Michelin-shod teams guilty but will appeal as FIA delays any punishment

Paris--The F1 teams who failed to race at Indianapolis two weeks ago have been found guilty of failing to ensure that they were in possession of suitable tyres for the 2005 US Grand Prix; but with strong, mitigating circumstances; and guilty of wrongfully refusing to allow their cars to start the race, having regard to their right to use the pit lane on each lap. The teams were cleared of the other charges.

The hearing was held by the The World Motor Sport Council in Paris. That body has decided to adjourn discussion of any penalty to an extraordinary meeting of the WMSC to be held on 14 September 2005, The WMSC said the extent of the penalties would depand on what steps have been taken by the seven Michelin teams and/or their tyre supplier to prevent any recurrence and to what steps they have taken to compensate the Formula One fans and repair the damage to the reputation of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and to the image of Formula One.

Six of the seven teams using Michelin tyres issued a joint statement saying they would appeal against the ruling. B.A.R Honda, BMW Williams, Renault F1 Team, Sauber Petronas, Team McLaren Mercedes, Toyota Motorsport GmbH all said they were very disappointed by the decision of the World Motor Sport Council to find them guilty of two of the five charges brought against them by the FIA in relation to the 2005 U.S. Grand Prix at Indianapolis. Red Bull Racing, which runs on Michelin tyres, did not issue the joint statement.

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Statement from FIA

Joint press release from michelin-shod teams