Evil_Capri

MAN . . .how bad could Kimi's accident have been!! And Button was lucky as well. I am not a fan of this 1 set tire rule this year. :notnice:

And congratutlation to the Cossie who got a 4th place finish!

jgsmuzzy

I was shouting at the tv to Kimi to PIT 6 points is better than nothing!!!!!

Well done Red Bull Racing (as Jason said!), for a first season team, they are set to break records!!

00StangGT

I have never seen Ferrari ravaged by so many mechanical failures before. Broken equipment; blown tires, etc.

What happened to Kimi?? I didn't get to watch it.

Evil_Capri

This . .

from speedtv.com

Raikkonen's Dramatic Nurburgring Sequence
Written by: Cassio Cortes
Nurburg, Germany – 5/30/2005 Raikkonen's right-front suspension collapses from the vibration of the flat-spotted tire... (LAT Photo)

Kimi Raikkonen’s last-lap crash at the European Grand Prix has produced several consequences besides impressive images.

The Finn’s right-front suspension shattered itself to pieces thanks to a flat-spotted tire, a result of heavy brake-locking while lapping Jacques Villeneuve’s Sauber. The collapse of the suspensions’ wishbone sent Kimi’s car into a high-speed spin at the Nurburgring’s front stretch, then caused the car to shoot straight through turn one and into the tire barriers, just barely missing Jenson Button’s BAR in the process.

The controversy started immediately after the end of the race won by Renault’s Fernando Alonso, as the incident showed just how dangerous the sport’s new 2005 regulations, which forbid tire changes unless an “imminent risk� of accident exists, can be.

McLaren was the first one to come under fire, as it could have called Raikkonen to replace the damaged tire, a move that would have certainly cost the Finn a shot at victory but likely would have secured some important championship points. But according to team CEO Martin Whitmarsh, Raikkonen backed the team’s decision to keep him out.
...sending him into a high-speed spin headed in the way of Jenson Button's BAR... (LAT Photo)

"It has been commented on all the way through, these regulations have given us a dilemma, which we would rather not have. But Kimi accepted we made the right decision,� he stated.

“Obviously [the accident] has demonstrated how dangerous [the new rules] are," he added.

Tire supplier Michelin exempted itself from responsibility, also placing the blame on Raikkonen’s locking of his brakes and on the new regulations.

“He flat-spotted his front-right tire, which caused a serious vibration that clearly took its toll in the race's closing stages,� the company’s motorsport boss, Pierre Dupasquier, explained. “When he made his second scheduled stop on lap 43, we could see the problem very clearly, but the trouble is that it becomes very easy to lock your brakes repeatedly once a tire has been flat-spotted, and that just amplifies the problem.�
...then finally into a halt at the tire barriers, from which the Finn emerged unscathed. (LAT Photo)

BMW motorsport chief Mario Theissen backed McLaren’s decision to keep Kimi on track, but agreed a rethinking of the rules is necessary.

"I would prefer to have a standard tire but then to change it as often as you want during the race," he affirmed. "The main reason to introduce the current rules is to save money and I think we could save more with a standard spec tire with no testing and then change them as often as you want.�

A good concept no doubt, but one that does nothing to tamper Raikkonen’s deep disappointment after seeing a chance to reduce his gap to Alonso on the standings to 20 points become a 32-point deficit.

“It’s a sh*t feeling,� the Finn repeated several times after climbing out the mangled MP4-20....

f1-cobra

Here are some more pics of Kimi's tire problem:
[attachmentid=22860]
[attachmentid=22861]

These were at the first corner:

[attachmentid=22862]

[attachmentid=22863]

Scothew

wow!

DanS.02GT

I would hope that the FIA is taking a long, hard look at the tire rules right now. It's even stupider than the agregate qualifying, which has fortunately been dropped.