F1 won’t return to Indy

Former World Champion Jacques Villeneuve believes Formula One will never go back to Indianapolis following the United States Grand Prix fiasco. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has a contract to host the United States Grand Prix for one more year, but the Canadian believes the damaged done is too big to return to the historic circuit.

Speaking to Autosport-Atlas during a break from his testing duties at Jerez, the Sauber driver said the race could have taken place normally had a chicane being installed at the banked corner.

"It is just embarrassing," Villeneuve told Autosport-Atlas. "Not only for the fans there but for the TV spectators, everybody. I would hate to be a spectator there. We could have had a solution and I think the chicane is one of the best solutions we could have had.

"Putting a speed restriction could have been dangerous, it would have created danger when you go slowly where you are meant to go fast. So a chicane would have been the best choice and Bridgestone need to slow down so there had to be a level of compensation for them. But there was a solution, we just didn't choose to have it.

"As it was, we did not know what was wrong with the tires and when tire companies say it would be dangerous we cannot turn around and run and it would be no good all the 14 drivers ending up in the wall after a few laps.

"It is just damaging to the sport, not only to F1, but any open-wheel racing, but especially F1…and obviously we will never go back to Indy."

Some 120,000 fans turned up for a fiasco on Sunday with the seven Michelin teams – Renault, McLaren, Williams, Toyota, BAR, Red Bull and Sauber – withdrawing because of safety fears about their tires.

FIA president Max Mosley suggested on Wednesday the French tire company should compensate fans for Sunday's six-car race. Villeneuve, however, said: "It's a bit too late. The damage has been done."