Mosley stands by Indy decision
FIA president Max Mosley insists he was right to stand firm prior to last weekend’s Indianapolis fiasco.
Mosley made it clear before the United States Grand Prix that the world governing body would not accept changes to the Indianapolis track to ease safety concerns over Michelin tyres.
He blocked the introduction of a chicane, effectively forcing seven teams to pull out of the race after the warm-up lap and earning fierce criticism, most notably from old enemy Paul Stoddart.
But Mosley has hit back after the Minardi chief demanded his resignation, claiming a hastily-introduced chicane had the potential to do more damage than the six-car farce.
He said: “You cannot do that if you wish to remain a sport. Formula One is a sport which entertains. It is not entertainment disguised as sport.
“But even more importantly Formula One is a dangerous activity and it would be most unwise to make fundamental changes to a circuit without following tried and tested procedures.
“What happened was bad, but it can be put right. This is not true of a fatality. Suppose there had been a fatal accident – how could we have justified such a breach of our fundamental safety procedures to an American court?
“There was no safety issue with the circuit. The problem was some teams had brought the wrong tyres. It would be like making all the athletes in a 100m sprint run barefoot because some had forgotten their shoes.”
Mosley has summoned all seven Michelin teams to a world motorsport council meeting next Wednesday to answer charges of bringing the sport into disrepute.
He contends that the teams – not Michelin – were responsible for the mass pull-out, arguing that Michelin’s advice was to not race at full speed through turn 13, not to withdraw altogether.
Mosley claims the decision was down to the teams, who were offered the option of a Michelin-only speed limit through the corner or using the pit lane on each lap to avoid the turn.
However, he insists next week’s hearing will not be a witch-hunt, adding: “We will listen carefully to what the teams have to say. There are two sides to every story and the seven teams must have a full opportunity to tell theirs.
“The atmosphere will be calm and polite. The world motorsport council members come from all over the world and will undoubtedly take a decision that is fair and balanced.”
