THE fallout from the farcical US Grand Prix continued to shower Formula One yesterday as teams arrived back in Britain. ITV disclosed that it is in talks with Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One’s promoter, over the repercussions of a race with only six cars and 14 parked up in their garages as seven teams protested over the safety of their tyres.
But a potential action against Ecclestone and his Formula One Management (FOM) company could be one of many as fans in the United States decided that they would sue for compensation. Hundreds of angry spectators queued outside the ticket office at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway trying to get refunds, but two fans are known to have gone to the courts to take out class actions against Formula One, Michelin, the tyre supplier at the centre of the row, and the Indianapolis circuit owners.
One man from Colorado is seeking not only a refund but punitive damages and is attracting the kind of publicity that had the Indianapolis city mayor stepping into the row yesterday. “Indy had nothing to do with it,” Mayor Bart Peterson said. “It was a decision by others that had a negative impact on all of us.”
In Britain, the chaos affected betting shops, where thousands of punters were refused refunds after betting on Michelin runners who did not compete, particularly Fernando Alonso, the championship leader, and Kimi Räikkönen, his main rival. But there was a flood of money for Michael Schumacher, the winner, and drivers with Minardi and Jordan as word got out that a boycott was in prospect and only three teams would run. Tiago Monteiro was a 2,000-1 long shot who came good with his third place for Jordan and many punters picked up winnings from the first Portuguese driver to get on to a Formula One podium — even if he was in a race of only six cars.
Leading bookmakers, such as William Hill and Ladbrokes, decided to stick to the Formula One rule that cars that take part in the parade lap had started the race, which meant that thousands who backed Räikkönen and Alonso lost their money. Other bookmakers declared the race null and void and handed back bets. A spokesman for Ladbrokes said: “It is complete confusion. We have had to stick to the rules, but the industry has lost a lot of money on this one. It will go further, I am sure of that.”
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The betting industry could line up behind Europe’s leading television companies to complain to Ecclestone and the FIA, the sport’s governing body. It is understood that some stations pulled the plug on the race when they realised it had descended into farce. ITV stuck it out, but Mark Sharman, ITV’s controller of sport, said yesterday that the station is in talks with Ecclestone.
“Obviously, ITV are extremely disappointed that a major sports event can be ruined like this,” Sharman said. “Excitement has been building all season and what happened at Indianapolis was a huge let-down for our audience. We are discussing the weekend’s events and the repercussions with Formula One management.”
There has been no word from Indianapolis, where management at the famous Motor Speedway is deciding what action to take, which could include a lawsuit against FOM or the cancellation of a contract for the 2006 race.