Tony's Blog

Formula One at the US Grand Prix, did the equivalent of the NHL cancelling the season as far as the US market is concerned. When the sport is trying to gain popularity and sponsorship from America, you put on a good show, you parade people through town, you promote the hell out of it. You do not however put all the cars out for the formation lap and then pull 14 of them back into the garage, and let 6 race. That is pathedic. There had to be some solution. A chicane to slow the cars down is stupid because it punishes the Bridgestone teams for the mistake of Michelin. I didn't see anyone, minus Ferrari and Bridgestone, loosing any sleep when Schumacher had to retire early in previous races because of bad tires. Even if it meant Michelin sucking it up as they put Bridgestones on all the cars, which is not entirely fair for Ferrari, it would have been a better solution.

No one had a problem with Raikkonen staying out at the Nurberg Ring with a badly flat spotted tire. We all looked in amazement as the suspension broke and sent the car fast into the grave trap. Everyone said, including Kimi, that they stayed out because they needed to win, it was worth the risk. Well if the USGP had been the final race of the year and Kimi or Alonso needed to a few points to win the championship, I bet they would have been on track. No one is saying they should have knowingly put themselves into danger, but they knew when it was too dangerous and they'd have to pit to change the tire. There was positions 3 through 8 that Michelin could have competed for, and if Jordan and Minardi were faster with all the Michelin runners taking many pit stops, then live with 7th or 8th place.

No one made Michelin make a bad tire and not testing on the track is their own fault. It wasn't a secret that the track's new surface was not a good one and not the first time they saw the banked turn. Michelin should stop trying to throw your weight around and make the FIA and Ferrari look like the bad guy.

On the lighter side, this gave Tony George and the Speedway a black eye, and I always like it when that happens.