POINTS AVERAGE (before-->after)
renault 7.9-->3.3
mclaren 2.2-->5.9
NON-FINISHES (before-->after)
renault 4-->11
mclaren 11-->7

history has a habit of repeating itself. i have no doubt mclaren will be the best team this year. it will however be very tough between kimi and alonso, but i hope kimi wins it this time.

 

[Sol]

Bad luck.

It was a figure of speech, or writing, but I am convinced that Alonso will be this year's winner. He is Mr. Invincible in the points. There is a bigger gap between him and Räikkönen than there is between Räikkönen and Schumacher. All three drivers are very good but the bad luck seems to have affected McLaren and Ferrari more than it has Renault so far.

 

[iHacker]

That Farrari Crap. I was their and the chants bull sh** bull sh** over and over again was really scaring the security!

 

[MOFS]

It was a figure of speech, or writing, but I am convinced that Alonso will be this year's winner. He is Mr. Invincible in the points. There is a bigger gap between him and Räikkönen than there is between Räikkönen and Schumacher. All three drivers are very good but the bad luck seems to have affected McLaren and Ferrari more than it has Renault so far.

I wouldn't say its been totally bad luck - meerly bad engineering in parts by McLaren and average by Ferrari. The way the Renaults use their tyres explains why they don't experience blow-ups a la Raikonnen. Ferrari are just plain struggling due to a lack of tyre testing primarily. Its gonna be interesting next year when a single tyre manufacturer supplies all the teams. At first it seemed Michelin were shoe-ins (most of the teams using them). But after Indianapolis...maybe we need Goodyear back!