17/06/2007
NEWS STORY
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With almost two hours to go before today's United States Grand Prix gets underway, we have a strong feeling that although Lewis Hamilton is starting from pole position - just one week after claiming his maiden F1 pole at Montreal - the Englishman will not repeat his Canada feat and win here at Indianapolis.
We have this funny feeling that today's race is going to be Fernando Alonso's… and no we promise not to edit this bit out later.
The Spaniard had been quickest in every single session, and even in the dying moments of qualifying had to have it nailed, but then something went wrong, or did it? Somehow, we have the feeling is very much on top of his game this weekend.
Ron Dennis has said that there is no agreement between the drivers, and no strategy, team orders or what have you. In other words, the Mac Lads are free to race. If this is so, then our money is on the World Champion.
Then again, Dennis is no doubt still smarting from last year's race when his two drivers (Raikkonen and Montoya) eliminated one another, in what turned out to be the Colombian's final race for the team.
Although the Ferraris are lined up behind the silver cars we don't expect them to be challenging for victory, not unless something goes seriously wrong for the Woking team. Though both Massa and Raikkonen are claiming that today's race will be different, suggesting that the Maranello outfit is relying on its race pace, we are not convinced.
In fact, were we of a gambling bent our money might even be on BMW to pull a surprise. Heidfeld is confident that he could have qualified ahead of the Ferraris, while Vettel, in his maiden F1 GP weekend, is clearly a star of the future.
Having shown real improvement in Canada, Heikki Kovalainen looks to have finally found his form and should be good for further points today, as should Renault teammate Giancarlo Fisichella. The French team isn't in a position to challenge for wins, but desperately needs to be best of the rest behind McLaren, Ferrari and BMW.
Jarno Trulli is up there, but then again he always is. Qualifying at the right end of the grid then spending the following afternoon getting in everyone's way. No disrespect to the Italian or his team but we remain entirely unconvinced.
The Red Bulls are clearly the fastest cars in a straight line - according to the speed traps - however, they are losing heaps of time in the all-important infield section. Then there's the Milton Keynes based team's less than impressive reliability. Clearly they are getting there, with each race seeing an improvement, but it will be some time before we see them regularly mixing it with the likes of Renault and BMW, far less Ferrari and McLaren.
Williams will be disappointed with fourteenth and seventeenth, but we wouldn't be surprised to see at least one of the Grove drivers in the points later today, especially after last week's morale booster in Montreal.
For Honda it will be another afternoon of damage limitation and interviews through gritted teeth. The Brackley based team is placing great hope in this week's test at Jerez, hoping that various new components will spark a mid-season revival. The fact that the team's benchmark in Spain will be Super Aguri (all the other teams are testing at Silverstone) will either be good thing or a bad thing.
Unless this race turns out to be as big a melodrama as Montreal, we don't expect to see Super Aguri add further points to its tally, then again, as we saw with Williams last week, the right strategy can work wonders. Davidson, in particular, has looked good this weekend, and will no doubt still be smarting from that expensive run in with a groundhog last Sunday. Expensive for the Englishman in terms of points, and expensive fro the groundhog in terms of its life.
Neither Toro Rosso nor Spyker have shown any signs of improvement this weekend, and one can only hope that Scott Speed rises to the occasion in front of his home crowd and that the Spyker duo can keep their cars out of the barriers and off the grass.
As the cars wait on the grid, ahead of the warm-up lap, the air temperature is 36 degrees C, while the track temperature is 59 degrees. Like Friday and Saturday is it hot, bright and sunny, with just a few fluffy white clouds in the sky.
They start as they qualified yesterday, with nobody starting from the pitlane. While most eyes are on Lewis Hamilton, it's going to be well worth watching the progress of 19-year-old Sebastian Vettel who starts from seventh on the grid.
They head off on the warm-up lap. There is cement dust just in front of Alonso's grid slot, thought to be covering oil that was dropped by a competitor in an earlier race. Another one for the conspiracy theorists.
Most of the drivers are on the softer compound tyre, Kimi Raikkonen being one of the key exceptions.
It takes ages for the grid to form, very frustrating for Hamilton.
They all get away cleanly with Alonso tucking in behind Hamilton, then coming out again and appearing to make a challenge. Hamilton keeps his nerve and leads the pack into the first corner.
Further behind Vettel takes to the grass while Schumacher clouts Coulthard, the German's race over before it has begun.
As Hamilton leads the field, Fisichella goes off, which costs him a whole heap of races. The replay shows the Italian making an unforced error.
At the end of lap two, it's: Hamilton, Alonso, Massa, Heidfeld, Kovalainen, Raikkonen, Trulli, Webber, Rosberg and Vettel. Coulthard is out following his collision with Schumacher. Barrichello is also out, having suffered a suspension problem having appeared to get involved in the melee at the first corner. Three cars out of the race already.
