By Ewan Tytler, U.S.A.
Atlas F1 Magazine Writer

Formula One crosses the Atlantic to the current home of the US Grand Prix: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway. As always, Ewan Tytler reviews the field

At 4.195 km, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is shorter than average for a Formula One circuit, falling between the Hungaroring and Magny-Cours in length. "Indianapolis is completely different to any of the other circuits on the Formula One calendar," explains Williams's Chief Operations Engineer Sam Michael. "It has the longest straight - with up to 23 seconds on full throttle, followed by tight and twisty corners, none of them high speed at all. Part of the Formula One circuit uses two corners from the oval track, but they are full throttle so are considered part of the straight. The setup needs to be geared towards good traction because of all the slow speed exit conditions."

Willy Rampf, Sauber's Technical Director, added: "We learned a lot about racing on the F1 track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway last year. We now have the basic data such as gear ratios, suspension settings and aerodynamic configuration well worked out. We are also now familiar with the surface of the track. It's a medium to low downforce circuit; you need plenty of grip in the twisting infield section, but you don't want any more drag than you have to have as part of your downforce setting on the important run through the banked final corner and all the way down the long pit straight. The tight right, left, right corner at the end of that also demands very good stability under braking if the drivers are to have a chance of overtaking going into the first corner. Last year we found that the banked corner did not present any problems at all; the drivers loved it because it was flat-out with high G loads. Then banked corner comes in the middle of the longest full-throttle run of any of the circuits that we raced on. It's even longer than Monza. So once again there will also be a premium on engine performance and reliability."

Pitstop and tyre strategies

The race will be held over 73 laps - 306.235 km. Attrition was quite high in last year's race with only 12 cars finishing the race. Most teams had 2 stops due to starting the race on wet-weather tyres. However, unlike last year, the weather forecast for Friday, Saturday and Sunday is dry with pleasant temperatures.

On tyre choice, Bridgestone Motorsport's Technical Manager Hisao Suganuma stated: "We went there last year not really knowing what to expect but appreciating that the banking would test the heat durability of our tyres. In reality, the effect was not as severe as we had anticipated, mainly because the cars enter the banked section from the slow in-field and there is only one corner where they use the full bank. In terms of maximum speed, Indianapolis is most like Canada but the load through the tyres is much greater. Having raced at Indy once, we now know that the most important aspect is finding a tyre that works well through both the high-speed part of the track and through the slow corners. Most of the lap time comes from the twisty infield so this is the section where the most time can be gained or lost.

"The point is to get through it as quickly as possible. Bridgestone can help by offering tyres with good grip levels. While this can be achieved with a softer compound, the same tyre has to be capable of coping with the heat generated on the high-speed oval section. We have developed a new medium-range compound for Indianapolis which was tested at Valencia and Mugello prior to the Italian Grand Prix. All six of our teams had a chance to run it last week at Silverstone, Mugello and Fiorano."

Bridgestone have shipped wet-weather tyres and three different dry-weather tyre compounds to Indianapolis. Michelin's F1 project manager Pascal Vasselon confessed: "Indianapolis represents a new test for us, because it has a banked section of the kind we don't see at any other circuit. Technically, that shouldn't present any great difficulty, but we must find the right compromise to make sure we can cope with that part of the track while managing tyre loads, speed and durability. This is not a typical track. There are some very slow corners 'infield' as well as the ultra-fast 'banking', so we will have a new type of rear tyre to deal with such demands."

Michelin's motorsport director Pierre Dupasquier concluded: "The Italian Grand Prix gives us cause to believe we are working in the right direction. Generally, our performance at Monza was one of our best of the season to date and all our partner teams were competitive. But we will continue to evolve our compounds and constructions all the way until the season's end, at Suzuka."

Down the Pitlane

Ferrari, the Constructors' Championship winners, fulfilled last year one of Enzo Ferrari's unrealised dreams by scoring a one-two victory at Indianapolis. World Champion Michael Schumacher won from pole position, with a pole time was 1:14.266s. Second finisher was Rubens Barrichello, who now lies 3rd in the Drivers' Championship but has closed the gap to McLaren's David Coulthard to 3 points. In last year's race, Barrichello qualified 4th.

McLaren are still 2nd in the Constructors' Championship. Team Principal Ron Dennis stated: "We will be working hard to ensure we optimise set-up in order to deal with the tight, twisting infield and long fast straights, Indianapolis offers."

Mika Hakkinen, who slipped to 6th in the Drivers' Championship, stated: "I enjoy racing in America, especially as it was where I made my Formula One debut, at Phoenix in 1991, and what better venue than the Motor Speedway. It's technically demanding and the massive grandstands allow the fans an excellent view of the action." This time last year, Hakkinen led the Drivers' Championship. His retirement due to engine failure in last year's race was a major blow to his challenge for the 2000 title. Hakkinen qualified third in last year's race, after assisting his teammate David Coulthard by providing him with a draft during his final qualifying lap.

