F1 Indy Woes

They say it happened before, but I couldn't imagine so many cars and teams opting NOT to run for safety concerns. That is what a stunned crowd of over100,000 had to swallow, and in typical American fashion, showed their displeasure by reigning debris over the drivers and track. A television audience around the world tuned out early over disgust at the farce, as Derek Daly kept saying, that had overtaken Ecclestone's F1 racing.
Tire manufacturer of many of the teams, 14 of the 20 cars, Michelin issued a statement on race day saying they couldn't guarantee the performance of their tires due to excessive load inflicted while in turn 13, or turn 1 Indy style, perhaps the fastest turn in Formula 1. Several failures during practice and qualifying left Michelin puzzled as to why the tires failed; only one failure happened during turn 13, coincidentally, Ralf Schumacher's left rear failed and sent him into the new safer barrier- a crash eirily remeniscent of a more severe crash just last year on the same turn and the same tires.
FIA fired off a letter and released it to the media pointing out that Michelin should have had substitute sets of tires for teams, in the event the team should need to change, which to me was an obvious attempt to deflect blame. Regardless, the FIA effectively scrapped the only plausible solution to the events that ended up taking place.
In a move to salvage the day, Indianapolis Motor Speedway with Michelin posed the addition of a chicane before the fast turn to reduce the speed when the cars passed through the turn, reducing the load.
But FIA, from London, would not, or could not sanction the race if the circuit changed without approval, making the race a non-points-paying race. Obviously, teams with other tire makers would have been penalized in that scenario.
Not lost to me was the tremendous deflation of emotions on the day. When the crowd turned nasty, the posh Europeans withdrew into themselves, and sniffed and sought the exits. Montiero was the only high spirited of the three podium finishers, Michael Schumacher with a nail biting pass of Barrichello again for the win and Rubens in second.
Commentators Varsha and Hobbs were speechless (not literally), but told us it was not the first time. Appearently dramas such as this are not unprecedented. A dark cloud has settled over Formula 1 this year, and it's center is over the tires. Until they (FIA) relieve the unbelievable strain placed on the teams to qualify and finish the race on a single set of tires, these failures will continue. Oddly enough, it was Bridgestone that seemed most unable to cope with the new tire requirements earlier in the season. Now, Michelin is under the gun, and with a debacle such as our generation has never seen, FIA will be under it's fans' microscope to improve conditions from impossible back to merely difficult!
Perhaps the most disturbing factoid coming out of the day was the similarity to the above referenced Formula 1 race inwhich over half of the teams sat out in protest, and again, it was two Ferrari's that outclassed the diminished field to a predictable finish. A dangerous pass by Pironi over teammate Gil Villneuve, against teams' orders, so inflamed Villneuve he vowed never to speak to Pironi again. Tragically, at the next race, at Imola, Villeneuve pushed his car harder than ever before, some said to out-qualify his teammate, and crashed violently, senslessly, fatally.
Needless to say, it was a black day for Formula 1 then, and it's a black day for FIA, Eccleston, and Michelin today.
Too bad the drivers who were prepared to race bore the fan's ire.