U.S. Grand Prix

Did they send RB out with a setup to insure his being ahead of Juan on the grid to block? Or is it just going to come down to launch controls? :uhoh:

I think RB is running light! As is Kimi. Should be interesting. Anyone have weather forecasts for the race?

You can throw all forcasts out for this race, it is season change at this time, very unpredictable. When I attended this race in 2000, we wore shorts and tee shirts on Saturday, it was lie 78 degrees. We woke up Sunday morning, race day, to rain and 45 degrees. In 2001 it was beautiful weather all day both days, it's a lottery there, but next year this race will be in June and should be more stable.

Interesting starting grid for tomorrow to say the least. Look at Panis :eek:

yea i heard rain around 2 oclock. I dont think RB will block and i hate trulli wrecked his car, i thought for sure he would be up there. Kimi and renault drivers dont have anything to lose, i wonder if their big moves on the track will effect the first corner also.

Well done Kimi :smile: Hope he has a better result than the first time he was on pole at the Nurburgring.

Don't know if the frontrunners are running light but Coulthard and Schumacher reportedly made mistakes during their laps which is a more plausable reason for their difference to their team mates. Michael sounded very concerned with his setup, and has little chance to improve it for the race. Maybe he is being a bit wiley and has set his car up for the race - to be fast on the straight but not so good on the infield. Then again he was never been into that sort of Lauda/Prost tactic so why start now?

Go Kimi!

Don't know if the frontrunners are running light but Coulthard and Schumacher reportedly made mistakes during their laps which is a more plausable reason for their difference to their team mates. Michael sounded very concerned with his setup, and has little chance to improve it for the race. Maybe he is being a bit wiley and has set his car up for the race - to be fast on the straight but not so good on the infield. Then again he was never been into that sort of Lauda/Prost tactic so why start now?


DC did make a rather obvious mistake, while Schumacher's car looked really nervous, so there was no big mistake, but a few small ones. He was fighting it all the way. The difference in car behaviour when watching onboard shots to, say, JPM, was quite big. I do think that he went for a lower downforce setup, as did the Williams guys, while Kimi might have went for too much wing - good for qualifying but he might become a sitting duck on that straight in the race.

it certainly will be interesting :naughty:

im still rooting for michael, but i want kimi to do well too.

go wilson and button too......wilson qualified very badly :uhoh:

DC did make a rather obvious mistake, while Schumacher's car looked really nervous, so there was no big mistake, but a few small ones. He was fighting it all the way. The difference in car behaviour when watching onboard shots to, say, JPM, was quite big. I do think that he went for a lower downforce setup, as did the Williams guys, while Kimi might have went for too much wing - good for qualifying but he might become a sitting duck on that straight in the race.

You are one up on me Alex, being able to see qualifying in full. All we get to see in Australia is a few highlights on the news. Looked to me as though Schumacher lost a heap of time through turns one and two in what little I saw.

True about the high downforce setup making overtaking difficult. IIRC in the USGP a couple of years ago Mika Hakkinen was caught behind a Minardi for many laps because he didn't have enough grunt to match it down the straight. However, the luxury of being on pole means that Kimi can fully exploit the fastest configuration of his car. As long as he has a clear road ahead of him a trade off favouring the infield over oval section will not matter one bit. Just needs to have faith in his LC!

What is the weather likely to be? Hot and dry good for Michelin, wet good for Ferraristone.

not good for Kimi :disappoin

30% chance of rain for the race, high of 55 deg. F.

It's cool and rainy in Indy right now, just before race start. Rumor is, MS set his car up for wet hence his grid position. There is a huge Columbian crowd there going crazy for JPM to win.

Good start for MS and KR, bad for JPM and abysmal for RB.

Good pass for DC, and for RS on Panis, and wtf did JPM do???

That was not Montoya's corner! :mad:

Rain seems to be falling more substantially.

Alonso on DC!!! Great pass! :cool:

Did MS just pass under a yellow???

Did MS just pass under a yellow???

No he didn't. He was ahead before he got to the turn. And now his pace is SLOW!

Is MS going backwards or what? :( Seems to lack straightline speed badly.

Don't know what's up with MS, but JPM's move is in question by stewards! :evillol:

Don't know what's up with MS, but JPM's move is in question by stewards! :evillol:
Not surprised at all.

