2007 United States Grand Prix

[The Stig]

2007 United States Grand Prix
Indianapolis, June 17
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one of the greatest sporting venues in the world. It oozes history from every pothole and is quite unlike any other circuit on the Formula One calendar. It is the oldest surviving racetrack in the world, having been built in 1908, when the surface was made up of three million bricks. Ever since then it has been affectionately known as ‘The Brickyard’.

You approach the Speedway through suburban Indianapolis and the vast grandstands are the first thing you see on the approach. The atmosphere on race day is fantastic, largely due to the sheer number of people in the grandstands. The noise from the crowd often drowns out that of the engines.

http://www.brickyard.com/


                              Thread Starts Here:

[cosworth151]

The front straight has large grandstands on both side. It forms a giant echo chamber as the cars roar past. The sound of the start is unbelievable!

I've never been to a sporting venue of any kind that treats the fans as well as Indy. I hope some of the crowd from Montreal will come on down.

The Canadian race was on broadcast TV here in the States. The NASCAR race at Pocono that was scheduled at same time was on rain delay during the GP. I hope some race fans channel surfed over while they were waiting.

[The Stig]

The nearest Lewis Hamilton has come to racing on Indianapolis Motor Speedway is on computer games but the young Formula One sensation is relishing his debut at the famous circuit.   

 
While the 22-year-old had never seen Montreal`s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve before last weekend, he prepared for the race by using the McLaren Mercedes driving simulator at team headquarters in Woking.

But even that luxury has escaped him this time round.
"I actually haven`t been on the simulator [for Indianapolis], but I`ve seen it on computer games," Hamilton said.

"I don`t really know what to expect. I`ve watched the previous races and onboard footage and looked at data.

"But I`ll be going there with an open mind and having to do the same sort of job as I did here in Canada."

Hamilton has also seen the famous Indianapolis 500 races around the famous `Brickyard` circuit on television, and this year had a British victory to cheer.

He said: "I`ve always watched the Indy 500 and I was really happy for Dario Franchitti when he won recently.

"The Motor Speedway is another tough circuit on the cars. I hope we are as competitive but, until we get out on the circuit on Friday, we can`t really predict how it is going to go.

"But I am really excited to be racing at Indianapolis.

"It is such a legendary venue, you can`t escape the history here and I am looking forward to experiencing the atmosphere for the first time.

"The track has the unique characteristic of the banking but, from what I hear, it doesn`t have a massive impact on the cars, but it will be pretty cool."

Lack of familiarity did not hamper Hamilton in Montreal but the British driver cautioned against expectations of his success becoming too high, despite his eight-point lead over team-mate Fernando Alonso in the world drivers` championship.

"To be going into race seven of the championship in the position I am in is amazing - however, it is still early days," Hamilton said.

"This will be my seventh race and I am very much still learning.

"There are 11 more this season including Indy and that is a long way to go with a lot of hard work ahead.

"I have enjoyed the season so far, but am aware racing isn`t predictable and anything could happen at the next race."
 

[The Stig]

The Formula One circuit constructed within the boundaries of the world famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the venue of the upcoming US Grand Prix, may look simple on paper – but as always in Formula One, appearances are very deceptive.

The tight, technical infield layout is combined with one of the longest straights of the year, and this demands opposing characteristics from the car: impeccable low speed grip and handling combined with low downforce levels and a strong top speed. The famous banking and yard of bricks lend the circuit a unique flavour, but a good lap-time is built in the twisting infield, where the drivers need to be neat and precise in their driving throughout the 73-lap race.

Downforce: Indianapolis is a circuit composed of two radically different halves. Ideally, the teams would run higher downforce levels than they do in reality, in order to improve grip through the twisting infield, particularly under acceleration and braking. However, the long straight leading to turn 1 represents a legitimate overtaking opportunity, and this complicates the choice of downforce level. The car’s top speed must be sufficient to allow the driver to pass competitors in front, and indeed to defend his position against competitors behind. Wing levels are therefore calculated to provide a competitive top speed of around 320 kph (similar to that achieved in Canada), while generating sufficient downforce to be competitive through the infield. The engineers will tune their choice of downforce level during the weekend, according to the top speeds reached by other competitors.

Mechanical: Much as in Canada, the car’s in-corner performance is dictated primarily by the mechanical set-up of the car, rather than dominated by aerodynamics. This is because many of the corners are taken at low speed, in second or third gears. The long sweep of turns 3, 4 and 5 is taken as a single corner, and requires good front-end stability to give the driver confidence, much like in turn 11, where the exit is the critical factor as the drivers do not lift off again afterwards until they begin braking for turn 1.

