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THE WEEKLY JOURNAL - VOLUME 11, ISSUE 25 - JUN 22ND 2005

When all is said and done, let's face it: absolutely no one comes out looking good from the United States Grand Prix debacle, and the biggest loser of all is Formula One. The governing body, the competing teams and drivers, the commercial rights holder, the organisers and the fans - they all have to reflect on the events that turned the US Grand Prix into a watershed milestone in the history of Formula One. 1980, 1982, 1994 - and now 2005. It is that big.

The Autosport-Atlas contributors have analysed the events of the US GP weekend and offer their opinion on the responsible parties. We don't always agree on the culprit; we don't always reach the same conclusions. But allowing a public debate and a pluralism of views - even when unpopular - is vital for the future of the sport. If we do not fight for it now, if we do not speak up, it will all be gone.

Biranit Goren, Editor

Chronicle of a Debacle Foretold
From the moment Ralf Schumacher hit the wall during Friday practice for the US GP, and until 14 Michelin-shod cars pulled into the pits before the race on Sunday, you just had to believe that somehow everything will work out in the end. It usually does, after all. In hindsight, the Indianapolis weekend was a powder keg ignited, and Adam Cooper was at the scene, watching it inevitably explode. He brings a detailed account of how it all went wrong

BY ADAM COOPER

The Missing Letter
Imagine that all parties agreed to install a chicane at Turn 13 in Indianapolis, ahead of the United States GP... This is what the FIA could have announced, in an alternate universe, on Sunday morning at Indianapolis

BY ADAM COOPER

Payback Time
When Max Mosley first ran for the role of FIA president, in 1991, his election manifesto stated: "Unnecessary controversy should be eliminated." 14 years later, this all sounds like a good joke. But was the Indy debacle really the FIA's fault? Tony Dodgins returns from Indianapolis with some conclusions of his own

BY TONY DODGINS

The Lesser of Evils
Despite the booing and jeering from the American fans who were left to witness a six-car Grand Prix on Sunday, there was a positive side to the Indianapolis debacle: Formula One rules were enforced. Richard Barnes analyses the sport's latest scandal and explains why the situation could have been worse

BY RICHARD BARNES

The Big Charade
It is easy to understand why many are inclined to blame the FIA for the Indianapolis fiasco, seeing as the governing body refused to erect a last-minute chicane. Well, thank heavens the FIA didn't do it. There's a reason why we follow F1, and watching a charade should not be it. Biranit Goren calls for all involved to take responsibility

BY BIRANIT GOREN

Point of View
Ann Bradshaw has seen a lot of drama and arguments in her time in motorsport, but none of them prepared her for the Indy events. She looks at the causes of the debacle, at how similar problems have been solved in the past, and what can be done to make sure nothing like this happens again

BY ANN BRADSHAW

Michelin Tech Analysis
While the Indianapolis debacle lingers as a political scandal, it was, above all, a technological failure that led to the boycott of seven teams and all that ensued. Craig Scarborough analyses the fundamental problem of the Michelin tyres at the US, and their failing under load on the banked Turn 13

BY CRAIG SCARBOROUGH

The US GP Review
The United States GP will go down as one of the most bizarre and controversial events in sporting history. On Sunday, F1 embarrassed itself with a fiasco booed by the hundreds of thousands of fans that travelled to Indianapolis. Will Gray reviews the events and results from the ninth race of 2005

BY WILL GRAY