David Coulthard himself is still 2nd in the Drivers' Championship. Coulthard revealed: "The banked corner at Indy provides a unique challenge in Formula One, which will make the 2001 SAP United States Grand Prix an exciting race for the drivers and fans alike. Obviously we're in a different position going into the race this year, as we now have experience of the circuit and the required set-up, and we are looking forward to making a race of it." Coulthard holds the race lap record for the Formula One IMS circuit of 1:14.711s. In last year's race, Coulthard qualified 2nd but was ruled to have jumped the start and finished 5th after serving a stop-go penalty.

Williams are still 3rd in the Constructors' Championship and have closed the gap to McLaren to 8 points. BMW Motorsport Director Gerhard Berger stated: "The circuit is not tailor-made for us like Monza or Hockenheim, but it has a long, full throttle sector that should suit us. Ralf has a score to settle here as he retired last year when in a strong position to finish second. For Juan Pablo the venue, where he won the Indy 500 in 2000, has a special meaning for him, and the victory in Monza will have made him even stronger. We are looking forward to the race and are putting highest priority on technical reliability, and if we achieve this we have a good chance of scoring some more points this season."

Ralf Schumacher has consolidated his 4th position in the Drivers' Championship after his 3rd place finish at Monza. Ralf commented: "We should be quite well prepared for Indianapolis and even though Michelin have not been there with Formula 1 before I am sure they will have done their homework. The organisers have done a good job with the circuit, but last year everybody was excited about the high speed corner from the oval and I found the exciting part of this was the fact you don't have a run off area, only a wall! The infield is very tight and a challenge to drive. There were a lot of spectators last year, but unfortunately they are a long way from the track so as a driver you don't feel the atmosphere that much." In last year's race, Ralf did not finish after qualifying 10th.

Juan Pablo Montoya has climbed to 5th in the Drivers' Championship after his first Formula One victory at Monza. "It should be an interesting track because it is a bit of a compromise between high and low downforce, so we could be quite quick there," Montoya stated. "It is all about trying to find the best solution for it. We may be competitive there because it is only when it is maximum downforce that we tend to struggle." Montoya added: "I think the circuit is pretty good. I drove it around when they were building it back in 1999 and 2000, before the Indy 500. So I know the circuit quite well in that perspective."

Sauber are still 4th in the Constructors' Championship while Nick Heidfeld has slipped to 8th in the Drivers' Championship. After testing at Mugello, Heidfeld commented: "The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has a lot of history and last year's race went well. The C20 is good on all types of track, and I am sure we will be very competitive again this weekend." In last year's race, Heidfeld finished 9th after qualifying 16th for Prost.

Kimi Raikkonen is still 9th equal in the Drivers' Championship. Raikkonen confessed: "I'm really looking forward to racing in America for the first time in my career. From what I have seen of the circuit, it should suit our car well and I will be looking for more World Championship points."

BAR have climbed to 5th in the Constructors' Championship. In last year's race, both their drivers finished in the points, with Jacques Villeneuve finishing fourth and Ricardo Zonta 6th.

Jacques Villeneuve has climbed to 7th in the Drivers' Championship after picking up a single point at Monza. Villeneuve stated: "It's great to go to the States. With Indy being one of the centers of open-wheel racing, it is quite good to go there. The only disappointment is that we are not going to be on the oval. So it is going to be strange to be there. It should be great. I just hope that the American fans don't get disappointed with the show because it is impossible to get the same kind of overtaking on a road course as you get on an oval." In last year's race Villeneuve finished 4th after qualifying 8th. Olivier Panis is still 13th equal in the Drivers' Championship. This will be Panis's first appearance at the IMS.

Jordan have slipped to 6th in the Constructors' Championship. Team Principal Eddie Jordan said: "Last year's USGP at Indianapolis was a fabulous event and I'm sure it will be another great spectacle this year. Racing in the US has an extra special meaning for Jordan because of the large Irish community resident in the States. We always get an extra special welcome as a result and of course, Jordan's first ever GP took place in America so this is another reason why we love returning to race there."

Jarno Trulli is still 9th equal in the Drivers' Championship. Trulli admitted: "Racing at Indianapolis is a great experience - you're racing on such a historic circuit in front of 200,000 fans who pack up the grandstands. The track is quite complex with the very long and fast straight, followed by the infield which is quite slow and twisty so it's a challenge to find an ideal set-up. The track surface is built for Formula One, but it's great that the circuit still displays its history with the famous yard of bricks on the start/finish line. I'm hoping for an incident free race as I would like to make it to the finish at Indianapolis. I had to retire from last year's race after Button hit me, causing a mechanical problem with my car." In last year's race, Trulli qualified 5th.

