2005 USA Grand Prix

 2005 USA Grand Prix

Racing data
9th of 19 races in the 2005 Formula 1 World Championship
Surname:	XXXIV Foster's United States Grand Prix
Date:	June 19, 2005
Place:	Indianapolis
Course:	Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Length:	306.016 km in 73 laps of 4.192 km
Weather:	cloudy
Spectator:	~ 150,000
Pole position
Driver:	Jarno Trulli	Toyota
Time:	1: 10.625 min
Fastest lap
Driver:	Michael sSchumacher	Ferrari
Time:	1: 11.497 min (lap 48)
Podium
First:	Michael sSchumacher	Ferrari
Second:	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari
Third:	Tiago Monteiro	Jordan Toyota

The 2005 USA Grand Prix took place on June 19 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis and was the ninth race of the 2005 Formula 1 World Championship .

The Grand Prix was overshadowed by serious tire problems of the Michelin teams, all of whom drove into the pit lane on the warm-up lap. Only the teams' six cars with Bridgestone tires started the race.

Reports

background

After the Canadian Grand Prix , Fernando Alonso led the drivers' standings with 22 points ahead of Kimi Räikkönen and 32 points ahead of Jarno Trulli . Renault led the constructors' championship with 13 points ahead of McLaren-Mercedes and with 29 points ahead of Williams-BMW .

With Michael Schumacher (three times) and Rubens Barrichello (once) two former winners competed for this Grand Prix.

Before the Grand Prix, a new surface was applied to the steep curve of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway , which had to be grooved afterwards because it was too slippery.

On Saturday, Ricardo Zonta took over the Toyota cockpit from Ralf Schumacher , who was injured after the first day of training.

training

McLaren driver Montoya achieved several best practice times

In addition to the regular drivers, Pedro de la Rosa (McLaren-Mercedes), Scott Speed ( Red Bull-Cosworth ), Zonta (Toyota) and Robert Doornbos ( Jordan-Toyota ) took part in the free practice sessions on Friday . In the first free practice, Juan Pablo Montoya posted the fastest lap ahead of Zonta and Alonso. Ralf Schumacher had a serious accident in the banked curve after suffering a puncture and was out for the rest of the weekend. His team-mate Zonta also suffered a puncture during training. Michelin sports director Pierre Dupasquier initially claimed after the Friday training that it was not a general Michelin problem.

Zonta took over the cockpit from injured Ralf Schumacher at Toyota

In the second free practice, Montoya kept the leadership position. His team-mate Raikkonen came in second ahead of Barrichello. From the third free practice session, Zonta took over Ralf Schumacher's racing car. In the third practice session, only eight drivers achieved a lap time. Among them were the six drivers with Bridgestone tires as well as Montoya and David Coulthard . Montoya achieved the fastest lap ahead of Michael Schumacher and Barrichello. Before the training session, the Michelin drivers were asked not to drive through the banked bend, as the cause of the tire damage suffered by the two Toyota drivers could now be identified as a general tire problem. In the fourth free practice session all pilots set a time again. The fastest driver was Raikkonen ahead of Jenson Button and Alonso.

Qualifying

In qualifying, Trulli set the fastest lap and secured the first pole position for Toyota. Raikkonen was second ahead of Button.

Before the race

Protesting fans on the route

After the practice sessions it became clear that the Michelin teams were unable to survive the race without puncturing their tires. Various options were discussed until shortly before the start.

In an exchange of letters between the Michelin Motorsport Director and the FIA ​​Technical Delegate Charlie Whiting , Michelin announced the tire problems and suggested reducing the racing speed by adding an additional chicane in front of the banked curve. This was rejected by the FIA ​​as Michelin was allowed to bring two tire compounds, one compound could be used if there were problems with the other. In addition, according to the FIA, changing the route would have broken the rules, as it would have treated the teams unfairly that had arrived with the correct tires. Whiting also wrote that the teams affected by the tire problems could drive through the steep wall curve at a slower speed without a chicane, if this would not pose a safety risk for the other teams. The FIA ​​could also tolerate increased, regular, safety-related changes of the rear left tire if this did not result in any advantages. Whiting therefore saw the additional chicane as not possible.

Another option discussed was to have new tires flown in from Europe, which in turn would have been a clear violation of the rules. The FIA ​​announced severe penalties for this case, but said at the same time that they did not want to disqualify the teams in this case. However, the teams themselves spoke out against the use of the newly flown tires, as they had no experience with the route and therefore could not assess the tire mix.

