And Then There Were Three

After the uproar concerning the Michelin tyre failures and six-car race at Indianapolis two weeks ago, it was hoped that the French Grand Prix weekend would mark a comparatively quiet and uncontroversial return to normal Formula One racing. While the lack of penalties and punishments (at least, until September) had served to calm tensions between the seven Michelin team owners and Max Mosley, the FIA president found himself under fire from a different quarter - the drivers.

It had started with the declaration, signed by the Michelin and Minardi drivers, backing the teams' suggestion of a chicane and refuting the FIA's alternative of applying a speed limit through Indianapolis' banked Turn 13. That declaration drew an angry response from Mosley, who telephoned Red Bull Racing's David Coulthard to express his displeasure at the drivers' actions. Coulthard was singled out presumably because, as a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, his signature appeared at the head of the document, making him appear to be the chief instigator.