Strategy: The Canadian Grand Prix marked the first time in 2007 that a car running anything other than a two-stop strategy reached the podium (Wurz did so by making a single stop). This was thanks in large part to the unusual circumstances of the race, with numerous safety car periods. At Indianapolis, teams are likely to adhere to this pattern, aiming to spend the greatest possible percentage of the race on the most race-worthy compound. Like in Canada, fuel consumption and the lap-time penalty for carrying additional fuel are relatively low at this circuit, meaning it is possible to run a ‘rearward-biased’ strategy (stopping later than the 1/3 and 2/3 distance) without overloading the tyres, or incurring too great a time penalty in qualifying.

Tyres: The Bridgestone Potenza tyre compounds available for this weekend are the ‘soft’ and ‘medium’ options from the 2007 range. This is the second time these compounds will be raced, the first having come in Melbourne. The compounds are a step harder than those used in Canada last weekend, reflecting the higher lateral loads encountered on the infield and on the banking, which require the tyre to work harder than in Montreal.

Engine: The engines spend just 59% of the lap at full throttle, below the season average, which might induce people to think that this circuit is relatively easy for the engines. However, the track also includes a full throttle period which lasts for around 22 seconds (from the exit of turn 11 to the braking zone for turn 1). This is the longest of the season, and continuous periods at full throttle put the engines under particular strain. The engine also needs good torque characteristics to launch the car out of the numerous slow corners, and this is an area in which the RS27 is particularly strong.

[The Stig]

A lap at Indianapolis with Pedro de la Rosa

Pedro de la Rosa talks you around the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The track is the second-oldest surviving automobile racing track in the world (after the Milwaukee Mile), having existed since 1909.


"The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a very good track for overtaking. It is possibly one of the best circuits, at which if you have a quick car you can overtake easily braking into Turn One. Here you have an extremely long straight which starts from Turn 11 on the exit, a second gear corner where you quickly upshift from third through to seventh and you are full throttle for a long time, over 23 seconds. So if your car is quick and you have good traction coming out of Turn 11 then overtaking is easy braking into Turn One.

"It is not one of my favourite tracks, basically as I have never been able finish a race here. There is a big difference between the straight, which is very high speed, and the in-field, which is all slow corners. It doesn't have the rhythm and flow of some other circuits. It is quite tricky as well, as the entire infield, especially corners like Turns Seven, Eight, Nine and 10 are all very low speed. They are pretty much first gear corners, especially Nine and 10, where you virtually just have to kill the speed of the car and run all over the kerbs as much as you can. However the important thing is that the spectators can have a good time here as the qualifying is not as important as it is in Monaco."

[The Stig]

2007 United States Grand Prix free practice 1   
McLaren and BMW dominate the first US practice session

2007 United States Grand Prix   
 
 
Pos    No            Driver              Team                    Time     
1      1      Fernando Alonso  McLaren-Mercedes       1:11.925   
2      9        Nick Heidfeld           BMW                    1:12.391   
3      2       Lewis Hamilton    McLaren-Mercedes       1:12.628   
4     10     Sebastian Vettel        BMW                    1:12.869   
5      6       Kimi Räikkönen        Ferrari                    1:12.966   
6     16       Nico Rosberg    Williams-Toyota             1:13.020   
7     5         Felipe Massa         Ferrari                    1:13.040   
8     14      David Coulthard  Red Bull-Renault           1:13.159   
9      7       Jenson Button       Honda                     1:13.597   
10    15      Mark Webber      Red Bull-Renault          1:13.682   
11    12       Jarno Trulli            Toyota                  1:13.777   
12    38     Kazuki Nakajima  Williams-Toyota            1:13.786   
13    11    Ralf Schumacher       Toyota                   1:13.819   
14    18    Vitantonio Liuzzi    STR-Ferrari                 1:13.907   
15    19  Scott Speed           STR-Ferrari                 1:13.990   
16    3  Giancarlo Fisichella       Renault                    1:14.000   
17    22  Takuma Sato      Super Aguri-Honda            1:14.037   
18    8  Rubens Barrichello         Honda                     1:14.052   
19    4  Heikki Kovalainen         Renault                     1:14.189   
20    23  Anthony Davidson  Super Aguri-Honda          1:14.632   
21    21  Christijan Albers       Spyker-Ferrari              1:14.636   
22    20  Adrian Sutil              Spyker-Ferrari             1:14.810   

[Dare]

What happened to Hamilton,did Alonso
unplug a spark plug wire

                and

What happened to Fisichella

[The Stig]

