2004 United States Grand Prix Review
By Pablo Elizalde, Spain
Atlas F1 News Editor
The halfway point of the 2004 season at the United States Grand Prix saw Michael Schumacher winning once again. This time, however, the race provided drama almost from start to finish, with incidents, accidents and plenty of overtaking. Atlas F1's Pablo Elizalde reviews the events and results from the ninth round of the 2004 season
The crowd packing the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's grandstands got more action than anyone would have hoped following Schumacher's dominance of the first half of the season, and although the Ferrari driver emerged on top once more, the race was filled with incidents and accidents right from the start and nearly to the chequered flag.
It started with a multiple crash at the first corner, and was followed by a major accident from Ralf Schumacher from which fortunately the Williams driver walked away, even if he ends up missing the French Grand Prix in a fortnight's time. The Grand Prix provided controversy too as, for the second race running, the Williams of Juan Pablo Montoya was disqualified from the race.
Even if the end result was the same it has been in seven of the previous eight races this year, this time Michael Schumacher was made to sweat for his eighth victory of the season, on a day where the German World Champion had to witness how, lap after lap, his younger brother remained inside his car following probably the heaviest accident of his career.
"Obviously that was the biggest concern I had, seeing Ralf sitting so long in the car," said Schumacher after the race. "When I saw a BMW parked there I said 'No, please, please not something bad.' They were telling me everything was not too bad, everything was all right. But I've heard this in the past and things have turned out differently."
Schumacher, however, kept his cool and Barrichello at bay when needed following the Brazilian's best drive of the year, which saw him not only starting from pole for the first time in 2004, but also looking like a winner as he continued with his momentum following his strong showing in Canada.
After suggestions that Ferrari's drivers were racing under team orders in Montreal following Barrichello's timid attempts to pass his teammate for the lead, both showed they were not holding back anything at Indianapolis, with Schumacher passing Barrichello for the lead and the Brazilian almost crashing into the German later on as he tried to regain first place.
The irony for those who usually complain about Ferrari not allowing Barrichello to race Schumacher was that, when they did race, it was the World Champion who emerged on top. Despite losing out to Schumacher, however, Barrichello's form suggested his first win of the season could be not as far as it looked before the back-to-back American races.
For Ferrari's rivals the race was just another example of their problems to match the Italian squad's pace or reliability. BAR emerged as the main contenders again, but their decision not to pit during the Safety Car periods proved to be the wrong one and left Takuma Sato out of the Ferrari drivers' touch when he looked like a real threat.
In the end, however, the Japanese driver got a deserved, if distant, first podium that will likely boost his confidence even further now he seems to be coming out of Jenson Button's shadow. For the Briton, the US GP was a bitter disappointment and, after being overshadowed by Sato most of the weekend, he retired with a mechanical problem, leaving Barrichello as the only man to have scored points in every race so far this season.
Reliability was also an issue for the Renault team during the weekend, and although Jarno Trulli managed to come back from the rear of the grid to finish in fourth place, not having a car on the podium for the third race running is surely not what the French squad had hoped for. Even so, the result did not hurt Renault much and they still kept second place in the standings, eight points ahead of BAR and a massive 30 ahead of Williams.
If the Canadian Grand Prix had been terrible for the Grove team, the Indianapolis race was not less so, with one driver ending up in hospital while the other was disqualified for the second race in a row in another poor display from the team's technical staff. The recently appointed tech director Sam Michael could not have feared a worst start to his new job.
Williams' troubled race unfortunately highlighted the below-par job of Formula One's race stewards, who not only seemed to compromise the drivers' safety with their decision not to stop the race following Ralf's accident, but also did no favours to their reputation by taking nearly one and a half hours to conclude that Montoya was to be disqualified for an infringement before the start of the race.
The delay in announcing the penalty meant that Montoya illegally influenced the plot of the race for over 50 laps, only to hear he had been excluded for the second consecutive time this season, and penalised for the second consecutive year at the US GP.
The problems encountered by Williams, as well as the high rate of attrition, allowed for an unusual final classification, with Olivier Panis celebrating his 150th Formula One Grand Prix with a strong fifth place, which equalled Toyota's best result in F1.
Although McLaren were the only other team apart from Ferrari to have both cars running at the end of the race, the British squad were again far from the top of the charts, with both Kimi Raikkonen and David Coulthard coming home one lap down in what could have been the final race for the recalcitrant MP4-19.
The race, however, was not free of problems, and both men had to pit one more time than planned, which led to Raikkonen claiming he could have wound up on the podium. In the end, McLaren had to settle for sixth and seventh ahead of the Minardi of Zsolt Baumgartner, who as the Hungarian driver said himself, enjoyed a miracle which gave the struggling team their first point in over two years.
