2005 United States GP: tyre farce at Indianapolis, only six cars start

Michael Schumacher won the 2005 United States GP ahead of his Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello. Tiago Monteiro finished third for Jordan, a lap down. The race was settled before it had even started: after the formation lap, all 14 Michelin-shod cars peeled off into the pit lane. At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, only the six Bridgestone runners from Ferrari, Jordan and Minardi took part in the race.

The crisis began in Friday's free practice. Ralf Schumacher's Toyota suddenly snapped away at Turn 13, the banked final corner, and slammed into the concrete wall. Ralf was unhurt, but it was the second year in a row that he had suffered a heavy crash at that spot. He said at the time: “The car suddenly got away from me without any warning in T13.” Shortly before, his stand-in Ricardo Zonta had also ended up in the gravel with a tyre problem. Toyota chief race engineer Dieter Gass suspected a failure of the left-rear tyre in both accidents (source 5).

Michelin supplied seven teams and could not identify the cause straight away. The manufacturer said it could only guarantee the safety of its tyres for around ten laps unless the cars slowed down in Turn 13. The 2005 regulations banned tyre changes during the race, and the track had also been resurfaced shortly beforehand with a more abrasive surface (source 2). The engineers later concluded that the unusual lateral and vertical loads in the banked corner had deformed the tyres (source 3).

The Michelin teams proposed a temporary chicane before Turn 13. According to Motor Sport Magazine, Bernie Ecclestone and circuit boss Tony George also backed the idea. FIA president Max Mosley refused: the chicane was neither homologated nor safety-checked, the FIA could be held liable in a US court, and it would be unfair on the Bridgestone teams (source 3). Race director Charlie Whiting stated that with a modified track the race would no longer count towards the championship (source 2).

There was still no solution shortly before the start. It was especially bitter for Toyota, as Jarno Trulli had taken the team's first ever pole position on Saturday (source 6). Alongside him was Kimi Räikkönen in the McLaren, with Jenson Button (BAR) and Giancarlo Fisichella (Renault) behind them. Schumacher started fifth, Barrichello seventh. After the formation lap, all the Michelin drivers headed into the pits, among them championship leader Fernando Alonso, Juan Pablo Montoya, Mark Webber and Nick Heidfeld of Williams, Takuma Sato, Felipe Massa and Jacques Villeneuve of Sauber, Zonta, and David Coulthard and Christian Klien of Red Bull. The official results list all 14 as “Withdrew” with zero laps. According to Wikipedia, Jordan had initially agreed to withdraw but changed its mind at the last minute (source 2).

What little tension there was came almost entirely from the two Ferraris. Schumacher led from the first lap, with Barrichello staying close behind. Schumacher lost time at the first pit stop: according to Crash.net, he was stationary for a total of 16 seconds because the mechanics checked the left-rear tyre, possibly because of debris thrown onto the track by spectators (source 4). That handed Barrichello the lead from lap 27.

Ferrari gave Schumacher more fuel and let him attack. From lap 49, Schumacher was back in front. After his quick final fuel stop came the tense moment of the day on the run down to Turn 1: Schumacher claimed the racing line and Barrichello had to take to the grass (sources 2, 4). Race Control did not investigate the incident (source 2). Ferrari then ordered its drivers to bring both cars home safely. According to Wikipedia, Schumacher won by 1.522 seconds and also set the fastest lap (sources 1, 2).

Behind them, Jordan and Minardi fought it out. Right at the start, Christijan Albers defended against Narain Karthikeyan along the pit wall, and the two narrowly avoided contact. During the pit stops, Karthikeyan and Albers briefly had a shot at the podium. But Monteiro was ahead for most of the race and took third place (source 4).

Measured against grid positions, the backmarkers gained the most places. Karthikeyan went from 19th on the grid to fourth (15 places gained), Monteiro from 17th to third and Patrick Friesacher from 20th to sixth (14 each), and Albers from 18th to fifth (13). According to Crash.net, Karthikeyan, Albers and Friesacher scored their first championship points in the process (source 4). Crash.net also reported that Monteiro was not quite sure what to make of his unexpected opportunity. Ferrari skipped the champagne spraying, and Schumacher and Barrichello left the podium quickly (source 4).

The biggest losers were the fans. They booed and whistled during the race and threw beer cans onto the track (source 3). According to Wikipedia, many left the grandstands after just a few laps, and refunds were demanded (source 2). In sporting terms, Trulli was the one who suffered: nothing came of Toyota's first pole.

With no Michelin driver scoring, nothing changed at the top: Alonso led the 2005 standings with 59 points ahead of Räikkönen on 37. Schumacher moved up two places to third on 34 points, and Barrichello up three places to fourth on 29 points. As a result, Trulli (27) and Heidfeld (25) dropped to fifth and sixth. In the constructors' standings, Renault led with 76 points, while Ferrari drew level with McLaren on 63 points. Jordan now had 11 points, Minardi 7.

According to Wikipedia, it was Schumacher's 84th Grand Prix win (source 2), but hardly anyone celebrated it. Crash.net called it a hollow victory (source 4). With only six cars at the finish, Indianapolis set an unwanted record for major single-seater races at the venue, according to Wikipedia (source 2).

The fallout went far beyond race day. At the end of June, the FIA World Motor Sport Council initially found the Michelin teams partly guilty, but overturned the verdict in July. Michelin offered spectators a refund of their tickets (source 2). Looking back from a later vantage point: it remained Monteiro's only podium in Formula 1, and Jordan's last (source 2).