United States GP Friday 2nd Practice
Pos  Driver        Team                                 Time        Laps
 1.  Alonso        McLaren-Mercedes     (B)    1:12.156     35
 2.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes     (B)   1:12.309     34
 3.  Massa         Ferrari              (B)           1:12.435     36
 4.  Raikkonen     Ferrari              (B)          1:12.587     38
 5.  Heidfeld      BMW Sauber           (B)      1:13.026     43
 6.  Coulthard     Red Bull-Renault     (B)      1:13.042     41
 7.  Rosberg       AT&T Williams-Toyota (B)  1:13.057      35
 8.  Kovalainen    Renault              (B)        1:13.110      48
 9.  Barrichello   Honda                (B)         1:13.144      40
10.  Button        Honda                (B)        1:13.202      46
11.  Vettel        BMW Sauber           (B)     1:13.217      50
12.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault     (B)     1:13.263     21
13.  Liuzzi        Toro Rosso-Ferrari   (B)       1:13.332     41
14.  Davidson      Super Aguri-Honda    (B)   1:13.364     46
15.  Fisichella    Renault              (B)          1:13.394     44
16.  Wurz          AT&T Williams-Toyota (B)  1:13.539      29
17.  Trulli        Toyota               (B)   1:13.692              42
18.  Speed         Toro Rosso-Ferrari   (B)  1:13.712        34
19.  Sato          Super Aguri-Honda    (B)  1:13.753        46
20.  R.Schumacher  Toyota               (B)  1:13.765        39
21.  Albers        Spyker-Ferrari       (B)  1:14.225           30
22.  Sutil         Spyker-Ferrari       (B)  1:14.513            30

dare,looks a bit better for Lewis Hamilton,but Fisichella???????

[The Stig]

Formula One champ Alonso remains in charge at Indianapolis

Formula One driver Fernando Alonso of Spain races during the third practice at the United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. Double world champion Alonso clocked the fastest time in the third and final free practice session on Saturday for the United States Grand Prix
 
Double world champion Fernando Alonso clocked the fastest time in the third and final free practice session on Saturday for the United States Grand Prix.

The Spaniard had also come out on top in both of Friday's sessions to give him the perfect launchpad to try and end his poor run of results at The Brickyard where he has only finished once in the last five grands prix.

Sebastian Vettel, who will make his grand prix debut on Sunday sitting in for the injured Robert Kubica, was second fastest for BMW Sauber and Alonso's teammate, and world championship leader, Lewis Hamilton was third.

In hot sunny conditions Alonso wasted no time in stamping his authority on proceedings moving to the top of the times on his first flying lap.

He would not stay there for long though as Hamilton, who seems so comfortable in the McLaren Mercedes, soon recorded a marginally faster time.

Hamilton is racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time and he showed the type of pace and control that earned him his maiden pole position and race win in Canada last weekend.

The Briton remained quickest until 19-year-old Vettel posted a rapid lap using the softer tyre option.

However, the German's time was not quite quick enough to deny Alonso.

The Spaniard once again showed his quality, returning on the softer tires to set the fastest lap, 1:12.150, in the closing stages of the hour-long session.

Finland's Heikki Kovalainen was fourth fastest for Renault ahead of BMW Sauber's in-form German Nick Heidfeld.

Finn Kimi Raikkonen and Brazilian Felipe Massa could only manage to finish sixth and seventh fastest in their Ferraris.

The whole field was tightly grouped with 21 of the 22 cars separated by just two seconds.

This should mean a very close race on Sunday and a keenly contested qualifying competition later Saturday.
 

[The Stig]

QUALIFYING TIMES
Session one times


1.  ALONSO       McLaren       1m12.416s

2.  HEIDFELD     BMW           1m12.543s

3.  HAMILTON     McLaren       1m12.563s

4.  VETTEL       BMW           1m12.711s

5.  MASSA        Ferrari       1m12.731s

6.  RAIKKONEN    Ferrari       1m12.732s

7.  SCHUMACHER   Toyota        1m12.851s

8.  KOVALAINEN   Renault       1m12.998s

9.  ROSBERG      Williams      1m13.128s

10. DAVIDSON     Super Aguri   1m13.164s

11. FISICHELLA   Renault       1m13.168s

12. TRULLI       Toyota        1m13.186s

13. BARRICHELLO  Honda         1m13.203s

14. BUTTON       Honda         1m13.306s

15. COULTHARD    Red Bull      1m13.424s

16. WEBBER       Red Bull      1m13.425s


Knocked out:


17. WURZ         Williams      1m13.441s

18. SATO         Super Aguri   1m13.477s

19. LIUZZI       Toro Rosso    1m13.484s

20. SPEED        Toro Rosso    1m13.712s

21. SUTIL        Spyker        1m14.122s

22. ALBERS       Spyker        1m14.597s

[The Stig]

LEWIS Hamilton continues to rampage through his rookie season in Formula One, following up his fantastic performance in Canada last weekend by claiming pole position for Sunday's US Grand Prix.