As for MS's pace, I think it's the same as we've seen before this season - when the track is damp and greasy the tyres just don't hold. Now he's just set the fastest lap and RS is catching KR.

JPM passes DC as does FA. Williams are ready for a pitstop. Ralf's in. Could be a good time as he won't lose any time behind Kimi. That's the theory.

DC and JPM pit.

Did they refuel JPM's car at all? Intertechnique again...

The temp has dropped 4 degrees.

Ralf passes Kimi at pitstops, MS coming in this lap.

...MS coming in this lap.

Which can prove to be a big mistake as rain has returned.

Botch decision by Ferrari on tyres, JPM gets drive thru penalty!

Ralf went out, damages suspension, his day is over. MS came in for wets ... if only a lap earlier. Webber (while leading) also had a spin.

Botch decision by Ferrari on tyres, JPM gets drive thru penalty!
He did? Good.

And he also had an off as he'd on slicks.

The remaining Schumacher is almost 10 seconds faster than Kimi on the last lap. I haven't seen JPM come in for his penalty.

So, at the last race JPM was complaining about backmarkers, this time he held up Button and now doesn't let frentzen past.

Button and Schumacher fastest drivers on track.

Schumacher right behind Kimi for third and 2 seconds faster per lap last time.

Done :cool:

MS around KR, and MS has a tyre mark on the left sidepod!

Panis crashes out, dry line appearing on the track, seems like the reason is with the car rather than the driver. Quite a lottery, isn't it? Button still leading, Frentzen second, MS in third.

Seems like DC hasn't been on rain tyres at all today! And Frentzen fights MS hard!

Montoya mowing the lawn again ...

If the wetness holds a few more laps the race will belong to MS, a nice little get-back for Michelins season long advantage. :evillol:

We're in the lead, Brian!

DC penalised for speeding in the pitlane.

DC gets a drive thru also, MS better be careful in the Pit lane!

Button isn't falling back at all! Good driving!

Montoya in for slicks. I'm sure other teams will be watching his laptimes comparing to the wet-tyred cars.

And now he's blocking Kimi!!!!

Kimi in for slicks, Button out :(

Kimi on slicks almost as fast as MS on wets. Seems about time to change to slicks.

I'm worried about MS tyres, did you see how Button's rear's were worn slick!

Refuelling rig poblems again, this time for Fisico.And he was running in 5th!

Alonso's engine goes kaput.

What a wacky race! :screwy:

I think MS is trying to survive until he can make only one pitstop. Ferrari are getting ready. He's in, good stop (not perfect, but no rush).
Wonder if Kimi can make it till the end with no pitstops.

DC out of the race after a very promising start. Only 5 drivers on the lead lap. Can one of the Saubers make it to the podium?

IMO, if Kimi has no more pitstops to make he will be second today.

Still scuttle about the 'yellow' pass, I bet McLaren will question it.

Still scuttle about the 'yellow' pass, I bet McLaren will question it.

Even our rather anti-Schumacher commentators admitted that there was nothing wrong there.

Kimi's catching HHF very rapidly. And passes him under braking into 1.

Montoya about 3 seconds faster per lap that Fisico in front of him. I'm sure he'll pas the Jordan soon and easily.

Villneuve out from 9th place, seems like the second Honda engine didn't hold up.

Gentlemen, win number 70 for Michael Schumacher! Kimi second, and HEINZ HARALD FRENTZEN IN THIRD! Then Trulli, Heidfeld, Montoya, Fisichella, and Wilson finally gets his point for Jaguar.

Day to forget for Williams - JPM is now out of the running fro WDC. Only Kimi and MS in the running now, Kimi needs to win in Japan with MS not scoring a single point.

A very healthy resul and point score for Sauber! They got 10 points today, which is the same as Ferrari and more than any other team! The only team, apart from Minardi, to bring both cars home. And Frentzen, if he's about to retire, this is the way to do it!!! :cool:

Great result for Ferrari and Schumacher. I was so writing off this race when MS was losing 3 positions per lap! But Bridgestone came out dominant in the rain, and even in the dry MS was running consistently faster than Kimi apart from the last few laps. If only Kimi had finished 1 place lower... ;)

Also the second time Fisico got some points this year. I'm sure he's praying for rain in Japan.

And one last point at this moment - where do I sign up for a job as live commentator? ;) :)