19/06/2005
NEWS STORY
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With 45 minutes remaining before the lights turn green for today's United States Grand Prix, it is still wholly uncertain as to whether the event will happen.
The Michelin tyre saga rumbles on, however in a new twist it appears that Ferrari is the villain of the peace.
The FIA is standing firm. Michelin wants its 7 teams to use new tyres that have been flown in from France overnight, claiming that the tyre used in qualifying were unsafe. The FIA says that this is against the rules.
Therefore Michelin has said that in order to be safe, a chicane should be placed at Turn 13 - the banked curve where Ralf Schumacher crashed on Friday - in order to slow the cars. The FIA says that this would be unfair to the Bridgestone runners.
We can reveal that the FIA offered to place a speed-trap at Turn 13 - similar to that used in the pits - which would have caused the cars to slow, but this was not acceptable.
In the latest round of meeting, it's understood that nine teams have agreed to a chicane being introduced, this has the support of the Indianapolis motor speedway and indeed the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA).
However it is the FIA, the governing body of World motorsport that decides whether a chicane is installed, not Ferrari, not the GPDA, not the IMS and not the nine teams.
What was a safety issue has now - surprise, surprise - become a political issue, with Ferrari being portrayed as the 'baddies'.
The simple truth is that Michelin came to Indianapolis with a tyre that proved to be unsafe. The only way to resolve the issue would mean compromising the regulations. Without wishing to appear biased, one must ask what the situation if the boot was on the other foot - no pun intended - and if it was the Bridgestone on the Ferraris that were unsafe?
As the clock continues ticking, Bernie Ecclestone attempts to do a deal, whilst Max Mosley keeps an eye on events from Monte Carlo.
With 35 minutes remaining, McLaren's Martin Whitmarsh confirms that the race will go ahead, but only if the chicane is in place. No chicane, no race. The drivers are ready, in their overalls, and will climb into their cars as normal, however, if there is no chicane in place when they go out, there will be no race.
This is not a good day for F1, and it couldn't have happened in a worse place - as F1 struggles to gain a foothold in the USA. However, it is the way in which a safety issue has been twisted into something political that really galls.
The sad fact is that no matter what happens today, it is the fans and their beloved sport that suffer.
The two Ferraris leave the pits to take their place on the dummy grid.
One thing is for certain however, and that is that Michelin will be summoned to Paris in the weeks ahead, to explain itself to the FIA. Already, some are predicting that this will result in the French manufacturer's withdrawal from F1. In one fell swoop, we have a single (control) tyre manufacturer for 2006. Just a thought.
The WilliamsF1s, Renaults and BARs leave the pits and set off for the grid - but still no sign of the chicane.
The grid forms but there is still no inkling as to what will happen. Certainly, there is no sign of a chicane. For the most part the drivers remain tight-lipped, though Fisichella and Barrichello express their sympathy for the fans.
Aware that this is a PR disaster of the worst kind, Bernie Ecclestone makes it quite clear where he feels the blame lies; "It's not the fault of the teams," he says, "the tyres are unsafe".
"Don't give up on F1," he adds, almost as an afterthought.
On the grid, the team bosses huddle in little groups, the scene reminiscent of a school playground. There are nods and winks, meanwhile the poor schmucks in the grandstands, and millions of TV viewers around the world, look on, totally confused.
Anyway, just in case we do have a race.
The air temperature is 27 degrees C, while the track temperature is 39 degrees. The heat being given off by the vein in Bernie neck is around 51 degrees.
The cars head off - either we are in for a race, or this is the biggest wind-up in sporting history. Even now, as the grid heads off around this legendary track, only an elite few know what is about to happen.
Over his radio, Red Bull reveals that given the choice, he wants to race.
Trulli heads into the pits, followed by the rest of the Michelin runners. Only the Ferraris, Minardis and Jordans head down to the grid.
A complete and utter disgrace.
There is stunned silence as six cars head off into the distance, the 'race' is on.
That said, there is absolutely no pint in covering this, so we won't bother.
If a bunch of squabbling multi billionaires don't give a toss, why should we?
Sorry, but that's all folks.