By Curt Cavin
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Formula One, a European motor sports series battling apathy in the United States, enraged an Indianapolis Motor Speedway crowd today and cast doubt on the race’s future when 70 percent of the cars in the U.S. Grand Prix dropped out before the first official lap.

Fourteen of the 20 cars withdrew before the start of the race, citing the unsafe Michelin tires they use. The remaining six cars, all of whom rely on the Bridgestone brand, completed the required 73 laps to accept the rewards.

A crowd estimated at 100,000 booed the procession. Bottles and cans were thrown on the course as the tension grew. When winner Michael Schumacher, who became an anti-climactic four-time USGP champ, reached the victory podium, jeers trumped the cheers.

Speedway CEO Tony George was so disillusioned with the sixth annual event that he refused to wave the checkered flag to end it. George also instructed his staff to decline participation in the post-race awards ceremony.

Speedway president Joie Chitwood said there is no commitment to bringing F-1 back next year. That will be reviewed in the coming days, he said.

“We’re as much a victim of what transpired today as the fans are,” he said. “Mr. Ecclestone (F-1 leader Bernie) is aware of our position and our unhappiness today.”

In the F-1 paddock, participants scrambled to point fingers. Michelin officials said they acted in the name of safety and blamed the sanctioning body, the Federation de l’Internationale (FIA), for not being sympathetic to their plight. Teams blamed Ferrari for not assisting in a compromise.

Schumacher blamed Michelin.

“We have left at home (Bridgestone) tires with better performance but less durability because we knew what kind of stress (they) would be under here,” he said. “So I don’t know what (Michelin’s) problem is, but this wasn’t our problem.”

Ecclestone called it “a travesty” and apologized to the fans who paid an average of $100 per ticket — plus travel expenses — to attend the event.

“I feel sorry for them,” Ecclestone said. “They’ve been cheated.”

There were no immediate offers to refund tickets.

The debacle began Friday morning when Toyota test driver Ricardo Zonta slid into a gravel pit in the infield portion of the 2.6-mile road course. The incident didn’t draw much attention until his teammate, Ralf Schumacher, incurred similar rapid tire deflation in the fast 13th turn later that day, destroying his car as it struck the Speedway’s energy-absorbing barrier.

Michelin spent the next 24 hours trying to find a solution to its problem, but it could not. Alternative left rear tires flown in overnight from France had the same construction issues, according to officials from the Williams and BAR teams.

“The tread comes away from the casing,” said Sam Michael, technical director of the Williams team. “It’s a bonding problem.”

The problem was evident on several cars, usually after about 10 laps. The FIA requires teams use the same set of tires for qualifying and the race.

Michelin requested a chicane (a speed-slowing barrier) near what Indy fans know as the first turn of the oval track, which Speedway officials were prepared to install within 45 minutes of notification. But that was denied, in part because it had not been tested.

“That would have been more dangerous,” said second-place finisher Rubens Barrichello of Ferrari. “That would have been silly.”

The final meeting on the subject today ended five minutes before the pit lane closed to start the race. The Michelin cars went to the grid, but they retired to their respective garages following the parade lap.
They weren’t bluffing.

“We all wanted to race,” BAR managing director Nick Fry said. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a resolution.”

Disappointment came from all corners of the Speedway.

“It’s a very sad day,” said BAR sporting director Gil de Ferran, the Indy 500’s winner in 2003. “I can’t tell you how much this hurts. I’ve had a lot of tough moments in my career, but this is really hard.
“I can’t begin to imagine the disappointment (of the fans). I know how I feel.”

Former F-1 and Indy car driver Eddie Cheever Jr. said he didn’t see how the USGP could recover from this. “It’s a nightmare, isn’t it?” he said.

Current driver Nick Heidfeld called it “a disaster for Formula One in the United States.”

Added fellow driver David Coulthard: “Even if (we) do come back, half the crowd in the stands won’t.”

“The Indianapolis Motor Speedway shares in the disappointment with the loyal fans of IMS and Formula One that we did not see the exciting race we all anticipated due to circumstances beyond our control,” George said in a statement.

“The FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile), Formula One and manufacturers that represent the cars on the starting grid made decisions on an individual basis to limit participation in today’s USGP.”

Fans confronted race team members as they tried to leave the back exit of the paddock. Sponsor decals were removed from their rental cars to avoid being showered with cups of alcohol. SWAT team members were on hand to control the crowd.

“This is our one chance to come to a grand prix, and we probably won’t do it again because of this,” said Kristin Hynes of Columbus, Ind.

Michael Schumacher, the winningest driver in the sport’s history, declined to celebrate the 84th victory of his career. He sat the trophy down and did not open the customary bottle of champagne to spray the crowd.

He walked off alone — confused and disappointed.

“Certainly it was a very unique grand prix,” he said.
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