F1 tries to win forgiveness following Indy debacle
(AP)
Updated: 2006-06-29 11:45
INDIANAPOLIS _ It was one of the lowest moments in recent Formula One
history, when 14 cars ducked off the track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a
boycott of last year's United States Grand Prix.
The drivers were concerned about the safety of their Michelin tires, which
had several failures during race preparations. When no solution was offered and
no compromise could be agreed upon, they refused to race.
"The problem was just too much of a safety issue," driver Giancarlo
Fisichella said. "The best thing to do was just go home."
But when they walked out the back gate at Indy, they might have permanently
tarnished F1 in America.
As F1 returns to the U.S. GP in Indy this weekend, the series' future is at a
serious crossroads in the only country which has yet to embrace it. The contract
with the Speedway expires after this event, and no one is 100 percent sure it
will be back.
Speedway president Joie Chitwood said that, assuming Sunday's event is
problem-free, Indy wants to bring back the race it began hosting in 2000.
"We absolutely would want to continue the relationship," Chitwood said.
"We've made a huge investment in our facility to host the race, and it was for a
seven-year event. We think it can be successful in America, and Indy is the
place it should be."
But when asked if F1 organizers wanted to remain in Indy _ or America for
that matter _ Chitwood had no answer.
"I've learned that it's not safe to try to figure out what Formula One
thinks," he said. "But I would hope they would feel the same way we do."
Even that is up for debate, especially after F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone made
puzzling comments in several interviews last week. Ecclestone downplayed the
importance of having a presence in the U.S., and said he wouldn't back down off
the enormous fee (estimated to be $20 million, euro16 million) he charges
promoters to host a Grand Prix.
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