And the funny thing is that this is the 6th F1 race on this track, so it's not like Michelin was caught by surprise. Michelin was well aware of the track & the corner in question AND that the track had recently been resurfaced. Their tires had been running on the track for tons of practice laps, so their weak-ass Frenchie excuses don't hold any water.
They(Michelin) were also one of the parties that lobbied for the one set of tire per qualifying & race rule because they thought they could rub Bridgestone's nose in caca. Nobody said BOO when Bridgestone had tire problems awhile back and you sure as hell didn't see Bridgestone whining and throwing a tantrum for a last second rules change to accommodate them.
George, as a long time fan, you probably share my sentiment that Formula One, as we know it, is dying. With all of the rule changes(read "handicapping") in the last two years, F1 is barely ahead of CART. I can't believe Bernie has taken the pinnacle of all motorsports, where almost all major advances in the automotive industry are either created, advanced or perfected, and turned it into just another handicapping race.
Formula One used to be a very Darwinian place where the fittest teams won and the weak aspired to win by evolving into a better team or didn't and died out.
For anyone that wants to find out more about F1 here's a couple of my favorite sites:
http://f1.racing-live.com/en/index.html
http://www.formula1.com/