<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by PARAGON:
Whew!!!! Hit a dry socket, did I? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
That hurts... A lot! Let's not go there...

F1A found all seven teams guilty of major infractions but has deferred punishment until September to allow assessment of the teams efforts at rectifying the harm they caused. Michelin has offered reimbursement to the fans who came to the race and 20,000 tickets for the next Indy F1 race. Of course michelin can not be sanctioned because they are not an F1 member. They still have a loooong way to go to restore F1 in the U.S., although a Las Vegas race would be a good start ala Monico.

F1 is considering having a single tire supplier next season to cut costs (and technology gains) through decreased competition. I doubt F1 is currently favoring Michelin for that slot.

The fact that the teams being sanctioned include all of the mass production car companies (Toyota, Honda, BMW, Mercedes, and Renault) suggests to me that Michelin is banking on either (a) being the tire company for a break away series sponsored by Toyota, Honda, et. al. or (b) being bailed out by those same car companies' political clout within F1.

If F1 focused more on racing and less on politics, they would have the U.S. fan appeal of NASCAR. That won't happen, though, because F1 is above all focused on greed.

George SSSS