Australian Mark Webber qualified in ninth spot for Red Bull.

English sensation Hamilton recorded his first pole and then his maiden victory in Montreal and he again showed why he has quickly become one of the hottest stars in the business in qualifying at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway today.

Hamilton stormed around The Brickyard circuit to record a fastest lap of 1m 12.331s, just under two-tenths of a second quicker than that of his McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso.

Alonso completes a McLaren 1-2 on the front row of the grid, a repeat of their Montreal qualifying efforts seven days ago.

Starting from the front will give 22-year-old Hamilton a great opportunity to extend his rookie record of six consecutive podium finishes and indeed a good chance to claim his second win in a row.

"I'm quite surprised to be honest," Hamilton said.

"Going into qualifying we hadn't found the optimum set-up and I knew Fernando was quick here."

Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa was third-fastest ahead of his Finnish teammate Kimi Raikkonen who qualified fourth.

"It's good to see we're ahead of the Ferraris," Hamilton added.

"I had to pull it all out but my last two laps in third qualifying were just right."

Alonso said: "It's a good weekend for me now.

"I was fastest in practice and in qualifying one and two, but not in qualifying three. But being fastest all weekend has given me a lot of confidence – we'll have a strong race on Sunday."

German Nick Heidfeld was fifth in a BMW Sauber and will share the grid's third row with Finland's Heikki Kovalainen in a Renault.

BMW's 19-year-old Sebastian Vettel will start his grand prix debut from seventh ahead of Jarno Trulli in a Toyota with Australian Mark Webber ninth for Red Bull and Italian Giancarlo Fisichella of Renault tenth.

Alonso was quickest in a fairly quiet first mini-session of qualifying ahead of Hamilton and Fisichella.

At the end of the 15-minute period the slowest six cars were eliminated and that meant Dutchman Christijan Albers, in a Spyker, and his German team-mate Adrian Sutil will start from the 11th, and final, row of the grid as they did in Canada.

Ahead of them, but also looking to work from the rear of the field, will be American home favourite Scott Speed of Torro Rosso and his Italian teammate Vitantonio Luizzi who missed out on the second qualifying period for the first time in the last four grands prix.

Japanese Super Aguri driver Takuma Sato and Austrian Alex Wurz of Williams had to settle for places on the grid's ninth row.

The second mini session again saw Alonso fastest with Hamilton and Raikkonen just behind.

This time Britain's Anthony Davidson of Super Aguri and Honda's Brazilian Rubens Barrichello were knocked out to start on the eighth row of the grid.

Directly ahead of them will be Germany's Nico Rosberg of Williams just behind Englishman Jenson Button of Honda who will be 13th on the grid.

Under-pressure German Toyota driver Ralf Schumacher and Britain's David Coulthard of Red Bull Racing were the final drivers to be eliminated and will take their places on the sixth row starting 12th and 11th respectively.

 

[The Stig]

Indianapolis, USA
The US Grand Prix finally has what seems like a permanent home - and appropriately it is at the circuit that is synonymous with American motorsport.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway - host of the famous Indy 500 - is a venue steeped in atmosphere and history.

Sadly, the Grand Prix track, which twists around the infield of the high-speed oval, does not live up to its illustrious surroundings.

It is too tight and twisty, even if the long straight does allow good racing.

Trulli takes you round the circuit
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/circuit_guide/4250839.stm

[Ian]

I dunno Stig, I like the Indie circuit, thought today's GP was great, at last, some wheel to wheel racing, overtaking where they should'nt, good race, enjoyed it, especially Kimi on the fast tyres, not able to take Felipe, great stuff.

[cosworth151]

The Turn 1 through Turn 7 setion has some good racing. The Lap 1 Turn 1 shunt is becoming a tradition. It's great that it is a dedicated facility right in the middle of town! They do a great job with the fans, too. And you can't beat the prices.

As of today, there is no contract with F1 for next year. It's pretty well known that Tony wants a 5 year deal. He's given Bernie until July 12th to cut a deal. I sure hope they can.

[Jeff]

I have a problem with the F1 race at Indy, believe me I think its great that we have a race in the US. However being an old time F1 fan for over 47yrs I just don't see the value of Indy as a track.
In my mind at true F1 track is Spa, Monza, Monaco or Watkins Glen, the Nurberg Ring and Hockenheim, Montreal or Road America(a non F1 venue).
I have been to many of these and the driving skill to compete at a venue like Spa or the old Ring separates the men from the boys.
So I would vote to have a true road course as I went to Watkins Glen for many years and Montreal for 20GP's.

They had a good crowd at Indy and I am happy for them, prices are good and a good fan value, personally I just would not go there.