Formula One: 2007 American Grand Prix - Indianapolis

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The 7th Grand Prix of the season was held in Indianapolis. Just like the week before in Canada, Lewis Hamilton took a pole to flag victory. McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso came second, while Ferrari's Felipe Massa occupied the third step of the podium. Read full recap »

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Stars:: Steve Rider (Host); Martin Brundle (Race Commentator); Mark Blundell (Formula One analyst); Louise Goodman (Pit Reporter); James Allen (2) (Race Commentator)

Vettel�s F1 debut
Sebastian Vettel made his Formula One debut at the 2007 US GP, replacing the injured Robert Kubica. He qualified seventh after doing a total of 110 laps in free practice. edit »
Letterman turns down Hamilton
In June 2007, David Letterman, a renowned Formula One fan, turned down McLaren's request for Lewis Hamilton - who was in New York prior to the US GP - to appear prior to his first visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. edit »
Track surface
The track surface at Indianapolis initially consisted of crushed stone and tar but was replaced after a year by a paved surface of 3.2 million bricks, hence the enduring nickname �Brickyard�. The circuit, except for the start and finish straight, was asphalted in 1937 with the straight remaining bare until 1961. A yard of bricks can still be seen on the start/finish line today. edit »
Turn One
Turn one of the anti-clockwise oval track forms the last bend of the clockwise road circuit and is the only significantly banked corner on the F1 calendar. The track also features the longest flat-out section of all the grand prix circuits, with cars running at full throttle for around 23 seconds from Turn 11 to Turn One, hitting terminal speeds of 200mph. The specially designed infield, which was built for the inaugural race held in 2000, is a tight, fiddly and relatively slow section. This part of the track is rarely used throughout the year and as a result offers little grip. edit »
Bogey track for Alonso
Indy has turned in to a rare bogey track for double world champion Fernando Alonso. He has yet to finish on the podium in five attempts. edit »

Sato gets grid penalty for French GP
Takuma Sato will be docked ten-places on the grid for the French Grand Prix after he was unable to complete a drive-thru' penalty picked up at Indianapolis for overtaking under yellow flags. Sato had been tackling Jenson Button in the opening laps of the race down the long home straight and was judged to have overtaken him in the yellow flag zone while marshals worked to remove Ralf Schumacher's stricken car. Placed under investigation, it was a drive-thru' penalty that Sato would have received in the race had he not already have spun off into retirement on lap 13. Instead, stewards ruled Sato will need to serve the penalty at Magny-Cours in the form of a ten-place grid punishment, even though he was insistent on live TV that he was defending from Button rather than passing him. edit »
Hamilton�s victory
Lewis Hamilton's victory made his the first British driver to win in America for 24 years. edit »
Vettel�s F1 debut
Sebastian Vettel made his Formula One debut at the 2007 US GP, replacing the injured Robert Kubica. He qualified seventh after doing a total of 110 laps in free practice. edit »
FIA conducts first night-race test at Indy
F1 moved a step closer to staging night races when a lighting system was tested under dark conditions on the Indianapolis road circuit. Temporary lighting structures were set up in the first few corners of the GP layout while the Mercedes-Benz and medical cars circulated without their headlights on for about half an hour from 9.30pm. Camera footage from the action will now be reviewed, as will the feedback from the FIA's drivers, who were instructed to watch out for things like marshals who randomly waved different coloured flags. This feedback has not yet been publicised, but it should be noted that some still photography of the night race test was unusable because of the poor light. edit »
Doctors block Kubica comeback
Robert Kubica saw doctors Gary Hartstein - from Formula One governing body the FIA - and Geoff Billows - the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's medical officer - for an examination to determine whether he could return to action, following his crash at the Canadian GP where he suffered a mild concussion and sprained ankle. The doctors ruled him out of the US GP, with the BMW Sauber team deciding to replace him with 19-year-old test driver Sebastien Vettel, who made his grand prix debut. The doctors also asked that Kubica be examined before the French GP. edit »

