Only six cars took part in the US Grand Prix after the teams failed to resolve the Michelin tyre safety row.
Twenty cars began the parade lap but only Ferrari, Jordan and Minardi took up their places on the starting grid.
The race's pivotal moment was when winner Michael Schumacher forced Rubens Barrichello onto the grass as he re-entered after a pit-stop.
Tiago Monteiro, Narain Karthikeyan, Christijan Albers and Patrick Friesacher brought up the rear.
The race result will stand and championship points will be awarded, hence the level of competition between the two Ferrari drivers, despite their comfortable lead over the other drivers for the whole race.
But fans showed what they thought of events, throwing beer cans and bottles onto the track, and holding up signs demanding their money back, whilst others flooded out of the circuit in disgust.
All times BST
2030: Ferrari's Michael Schumacher crosses the line first, to a chorus of boos from spectators, 1.522 seconds ahead of team-mate Rubens Barrichello.
Jordan duo Tiago Monteiro and Narain Karthikeyan came third and fourth, ahead of Minardi pair Christijan Albers and Patrick Friesacher.
2025: With four laps remaining, Schumacher is a comfortable 3.5 seconds ahead of Barrichello.
2015: On lap 60 Barrichello has cut Schumacher's lead down to just 0.5 seconds, but following a message from the pits, both cars drop their pace, suggesting Schumacher is on course for a fourth Indianapolis win in six attempts.
2005: Schumacher completes a quick pit stop and in his hurry to hang onto his lead, forces Barrichello onto the grass at the first corner after he re-enters the race.
2000: Friesacher takes over 20 seconds for a pit-stop, allowing Albers to move from sixth to fifth.
1955: Sir Frank Williams calls a meeting of the Michelin tyre teams, whose cars are not competing, whilst the race goes on outside.
1950: At the half-way stage in the race, Barrichello holds a 2.7 second lead over Ferrari team-mate Schumacher.
1945: Fans are seen leaving the car parks in their droves.
1935: Schumacher goes into the pits, with Barrichello taking the lead.
1925: The Ferraris of Schumacher and Barrichello lap Minardi's Friesacher.
1920: Schumacher and Barrichello are comfortably ahead of the remaining cars, Barrichello half a second behind the German, with third placed Monteiro over 15 seconds behind the lead in third place.
1910: Barrichello drives over a bottle thrown onto the track by an angry spectator.
1900: All 20 cars take part in the parade lap, but the seven teams using Michelin tyres withdraw after the lap, leaving just six cars - Jordan, Minardi and Ferrari - on the starting grid. Schumacher is quickest out of the blocks, ahead of Ferrari team-mate Barrichello.
1845: With no resolution in sight, a Red Bull spokesman confirms the Michelin teams will take to the track for the parade lap but they do not plan to start the race. With Minardi also choosing not to take part, only four cars look likely to start the race.
1830: With half an hour to go to the scheduled start time, there is still the serious danger of mass withdrawals or disqualification because of the row over the safety of Michelin tyres.
Nine of the 10 teams have said they are happy for the race to go ahead with a chicane on the final corner for safety reasons, said Williams technical director Sam Michael, but Ferrari do not agree.
Only three teams - Ferrari, Jordan and Minardi - do not use Michelins.
The front four places on the proposed grid belong to Toyota's Jarno Trulli, McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen, BAR's Jenson Button and Renault's Giancarlo Fishciella - all of them using Michelin tyres.