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EARLY ACCESS: BBV10s S12 E1 - Monza 2003 and the Michelin tyre controversy
🕑 Added 2025-06-24 16:10:10 +0000 UTCBring Back V10s Season 12 is here! And as part of The Race Members' Club, you get early access, ad-free listening, and for this episode, an EXTENDED cut with some extra segments that won't be in the main feed release.
We're kicking off the new season with one of our most requested topics: the 2003 Michelin tyre controversy that erupted ahead of that year's Italian Grand Prix.
Glenn Freeman, Edd Straw, and returning special guest Ted Kravitz dive into the tyre story in great detail, exploring how Ferrari and Bridgestone brought it to the FIA's attention, how the Michelin teams reacted, and how the fallout from the rule tweak spilled over into a spicy weekend in the Monza paddock.
We'll also explain how Ross Brawn nearly got himself into legal trouble with Michelin, and Ted reveals who Brawn took aim at in a memorable press conference exchange where he told a member of the media to stop laughing.
Other topics covered include Jacques Villeneuve's shaky future at BAR, teams raising concerns about F1's team orders ban, plus Marc Gene's last-minute stand-in heroics for Williams - and how his presence briefly confused the ITV F1 commentators AND the Ferrari pitwall during a crucial pitstop phase of the race.
Comments
Chris Parrott
1h 10 mins, it was at this point in the pod that the 2003 Italian Grand Prix started! π€£ loved this episode, great to hear from Ted! Perfect start to the new season!
Fernando
I remember an interview with Pierre Dupasquier a few years later, where he basically acknowledged that the whole issue was overblown and that they never actually changed the way they built tyres. I tried to find it a while ago, but to no avail. EDIT: oh my, here it is. They discuss It towards the end: https://www.atlasf1.com/2004/nov17/goren.html
