In 2000, the Formula One world looked forward with great anticipation to the inaugural United States Grand Prix at the new Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Since then, however, the thought of each coming Indy F1 race has brought mixed feelings for US fans.
One reason for this is that the
2001 US GP followed closely on the heels of the September 11 horrors, and for many, these events are forever linked. Second, Formula One does not seem to be on the rise at all in the States, witness the fact that ABC television has dropped coverage of the US GP as of this year. An obscure cable channel called Speed Channel continues to be the only broadcast venue, and the majority of the country does not have access to it.
One of the reasons ABC dropped the race is that no one was watching it. It is impossible for even the biggest blockbuster movie to compete with American football on Sunday afternoons in the autumn. Finally the FOM has managed to get a date for the US GP for 2004 that lies outside most major sports seasons. Unfortunately, it conflicts with a widely held tradition of watching the US Open Golf tournament with your Dad on Father's Day. Formula One competing with Tiger Woods in his biggest tournament of the year is not a good idea. One would think that someone could have looked at the calendar and shifted the date up or back a week. Jeez!
Third, attendance at the race has dropped like a rock, starting at about a quarter of a million in 2000 and struggling to break 100,000
last season. Ticket prices are as low as it gets, less than $100 for the weekend, so the cause of the low attendance figures lies elsewhere. This year ticket sales are up, mainly because the championship remains hotly contested, unlike the past two years when it was already decided. In addition, people are being lured by the Thursday pit walkabout, which requires the purchase of a race ticket in advance.
Nonetheless, the FIA is still not marketing the sport very well in the US if it is their intention to grow revenue stateside. There continues to be little or no press coverage of F1 in the US, and not one advertisement was placed for this race on any television or radio stations and in no newspapers or magazines that the general sporting public could access. I do not know who is responsible for this at the FIA or FOM, but they need to realize that advertising is critical to gaining public interest in anything in America.
The one thing the FIA seems bent on is Juan Montoya being their ticket to the US market coffers. Montoya has enormous FIA, F1 team, and F1 media support, especially considering he has had only moderate success in his career. He has never won a championship outright, winning the F3000 title only because the real winner, Nick Heidfeld, was disqualified on a team fuel violation in the last race. In CART, Montoya had the best car of the field by far and only managed to tie for the lead with Dario Franchitti, getting the title through a tie-breaking scheme.
Regardless, Montoya will not do the trick for the FIA. The average race fan in the US knows Montoya's name about as well as they know this year's Indy 500 champ Gil de Ferran's - that is to say, not very well at all! Perhaps a US driver might help, someone like Sam Hornish Junior, the Indy Racing League multiple champion who set a new record last week at California Speedway for the fastest race ever run in history at an average speed of 207 miles per hour over a 400 mile race.
The problem is that Sam makes an awful lot of money already. But a small investment of a few tens of millions of dollars for a few years in a driver like Hornish would pay huge dividends down the road. Very large numbers of Americans would watch Formula One to see Sam race. Even if he were only in it for a couple of years, the FIA would hook millions of viewers on Formula One. The same would be true to an even greater degree if any of the big names in NASCAR moved over to F1 - Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, and so on.
The final problem with Formula One in America is explained by the manipulated finish to last year's US GP, when Michael Schumacher in his Ferrari attempted to end the race in a dead heat - or the closest finish in history - in an attempt to match some of those great IRL finishes last year between Hornish and Castroneves. Michael goofed, however, and team-mate Rubens Barrichello crossed the line 1/100 of a second ahead. Michael had to cover himself quickly and said it was payback for Rubens letting him through for the win earlier in the year
at Austria - which made things worse! Many US viewers didn't even know about that until then.
Americans love competition. Americans love freedom and democracy, and the little guy getting a fair chance. By US standards, F1 looks like the monopoly it is, with smaller teams having no chance at all, with manipulation by a few large and powerful manufacturers, with contrived race results, "blue flags" which are unheard of in US racing, and far too much secrecy regarding race data and where all the money goes.
In summary, Formula One today does not have a snowball's chance in hell of succeeding in any significant manner in the United States. There are those on the fringe who will always have a passion for F1 - the gear-heads, international travellers, sushi-eaters, and such. And they are a fairly objective and technically astute bunch. They number in the millions, too. But it is a big country, and by comparison, those fans are an extremely small market for any serious players in the US media to care about.
Even though there are no American drivers in F1, it is a country built by immigrants, and there are some fan favourites at the Indy track during race weekends. Jordan is very popular as near one third of the country traces its heritage to Ireland through one parent or the other. David Coulthard is also a crowd favourite, and saltires and kilts grace the Indy grandstands each year.
