Michelin complete post-Indianapolis enquiry

iveco SG

Michelin has finished investigations concerning its Indianapolis tyres and concluded that they "were not intrinsically flawed, but were insufficiently suited to the extreme racing conditions encountered through Turn 13 of the circuit this year."

In a statement released on Tuesday, Michelin admitted its engineers had greatly underestimated the loads exerted on the rear left tyre through the corner, hinting that revisions to the regulations, the cars aerodynamics and the track surface for 2005 had affected their pre-race calculations.

"The problem was that we under-evaluated the extreme constraints to which tyres were exposed through Turn 13 in the specific context of 2005, confirmed Michelin Competition's Director, Pierre Dupasquier.

Pointing out the unique nature of Turn 13 in Formula One racing, Michelin said it has now revised its simulation model for banked corners and requested that testing be allowed at Indianapolis ahead of future Grands Prix there.

The French company insisted that the findings of its investigations validated its decision not to allow its teams to race, but confirmed that it will be present with safe, competitive tyres at forthcoming Grands Prix.

We are grateful to our partners for their work with us right up to the last moment to seek a solution that would have permitted the race to go ahead in total safety, added Dupasquier. We regret that the spectators did not see an exciting race. However, in keeping with its principles, Michelin did not sacrifice safety for performance."

The seven Michelin teams who withdrew from the US Grand Prix will all appear before the FIAs World Motor Sport Council on Wednesday to answer a number of charges relating to their actions at Indianapolis. - Formula1.com

iveco SG

Seems like the 7 Michelin-clad teams may get off the hook after all.

Michelin teams set to be cleared over Indy

The guilty verdicts handed out to the seven Michelin teams following their US Grand Prix withdrawal last month look almost certain to be cancelled following the presentation of new evidence at a meeting of the FIA senate on Thursday.

McLaren boss Ron Dennis attended the meeting, acting as representative for BAR, McLaren, Renault, Sauber, Toyota and Williams, along with Red Bulls sporting director Christian Horner.

Having examined the new evidence and discussed it with both team principals, the Senate said it was satisfied that the teams were contractually bound to follow the instructions of their tyre supplier and that their tyre supplier had expressly prohibited them from racing.

It went on to say that in light of the new evidence, disciplinary proceedings against the teams had ceased to be appropriate and were no longer in the interest of the sport. It will now recommend to the World Motor Sport Council that the guilty verdicts be dropped and a fax vote on the matter is expected to take place in the next few days.

The Council found the seven teams guilty of two charges last month - one of failing to have appropriate tyres for the US Grand Prix and a second of wrongfully refusing to allow their cars to take the start. The Council had deferred setting any punishment until September.

Before that decision, Michelin had already accepted responsibility for the events at Indianapolis, though as a supplier and not a competitor, no action could be taken directly against them. They have, however, promised to refund all race day tickets, as well as provide fans with 20,000 free tickets for next years event.

Michelin instructed their teams not to race after deciding they could not guarantee the safety of their tyres through the high-speed banking of Turn 13. As a result the US Grand Prix was run with just the six Bridgestone cars, with victory going to Ferrari's Michael Schumacher. - formula1.com

SBS9828X SG

Dunno wat to say Laughing