So, it was the US Grand Prix over the weekend. Or should I say Money Grabbing Politics and Business Farce aka the Formula One US Grand Prix.

Only six cars competed.

And no-one outside of the F1 teams knew this until the cars finished the parade lap to line up for the grid. Not the 10’s of millions of fans sat at home, not the 100,000+ fans who had put an awful lot of money and time into being there. No-one had the imagination to find a solution. No-one had the courtesy to tell the fans.

Wind back to Friday first prectice sessions. Toyota experience two unusual, and highly dangerous Michelin tyre failures. Two days later, yes TWO WHOLE DAYS, and the cars are coming round to line up on the grid but only six of them make it. With seconds to go before the race start we finally find out the rumours are true, Michelin cannot safely race so seven out of the ten teams have to park up.

So what kind of answers did we get? Political ones. No one single person of the multi millionaires club had the decency to actually explain what was going on. They all hid behind political half answers and ducked questions.

“They were offered options but chose not to accept them,” Mosely (FIA) said.

“Had our ideas been followed, we could have guaranteed driver safety, the participation of our teams and added interest for the public.”, Michelin.

Ferrari, one of three teams to use Bridgestone tyres, vetoed a last-ditch proposal to modify the Indianapolis track’s lay-out by adding a chicane. (BBC)

Q (from post farce conference to Schumacher): I only want to know if it’s true that this morning you agreed with the other drivers that a chicane was needed?
A: No, we didn’t agree on anything like this. It is not our position to agree, it’s the FIA’s position to agree on this, not us.

And herein lies the problem. No fucker is prepared to accept responsibility.

Are the proposed changes put to teams and does one team have a veto or is it down ot the FIA? Did the FIA give Michelin realistic options to race which Michelin turned down, or, did Michelin propose sensible options which the FIA turned down? We’ll never know because it’s such a money grabbing business/political pile of crap.

The FIA, despite all it’s posturing, is not prepared to stand up and say, ‘the sport is more important than the politics – we control the sport so in extreme circumstances what we say goes’. They could have set a precedent, they could have made a decision for the good of the sport, for the 100’s of millions of fans who pay the drivers, the bosses, the management’s massively inflated wages, but as usual they took their double standards and hid.

Even the Indianapolis Motor Speedway are passing the buck. In their press release they stated “We suggest the fans who wish to make their feelings known, contact the following: Michelin [...] FIA [...] FOM”. So, not your fault either then.

“It was a bit of a strange Grand Prix”. Michael Schumacher, ‘race winner’.

Wow, really, no shit. But you did ‘win’ though so I guess that makes it ok. Although whether Ferrari really raced at all is highly dubious. We know for sure the team ordered them to back off and maintain position with around 15 laps to go. And there was I thinking team orders were banned. I guess FIAt are exempt.

“In any other business there’d be calls for the person who did this to resign”
Paul Stoddart, Minardi Team boss. Finally some sense.

Ultimately the blame rests with the FIA. They control the sport and they failed to find a solution to a solvable problem. The one-tyre rule, courtesy of Max Mosely, is the clincher.

“The FIA are waiting for a report. They may take legal action.” (Planet-F1) So more reports, more legal action, more bickering and squabbling, but still no racing.

And there you have it, money and politics. I’ve had a great idea for a new sport – it’s called Find The Sport In F1.

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