Shooting yourself in the ... tire?

Many Formula One fans were outraged by the withdrawal of all but six cars before the start of the United States Grand Prix on Sunday.

The other 14 cars, representing the seven teams that use Michelin tires, pulled off the track after the warmup lap because of safety concerns and a failure to reach a compromise that would have allowed them to compete.

Many people left the race and demanded ticket refunds.

The United States is the rare country that has not fully embraced the world's top racing series, and teams have been working hard to tap into the lucrative market.

All seven teams that pulled out of the race signed a single statement apologizing for the debacle.

"We are totally aware that the USA is an important market for Formula One and there is an obligation for Formula One to promote itself in a positive and professional manner," it said.

No blame
A subdued Michael Schumacher, who won his fourth U.S. Grand Prix with only token opposition by teammate Rubens Barrichello, admitted he had mixed emotions.

"Certainly today was a very unique Grand Prix, but to be honest, it wasn't in our hands," Schumacher said. "There's nothing we could have done. … I don't know what their [Michelin] problem was, but it wasn't our problem."

Schumacher was aware that many fans were booing.

"But there were a lot of people yelling. There were still a lot of supporters there, being happy with what we did," he said.

The fiasco won't destroy F1 in the United States, Schumacher predicted.

"We've had good ones, we had a difficult one, and we'll have good ones again," he said.

No compromise
Formula One put politics above sport, said Paul Stoddart, the team principal for Minardi.

"Nine of the 10 competing teams had agreed that in the interests of safety, a temporary chicane needed to be placed before the final turn," Stoddart said.

The idea was rejected by FIA President Max Mosley, and "in no uncertain terms, the teams were told that, should this occur, there would be no race," he said.

"I have complete sympathy with the Michelin teams and can take neither satisfaction from nor interest in this afternoon's race, if you can call it that," he said.

No celebration
The happiest driver may have been Tiago Monteiro of Portugal, whose third place gave him his first F1 points and first podium finish.

Monteiro, who drives for Jordan, qualified 17th on Saturday and knew he didn't have a competitive car -- until the boycott eliminated almost all of the competition.

Tire turns
The tire problem that limited Sunday's race to six drivers was caused by the banking in the final turn, which is Turn 1 of Indy's regular oval course but Turn 13 of the reconfigured road course used for the this race.

Michelin said going into that turn -- the only one that is banked -- puts added stress on the tires at high speed.

"The corner is not a corner," said David Coulthard, whose Red Bull Racing was one of the seven F1 teams that pulled out after the warmup lap.

"We come through the oval. … It is an easy corner, but the reality is it takes a lot of stress in the tire. We are just not designed to drive those types of corners at these speeds."

Rubens Barrichello, whose Ferrari team uses Bridgestone, said he had no problem with the tires in practice or qualifications.

"We have in the past, but we've sorted them out," he said. "With the rules like they are, there will be a time when you bring a couple types of tires for the track. There will be times you get it wrong."

While I was at lunch with Rez, the busy Father's day racing schedule was mentioned. The F1 race was a lively topic. Rez said that he wants to go see the Indy F1 race next year. I hope that next year there will not be such a last minute clusterf*ck, so the fans at home and in attendance get what they pay for. For those not familiar with the race, think of it this way. NASCAR: Ford and Chevy drivers pull out of Daytona the day of the race. Sucktastic, wouldn't it be?