Ferrari is also huge in the States, being the largest market for those lovely beasts, and tifosi abound, though they are fairly well to do tifosi by comparison to their brethren around the globe. Similarly, Mercedes and BMW have large followings in the stands at Indy for the F1 race. Curiously, no one seems to equate Jaguar with Ford, and so that US angle does not seem to work here.
Former Indy 500 champions are also well liked, including Jacques Villeneuve, whose likeness hangs from the rafters of the grandstands alongside other historic greats like Jimmy Clark. Montoya will have a large following this year as well, as many Colombians live in the States (compared to other countries that host F1 races) and Juan is in the title hunt this year. There should be a few good rows in the stands between the competing factions of boisterous Montoya fans and cocky Ferrari followers.
If you have not visited the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it is a must-see venue for any racing fan. Whether you attend for the F1 race or for the other two races it holds, the IRL Indy 500 and the NASCAR Brickyard 400, does not matter. The Indy experience is awesome. It is so humongous and loud it can yield perpetual goosebumps. The museum is also one-of-a-kind and really worth seeing. It has cars and engines dating back to their invention, and has some of Colin Chapman's famed open wheel designs, including Jim Clark's Lotus that he first won with at the Indy 500. In short, Indy is akin to the Disneyland of Motor Racing.
For the F1 race, it is a good place to visit for F1 fans from the world over, as the drivers are much more accessible than at most races (mainly because they can walk the streets unrecognised). Drivers give talks and autograph sessions in the shops downtown, at the track merchandise areas, and have dinner amongst the rest of us at normal restaurants in plain view. One can have a conversation about the wine list with Jean Todt at St. Elmo's and then cross the street and have sushi with DC.
Moving on to the event, the Indy circuit for the F1 race is a curious one due to its origin as a road course cut into the middle of the legendary 2.5 mile oval. All three major elements are present, with a high speed straight requiring decent horsepower and aerodynamic efficiency, plus a twisty slow infield where mechanical grip is critical, and finally a mildly banked high speed Parabolica-type curve that shoots onto the main straight, requiring good aerodynamic performance.
In 2000 at the inaugural race, local fans were disappointed with the speeds down the long straight, as IRL cars go through much faster. Because of the requirements of the infield section, namely high downforce, too much drag for the run down the straight results in top speeds being compromised. There is no way around it, and at the end of the day, Indy is not really a power circuit the way Formula One uses the track.
The tarmac is in two halves, more or less, each with different grip characteristics. The infield is new and more abrasive, the oval portion a lighter coloured asphalt-mix. Each section reacts to rain differently, and rubbers in differently. In short, the Indy track is an incredible technical challenge for the teams more so than the drivers. Getting the tyres and set-up correct will be even more difficult this year with the abbreviated practice sessions. One must feel for Toyota and for any rookies.
In the past three years, one would see the cars set up for qualifying with a lot of downforce, and then trim out the wing for the race so as to be able to pass into turns 1 and 8. It was wonderful to watch Mika Hakkinen and Michael Schumacher duke it out for pole in 2000 and 2001. The McLaren was always better in race trim, and MS got him in qualifying both years. But no one had the measure of Hakkinen in the race either year, and he won it in 2001, and was on his way to doing so in 2000 when his engine blew. That win in 2001 was the last of Mika's career as he retired soon after.
This year, we will see the high downforce set-ups on Friday for pre-qualifying, but with the new rules, the cars will be in race trim with less wing on Saturday for qualifying. At least for the guys not afraid to make a mistake - namely everyone except Montoya! Seriously, one must hope that Juan does not once again run the most wing of the field in qualifying to get close to pole and then run a safe race. Even BMW team boss Mario Thiessen begged him publicly yesterday to go to Indy and win the race.
Time is running out. Michael threw down the gauntlet at
Monza two weeks ago. It was fantastic to see Schumacher trim out his car at Monza for qualifying and the race and take a huge risk pushing so hard with such a low wing setting. It was a gutsy decision - he went for the win, and had to dig very deep to get it. MS should not have won that race. The Ferrari was not the best car in the field at Monza - the BMW Williams was, but not the way Juan had it set up. If you want the championship, you have to fight for it with all you have. Come on guys, take the wing off and
race for goodness sake!
One other thing that will be different in qualifying this year is that team-mates will not be able to give each other a tow down the straight for their qualifying runs. We have single lap sequential qualifying now (hopefully this is the only year), so that aspect is gone. Considering that it is likely to rain Saturday, it is difficult to imagine many people wanting to come out for the snoozefest that Formula One qualifying has become. Plus the only thing that will be interesting in qualifying is learning the top speeds down the straight so as to discern who is going to fight for the win, and who is not. And one must be sitting in front of a television to get that information, as the large TV screens at the race are unreadable.
