Could the chicane issue have been solved?

As was well documented over the course of the weekend, the installation of a chicane at Indianapolis could have solved the Michelin tyre problem and allowed 20 cars to take to the grid for the start of the United States Grand Prix - and the decision not to install one well and truly split the grid.

Following Michelin's warning to its seven teams that it could not guarantee there would be no repeat of the blowout which put Ralf Schumacher into the wall at turn 13 - again - the suggestion was put to the FIA that a chicane would slow the cars down and solve the problem of the 14 Michelin-shod cars being on rubber which wasn't suitable for the increased load generated while taking the high speed banked turn.

"Given the combination of oval exit speed of the F1 cars and the subsequent downforces experienced by the tyres Michelin is not able to guarantee that such incidents would not reoccur during race conditions," Michelin said ahead of race day. "Therefore Michelin is not able to guarantee the total safety of the drivers.

"As a result, Michelin, in total agreement with our partner teams has asked the FIA that a chicane, allowing the reduction of car speed be installed at the entrance to the oval. In this condition the Indianapolis F1 GP would be able to take place with the tyres that we used during the qualification."

Although nine out of ten teams agreed that a chicane could have been installed, the FIA and Jean Todt of Ferrari refused to give permission for one to be put in place, meaning that no-one was totally sure what would happen when the 20 cars left the grid to complete the warm-up lap. However within minutes it became clear what the situation was as the 14 Michelin cars peeled off into the pit-lane to retire from the event.

"I have a horrible feeling in my stomach," David Coulthard, who was heard on the team radio as late as the halfway around the lap saying that he wanted to race, sighed when interviewed by ITV as the race got underway. "I have never experienced anything like this in my career. It will leave a long-lasting bad taste, and I'm embarrassed to be involved with it.

"It's not Bridgestone's fault [that the race got underway with just six runners], because it was a technical problem with the Michelins, but, when it came down to it, no-one could find a resolution. Mature adults simply were not able to reach a decision that would enable us to put on a show."

"A chicane could have been built in that short timeframe, definitely," Sauber driver Jacques Villeneuve added. "That would have been very easy, but Ferrari didn't want to, I think. With the chicane, the tyre would have been safe. We were just hoping a chicane would have been put in, because then we could have raced."

Even Minardi boss Paul Stoddart, who saw his team score double points as a result of the Michelin pull-out would have been happy to see the chicane installed.

"Nine of the ten competing teams had agreed that, in the interests of safety, a temporary chicane needed to be placed before the final turn," he said, "and that unless that took place, the nine teams would not compete. This idea was rejected by FIA President Max Mosley, and in no uncertain terms, the teams were told that, should this occur, there would be no race. This, in my opinion, is clearly not in the interests of the sport, the American public, or Formula One fans around the world."

But with the FIA issuing a statement to attack the teams that withdrew, it is even clearer than a chicane had never been an option.

"Formula One is a sporting contest," the governing body said. "It must operate to clear rules. These cannot be negotiated each time a competitor brings the wrong equipment to a race.

"The Michelin teams seemed unable to understand that [a chicane] would have been grossly unfair as well as contrary to the rules. The Bridgestone teams had suitable tyres. They did not need to slow down. The Michelin teams' lack of speed through turn 13 would have been a direct result of inferior equipment, as often happens in Formula One.

"A chicane would have forced all cars, including those with tyres optimised for high-speed, to run on a circuit whose characteristics had changed fundamentally - from ultra-high speed (because of turn 13) to very slow and twisting. It would also have involved changing the circuit without following any of the modern safety procedures, possibly with implications for the cars and their brakes. It is not difficult to imagine the reaction of an American court had there been an accident (whatever its cause) with the FIA having to admit it had failed to follow its own rules and safety procedures."

But could that chicane have been installed without causing any major problems for the Bridgestone runners? Well certainly so in the eyes of Crash.net cartoonist Sprocket with his latest take on F1 action....