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The United States Grand Prix gets underway this weekend at the Circuit of the Americas. The Formula One race in Austin, Texas, marks the second of three Grands Prix in the US this year, along with Miami and Las Vegas. Austin has welcomed the F1 paddock every year since 2012, with the exception of the Covid-19-affected 2020 season. But there was a five-year absence of any American track on the calendar prior to 2012, owing to one of the most controversial and damaging events in the sport’s modern history.
The 2005 US Grand Prix at Indianapolis is often remembered as one of the most infamous F1 weekends, given that only six of the 20 cars on the grid actually competed. The remaining fourteen entrants, all using Michelin tyres, completed the formation lap but pulled into the pit lane and retired before the start due to safety concerns.
At the Indianapolis race track, the banking on Turn 13 caused severe lateral loads that triggered multiple Michelin tyre failures during practice. Michelin advised its seven customer teams - Renault, McLaren, Williams, BAR, Toyota, Red Bull and Sauber - that without a reduction in speed in Turn 13, the tyres provided for the race would only be safe for 10 laps.
The situation was exacerbated by F1’s governing body, the FIA, prohibiting the changing of tyres during races that season. A single set of tyres had to last through both Saturday qualifying and the entire Grand Prix, with changes only allowed for punctures or in wet weather conditions.
The FIA refused a proposal from Michelin to allow a chicane to be installed in order to slow down the cars, believing such rule changes would be unfair to the three Bridgestone-shod teams and that last-minute changes to the track layout could be dangerous.
As such, only the Bridgestone-equipped cars of Ferrari (Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher), Jordan (Tiago Monteiro, Narain Karthikeyan), and Minardi (Christijan Albers, Patrick Friesacher) took the green flag.
Big moments. Packed grandstands. A championship battle that’s heating up.
When the Formula 1 season delivers like this, watching from home just isn’t the same as being there when the lights go out.
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WithFernando Alonso, Giancarlo Fisichella, Kimi Räikkönen, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jenson Button, Takuma Sato, Jarno Trulli, Ricardo Zonta, Mark Webber, Nick Heidfeld, David Coulthard, Christian Klien, Felipe Massa and Jacques Villeneuve not taking part in the race, Schumacher claimed his only victory of 2005 while Barrichello finished second and Monteiro secured third. The two Ferrari drivers quietly accepted their trophies while Monteiro stayed behind to joyously celebrate his first and only podium.
The spectators, meanwhile, reacted furiously, having been let down by the hugely underwhelming race as a result of the Michelin teams’ boycott. Boos and angry chants rang out from the stands, while beer cans were also thrown during the trophy ceremony.
The FIA World Motor Sport Council initially charged the Michelin teams with damaging the image of F1. But, in December 2005, the World Motor Sport Council fully exonerated the teams after recognising they had no lawful choice under local safety liabilities.
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Nevertheless, it was a massive public relations disaster for both Michelin and the sport. Michelin sought to make amends by refunding the face value of all race-day tickets (totalling tens of millions of dollars) and purchased 20,000 tickets for the 2006 race to distribute free to 2005 ticket holders.
The tyre manufacturer later cited a fundamental mismatch between its racing goals and the direction the FIA was taking the sport, resulting in its final appearance at the Brazilian Grand Prix in October 2006.
The fiasco also alienated the American fan base, and F1 abandoned Indianapolis after 2007. Bernie Ecclestone had described the future of F1 in the US as "not good" prior to the race start during an interview with ITV’s Martin Brundle. Red Bull’s David Coulthard, meanwhile, said that "it throws into doubt the future of the race in the US".
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