Finding the right set-up to complete a quick lap at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is always tricky, and the fact that the slippery infield section is not used for racing during the year only makes things harder for the drivers. To go quick around the legendary circuit a driver will need to find the right compromise between top speed for the very long straight, and enough downforce not to struggle too badly in the slow and twisty middle part of the lap.
The Grid
1. Rubens Barrichello
2. Michael Schumacher
3. Takuma Sato
4. Jenson Button
5. Juan Pablo Montoya
6. Ralf Schumacher
7. Kimi Raikkonen
8. Olivier Panis
9. Fernando Alonso
10. Mark Webber
11. Cristiano da Matta
12. David Coulthard
13. Christian Klien
14. Giancarlo Fisichella
15. Felipe Massa
16. Nick Heidfeld
17. Giorgio Pantano
18. Gianmaria Bruni
19. Zsolt Baumgartner
20. Jarno Trulli
The Race
It was quite surprising that, considering the stress put on engines during a lap of Indianapolis, there were no engines replaced ahead of the start of the race. That, however, did not mean that there were no problems, as Montoya would testify, the Colombian's car failing to start when the field got moving to complete the warm-up lap.
Montoya quickly jumped out of his car and sprinted back to the pits to use the spare FW26 to start the race from the pitlane. By then there was no official indication that he had done anything wrong, so when the start took place the Williams driver joined at the back of the grid.
Up in front, Barrichello and Schumacher had not much trouble keeping their positions, while Sato seemed to keep third place until he arrived at the first corner, in which Alonso, who in his own words had made the best start of his career, flew past around the outside, completing a sensational getaway that saw him gaining six places in some 15 seconds.
Although the leaders went through the first corner without incidents, further back there was drama as Klien hit da Matta from behind, and the Austrian spun, hitting the Jordan of Pantano and Massa's Sauber. All three were out of the race, and with Bruni also retiring on the first corner, the Safety Car was deployed in order for the marshals to clean the mess.
The race resumed on lap six, when Schumacher saw his chance to pass Barrichello, who did not complete the best of restarts and ended up with his German teammate right behind going into turn 13 and into the straight. Although Schumacher came close to illegally overtaking Barrichello before crossing the start/finish line, the German had a 0.013 seconds deficit that saved him. The World Champion took the lead under braking and there was little Barrichello could do.
The top positions remained unchanged until lap nine, when, running at over 300km/h, the rear right tyre of Alonso's car exploded, sending the Spaniard straight into the wall before coming to a halt. Michelin would later say the debris from the first corner crash had caused the tyre to deflate, a problem Ralf would suffer only moments after Alonso's accident.
Right in the middle of turn 13, Ralf lost control of his car and spun before impacting the wall, fortunately backwards, at very high speed. The destroyed Williams stopped right on the straight, and the following drivers were lucky to avoid him. Although initially Ralf was unconscious, soon the TV cameras showed movement much to the relief of everybody.
With debris all over the track and with Ralf unable to get out of the car on his own, the decision not to red flag the race was surprising. Instead, the race director decided to deploy the Safety Car again while the medical assistance reached Ralf much later than anyone would have hoped for. It took over ten laps for the track to be clean again, a period most of the field used to make their first pitstops.
Schumacher and Barrichello pitted at the same time, the Brazilian having to wait behind the German before getting his service. The World Champion rejoined the race in the lead followed by Sato, whose BAR team had decided not to make any of their drivers stop.
When the race continued on lap 20, Schumacher was followed closely by Sato, who for a couple of laps looked like he was ready to take the lead. In the end, however, the Japanese had to pit on lap 25, dropping down to 10th place and rejoining the race right in the middle of a group fighting for position. That effectively ruined his chances of fighting the Ferraris.
By lap 30, Schumacher led from Montoya, who had charged back from the back of the grid thanks to not having stopped during the Safety Car period. Barrichello was third some 12 seconds behind Schumacher, with Trulli - also recovering well - in fourth, Panis fifth and Sato sixth ahead of Heidfeld and Fisichella.
Montoya finally made his first stop on lap 35, leaving the two Ferraris in front, with Schumacher well clear of Barrichello. Sato was the man on the move for several laps, flying past most of his rivals to move up to fourth place behind Trulli.
With over half the race gone, Schumacher made his second and final pitstop on lap 42, dropping down to third ahead of Sato, who was the only BAR driver left after Button had retired with mechanical problems. Sato pitted on lap 45 to rejoin in sixth behind Montoya, who moved up to fourth after Trulli made his final stop a lap later, and to third when Panis pitted.