Bernie Ecclestone: (on the US GP organisers� lack of promotion) They haven't done anything to really get behind it have they? We arrive in town, what do we get? We get banners saying the Indy 500. Not really the way to promote Formula One. They haven't got behind it, full stop. edit »
Lewis Hamilton: (on starting the 2007 US GP from pole position) To be on pole once again within a week is fantastic � I like North America! The fans here have been so enthusiastic and supportive for the team, and I hope they enjoyed today. I screamed into my helmet when I got the confirmation from the team of the pole position. It�s a challenge to come to a track for the first time, and I have learnt new things every single corner and every single lap. I knew I had to push very hard in my second run in Q3. The car is working well, and the team has done a great job � for us to have both cars on the front row is a real advantage, and hopefully the team will be able to make the best of it in tomorrow�s race. edit »
Sebastian Vettel: (after qualifying 7th for his debut GP in America, 2007) It was a thrilling day as you have three different sessions and three times the opportunity to either do a good lap or a bad lap. Towards the end I could have been a bit better, but making it into qualifying three was already a big step. I shall sleep better tonight because last night I had the unknown ahead about what will happen. However, yesterday I think we had a very good day and today also was not too bad. Here I shall be racing against the best drivers in the world, which is a big challenge, and the race is a bit longer than I am used to. Now I am much more familiar with the car and really looking forward to the race and another good thing is that P7 is on the clean side. edit »
Sebastian Vettel: (after the first day of practice at the 2007 US GP - his F1 debut) Obviously today it was going quite well. We did a lot of mileage and we were able to find out quite a bit about the tyres and the set-up of the car. We have just been trying to progress. I think it is a normal Friday. Of course it is a completely new task for me but so far I am quite happy with what I did. I think now is about working together with the team to find the maximum for tomorrow and Sunday. I don't have expectations as today it was important to get used to the car again as the last time I drove it was Friday in Malaysia. The car is not so bad as you could see we were quite quick in Montreal, and here also it doesn't look so bad. I thought the track was quite good with a nice rhythm, and it is quite interesting to drive with the banking. After a couple of times you get quite used to it but it is fun. edit »
Sebastian Vettel: (ahead of making his F1 debut at the 2007 US GP - replacing the injured Robert Kubica) Of course, I am looking forward to my first F1 race. But I wish it had come under different circumstances. It's never nice if a team mate can't drive because he had an accident. For me the Indianapolis Speedway is unknown territory, but I have prepared myself for this situation and tomorrow I have two 90-minute practice sessions. I know the car very well as I have quite a lot of testing miles under my belt. edit »

2007 US Grand Prix results (73 laps)

01 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:31:09.965
02 F. Alonso McLaren + 1.518
03 F. Massa Ferrari + 12.842
04 K. R�ikk�nen Ferrari + 14.422
05 H. Kovalainen Renault + 41.402
06 J. Trulli Toyota + 1:06.703
07 M. Webber Red Bull + 1:07.331
08 S. Vettel BMW + 1:07.783
09 G. Fisichella Renault + 1 laps
10 A. Wurz Williams + 1 laps
11 A. Davidson Super Aguri + 1 laps
12 J. Button Honda + 1 laps
13 S. Speed Scuderia Toro Rosso + 2 laps
14 A. Sutil Spyker F1 + 2 laps
15 C. Albers Spyker F1 + 3 laps
Did not finish
16 N. Rosberg Williams + 5 laps
17 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso + 5 laps
18 N. Heidfeld BMW + 17 laps
19 T. Sato Super Aguri + 60 laps
20 R. Barrichello Honda + 72 laps
21 D. Coulthard Red Bull + 72 laps
22 R. Schumacher Toyota + 73 laps edit »
Starting grid for the Canadian Grand Prix

1 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:12.331
2 F. Alonso McLaren 1:12.500
3 F. Massa Ferrari 1:12.703
4 K. R�ikk�nen Ferrari 1:12.839
5 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:12.847
6 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:13.308
7 S. Vettel BMW 1:13.513
8 J. Trulli Toyota 1:13.789
9 M. Webber Red Bull 1:13.871
10 G. Fisichella Renault 1:13.953
11 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:12.873
12 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:12.920
13 J. Button Honda 1:12.998
14 N. Rosberg Williams 1:13.060
15 R. Barrichello Honda 1:13.201
16 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:13.259
17 A. Wurz Williams 1:13.441
18 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:13.477
19 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:13.484
20 S. Speed Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:13.712
21 A. Sutil Spyker F1 1:14.122
22 C. Albers Spyker F1 1:14.597 edit »
2007 US GP - Free Practice 3 Results

01 F. Alonso McLaren 1:12.150 12 laps
02 S. Vettel BMW 1:12.321 27 laps
03 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:12.378 14 laps
04 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:12.646 24 laps
05 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:12.646 24 laps
06 K. R�ikk�nen Ferrari 1:12.692 16 laps
07 F. Massa Ferrari 1:12.709 17 laps
08 G. Fisichella Renault 1:12.710 20 laps
09 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:12.940 17 laps
10 N. Rosberg Williams 1:13.031 18 laps
11 J. Trulli Toyota 1:13.057 23 laps
12 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:13.061 23 laps
13 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:13.069 20 laps
14 M. Webber Red Bull 1:13.289 14 laps
15 J. Button Honda 1:13.318 20 laps
16 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:13.415 23 laps
17 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:13.476 19 laps
18 R. Barrichello Honda 1:13.573 17 laps
19 A. Wurz Williams 1:13.626 18 laps
20 S. Speed Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:13.979 18 laps
21 A. Sutil Spyker F1 1:14.142 24 laps
22 C. Albers Spyker F1 1:14.402 24 laps edit »
2007 US GP - Free Practice 2 Results

