Who's fault is it anyway?
Blogs and forums all around have found a new reason to blast Ferrari for the whole mess that the yesterday's US Grand Prix truned into, but I think Ferrari are being unfairly blamed here. Now, this isn't my bias towards my favourite F1 team, but most people seem to ignore the FIA's role in the whole controversy. While the perception is that Ferrari vetoed the request for adding a chicane on turn 13, it was the FIA who stood firm on denying any modifications to the track:
How much of this steadfastness was influenced by Ferrari is of course, a matter of speculation. The other aspect that is going unnoticed is that Michelin are trying to shield themselves under the emotional blanket by putting "driver safety first". There is absolutely no doubt that driver safety should be the number one priority in any decision about car design or equipment, but the bottom line is that Michelin did not have a solution to their tyre problems. Why should the other teams pay the price for Michelin's inadequacies? If Ferrari were convinced about their tyre safety, they are well within their limits to go ahead and race. Also, the fact that too many teams are using the same tyre has amplified the impact. Had there been 3-4 tyre manufacturers in the fray, and only 2-3 teams had had to retire, the incident probably would not even have made headlines. If all the teams had boycotted the race, all it would have meant was a big financial loss for the organisers. The spectators would have been refunded, but Michelin would have gone scot free with none their teams suffering in terms of points and standings. People would have just forgotten about it in a couple of years. But this race will remain in public memory for long.
Another issue that I think has not come up is about the track itself. If a manufacturer like Michelin can't provide tyres robust enough for the track, then is the track really safe enough for F1 in the first place? Ralf Schumacher crashed at almost the same spot as last year. Alonso also had to retire last year to tyre failure on the straight leading to turn 1. There have been similar problems in IndyCar races on this track. The surface had to be made more abrasive to offer more grip. If that is the case, the FIA needs to also think about conducting races on this track.
Irrespective of who is to blame for the whole farce, the only loser was Formula 1 and its fans. The FIA needs to rethink some of it's absurd and unforgivingly strinct rules and regulations before they wreck this sport and its popularity. The die-hard fan just hopes that everything will return to normal at Magny-Cours and that this incident will remain only as an unfortunate memory rather than a precedent.
However, the FIA had already stated that changing the track layout was not an option, informing Michelin that their teams could either use their existing tyres and run more slowly through 13, make tyre changes on safety grounds if necessary, or they could start with new tyres and risk being penalised for breaking the regulations.
How much of this steadfastness was influenced by Ferrari is of course, a matter of speculation. The other aspect that is going unnoticed is that Michelin are trying to shield themselves under the emotional blanket by putting "driver safety first". There is absolutely no doubt that driver safety should be the number one priority in any decision about car design or equipment, but the bottom line is that Michelin did not have a solution to their tyre problems. Why should the other teams pay the price for Michelin's inadequacies? If Ferrari were convinced about their tyre safety, they are well within their limits to go ahead and race. Also, the fact that too many teams are using the same tyre has amplified the impact. Had there been 3-4 tyre manufacturers in the fray, and only 2-3 teams had had to retire, the incident probably would not even have made headlines. If all the teams had boycotted the race, all it would have meant was a big financial loss for the organisers. The spectators would have been refunded, but Michelin would have gone scot free with none their teams suffering in terms of points and standings. People would have just forgotten about it in a couple of years. But this race will remain in public memory for long.
Another issue that I think has not come up is about the track itself. If a manufacturer like Michelin can't provide tyres robust enough for the track, then is the track really safe enough for F1 in the first place? Ralf Schumacher crashed at almost the same spot as last year. Alonso also had to retire last year to tyre failure on the straight leading to turn 1. There have been similar problems in IndyCar races on this track. The surface had to be made more abrasive to offer more grip. If that is the case, the FIA needs to also think about conducting races on this track.
Irrespective of who is to blame for the whole farce, the only loser was Formula 1 and its fans. The FIA needs to rethink some of it's absurd and unforgivingly strinct rules and regulations before they wreck this sport and its popularity. The die-hard fan just hopes that everything will return to normal at Magny-Cours and that this incident will remain only as an unfortunate memory rather than a precedent.
posted by Atul at
12:12 AM
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