Aided by his light fuel load, leader Barrichello was the quickest man on track for several laps, opening the gap to Schumacher to over 20 seconds before coming into the pits for the final time on lap 50. The Brazilian's pitstop was smooth and he was able to rejoin right behind his teammate, having closed that gap of over 10 seconds that Schumacher had before he made his stop.
Barrichello looked determined to achieve what he had been unable to do in Canada, and stuck right behind Schumacher before trying a pass on the inside of turn four, to which the German responded by closing the door, their cars coming to inches of making contact. After that, Barrichello's tyres were not that fresh anymore and he had to be content with following his teammate closely.
Montoya, still running third, made his final pitstop on lap 57, allowing Trulli and Sato to gain a place, the Italian some three seconds ahead of the Japanese BAR driver. Just as he rejoined the race, however, Montoya finally got the penalty for his infringement at the start, and was black-flagged over 90 minutes later. There was no need for Frank Williams to reveal after the race that the Colombian was upset.
Montoya's disqualification elevated Panis to fifth place ahead of Raikkonen, Webber and Coulthard, who completed the point-scoring positions. Fisichella and Baumgartner were the only other two men still in the race, the Italian moving up to eighth place when Webber's engine gave up 12 laps from the end.
Sato continued with his charge towards the front and was quick to catch Trulli and pass him at the end of the straight, the Italian going off track as he tried to keep his place. With the Ferraris too far ahead, Sato had to settle for third place in what was his first race finish since the Spanish Grand Prix.
With only seven laps remaining, eighth-placed Fisichella began to suffer problems due to a hydraulic leak in his Sauber. Although the Italian limped around the track in the hope that Baumgartner would not be able to catch him, Fisichella finally had to give up and park his car, much to the delight of the Minardi team, who celebrated their first point of the year.
Up in front, Schumacher eased home to his eighth win in nine races, with Barrichello having to settle for second place for the sixth time this season despite looking like the man to beat for most of the weekend. The current points systems, however, continues to allow Barrichello to dream.
"If you see that I have 62 points in the championship and last year, in the whole championship, I had 65 then I still have a chance this year," said Barrichello, whose teammate seemed more concerned about Ralf's condition than about a Championship he nearly has in his pocket.
Sato was a delighted man with his maiden Formula One podium, and already dreaming of his first victory in the second half of the season. The top men at BAR and Honda believe the Japanese star will do it, and if he keeps his momentum going chances are he will have a shot at the top spot of the podium. Of course, with Schumacher's permission.
With seconds to go before the start of the final parade lap, Juan Pablo Montoya jumps out of his Williams-BMW and runs to the pit lane to switch into the spare Williams. He starts the race from pit lane but later is black-flagged for having made the switch within 15 seconds of the start of the parade lap, a breach of Article 85 of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations.
Lap 1: At the start of the race the two Ferraris go away well while Fernando Alonso makes a good start in his Renault and goes around the outside of Takuma Sato at the first corner. Jenson Button is slow away and so the order as they exit the first turn is Barrichello, Michael Schumacher, Alonso, Sato. Kimi Raikkonen, Button, Ralf Schumacher and Olivier Panis. At the tail of the field Cristiano da Matta lifts off to avoid his team mate. Da Matta is hit from behind by Christian Klien, who is then hit by Felipe Massa. Giorgio Pantano and Gianmaria Bruni are both taken out in the ensuing chaos while Giancarlo Fisichella is also off on the grass. A Safety Car is dispatched. The order as things begin to calm down is Barrichello, Schumacher (M), Alonso, Sato, Raikkonen, Button, Schumacher (R), Panis, Mark Webber and David Coulthard. Da Matta stops for repairs and rejoins at the back of the field. Klien, Massa, Pantano and Bruni are all out on the spot.
Lap 3: Da Matta stops again for further repairs.
Lap 6: The mess down at Turn 1 has been cleared up and the race is restarted. Michael Schumacher and Barrichello cross the line side-by-side and the World Champion is ahead at the first corner. The order remains the same at the front further back Coulthard passes Webber to grab ninth place and Montoya gets ahead of Fisichella and Bruni.
Lap 7: Montoya passes Nick Heidfeld to claim 12th position.
Lap 9: Michael Schumacher is just over a second ahead of Barrichello but going down towards the first corner Fernando Alonso suffers an apparent tyre failure and spins into the wall. The car continues down the road and comes to rest off the racing line. Sato moves to third place
Lap 10: Ralf Schumacher loses control of his Williams in the final corner and after spinning through 360-degrees, goes backwards into the outside wall at high speed. The car comes to rest in the middle of the road with wreckage all over the track. A Safety Car is sent out. Ralf tries to get out of the car but appears to have pain in his back.
