We did not understand what was happening

The 2005 World Championship was almost completely canceled by Ferrari. After five years of resounding success, the Maranello house has undergone a change of regulations. Renault Alonso and McLaren Raikkonen They fought for the world title. Schumacher, who won five titles in a row, found himself driving a car that was little more than mediocre. The German who only won one race, in June in Indianapolis, didn’t satisfy much. A race in which only six cars participated, after a loud interruption.

In the 2005 season, there were two tire suppliers: Bridgestone and Michelin. He was number one in Formula 1 for years and had Ferrari, Jordan and Minardi. All other stables were part of the large group that rode the tires of the French company. Jarno Trulli took first place in a Toyota. For the Italian, he is the third pole in his career. There is a lot of uncertainty about the race, and many aspire to succeed. But during the night, Michelin technicians analyze the tires and understand that there are many dangers on the historic Indianapolis track. There is a risk of significant reliability problems. Michelin says tires cannot last more than ten laps and the priority has been the safety of drivers, since tires cannot be changed (depending on regulation) before the start. The FIA ​​and Michelin are trying to come to an agreement, trying until the last minute, but there is no white smoke.

The cars all lined up on the grid, despite a few minutes of Michelin teams, with the voice of Flavio Briatore, let it be known that the French factory banned teams from racing for the safety of the drivers. The protest seems to have ceased when the pilots leave for the reconnaissance lap, But surprisingly, all Michelin tires go back to the pits and never go to the starting grid. The surprise is huge. There are only six cars on the grid: two Ferraris, two Jordans, and two Minardis.

The controversy quickly escalates after the start. With the FIA ​​confirming that it did not accept the modification of the Indianapolis track, at the request of those who rode Michelin, who wanted a chicane before the “overhead bridge”. Michael Schumacher starts from fifth and Barrichello from seventh. The Jordans and Minards occupy the last two rows, knowing they will be playing an incredible podium.

Schumacher starts well, holds the position. Bad racing. There is no fighting, except when Schumacher comes out of the pits, the leg is longer than expected and when he comes out of the pit lane there is Abricello, who He tries to overtake but slams the grass. The third is Monteiro, the Portuguese rider who left no trace but earned an unexpected podium to say the least.

Michael Schumacher Climb on the podium and celebrate, not like a world title, but the celebration is there. Because he knows that will be the only victory for a lean season. He also knows that success is hard for anyone else to achieve. Six passengers, only two started at full speed. Surreal success. After one win in 2005 Michael said: “We tried to have fun even though I realized that for the crowd it wasn’t. It wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t a disaster either. We didn’t understand what was going on, we focused and started. It was a good race anyway, even towards Robbins.”