Twenty Formula 1 cars completed the formation lap for the 2005 United States Grand Prix. When they reached the final corner, 14 turned into the pit lane and stopped. Only six continued to the starting grid.
What followed at Indianapolis on 19 June 2005 became one of the strangest races in world championship history: two Ferraris, two Jordans and two Minardis completed all 73 laps while most of the field watched from the garages.
A problem hidden in the banking
The crisis began during Friday practice. Toyota driver Ralf Schumacher crashed heavily after a rear Michelin tyre failed at Turn 13, the fast banked corner that used part of the Indianapolis oval. Michelin’s investigation concluded that it could not guarantee its tyres would safely withstand repeated high-speed runs through that corner over a full race distance.
That affected seven of the ten teams. The official Formula 1 race result records that all seven Michelin-equipped teams withdrew after the formation lap on tyre-related safety grounds. Only the three teams using Bridgestone tyres remained.
The solution nobody accepted
Through the weekend, teams, tyre suppliers and officials discussed ways to run a fuller race. Michelin proposed adding a temporary chicane before Turn 13 to slow the cars. The governing body would not approve a last-minute circuit change, arguing that the race had to use the licensed layout and that teams were responsible for bringing suitable equipment.
An Autosport reconstruction of the weekend describes the negotiations and the safety concerns behind the withdrawal. With no compromise in place, every car took part in the formation lap—but the Michelin runners headed into the pits instead of taking the start.
Six starters, six finishers
Michael Schumacher won for Ferrari, 1.522 seconds ahead of teammate Rubens Barrichello. Jordan rookie Tiago Monteiro finished third, one lap behind, followed by Narain Karthikeyan and the two Minardis of Christijan Albers and Patrick Friesacher. The complete order can still be seen in F1’s official archive.
All six starters reached the chequered flag. As Formula 1 later noted, it was only the second world championship race in which every starter finished—although the tiny field made that statistic uniquely misleading.
The event also produced Ferrari’s only victory of the 2005 season. A Motor Sport Magazine retrospective explains that Michelin later offered refunds to spectators, but the damage to the sport’s reputation in the United States was already severe.
Indianapolis hosted Formula 1 again in 2006 and 2007. Still, the image that defines the 2005 race remains impossible to forget: a world championship Grand Prix beginning with just six cars and vast empty spaces on the grid.
Sources and further reading
- Formula 1: 2005 United States Grand Prix result
- Autosport: How the 2005 United States GP unfolded
- Motor Sport Magazine: F1’s unwanted six-pack
- FIA: International Court of Appeal case index