Race strategy for the US GP at Indy should be straightforward at two stops and with soft tyres. The temperatures will be cool, and it will rain for at least one of the sessions if not for the race as well. Bridgestone should have a fair shot this weekend. Again, fuel strategy and stint length will be key. Shorter fuel for the first stint, and as long as possible a second stint so long as you maintain your position while sitting at your first pit stop re-fuelling, and then a short third pit stop and final stint, is a possible winning plan. Of course if it rains, all that strategy goes out the window and it is down to driver skill and timing luck with respect to changing into the appropriate tyres.
It is not obvious which team has the best car for Indy this year. Slowly one becomes suspicious that Renault might be well suited to this circuit. Grip through the infield is the critical factor at Indy, even though the high-speed oval tends to fool one into thinking that horsepower wins the day. Note McLaren's past success at Indy with an inferior engine. Note BMW-Williams lack of success with a superior engine. Renault could surprise.
The Indy circuit is very similar in design to Catalunya, and BMW Williams was not competitive there this year. In fact that was a Ferrari-Renault shoot-out. Then again, both McLarens were out early in collisions in that race, and they were favourites there. Nonetheless, Michael won the Spain race.
McLaren has had the best performing car for Indy until last year, when Kimi's engine blew in the race, and DC did not seem to have the ability to cut the mustard the way those Finnish team-mates of his have done. Given reliability, which is a big "given" with McLaren, Kimi should be in good shape to fight for the win this year.
BMW Williams is an unknown for the race in 2003. It is difficult to discern what has brought them their erratic success this season. It seems to be more down to the tyres they have developed with Michelin, and some adjustments to the mechanical grip of the rear-end, rather than based on any huge step forward in aerodynamic performance. They of course have a top-notch engine, though it seems Ferrari has at least matched them with the latest spec of the 052. We will have to wait and see how well Juan and Ralf do at Indy - they could be the class of the field, or they could be struggling to stay on the second row in qualifying. This will be a good test of just how far the Williams chassis has come.
Ferrari has to be the favourite for this year's race. The main reason is that Michael wants the win more than anyone else and seems to be the only one willing to fight for it and capable of bringing it home in that manner. The other key is that the Bridgestone tyres should have the edge as the temperatures are expected to be quite cool, and the track has a good chance of being at least damp, if not completely wet. Ferrari has a well-balanced chassis that suits many racetracks, and at Indy we have a circuit design that is a combination of so many track characteristics that Ferrari should have a fairly easy weekend with set-up compared to many teams.
Of the rest of the bunch, Jordan have a stellar record at Indy, but with no engine this year, they need rain for Fisi to get close. Sauber could be close to points even in the dry. BAR also have a good record here with Villeneuve and look to be in a good position to score more points, though this time the top four teams will all be competitive, unlike Monza. BAR needs some misfortune for its opponents in order to excel this weekend. The good news is that 3 of the top 4 teams are on Michelins.
Eddie Irvine did well with the Jag at Indy in 2000 and 2001, but last year Jaguar was lost. Judging by Italy, they might be behind everyone else in the mid-pack if their engine woes continue.
Toyota was testing alongside McLaren at Catalunya last week, and that might be helpful. The Spain circuit is almost identical to Indy in layout, though there are other differences. Cristiano da Matta was at the wheel, which may help him at Indy, as he has never seen the track before. His times were a full second off McLaren, however.
On the driver side, how often do we get to say that Ricardo Zonta has scored more points in his career at a track than has Ralf Schumacher? Ralf's history at the Indy circuit stands out as the worst amongst the top contenders in F1. In fact, it is the only track on the F1 calendar where Ralf has not scored points, and one of only three where Ralf has not been on the podium (Spain and Suzuka are the other two). He did do well at the inaugural US GP at Indy in 2000, but that is because it started as a wet race and Ralf is one of the best in the rain. He might have a chance to show it again if the weather forecast holds.
Here is how the current drivers have performed at Indy over the past three years since the race's inception:
| Driver |
Races |
Races in Points |
Podiums |
Points |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Michael Schumacher |
3 |
3 |
3 |
22 |
| David Coulthard |
3 |
3 |
2 |
10 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Rubens Barrichello |
3 |
2 |
2 |
16 |
| Jarno Trulli |
3 |
2 |
0 |
5 |
| Jacques Villeneuve |
3 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Heinz-Harald Frentzen |
3 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
| Juan Montoya |
2 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
| Nick Heidfeld |
3 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
Now that is a bit of an odd list, as Jarno Trulli is rarely that high up on it, and Villeneuve is usually not high up when you look at only his BAR years, which is what he has been driving at Indy.