Jean Alesi is still 13th equal in the Drivers' Championship and will be competing in his 200th Grand Prix on Sunday. Alesi confessed: "The last twelve years have gone so quickly, but I feel an incredible sense of achievement to have made it to my 200th Grand Prix. There are so many things that have happened over this time, making it impossible to sum up my Formula One memories in just a few words - a book wouldn't be enough! I think about how many times I have lined up on the grid, how many people I have met and the amazing times I have experienced, but mostly, I am so thankful that I have remained safe during my career as I have unfortunately witnessed some very sad accidents on the track.

"Indianapolis is a great place to celebrate my 200th Grand Prix as it's such a fantastic motorsport name steeped in racing history. It would be my dream to be on the podium there for this race. With the recent events in the United States however, a real celebration for my 200th GP race is relatively unimportant as nobody feels like celebrating. America is keen to welcome Formula One though so I am looking forward to Indianapolis where we hope to have a great race and bring enjoyment to our American fans." Alesi and McLaren's Mika Hakkinen are the only active Formula One drivers who have competed in US Grand Prix held in Phoenix, Arizona. His finest hour was his wheel-to-wheel racing with McLaren's Ayrton Senna in 1990. In last year's race, Alesi did not finish after qualifying 20th for Prost.

Benetton are still 7th in the Constructors' Championship. In last year's race, Benetton's Alexander Wurz finished 10th while Giancarlo Fisichella did not finish after qualifying 15th. Fisichella himself is still 11th in the Driver's Championship, while his current teammate Jenson Button has slipped to 17th. In last year's race, Button did not finish after qualifying an impressive 6th for Williams.

Jaguar are still 8th in the Constructors' Championship. Team Principal Niki Lauda stated: "I want to set achievable goals and right now that means getting past Benetton-Renault in the Championship standings. Getting two cars into the points has not been an easy task for us all season and we must be realistic going into this race. I'm really looking forward to it, particularly as it will be my first time at the famous oval. I hope with a little bit of luck we can continue the success we enjoyed in Monza." In last year's race, both Jaguar's finished outside the points.

Eddie Irvine is still 15th in the Drivers' Championship. In last year's race, Irvine finished 7th after qualifying 17th. Pedro de la Rosa has meanwhile climbed to 16th in the Drivers' Championship after finishing 5th at Monza. De la Rosa stated: "It's is a new circuit for everyone so we're all starting at the same level, which means no teams have any advantage over another. It will be my first experience of taking a corner with banking which will very interesting, especially in an F1 car. It's my first race in the States and it's good that F1 is going back there. I need to improve my knowledge of the circuit layout, but from what I have heard, the straight is very fast and I hope the infield isn't too slow. I hope Indianapolis is better for me than Monza!"

Prost are still 9th in the Constructors' Championship and did not test last week. Heinz-Harald Frentzen is still 12th in the Drivers' Championship. In last year's race, Frentzen finished 3rd, after qualifying 7th for Jordan. Luciano Burti will not be racing for Prost at the IMS as he is still resting to avoid aggravating the head injuries he received at Spa-Francorchamps. His replacement, Tomas Enge, made an impressive Formula One debut at Monza, finishing 12th after qualifying 20th.

Arrows are still 10th in the Constructors' Championship. Technical Director Mike Coughlan commented: "Indianapolis is a medium to low downforce circuit which is quite similar in that respect to Canada, though far less hard on the brakes. In that sense, it should suit the A22 better than the high downforce circuits. Jos really likes the track and had a good race last year where he was running strongly in fourth, but Enrique has never been there before so he will need to learn the circuit relatively quickly." In last year's race, neither Arrows cars finished.

Jos Verstappen has slipped to 18th in the Driver's Championship and hasn't scored a point since the Austrian Grand Prix. Verstappen stated: "Indianapolis is a really challenging circuit and I like it very much. Because it uses part of the oval, the banked corners make the track really exciting, as it's something we don't have anywhere else in F1. The bankings create a big vertical downforce, which we're not really used to so its quite strange, but the corner itself is really nice. It's good for overtaking on at high speed so should make the racing really interesting. I was having a great race there last year when I was chasing Frentzen for third but I made a mistake in the end unfortunately. It was a strong race for us though and I'm looking forward to racing there again!" In last year's race Verstappen did not finish after qualifying 13th.

Enrique Bernoldi admitted: "I've never raced at Indy before but I hear it's a great circuit. The track looks really exciting to drive and I can't wait to get started. It's got a good mix of straights and fast corners on the oval section, but the infield is quite twisty so it looks an interesting one. I'm not sure about the bankings, that will be quite an odd feeling I think!"

Minardi have yet to score a point this season and did not test last week. Minardi were initially reluctant to attend this event and have run into logistics problem when flying their equipment and men there. In last year's race, Marc Gene finished 12th after qualifying 22nd. Fernando Alonso and Alex Yoong have never completed a lap of the IMS Formula One circuit.

The US Grand Prix Preview in a Nutshell: