By Phil Huff
June 20 2005

Lucky Strike BAR Honda's Jenson Button apologised to the fans at Indianapolis yesterday, following the team's withdrawal from the race following Michelin's failure to provide race safe tyres. "It's terrible for them I'm sure," said Jenson. "They've come to watch a Formula One race here, but we can't do much. We have to think about our safety first. If it's not safe to drive round for whatever reason, we can't drive. That's basically it.

"I've got to say sorry to the fans. It's obviously disappointing for them.

"We've just got to look forward to Magny-Cours now. Hopefully we'll get a good reception."

Despite Michelin becoming aware of a problem on Friday, the final statement declaring the tyres unsafe did not arrive until 6:30 on Sunday morning, with the race just a few hours away. Frantic meetings took place, with all sides trying to reach an amicable agreement, but it didn't happen.

"That's not really for me to comment on," added Jenson. "There's been a lot of discussion about trying to resolve the issue but they haven't come to a decision so we couldn't risk it. It's too dangerous."