Of the racing teams, only Ferrari spoke out against the chicane.

run

Jordan driver Monteiro achieved his first podium finish with a third place

The race was dominated by the tire scandal. The seven teams that started with Michelin tires, which drove already at the end of the formation lap back to the pits. Michelin could not guarantee safety due to major problems and announced that the current tires could not withstand the high speeds of more than 300 km / h for more than ten laps.

Michael Schumacher won his first and only Grand Prix in 2005 in a Ferrari

Only the Ferrari of Michael Schumacher and Barrichello, the Jordan of Tiago Monteiro and Narain Karthikeyan and the Minardi of Christijan Albers and Patrick Friesacher were on the starting grid . The spectators in the stands reacted with incomprehension. In lap five a fan threw a full water bottle onto the track, which Barrichello ran over. On the straight after the steep bend, there was a hail of cans and bottles, and as a result, yellow-red flags had to be waved. Numerous fans left the stands long before the end of the event, while the Ferraris drove an unrivaled race from start to finish. Even many drivers, including Villeneuve, Heidfeld, Räikkönen and Montoya, left the race before the end of the race, even the Williams and Sauber teams began packing up their things. Many fans used the unspectacular time to put up boards with their opinions, on which the anger over Ferrari was announced several times. Some were captured by the cameras.

Albers opened the pit stops, he drove on a three-stop strategy. His teammate Friesacher pitted a few laps later and was on a two-stop strategy, similar to Karthikeyan, who also made a pit stop shortly afterwards. On lap 20, Friesacher was the first driver to be lapped, but he was able to lap back after the two Ferrari's pit stops. Monteiro picked up his fuel on lap 22 for about 21 more laps. In the middle of the race, Barrichello led the race after Michael Schumacher's pit stop , as his pit stop lasted a few seconds longer than usual. The reason for the longer pit stop was the assumption that Schumacher's left rear tire was defective. As the regulations meant that you were not allowed to refuel and change tires at the same time, the tire in question was examined first and, since the tire was okay, then refueled. Albers stopped for the second time on lap 41, stalling his engine. However, he was able to continue the race after restarting the engine. On the same lap, Friesacher was again overtaken by the Ferraris and Karthikeyan was meanwhile noticeably wearing out his left front tire due to numerous brakes.

Although only 6 drivers had started the race, it was still characterized by tension. Pre-race rumors predicted a replacement for Barrichellos by Felipe Massa next season. Due to this rumor and the anger of the spectators on the track, Ferrari refrained from issuing a stall order in favor of Michael Schumacher. Schumacher tried for laps to catch up with Barrichello, but Barrichello always countered with fast laps and did not voluntarily give up the lead. On lap 45 Friesacher had to pit, but the fuel hose could not be put on correctly, which meant that the Austrian lost a lot of time. He came back on track behind Barrichello, but ahead of Schumacher, which cost him additional time during the race to catch up. Barrichello, however, was also stopped by Karthikeyan, who pitted shortly afterwards. The team purposely brought the Indian in earlier to avoid the Ferraris. On lap 48, Monteiro and Barrichello pitted. With the Barrichellos stop, Schumacher took over the leading position again, although after Schumacher's last stop at the pit exit, the two Ferraris almost collided. However, Barrichello dodged next to the track so that the accident could be prevented. Only one lap later, the last driver, Albers, came to the pits, which meant that everyone had made their pit stops 21 laps before the end. On lap 56, the Ferraris began to reduce their speed and then drove about 3 seconds slower than before, making them about as fast as third-placed Monteiro. Monteiro was lapped on lap 70, so only the two Ferraris were in the leading lap. Friesacher's engine had misfire problems a few laps before the end .

Schumacher kept the lead until the end and won his first race of the season ahead of Barrichello and Monteiro, who scored points for the first time in his Formula 1 career and was on the podium. It was also the last podium finish for Jordan in the team's history. In places four to six followed Karthikeyan, Albers and Friesacher, all of whom were able to achieve their first and only points in this race. The podium scene was marked by loud boos from the audience and the two Ferrari drivers quickly left the podium after the trophy was handed over. Only Monteiro sprayed his champagne and was cheered by the fans.

During the race, some fans tried to gain access to the paddock, but the security forces prevented this.

Similar incident in the NASCAR Sprint Cup

Three years later there was a similar tire debacle with tire manufacturer Goodyear in the NASCAR Sprint Cup at the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard . However, the NASCAR race was held on the oval of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and not on the Grand Prix track in the infield. Since Goodyear was the only tire manufacturer in the Sprint Cup, there were a total of nine forced caution phases by the race management, the so-called “competition cautions”. The drivers and teams were thus enabled to change the tires before accidents due to tire damage could occur.

