US Grand Prix 2005 – tripping down memory lane

A new seaons of Formula 1 racing is almost upon us.  I’m sure  you are all super-excited about that.  I know I am.  

So I have been thinking lately about the 2005 Indianapolis Grand Prix.  Don’t ask why, probably because somebody on one of my F1 internet forums brought it up, and with the new season a mere 40 days away, I have F1 on the brain anyway. 

That was not a good race, but it was an important one.  There is no Indianapolis Grand Prix anymore, and this race probably had something to do with that. 

I was super-excited for the race that year.  The year before I had taken notice of Fernando Alonso for the first time when he stormed up through the grid, and gain about a zillion places by the first corner (I can’t remember exactly how many).  It was amazing.  And then when I looked him up in the program I discovered how aesthetically pleasing he is.

But I digress. 

Anyway, I was really looking forward to the 2005 race.  Alonso had qualified P8, and Michael Schumacher was right in front of him.  I was looking forward to watching Alonso fly by Shumi at the start.  As an extra added bonus, Jarno Trulli was on pole in his Toyota!  Jarno Trulli! 

But, there was trouble in paradise.  To make a long story short, Ralf Schumacher had wrecked his Toyota on Friday and it looked like the Michelin tires were shredding themselves on the banked turn 13, or as Jenson Button called it, reverse turn 1.  There were apparently meetings long into the night about whether or not it was safe to race on the Michelin tires. 

I should probably point out here that in 2005 there were two tire suppliers in Formula 1.  Bridgestone supplied tires to three teams, and Michelin had the other seven.  Just to throw another monkey wrench into the works, the rules in 2005 said the cars had to use the same set of tires for the full race distance.

As the race day dawned nothing had been decided.  Tom kept telling me he wasn’t sure there would be a race.  I was in denial.  I kept insisting that The Powers That Be would never let that happen, and that they would figure something out.

Then it was time for the cars to roll out, and all 20 cars left their garages and took their places on the starting grid.  I gave Tom that “I told you so” look. 

The cars set off on their parade lap before the start of the race.  I was feeling pretty good about the outcome but wait!  All the cars on Michelin tires dove back into the pits and did not take their places on the starting grid!  What the-?  I was still in such a state of denial that I was thinking those cars were all starting from the pits for some reason. 

Wrong!  The race started and only six cars were racing.  This was an unmitigated disaster.  People were booing.  They were throwing things onto the track.  This was bad news.  I remember looking at Tom and asking him if he thought it was safe to stay or if we should leave.  We opted to stay.  Our logic was that our seats were in the upper deck anyway, and any rioting would take place below us.  It seemed like a good idea at the time, and there wasn’t any rioting anyway.

A little later we watched as a long line of Indiana State Trooper cars snaked its way into the infield.  I guess we weren’t the only ones worrying about bad behavior.

All six cars finished the race.  And if I remember correctly, the Ferraris lapped the other four.  Tiago Monteiro came in third.  It was the only podium appearance of his entire (though admittedly short) Formula One career. 

It was not the best race I’ve ever seen.  But as Tom pointed out on the way home, a lot of people would pay a lot of money to watch two Ferraris drive around the track as fast as they can.  And that’s exactly what we did.