World champion Michael Schumacher won an empty victory at the US Grand Prix yesterday after only six cars started the race because of a fiasco over tyre safety.
Seven of the 10 teams pulled out after the warm-up lap. Their demand for an extra chicane to slow down the cars because of concern over the durability of Michelin's tyres was not met.
Germany's Schumacher claimed his first win of the season ahead of Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello of Brazil, both on Bridgestone tyres. They were never troubled by the much slower Jordan and Minardi drivers who trailed in their wake.
Loud boos rang out from the stands at the Brickyard track, which were packed with an estimated 120,000 spectators, during and after the race. Many fans had left before the end.
"This is going to leave a long-lasting bitter taste in people's mouths," Red Bull driver David Coulthard told Britain's ITV television. "Quite frankly, as a driver, I'm embarrassed to be involved in this situation."
The sport's governing body ruled out the chicane while champions Ferrari were also against the idea. The six cars that started the race were those on Bridgestone tyres.
Schumacher's younger brother Ralf of Toyota was forced to miss the race after crashing heavily in Friday's practice when his rear left tyre suddenly deflated on the high-speed banked final corner before the pit straight.
"It's a big frustration for the whole team, the drivers, for Formula One in general, especially in front of the US fans," said Italian Jarno Trulli who had taken his Toyota to pole position but never started.
"But we couldn't avoid this situation - we were in danger and we knew it. It was very clear that Michelin runners couldn't race today."
Formula One has played second fiddle in the United States to other forms of motor racing including NASCAR and team officials warned yesterday's events would badly damage the sport's reputation among American fans and sponsors.
Live television showed cans on the track, apparently thrown by disgusted fans.
The drivers in cars with Michelin tyres took part in the warm-up lap before being ordered by their teams to pull into the pits. They sat in their cars for a few minutes before getting out.
Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One's supremo, will come under huge pressure over the farcical "race" although he pointed the finger of blame firmly at Michelin.
"You can't tell people to do something when their tyre company said you can't race on those tyres," he told reporters on the grid minutes before the race.
Asked about the future of Formula One in the US, and the future of Michelin in F1, Ecclestone said: "Not good, on both counts."