As Hamilton enjoys a 1.7s lead over his teammate, Kovalainen and Raikkonen are battling for fifth. Webber is hassling Trulli, while Vettel is all over Rosberg.
The man really on a charge at present however, is Adrian Sutil, who is running thirteenth and giving Alex Wurz a hard time., Somebody tell that guy he's driving a Spyker!
Following his off, Fisichella is running eighteenth, and climbing all over Davidson. Sato is fourteenth and keeping an eye on Sutil.
Fisichella makes short work of Davidson and immediately sets about giving Button a hard time. The Italian makes a move on Button, and appears to make it stick, but the Englishman fights back, keeping the Renault at bay. However, on the main straight there is nothing the Honda driver can do and the Renault slips through. As if to rub Honda's nose in it, Davidson prepares to pass his fellow Englishman.
As Sutil falls back, Wurz is hassling Liuzzi, as local hero Scott Speed hangs on to the tail of Sato, who is running fourteenth.
At the end of lap 11, Wurz makes his move on Liuzzi but is unable to make it stick. Meanwhile, Sato is under investigation for overtaking under the yellows that followed the Schumacher crash.
After 12 laps Hamilton leads by 2.4s with Massa a further 2.4s down the road. Heidfeld holds fourth, ahead of Kovalainen, Raikkonen, Trulli, Webber, Rosberg and Vettel. Behind the German there's a 17s gap to Vettel.
Sato spins off and is stuck in the gravel, his race over. At least he won't have to face a penalty for his earlier misdemeanour.
The field is fairly evenly spread out now, the only significant 'battles being those of Kovalainen/Raikkonen, Rosberg/Vettel and Liuzzi/Wurz.
On lap 16, Wurz makes another move on Liuzzi, but once again the Italian holds the Williams driver off. Fisichella is right behind them, waiting for one of them, if not both of them, to make a mistake.
On lap 18, Hamilton posts a new fastest lap (13.579), but Alonso instantly goes quicker (13.537). Elsewhere, Speed and Button are running behind Sutil, who is having a great race.
Next time around Hamilton posts another fastest lap (13.324), as he begins to pass the backmarkers (Albers).
Liuzzi appears to have taken over the mantle of mobile chicane from fellow-Italian Jarno Trulli. The Toro Rosso heads a train of six cars. Heidfeld spins at Turn 1.
At the end of lap 21 Hamilton and Massa are the first to pit. Both drivers fit the softer compound. Heidfeld also pits.
Next time around Alonso stops, like his McLaren teammate he fits the softer compound.
Kovalainen leads Raikkonen, with Hamilton third ahead of Trulli and Alonso. The Spaniard loses vital time behind his former Renault teammate before finally passing him.
At the end of lap 24 Raikkonen pits, as does Vettel. Elsewhere, Fisichella makes a brave move on Wurz, the Italian clearly fired up. The replay shows a little bit of wheel banging.
Button passes Speed, one of several great scraps going on further down the field. Hard to believe the former 'golden boy' is battling for fifteenth.
As Kovalainen pits, A 14.8 sees Hamilton lose ground to Alonso, who posts 13.3. Next time around the Englishman loses another 0.5s.
Kovalainen rejoins the race behind Raikkonen and Heidfeld, the Ferrari driver having gained from the pit stops.
Webber, running fourth behind Trulli, complains of vibration and calls for some more front wing at his pit stop. Elsewhere, Fisichella passes Liuzzi to take eleventh.
After 29 laps Hamilton leads his McLaren teammate by 1.2s, with Trulli 4.9s behind. However, the Italian, like fourth-placed Webber, still has to stop. That said, at the end of lap 30, the Red Bull driver pits for fresh rubber and an adjustment to his front wing.
At the end of lap 31 Trulli pits, which means that of the leading ten only Rosberg has not yet pitted. The German is currently running fourth, behind Massa, but ahead of Raikkonen, Heidfeld and Kovalainen.
After 32 laps, Massa is 13.3s behind Alonso as the Spaniard closes in on Hamilton.
The two McLaren are running almost nose to tail, as Hamilton comes up to lap the five-car train lead by Liuzzi. Elsewhere, Raikkonen is shadowing Rosberg, who still has to stop.
One-by-one they pick off the back markers, some more obliging than others. Fisichella and Speed both pit.
Hamilton closes in on Liuzzi, who at first appears not to yield, but then dives into the pits. In clear air the McLarens go head-to-head. Down the main straight they're side by side, but it is Hamilton who does the better job, frustrating the World Champion.
Next time around Alonso pulls right over to the pitwall, appearing to send a message, but to whom? Elsewhere, Albers has pitted.
