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| Race Preview - USA; Round 7 | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jun 14 2007, 04:40 PM (178 Views) | |
| Paul_Murtagh | Jun 14 2007, 04:40 PM Post #1 |
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Chief Engineer
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United States Grand Prix Preview By Paul Murtagh After what was, in every way, an eventful Canadian Grand Prix, the drivers and teams cross the border and move onto arguably the most famous circuit in motor racing – Indianapolis. The Brickyard – as it is affectionately known – is etched into the history of motor racing, and after counting the Indy 500 towards the championship throughout the 1950’s, F1 finally established a permanent home in the US on a new 2.6 mile road course at the Brickyard in 2000. The new course combined a flowing circuit on the infield with Turn 1 of the famous oval, but unlike the 500 race the F1 track is run clockwise, meaning that Turn 1 of the oval becomes Turn 13 of the road circuit in F1. And with the retirement of Michael Schumacher it gives someone else a chance to stand on the top step of podium at Indy! We arrive in Indy with Lewis Hamilton having taken his maiden Formula 1 win in Canada and opening up an 8-point gap on his team-mate Fernando Alonso, who had a scruffy weekend in Canada after falling off the track 3 times during the race and also receiving a stop-go penalty for pitting under the safety car. And during the lead up to Indy Alonso has been very vocal about his team-mate in the press, claiming that Hamilton receives favourable treatment and that he (Alonso) is not comfortable at the Woking-based team. The comparisons between this battle and the one between Senna and Prost become more apparent each race. Alonso wasn’t the only one to struggle in Canada. Ferrari looked out of shape and at a loss to explain the lack of pace compared to McLaren for the second race running. Although Massa was running as high as third in the early stages, he ruined his race by exiting the pit lane while the red light was showing – a rookie mistake by anyone’s standards. And although Raikkonen was able to salvage something with 5th place, it looks like it could take Ferrari a few races to get their act together. McLaren’s closest challengers in Montreal were BMW and it looks likely again this weekend after Heidfeld kept Hamilton honest throughout the Montreal race. But their race was tainted with Kubica being involved in a huge accident at the hairpin which could seriously affect their efforts at Indy. Further down the field at Renault could have a strong race at Indy. Fisichella committed the same sin as Massa in Canada, but has always run well at Indy and even out-raced Alonso last year in the same car. And with Kovalainen scoring 5 points last time out it could be a big confidence boost for the Finn. Toyota profited from other’s misfortune and scored a single point in Montreal and could well do the same again, and Super Aguri showed just how much they have improved when Sato passed Alonso on merit in Montreal. With Indy’s kilometre-long pit straight they should be strong again. So the big question is can Hamilton follow on from his first career win and increase his championship lead, or will Alonso get his act together and claw in his lead? And will Ferrari finally get back on McLaren’s pace or will they have to wait to Europe for improvements? With Indy’s race contract up for renewal this season, it is essential that the watching public get a great race to watch to strengthen their negotiations |
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12:24 AM Jul 11