Lap 11: Ferrari decides to bring in both cars and this proves to be a vital decision as Michael Schumacher comes and goes before Takuma Sato arrives at the pit exit, the Japanese driver having had to drive very slowly through the wreckage field. Sato is second despite this with Button third, Webber fourth and Montoya fifth. Raikkonen, Panis, Coulthard, Trulli, Heidfeld and Fisichella have all stopped under the Safety Car.
Lap 17: As the cars circulate behind the Safety Car Jaguar has to call in Webber for fuel. This drops the Australian to the back of the field.
Lap 18: The Safety Car is still on the circuit as the safety teams remove Ralf Schumacher from his car. Da Matta slows and stops out on the track.
Lap 20: With Schumacher having been taken off to hospital and the wreckage cleared away, the race restarts but the only change of order is Webber passing Zsolt Baumgartner for 12th place. Only 13 cars are left on the track.
Lap 24: Michael Schumacher has been under pressure for several laps from the two BAR-Hondas but they are not in a position to pass. Button finally heads into the pits and loses a small amount of time when he misses his stopping mark by around a metre. Button rejoins in 12th place.
Lap 25: Sato pits and he drops back to 10th but is stuck in a group of cars which are being held up by Heidfeld's Jordan.
Lap 27: Button goes into the pits to retire with a loss of power from the engine. Sato passes Coulthard to grab ninth place.
Lap 28: Michael Schumacher is eight seconds ahead of Montoya, but the Colombian still has to stop. Raikkonen is third but he too is due for a pit stop. Barrichello is fourth, Trulli is fifth and Panis sixth. Webber has a moment and runs across the grass.
Lap 29: Raikkonen stops and falls back to 11th. Further back Sato passes Fisichella to move up to eighth place.
Lap 30: Sato's progress continues as he moves ahead of Heidfeld to move up to sixth position.
Lap 31: Raikkonen begins to fight back and passes Webber to move to 10th.
Lap 32: Raikkonen moves ahead of Coulthard to run ninth.
Lap 34: Kimi heads for the pits for an unscheduled pit stop and falls to the back of the field.
Lap 35: Montoya finally pits and falls from second place back to sixth. This leaves Michael Schumacher more than 13secs ahead of Barrichello. Trulli is third seven seconds behind the second Ferrari. Panis is fourth with Sato fifth but still attacking and Montoya is sixth. Further back a trail of cars are still stuck behind Heidfeld.
Lap 38: Heidfeld pits and falls from seventh place to 10th.
Lap 40: Sato passes Panis to take fourth place.
Lap 41: Raikkonen passes Heidfeld to move up to 10th place.
Lap 42: Michael Schumacher pits and so drops behind Barrichello. Trulli moves to second but Schumacher is third.
Lap 45: Sato pits and falls from fourth to sixth place. Further back Heidfeld retires with an engine failure.
Lap 46: Second-placed Trulli pits and falls back down the order to fifth position.
Lap 47: Panis, briefly third, has to stop and drops back to sixth. Coulthard also pits from eighth place and rejoins without losing a place.
Lap 48: Barrichello is still ahead of Schumacher but has a pit stop to do. Further back Fisichella has a puncture and has to drive to the pits on three wheels. He drops from seventh to 10th as a result.
Lap 50: Barrichello stops and rejoins as Michael Schumacher comes by to take the lead. Rubens quickly chases after Schumacher and puts him under pressure.
Lap 51: Webber stops and so falls from seventh place. Behind him Raikkonen passes Coulthard for eighth.
Lap 54: Coulthard stops by retains his 10th position.
Lap 57: Montoya stops for the last time but as he rejoins he receives word that he has been black-flagged for starting in the spare car. He stops at the end of lap 58.
Lap 58: Barrichello begins to drop away from Schumacher. Further back Raikkonen passes Webber for seventh position.
Lap 61: Raikkonen pits again but manages to hold on to sixth place because Webber's Jaguar has gone out with an engine failure.
Lap 62: Sato catches Trulli and goes past him at the first corner, the two cars both going onto the grass as they brake as late as possible. Sato is third.
Lap 66: Fisichella slows with a hydraulic leak. He is overtaken by Baumgartner, putting a Minardi into the points for the first time this year.
Lap 73: Michael Schumacher wins from Barrichello with Sato third. Trulli is fourth with Panis fifth for Toyota. A lap behind come the two McLarens with Raikkonen ahead of Coulthard and the final point goes to Baumgartner, despite the fact that he is three laps behind.
© 1995-2005 Kaizar.Com, Inc.
. This service is provided under the Atlas F1 terms and conditions.
Please Contact Us for permission to republish this or any other material from Atlas F1. |
|