Saturday September 27th, 2003
Lucky Pig
Juan Pablo Montoya will be hoping his luck does not run out in this weekend's United States Grand Prix after Williams decided to fly out to Indianapolis without their lucky pig mascot. Montoya has risen to within three points of World Champion Michael Schumacher with an eight-race streak of podium visits and his rise in form has been linked to the arrival of the porcelain pig.
But the team have dumped the mascot after Ferrari beat them to victory at the last race in Italy and a Williams spokesman said: "The pig will not be going to either of the final two races. It is too large and there is not much room in the freight."
The pig was bought by Williams team member Chris Mays as a gift for the team's pig-loving chef Hilary Weaver and kept from view in the team truck until it was brought into view wearing a cap and a paddock pass in Monza. A Williams source said team chief Sir Frank Williams was "amused" and not concerned that the pig's absence in Indianapolis and Suzuka will change their fortunes. The insider added: "The person it belongs to is probably a bit superstitious that the luck might run out. But I don't think that is the case with the rest of the team - so we weren't going to go to Bernie Ecclestone to ask for a pass."
Flagging Support
Juan Pablo Montoya has no shortage of backers for victory in any United States Grand Prix after spending his pre-Formula One years in American racing and proof could be seen around the entire track. His fans on the main straight went to great lengths to show their support for the Latin American star's efforts in this year's title battle by unfurling a large Colombian flag with the word "orgullosamente" - "proudly" - in its centre. Only after Sunday's race will they know whether he has been good to their word.
Star Support
Jacques Villeneuve and Juan Pablo Montoya may be the only former winners of the Indianapolis 500 on the Grand Prix grid at Indianapolis but their prior achievements were upstaged by one visitor to the Brickyard paddock – two-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves. "I'm having a good time," said Castroneves. "I'm checking in here, seeing a few good friends, and it's nice to be around." Other former Indy winners in the paddock were Gil de Ferran, who won the race this year, and past master Danny Sullivan, who also drove in Formula One in 1983 and now heads a program to help develop young American drivers. But one man who has not won any major motor races was John "Johnny Rotten" Lydon, of Sex Pistols fame, who made his now regular appearance at the Motor Speedway as a guest of pal Eddie Jordan.
Speeding Fines
After staying calm in the pits during the Italian Grand Prix the drivers started speeding again at Indianapolis. Veteran Jos Verstappen's Minardi may have been one of the slowest cars out on the track but in the pits he was lighting fast and clocked up $8,000 (USD) worth of fines after being caught for two speeding offences on Friday morning. British Jaguar driver Justin Wilson, who appeared to be destined for another unlucky weekend, was fined $2,000 when he was also clocked above the 60km/h limit.
Published at 22:04:44 GMT
(03-11-2005): 
