Montezmolo Blames Tyre Rules For US Fiasco - Fri 24th Jun 2005
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has said that the crisis which hit last weekend?s US Grand Prix was the ?almost inevitable? by-product of the 2005 tyre regulations.
Instead of blaming Michelin, Montezemolo turned his fire on the rule requiring a single set of tyres to be used for qualifying and the entire race distance, which he argues gives the teams no room for manoeuvre if a tyre problem comes to light.
?I have too much respect for Michelin, with whom we too have won plenty of times in the past, to pass judgment and fail to understand the delicate situation in which they are finding themselves,? Montezemolo told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.
?Besides, in a championship I?ve long been defining as ?of tyres?, sooner or later the exasperation and the risks of the most extreme innovations were almost inevitable.
?The fact that tyres can?t be changed during a race is against nature, so when there are some problems they tend to be magnified, resulting in what unfortunately happened in Indianapolis.
?There the most damaged party was without a doubt the public, but Formula 1 had one of its darkest moments.?
Montezemolo?s show of sympathy for Michelin did not extend to endorsing its proposal for an impromptu chicane to be added to the Indianapolis circuit, however.
?The Federation [FIA] showed itself to be very responsible by not surrendering to demagogies and to the rightful expectations of the public, for which, unfortunately, F1 did not show its best face,? he said.
?The idea of an improvised chicane at the last minute was absolutely absurd ? this is not the circus.
?It?s like a soccer team missing its top scorers [asking] to have the goal posts moved to shrink or enlarge the goals. What a joke.?
Montezemolo added that Ferrari did its best for the fans by ?giving life to a real race among our two drivers and not just going on a stroll, as the television audience [testified to] through some notable ratings?.
He also claimed that the Maranello team has been a consistent upholder of the integrity of the sport?s regulations, which ?in the last three years have been changed as many times in order to make life hard for Ferrari?.
?I want to highlight that Ferrari are the only team who, since 51 years ago, have always participated in racing with sporting spirit and respect for the regulations,? Montezemolo said.
?In the F1 world Ferrari are always Ferrari, by respecting three values ? passion for the sport, fair challenges and our fans.
?What Ferrari did in Indianapolis was perfectly in line with our history.?
