You guys - especially those who watched the race along with us here live - won't believe this. How could the Stewards possibly see it this way?? They must have been watching a different race.

From Autosport.

In the end, Lewis brought this on himself with reckless driving in the first turn and then just pure stupidity in lap two. But Massa took out Bourdais - not the other way around. But instead of losing points and a position, he gains points.

All McLaren vs. Ferrari jousting aside, how could this be? Everyone saw what happened. All three announcers speculated that Massa would be penalized. Then Bourdais gets slapped with the penalty.

This short piece from F1Live.com pretty much sums up what everyone knows - but few like to admit.

The comedy of errors continues.

 

F1 definitely CANNOT afford to take any hits at this point. With the economy in the toilet, companies are going to cut sponsorship of frivolities like sponsoring an F1 team. F1 fans are going to find themselves using their F1 tickets for other things, like groceries or fuel.

This season has been appalling when it comes to the "stewards". More like monkeys. In the off-season, the argument for professional, full-season stewards will have plenty of weight.

That said, I'm looking forward to the last two races, cheating and all!

 

Holy crap! I can't believe the stewards could be so blind! Clearly Massa was in the wrong! I still think Hamilton will pull of the overall championship, but this really raises some serious questions.

 

They were talking about ING doing an online survey of what fans think of F1. We need to get a copy and circulate to EVERYONE we can and complain about things like this. So yes they gave FM a drive through, but then the essentially took it back with this move. Only in F1...I hate Bernie

 

Abused-wife syndrome? When do we pack our bags and leave? If we do, will it matter to Bernie? Probably not, there will be new fans filling our shoes in no time.

What to do? What to do?

 

This is what happens when you have an international monopoly. Competition is a good thing.

The entire Canadian government is outraged that the Grand Prix there was cancelled. They are mobilizing all of their country's resources to sway Bernie.

Can you imagine that happening here?

 

you forget, no one here cares about F1. to think the US deserves a GP with such little domestic interest in the sport is laughable to bernie and others at FOM. there are too many emerging markets with deep pockets and stout fanbases lining up to host a GP.

personally, i am looking forward to slicks being re-introduced next year. this graining problem has gotten out of hand and a 2-3 lap optimal performance window just doesn't make for great racing. slicks will quell consistency issues and show which drivers are not only the most talented but also who have the most shrewd racecraft. my only concern is the single tire supplier, now that's an area that definitely needs some competition.

 

I respect your point of view, but I strongly disagree.

In June of 2007 I attended a GP in the United States - in INDIANA of all places. There were 400,000 people there. The world literally descended on Indianapolis. There was not an empty seat in the house. Yet, at every European GP this year - including Valencia - there were huge blocks of unsold tickets and rows of empty seats. World Feed tried to avoid showing the empty seats on TV. But Bob Varsha would not let it go unnoticed.

My son (Oversteer) this shot during the final lap of the USGP in 2007. Literally thousands of photographers lined the track taking photos.



There is plenty of interest in F1 in the U.S. And even if there isn't, why does the interest have to be domestic? What if they had a race in Vegas - running through the downtown area? You don't think that race would draw people from all over the world? Does it matter if the race is attended by the international community and not U.S. citizens? You don't need domestic interest to have a successful GP. All of the money is in TV rights and licensing anyway.

In addition, if you had a series of successful GPs in the U.S. and were able to drum up some domestic interest, maybe Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen (which I know is partially owned by Porsche) might get involved. Audi owns Lambo and Bugatti - they too might be interested in fielding a team. They have all expressed interest in F1 if there was a stronger U.S. presence.

And don't forget, Ferrari sold almost 25% of its cars in the U.S. in 2007 (2000 out of roughly 6,000). I think even the tifosi would like to see that number increase.

So, if you ask me, I see the U.S. as the key to a new era of F1 competition.

 

Dana, the problem with the US winning a GP spot is the endless $$$ some organizers are willing to spend to bring F1 to their shores...not that many willing to take that risk here.

To touch on Indy, you couldn't find a less appealing location for a GP in the US. The traveling circus that is F1 needs more than a first class track. The host track almost has to have a hustling bustling night life to entertain the thousands of fans and it has to be in close proximity to the track.

Vegas would be a go, as well as NYC, Miami, etc. Oh, Montreal too.

 

An F1 race at Laguna Seca would be a dream come true....