moments when just six cars lined up on the grid at the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway for the 2005 United States Grand Prix. What should
have been a showcase for the sport on American soil turned into an
absolute farce, one that left fans furious, the paddock divided,
and F1’s credibility in tatters. The crisis was triggered during
Friday practice when Ralf Schumacher’s Toyota suffered a violent
tyre failure at Turn 13, the high-speed banked final corner
borrowed from the famous oval. A second failure for stand-in
driver Ricardo Zonta in the same corner compounded the alarm.
Michelin’s subsequent investigation concluded that its tyres simply
could not safely withstand the loads generated through that corner
for a full race distance on the newly resurfaced track. Under the
2005 regulations, tyre changes during the race were banned. One set
had to last the entire grand prix. That was the crux of the
problem. Michelin’s rejected solutions Michelin proposed several
solutions: a temporary chicane before the banked corner,
dispensation to change tyres mid-race, or permission to use an
alternative tyre specification flown in from Europe. The FIA
rejected every proposal, arguing that altering the track layout or
tyre rules at the last minute would be unsafe and grossly unfair to
Bridgestone teams who had brought rubber capable of handling the
circuit. The result was devastating. All 20 cars completed the
formation lap before the 14 Michelin-shod machines peeled into the
pit lane and withdrew. Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher won from
teammate Rubens Barrichello, with Jordan’s Tiago Monteiro claiming
a remarkable, if hollow, maiden podium. All six starters scored
points. Felipe Massa, a Michelin-supplied Sauber driver at the
time, summed up the mood: “I feel really bad, but I feel like every
Michelin driver. This is bad for the sport.” Bad barely covers it.
The damage to F1’s reputation in the United States lingered for
years, and the sport would not return to Indianapolis after the
2007 season. Given the embarrassment of the 2005 race, what F1 has
gone to achieve in the United States is extraordinary and at least
evidence that even the worst of events can be recovered from.