Throwback Thursday: The Formula 1 Race That Became a Farce

There are a variety of ways to describe the 2005 United States Grand Prix. It was among the most controversial races in Formula 1 history; it was a painfully tedious 90 minutes of motorsport for TV viewers and spectators in the stands; and, above all, it was deeply embarrassing for F1 in a market the sport was desperate to crack.

But let's keep this simple: it was a shambles. And it happened 10 years ago this week on June 19, 2005.

This U.S. race aside, 2005 was a great season for Formula 1. After five years of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari dominating the sport, two young talents — Renault's Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen of McLaren — were fighting for their first world title. Kimi had the faster car, but Fernando was the more consistent. It was hugely entertaining and helped to make both men megastars of the sport.

But, at the U.S. race, squabbling, politics and bullshit managed to overshadow the action on-track. It wasn't the first or last time this sort of scenario has played out, but it was certainly among the worst.

A little background. Since taking the helm of the sport, Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has been obsessed by the prospect of a successful race in the U.S. Following a number of failed attempts in areas as diverse as Las Vegas, Phoenix, and New York State, the grand prix moved to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2000.

This was seen as a perfect match. The circuit is one of the most famous on the planet as host to the annual Indianapolis 500, and is more closely linked to motorsport than any other location in the U.S. If F1 was going to work in the States, this was the place for it.

In reality, the sport's eight-year stay there was fraught and, at times, shambolic. There was controversy in 2002 when Schumacher and Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello attempted to stage a dead heat, while the track — which had a new 'infield' section added for F1 cars — failed to produce much in the way of entertainment.

By 2005 the relationship between F1 and Indy was showing signs of strain. What happened at that year's race played a key role in ending F1's stay in Indiana.

During the '05 season, two tyre manufacturers were active in F1: Michelin supplied seven teams, while Bridgestone took care of the remaining three. Michelin cars had dominated up to this stage, winning all eight races prior to the U.S. Grand Prix. They were fast at Indianapolis, too.

But their rubber was not holding together at Indy. During practice, a number of Michelin entrants suffered tyre failures at the scary-fast final turn, which was not helped by the fact that the track was surrounded by a concrete barrier. Ralf Schumacher had a particularly big hit, which forced him to withdraw from the weekend.

Ralf Schumacher hit the wall hard, then gave his car a swift kick in retribution

Michelin blamed the high speed of the track's fast, banked final turn, and estimated that their tyre would only last 10 laps during the race.

That would be a disaster at the best of times, but in 2005 it was worse still. In one of F1's more bizarre rule tweaks, cars were not permitted to change tyres at all during a grand prix, meaning they'd need to complete 73 laps. The situation for Michelin runners was clear: starting the race would mean risking a huge accident. With fans sat above the final turn and the possibility of debris becoming airborne, they'd have been fools to compete.

Michelin wanted a chicane installed ahead of the final corner to slow cars down and reduce tyre wear. Their teams were all on board, as were two of the Bridgestone outfits, Jordan and Minardi

However, the FIA — F1's governing body — refused, insisting that it would be unfair on Bridgestone, who had built a tyre capable of handling the corner. Ferrari also opposed the plan, arguably because they knew an easy one-two finish was on offer. With a compromise seemingly impossible, squabbling ensued.

But while they couldn't last a race, the Michelin cars were still fast. With qualifying requiring just a handful of laps, they comfortably took the first four positions on the grid, and accounted for eight of the top 10. Bridgestone-shod cars were fifth and seventh thanks to the two Ferarris, but their next entrants filled the last four spots on the grid (17th through 20th).

The race, however, would clearly be a totally different matter and the Michelin teams, unable to reach a compromise, decided not to participate. They took their spots on the grid for the parade lap, but pulled into the pits before the race began.

And that is how just six cars came to start the 2005 U.S. Grand Prix amidst a chorus of boos from a stunned crowd.

This was huge disaster in itself — to hear an entire crowd boo at a grand prix is extremely rare — but it got worse. Because of the six cars left, two were Ferraris and the remaining four were the Jordans and Minardis, the two slowest teams that season.

So Ferrari — already unpopular after what had happened in 2002 — disappeared to an easy win, with the particularly unpopular Schumacher beating team-mate Barrichello by 1.5 seconds. Third went to Tiago Monteiro in the Jordan, a lap down on the winner; his team-mate Narian Karthikeyan was fourth, with the Minardis of Christijan Albers and Patrick Freisacher fifth and sixth respectively. Aside from one moment of drama – when Schumacher squeezed Barrichello after the Brazilian exited the pits and challenged for the lead – it was a dire sporting spectacle.

On the podium Schumacher and Barrichello looked morose, aware that their team had scored another huge PR own goal in the U.S. One man was happy, however: Monteiro had scored his first top-three finish in F1 and didn't give a toss how it had come about. The Portuguese knew he might never get an opportunity to celebrate like this again, and bounded on to the podium blowing kisses to the crowd. While the Ferrari drivers left without spraying their champagne, Monteiro went mad with his.

Tiago Monteiro enjoyed his dubious moment in the sun

Afterwards, F1 quickly looked to forget the race, but its repercussions were felt for some time. Mercifully, the rule banning changing tyres during a race was dropped for 2006. The race strengthened the perception that the FIA favoured Ferrari (it's a long-running joke that FIA stands for 'Ferrari International Assistance'). It also hastened Formula 1's departure from Indianapolis, with the final race there run in 2007, though this was arguably inevitable anyway. The sport did not return to the States until 2012, at a new circuit built outside Austin, Texas. Much to Ecclestone's joy, this has proven far more successful.

Michelin were also heavily criticised and quit F1 the following year. The race also helped to solidify the view that tyre competition has a negative impact, and it seems unlikely that two suppliers will be allowed into the sport in the foreseeable future. Pirelli is currently the sole supplier but, coincidentally, Michelin has announced this week that they wish to replace them in 2017.

The win was Schumacher's only victory that year and meant that he won at least one race in every season that he drove for the Italian team. Meanwhile, Tiago Monteiro never stood on another podium in F1, justifying his overjoyed post-race dance. Sort of.

As for the fans, those who were at the circuit that day received a full refund. And, 10 years on, their anger has hopefully subsided. After all, they can now proudly say "I was at the weirdest F1 race of all time."