01 F. Alonso McLaren 1:12.156 35 laps
02 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:12.309 34 laps
03 F. Massa Ferrari 1:12.435 36 laps
04 K. R�ikk�nen Ferrari 1:12.587 38 laps
05 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:13.026 43 laps
06 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:13.042 41 laps
07 N. Rosberg Williams 1:13.057 35 laps
08 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:13.110 48 laps
09 R. Barrichello Honda 1:13.144 40 laps
10 J. Button Honda 1:13.202 46 laps
11 S. Vettel BMW 1:13.217 50 laps
12 M. Webber Red Bull 1:13.263 21 laps
13 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:13.332 41 laps
14 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:13.364 46 laps
15 G. Fisichella Renault 1:13.394 44 laps
16 A. Wurz Williams 1:13.539 29 laps
17 J. Trulli Toyota 1:13.692 42 laps
18 S. Speed Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:13.712 34 laps
19 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:13.753 46 laps
20 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:13.765 39 laps
21 C. Albers Spyker F1 1:14.225 30 laps
22 A. Sutil Spyker F1 1:14.513 33 laps edit »
2007 US GP - Free Practice 1 Results

01 F. Alonso McLaren 1:11.925 16 laps
02 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:12.391 24 laps
03 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:12.628 21 laps
04 S. Vettel BMW 1:12.869 33 laps
05 K. R�ikk�nen Ferrari 1:12.966 21 laps
06 N. Rosberg Williams 1:13.020 24 laps
07 F. Massa Ferrari 1:13.040 22 laps
08 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:13.159 22 laps
09 J. Button Honda 1:13.597 23 laps
10 M. Webber Red Bull 1:13.682 26 laps
11 J. Trulli Toyota 1:13.777 32 laps
12 K. Nakajima Williams 1:13.786 27 laps
13 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:13.819 27 laps
14 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:13.907 28 laps
15 S. Speed Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:13.990 24 laps
16 G. Fisichella Renault 1:14.000 19 laps
17 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:14.037 20 laps
18 R. Barrichello Honda 1:14.052 23 laps
19 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:14.189 18 laps
20 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:14.632 10 laps
21 C. Albers Spyker F1 1:14.636 28 laps
22 A. Sutil Spyker F1 1:14.810 27 laps edit »

8.3
00
shaneypoo_88
member since: Apr 1, 2007
2007 American Grand Prix - Indianapolis
The Bottom Line: "Exciting"
Lewis takes his second victory in a row. Definetly one of the better races this season. ...Continue »
The Inianapolis circuit isn't really one of the best one's on the F1 circuit but it definetly produced some good tight racing this year.

Lewis Hamilton was able to stick his McLaren on pole, with Fernando Alonso hot on his heels. The start was interesting, I thought maybe Alonso was going to get past Lewis but he covered himself well. Terrible stuff from Kimi Raikkonen who lost like 2 spots off the start which seriously comprimised his race strategy.

Further back down the grid saw some serious carnage with Sebastian Vettel on his debut spearing through the grass after some very late breaking, and just plain terrible driving from Ralf Schumacher that took himself, David Coulthard and Rubens Barrichello out of the race.

Takuma Sato didn't back up his great race in Canada very well as he overtook Button under waved yellows and made a very rookie mistake spining out and getting stuck in the sand.

Giancarlo Fisichella had previously spun on the exact same corner from 8th position and he had to battle his way through the pack all race long.

There was a great back markers battle that consisted of Tonio Liuzzi, Alex Wurz, Jenson Button, Adrian Sutil and Scott Speed. Fisi had to carve his way through this pack.

After the first lot of stops Hamilton and Alonso made there way up to this group where Liuzzi seriously screwed Hamilton and gave him a poor run through the last corner allowing Alonso to be right in his slipstream down the front staright. What followed was some fantastic driving from Hamilton who drove hard but fair and kept his position. Alonso would never really challenge Lewis again in the race as he kept a substantial gap to him.

Nick Heidfeld had a poor race as an error into the first corner cost him when he spun and let Heikki Kovalinen and Kimi through. It didn't matter because he retired not much later.

Mark Webber and Jarno Trulli had a entertaining race long battle, Webber trying some checky moves but not being able to get the job done.

And a different strategy helped Kimi climb up to 4th but he was unable to overtake Massa.

All in all a very good race with some great wheel to wheel action. It was good to see the two McLaren boys going at it and great to see action all the way through the field.

Can't wait till the French GP
06/19/07 02:15am | report abuse
7.5
00
_SemperFidelis_
member since: Apr 7, 2007
2007 American Grand Prix - Indianapolis
The Bottom Line: "Above average"
Finally... racing. ...Continue »
This season had only one or two shiny moments. The previous circuit was one of them, it was probably the craziest race since Brazil 2003 GP.

The race didn't really have any boring parts, in fact... it was exciting from the start until the end.

Kudos to the director(s). They really done a good job, we always saw something going on. I like it when they focus on the back of the grid, not just the top dogs who are kilometres from eachother.

I really enjoyed Fisichella's determination. He's a "sleeper" on most races, but in this one, he spun at the beginning, so he had to fight to the "top" from the very back of the grid.

Again, Hamilton finished ahead of Alonso, which makes the championship even more interesting. Can this rookie beat the 2 times world champion?
06/17/07 11:45am | report abuse