At the end of lap 40 Rosberg finally pits, which promotes Raikkonen to fourth, albeit 6s down on Massa. Heidfeld holds fifth, ahead of Kovalainen, Trulli, Webber and Vettel. Wurz, Button and Davidson - running eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth - still have to stop.
Other than the leading McLarens, the 'battles' worth watching are those for fifth (Heidfeld and Kovalainen) and fourteenth (Sutil and Davidson).
On lap 44, Wurz and Button both pit. Consequently, everyone has now stopped at least once.
Raikkonen is now just 3.5s down on his teammate, who is 12.9s down on Alonso. Sutil has Davidson and Wurz running in his wake.
At the end of lap 47 Kovalainen pits, as Raikkonen takes another chunk out of Massa. Indeed, the Finn goes quickest in the first sector. Elsewhere, Heidfeld pits, which seems a bit early.
Next time around, Raikkonen posts a new fastest lap, crossing the line at 13.117.
"Be sure your sins will find you out," our grandmother used to say, and sure enough Takuma Sato has been given a 10-second penalty in the French Grand Prix for his earlier misdemeanour.
At the end of lap 50, Alonso makes his second stop, rejoining in fourth. Next time around both Hamilton and Raikkonen pit, the Englishman rejoining ahead of his McLaren teammate. Vettel and Sutil also pit.
At the end of lap 51 race leader Massa pits, handing the lead back to Hamilton, who now has a 1.7s advantage over Alonso. The one to watch over the remaining twenty laps will be Raikkonen, who is on the harder compound.
Since his pit-stop Fisichella's race has fallen apart, the Italian is now running eleventh, over 40s behind Sebastian Vettel. Meanwhile, Raikkonen is right behind Massa.
After 55 laps it's: Hamilton, Alonso, Massa, Raikkonen, Trulli, Webber, Heidfeld, Kovalainen, Rosberg and Vettel. That said, Heidfeld has a problem, the German slowing to a crawl. As his crew tell him to "try and bring it back", he parks the car on the grass, finds a deckchair and a can of juice and settles back to watch the remainder of the race. Meanwhile, Trulli makes his second stop, rejoining in eighth.
At the end of lap 59, Webber makes his second stop, rejoining in eighth behind Trulli. The two are having a great scrap, with the Italian forcing the Red Bull driver wide.
Raikkonen is all over Massa, which prompts the question, 'are there team orders and if so will Kimi obey them?'
Webber makes a move on Trulli but overdoes it and ends up taking to the grass and missing the corner. He therefore has to give the position back to Trulli, whilst almost losing out to Vettel, who clearly sniffs the possibility of a point on his F1 debut.
With ten laps remaining, Hamilton leads Alonso by 2.2s, with Massa 12.2s behind. Raikkonen is fourth, ahead of Kovalainen, Rosberg, Trulli, Webber, Vettel, Fisichella, Wurz, Button, Davidson, Speed, Liuzzi, Sutil and Albers.
A small mistake from Massa sees Raikkonen close right in, the battle looking far more authentic than that at the front of the field.
Beautiful move - should we have prefaced that with 'without prejudice'? - as Davidson passes Button to take twelfth. The Honda driver I simply unable to hold him off.
As Webber hassles Trulli, Vettel keeps a watching eye on the pair of them. The 19-year-old driving like a veteran, very impressive.
Raikkonen goes quickest in the final sector, possibly signalling a final assault on his teammate and a possible podium position.
There's smoke coming from the back of sixth-placed Rosberg's Williams, the young German's race over. His cruel luck means that fellow German Vettel moves into the points. Nico is clearly very unhappy to be eliminate at this late stage.
It appears to be over for Liuzzi also, the Toro Rosso crawling up the pitlane.
Well, we were wrong… it is Hamilton who takes the chequered flag, taking his second successive win and thereby extending his lead in the World Championship.
Alonso takes second, though it remains to be seen how he will react, his 'message' earlier in the race appeared to indicate that he is unhappy and if this is the truth the situation will not be helped by a media intent on adding a little gasoline to the fire.
Massa takes third ahead of Raikkonen, while Kovalainen adds another four points to his tally, finishing fifth, ahead of Trulli, Webber and Vettel, who ensures that BMW, like McLaren, Ferrari and Renault, scores points in every race this season.
A fantastic result for Hamilton but not a great race… plenty of battles but few of them really resolved.
With the teams testing this week, the first time since mid-May it should be interesting to see what changes are made before the championship resumes in France, and we don't simply mean changes to the cars.
Finally, Bernie Ecclestone might not be sure of America's importance to F1, but we are and so are the many thousands of fans in the packed grandstands. Indianapolis might not be the perfect venue for F1 but it's a start… and unlike some of its modern counterparts has character.
To check out our United States GP gallery, click here