Kimi Raikkonen is also absent, with horrible reliability so far at Indy. And the best Montoya has done is 4th place - not very impressive.
MS and DC have been on the podium at Indy 100% of the time, but of all drivers, only MS has been on pole. Barrichello usually does as well as the car holds up, so he will be in with good points in all likelihood. If anything happens to MS, he might even win.
When Mika Hakkinen was driving the McLaren-Mercedes, he had the better of Michael at Indy. It is not clear that Kimi is quite up to Mika's level yet, though Kimi has had two engine failures in two attempts at Indy. This year will be a true test for him.
DC is solid but does not seem to be able to dig as deep as MS to score the top points here - he should have been vying for the win last year. He gets a lot of fan support at the US GP and DC seems to do well at home races at Silverstone and Monaco, so that will help.
Alonso is an unknown but he did qualify 17th in 2001 in the Minardi in a field of 22 cars, and Trulli has done well here, so Renault will be contenders, given the suitability of their chassis. They could be the spoilers here. It may indeed be Trulli's time to shine.
Villeneuve has scored points twice at Indy in the BAR, and looks like he should repeat that this year. Button has had horrible luck at Indy, but the circuit suits him, and he should also score points this week for BAR. Button outqualified Ralf at this circuit in 2000, so he was hot from the beginning.
Da Matta qualified 4th in Friday qualifying at the Spanish race this year, and finished in 6th with 3 points. That was his best race of the year so far, and it is a similar circuit. The testing there last week could help also. But Toyota may struggle with their Michelins at Indy as they only have one year of data, and last year it was quite warm for the race.
At the end of the day, we may never know which team has the best performing car at Indy, or which driver went for the win and which played conservative, because it looks like it will rain on Saturday. Friday's results are in qualifying trim, and are not indicative of race performance or race set-up. The rain could shake up the grid and create a confusing mess for the fans and analysts alike come race day.
The other important item is that the World Drivers Championship could be decided at this US Grand Prix. Michael Schumacher has a chance to win it all if he scores 7 or more points than Juan Montoya, and 3 or more points than Kimi Raikkonen. If this transpires, Michael could skip the last race and still be champion, as he would win any tiebreaker on the number of race wins he has this season. Michael has already won five races this season, Juan two, and Kimi just one.
No one else has a chance to clinch the championship this weekend. Even if Michael DNFs, he still can come back and win it at Suzuka, though it would be more difficult.
One other minor detail, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway publishes its race weekend timetable in local time, which is Eastern Standard Time. Indianapolis does not change their clocks in the spring and autumn. Currently, New York is on Eastern Daylight time and is one hour ahead of Indy until late October, at which time Indy and New York are back in the same time zone.
For those of you in the UK or Ireland, Friday pre-qualifying will be at 20:00, Saturday qualifying at 19:00, and the race Sunday at 19:00.
In closing and on a personal note, I too looked forward with great anticipation to the inaugural US GP at Indy in 2000, and it was a fantastic experience. Since then, planning for this race has become tainted with unshakable sadness. It has been two years since the events of September 11, but it is impossible for me to think on the F1 race at Indy without flashbacks of getting on that empty airplane at the deserted La Guardia Airport in New York City for that flight to Indianapolis only two weeks after New York had its heart ripped out by the devastating attack.
The first picture that enters my mind is of our small jet flying over the enormous smoking hole in lower Manhattan, and the four people on the plane, crew included, beginning to weep at the sight. Then going through the motions once in Indianapolis, trying to answer the unanswerable questions by well-meaning people who wanted to know what it was like to be in New York at that time. It was like being a freak on display - I have never felt so self-conscious and alien all at once.
I will never forget the tremendous support the Canadians showed, knowing the race grandstands might be empty with flying deemed dangerous and so many in mourning. They drove across the border, sported US flags on their hats, chests, over their camper trailers. Thanks, guys!
I will also forever remember the drivers and teams that redesigned their helmets and cars to include large US flags, and those who auctioned off their race gear to raise money for the 9-11 victims.
Passing through the GP weekend in a fog, I tried to be happy for the winner. That is when it became clear that there was a God, as one of the most human, sportsmanlike racers ever to grace F1, Mika Hakkinen, achieved the victory.
The hiatus from reality was short. Much of the emotion is now buried, but we all have out triggers that bring it crashing back. For some it is the day itself and the many sombre memorials each year. For others it is a place they would go with a loved one lost in the attack - a restaurant, a park. For me, the trigger is the Formula One race at Indy.
So I will keep buying the tickets each year and book the various reservations, and someday a year will come when I can do these things without breaking down.
Eileen Buckley - 27 Sep 2003