Registration list

team	No.	driver	chassis	engine	tires
Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro	01	Michael sSchumacher	Ferrari F2005	Ferrari 3.0 V10	B.
	02	Rubens Barrichello
Lucky Strike BAR Honda	03	Jenson Button	BAR 007	Honda 3.0 V10	M.
	04th	Takuma Satō
Mild Seven Renault F1 Team	05	Fernando Alonso	Renault R25	Renault 3.0 V10	M.
	06th	Giancarlo Fisichella
BMW WilliamsF1 Team	07th	Mark Webber	Williams FW27	BMW 3.0 V10	M.
	08th	Nick Heidfeld
West McLaren Mercedes	09	Kimi Raikkonen	McLaren MP4-20	Mercedes-Benz 3.0 V10	M.
	10	Juan Pablo Montoya
	35	Pedro de la Rosa
Clean Petronas	11	Jacques Villeneuve	Clean C24	Petronas 3.0 V10	M.
	12	Felipe Massa
Red Bull Racing	14th	David Coulthard	Red Bull RB1	Cosworth 3.0 V10	M.
	15th	Christian Klien
	37	Scott Speed
Panasonic Toyota Racing	16	Jarno Trulli	Toyota TF105	Toyota 3.0 V10	M.
	17th	Ralf Schumacher
		Ricardo Zonta
	38	Ricardo Zonta
Jordan Grand Prix	18th	Tiago Monteiro	Jordan EJ15	Toyota 3.0 V10	B.
	19th	Narain Karthikeyan
	39	Robert Doornbos
Minardi F1 team	20th	Patrick Friesacher	Minardi PS05	Cosworth 3.0 V10	B.
	21st	Christijan Albers

Remarks

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} These drivers were only allowed to take part in a third car on the Grand Prix weekend on Friday.
2. ↑ ^{a b} Ralf Schumacher drove the Toyota with the number 17 in the first and second free practice. Zonta then took over the vehicle for the rest of the race weekend.

Classifications

Qualifying

Item	driver	constructor	time	begin
01	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1: 10.625	01
02	Kimi Raikkonen	McLaren-Mercedes	1: 10.694	02
03	Jenson Button	BAR Honda	1: 11.277	03
04th	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	1: 11.290	04th
05	Michael sSchumacher	Ferrari	1: 11.369	05
06th	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1: 11.380	06th
07th	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1: 11.431	07th
08th	Takuma Satō	BAR Honda	1: 11.497	08th
09	Mark Webber	Williams-BMW	1: 11.527	09
10	Felipe Massa	Clean Petronas	1: 11.555	10
11	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren-Mercedes	1: 11.681	11
12	Jacques Villeneuve	Clean Petronas	1: 11.691	12
13	Ricardo Zonta	Toyota	1: 11.754	13
14th	Christian Klien	Red Bull-Cosworth	1: 12.132	14th
15th	Nick Heidfeld	Williams-BMW	1: 12.430	15th
16	David Coulthard	Red Bull-Cosworth	1: 12.682	16
17th	Tiago Monteiro	Jordan Toyota	1: 13.462	17th
18th	Christijan Albers	Minardi-Cosworth	1: 13.632	18th
19th	Narain Karthikeyan	Jordan Toyota	1: 13.776	19th
20th	Patrick Friesacher	Minardi-Cosworth	1: 14.494	20th

run

Item	driver	constructor	Round	Stops	time	begin	Fastest lap
01	Michael sSchumacher	Ferrari	73	2	1: 29: 43,181	05	1: 11.497 (48th)
02	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	73	2	+ 1.522	07th	1: 11.649 (48th)
03	Tiago Monteiro	Jordan Toyota	72	2	+ 1 lap	17th	1: 13.237 (44.)
04th	Narain Karthikeyan	Jordan Toyota	72	2	+ 1 lap	19th	1: 13,370 (65th)
05	Christijan Albers	Minardi-Cosworth	71	3	+ 2 rounds	18th	1: 13.907 ( 02.)
06th	Patrick Friesacher	Minardi-Cosworth	71	2	+ 2 rounds	20th	1: 14,490 (43rd)
	Jarno Trulli 1st	Toyota	-	-	DNS	01	-
	Kimi Raikkonen 1	McLaren-Mercedes	-	-	DNS	02	-
	Jenson Button 1	BAR Honda	-	-	DNS	03	-
	Giancarlo Fisichella 1	Renault	-	-	DNS	04th	-
	Fernando Alonso 1	Renault	-	-	DNS	06th	-
	Takuma Satō 1	BAR Honda	-	-	DNS	08th	-
	Mark Webber 1st	Williams-BMW	-	-	DNS	09	-
	Felipe Massa 1	Clean Petronas	-	-	DNS	10	-
	Juan Pablo Montoya 1	McLaren-Mercedes	-	-	DNS	11	-
	Jacques Villeneuve 1	Clean Petronas	-	-	DNS	12	-
	Ricardo Zonta 1	Toyota	-	-	DNS	13	-
	Christian Klien 1	Red Bull-Cosworth	-	-	DNS	14th	-
	Nick Heidfeld 1	Williams-BMW	-	-	DNS	15th	-
	David Coulthard 1	Red Bull-Cosworth	-	-	DNS	16	-

