Formula 1 Farce

I'm a big NASCAR fan and hardly ever watch Formula 1, which is considered by some to be the top racing circuit in the world. I made an exception today since the Formula 1 race was at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and I thought I'd see if the race would be different than follow-the-leader, which is often the case in Formula 1. It was different all right.

After the opening formation lap, 14 of the 20 starters drove to the pits and parked their cars and the race started with only 6 cars. The crowd of 145,000 was then treated to 73 laps of "racing" consisting of two Ferraris who competed with each other, and four other guys. What a joke!

Apparently there was a dispute involving the Michelin tires that 14 of the starters use, and the fact that Michelin brought a tire to Indy that couldn't handle the loads in the banked turn leading onto the front stretch. The IFA (sanctioning body for F1) refused to alter the track to reduce speeds in that section (though Indy was willing to do that), and so because of safety concerns, the teams running the French-built Michelin tires surrendered (how appropriate).

This will be huge black-eye on Formula 1, and may even end the U.S. Grand Prix forever. Indy officials were so incensed they refused to present the trophies to the podium finishers, and I'm sure Tony George is wondering how he's ever going to be able to put on an F1 race at his track again that anyone will attend, assuming he's even interested in working with the FIA again. He may be on the hook for huge dollars before this is all over. Fans were already screaming for refunds on their tickets.

The U.S. is the biggest market in the world, and F1 just made itself a joke with the American racing fans.