The controversy about tires and tire wear at this week's Formula 1 United States Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway caused seven of the ten trace teams to withdraw their cars from the starting grid before the race started in protest of what they felt were unsafe rules that limit the number of tire sets that can be used on a race weekend to three. And the rules specifically prohibit tire changes during a race. Seven Michelin tire-using teams felt that particularly high speed of the Indianapolis track made the limit on tire changes a dangerous situation and refused to race. Consequently only the teams supplied by Bridgestone tires felt comfortable enough to race. Instead of 20 cars on the track, there were only 6 featuring the premiere Ferrari team who dominated the remaining field, leaving perennial Formula 1 also-rans Minardi and Jordan to race for all places behind first and second.
The Michelin tire equipped teams (Renault, BMW Williams, BAR Honda, Mercedes Mclaren, Red Bull, Toyota and Sauber) all refused to race. During the Friday practice session both of the Toyota team's cars, suffered massive failure of their Michelin tires.
These teams demanded that a chicane (an extra turn in the race track) be added to the track to reduce speed along the final high-speed straight that passes over the fame yard of bricks at the Speedways' start/finish line. The Michelin teams were told in no uncertain terms that no last minute changes would be made to the track configuration and if the Michelin teams felt that the racing speed was too high, they could just "drive slower. Rather than drive slower or endanger their drivers, the Michelin teams gridded for the race and then withdrew before the race began.
Race fans were shocked and dismayed that the race they had paid for was not to be. Boos and debris were hurdled from the stands. Improvised signs held up by fans chided all parties concerned for failing to provide the entertainment they had been promised. A sign was hung from the entrance to the Red Bull team's garage saying, "Sorry Fans." After the race Michelin issued a statement apologizing for the unsuitable tires.
The increased tire wear of the Formula 1 cars at Indy is not unique to that racing series. Prior to this year's Indy 500, the entire track was resurfaced; the Indy car teams roundly criticized the resulting track surface and the surface had to be ground down with diamond tipped grinders. Apparently, the new surface provided too much traction, which accelerated tire wear. Even after the track was "fixed," this year's Indy 500 was run at record speeds. But the Indy cars are allowed to freely replace their tires during the race. Interestingly, Bridgestone's subsidiary Firestone is the sole supplier of tires to the Indy 500 so it is possible that the Bridgestone engineers had the benefit of their corporate cousin's experience of creating tires that could endure the Indy track.