¹ Not started due to tire problems.

World Cup stands after the race

The first eight of a race got 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 point (s) respectively. Since only six vehicles started, the points for 7th and 8th place were dropped.

Driver ranking

Item driver constructor Points 01  Fernando Alonso Renault 59 02  Kimi Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes 37 03  Michael sSchumacher Ferrari 34 04th  Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 29 05  Jarno Trulli Toyota 27 06th  Nick Heidfeld Williams-BMW 25th 07th  Mark Webber Williams-BMW 22nd 08th  Ralf Schumacher Toyota 20th 09  Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 17th 10  David Coulthard Red Bull-Cosworth 17th 11  Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren-Mercedes 16 12  Felipe Massa Clean Petronas 7th

Item driver constructor Points 13  Tiago Monteiro Jordan Toyota 6th 14th  Alexander Wurz McLaren-Mercedes 6th 15th  Jacques Villeneuve Clean Petronas 5 16  Narain Karthikeyan Jordan Toyota 5 17th  Christijan Albers Minardi-Cosworth 4th 18th  Pedro de la Rosa McLaren-Mercedes 4th 19th  Christian Klien Red Bull-Cosworth 4th 20th  Patrick Friesacher Minardi-Cosworth 3 21st  Vitantonio Liuzzi Red Bull-Cosworth 3 22nd  Jenson Button BAR Honda 0 23  Takuma Satō BAR Honda 0 -  Anthony Davidson BAR Honda 0

Constructors' championship

Item constructor Points 01  Renault 76 02  McLaren-Mercedes 63 03  Ferrari 63 04th  Williams-BMW 47 05  Toyota 47

Item constructor Points 06th  Red Bull-Cosworth 22nd 07th  Clean Petronas 12 08th  Jordan Toyota 11 09  Minardi-Cosworth 7th 10  BAR Honda 0

Individual evidence

1. ^ "Ralf Schumacher waives the US Grand Prix" (Motorsport-Total.com on June 18, 2005)
2. ^ "Registration list" ( Memento from June 15, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (Motorsportarchiv.de; accessed on December 16, 2010)
3. ↑ "1. Free Training " ( Memento from September 18, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (Motorsportarchiv.de; accessed on December 16, 2010)
4. ↑ "Tire damage at Michelin not yet clarified" (Motorsport-Total.com on June 18, 2005)
5. ↑ "2. Free Training " ( Memento from August 21, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (Motorsportarchiv.de; accessed on December 16, 2010)
6. ↑ "3. Free Training " ( Memento from September 19, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (Motorsportarchiv.de; accessed on December 16, 2010)
7. ^ "Because of Michelin: Third free practice a farce" (Motorsport-Total.com on June 18, 2005)
8. ↑ "4. Free Training " ( Memento from June 15, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (Motorsportarchiv.de; accessed on December 16, 2010)
9. ^ "Starting grid" ( Memento from June 15, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (Motorsportarchiv.de; accessed on December 16, 2010)
10. ↑ "tires affair: Threatening in Indianapolis a rejection?" (Motorsport-Total.com on June 19, 2005)
11. ↑ ^{a b} "FIA: Michelin must stand by its own approach" (Motorsport-Total.com on June 19, 2005)
12. ↑ "Michelin: Partial driving ban for drivers" (Motorsport-Total.com on June 18, 2005)
13. ↑ "Michelin: Additional chicane or no start" (Motorsport-Total.com on June 19, 2005)

Web links

Commons : 2005 USA Grand Prix  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files

 Wikinews: 2005 US Grand Prix  - in the news

• Weekend statistics at Motorsport-Total.com