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2005 US F1 GRAND PRIX

2005 F1 GP: R9 of 19, 2005 US GP, June 19, Indianapolis

2005 QUALIFYING: US GP

TOYOTA'S FIRST EVER F1 POLE

• TRULLI, POLE: "It's been a day of mixed emotions for the whole Toyota team after all the troubles we had yesterday so that makes this result all the sweeter. I did a good job and put in a great, clear lap, but I was still very happy to keep hold of pole position right up to the end of the session."
• His team-mate Ralf Schumacher has pulled out of race after his crash during practice. Zonta is filling in and he qualified 13th.
  TOYOTA (Tsutomu Tomita): "Obviously Ralf is disappointed that he cannot race this weekend. However, after considering the recommendation of the FIA's medical team we have decided to put Ricardo Zonta into the car for the remainder of the weekend. We want to reassure you that this is a precautionary measure and we are confident that Ralf will be able to participate at this month's French Grand Prix."

GRID, JUNE 18, 2005

• 1 Jarno Trulli, Toyota 1m 10.625 (2004 pole 1m 10.223s Barrichello)
  2 Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren-Mercedes 1m 10.694 +0.069
  "I think that was a pretty good lap, and I was very close to getting pole position, but at least we got on the front row. It will be interesting to see what strategies the other drivers are using. Like a lot of other teams our preparations were made a bit difficult by the Michelin situation, but we just continue to do what we can in our fight for the Championships. The car was working well, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow's race. My side of the track might be a bit slippery, but we will see what happens."
  3 Jenson Button, BAR-Honda 1m 11.277
  4 Fisichella, ITA, Renault 1m 11.290
  "I had a good lap this afternoon, and the balance of the car has improved a lot today. I feel more comfortable attacking the corners and the handling is much more consistent. I had to run very early in the session, which was a small disadvantage, so I am really pleased to be on the second row. We have worked a lot to get the car strong for the race, and I am confident that we can be competitive again tomorrow."
  5 M Schumacher, GER, Ferrari 1m 11.369
  6 Alonso, SPA, Renault 1m 11.380
  "My qualifying lap was a good one, without any mistakes. The car had a little bit of understeer, which slowed me down a bit on a single lap, but we have set it up like that with the race in mind. We are clearly not as competitive as we were in Canada, but after qualifying early, I think a position on the third row is a good starting point especially as the times are very close. I can have a strong race from here."
  7 Barrichello, BRA, Ferrari
  8 Sato, JAP, BAR-Honda
  9 M Webber, AUS, Williams-BMW
  10 Massa 11 Montoya 12 Villeneuve 13 Zonta 14 Klien 15 Heidfeld
  16 Coulthard 17 Monteiro 18 Albers 19 Karthikeyan 20 Friesacher

TOYOTA QUALIFYING REPORT

• Panasonic Toyota Racing's Jarno Trulli produced an outstanding performance to take the team's first ever pole position for tomorrow's US Grand Prix at Indianapolis. Trulli made no mistakes on his way to the front of the grid, giving the team something to celebrate after a difficult weekend.
• Ricardo Zonta put in another impressive performance under trying circumstances to qualify in 13th place. Zonta was driving as a replacement for Ralf Schumacher, who will play no further part in the weekend following a decision from the FIA's medical team in the wake of his accident yesterday.
• That accident, along with another suffered on Friday by Zonta himself, meant that the team missed out on much of this morning's practice sessions while it awaited assurances from tyre partner Michelin.
• Under the circumstances, the qualifying laps produced by the two drivers were even more impressive. The team will now head into Sunday's race confident of keeping its position of joint third in the constructors' championship.
• TRULLI SUMPTUOUS
• Jarno Trulli put in a storming lap to take pole position for tomorrow's US Grand Prix, the first in Toyota's F1 history. The result came despite having his weekend of practice disrupted by the accidents involving his team-mates yesterday.

FRI PRAC # 2, JUNE 17, 2005

• 1 Juan Montoya, McLaren-Mercedes 1m 11.118s (2004 pole 1m 10.223s Barrichello)
  "Obviously our tyre choice has become more challenging as Pedro wasn't able to run in the first session, but we should be OK. It's quite slippery and dusty out there so we changed my programme slightly in the first session to only do one run towards the end. However, we seem to be fast which is always the best way to start a race weekend."
• 2 Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren-Mercedes 1:11.228
  "We only intended to do one run this morning, but unfortunately I had a bit of an off at Turn 11. I came back into the pits as the guys wanted to check the car thoroughly before the second session. The track conditions were rather slippery, so you really had to focus and concentrate to avoid being caught out. I think we should be in a strong position this weekend and hopefully make the Championship battle even more exciting."
• 3 Rubens Barrichello , Ferrari 1:11.746
• 4 M Schumacher (Ferrari) 1:11.758
• 5 N Heidfeld (Williams) 1:11.825
  "I am reasonably happy with today's practice. Despite not being satisfied with the car balance, my lap times this morning didn't seem too bad. As usual I did some long runs in the afternoon, mainly to sort out the tyres and at the same time we tried to improve the balance with some changes. So far so good."
• 6 D Coulthard (Red Bull) 1:12.076
• 7 *P de la Rosa (McLaren)
• 8 *S Speed (Red Bull)
• 9 F Alonso (Renault)
• 10 J Trulli (Toyota)
• 11 G Fisichella 12 Massa 13 Webber 14 Klien 15 Button
  16 Sato 17 Villeneuve 18 Doornbos 19 Zonta 20 Friesacher
  21 Albers 22 Karthikeyan
  *reserve driver

FRI PRAC # 1, JUNE 17, 2005

• 1 Juan Montoya, McLaren-Mercedes 1m 12.027 (2004 pole 1m 10.223s Barrichello)
• 2 Ricardo Zonta +0.058
• 3 Fernando Alonso +0.63
• 4 Nick Heidfeld
• 5 Pedro de la Rosa
• 6 Jenson Button

TOYOTA PRACTICE REPORT: RALF SCHUMACHER CRASHED:

• Panasonic Toyota Racing endured a dramatic day of Friday practice for the US Grand Prix at Indianapolis today. Within minutes of the start of the second session both Ricardo Zonta and Ralf Schumacher suffered separate incidents caused by suspected tyre-related issues. Ralf went off at the last corner, ironically at the same place that he had a big accident during last year's race. Thankfully the German walked away from the accident but as a precaution he has gone to the local hospital for a check-up. Ricardo had gone off moments earlier at turn 5 ending up in the wall. After establishing that there was no apparent car problem and consulting with Michelin, the team sent out Jarno Trulli. The mechanics were also able to repair the superficial damage on Ricardo's car before the end of the restarted session. But Toyota subsequently called in both drivers as a precaution because of concerns over one of Ricardo's tyres. The team is now investigating the nature of the problems in c!
  onjunction with Michelin.
• Jarno Trulli, (1st Session: 13th; 2nd Session: 10th)
  "First let me say that I'm glad that Ralf is okay after such a heavy impact. It's really bad luck for him to go off twice in two years at the worst point of the circuit. That was a difficult day for the whole team. Because of the two accidents we did very little running. Of course it was also a difficult decision to go out again later in the session, but luckily nothing happened to my car. The strange thing is that so far the car doesn't feel too bad and we're reasonably competitive. But we don't yet have a clear idea about what the problems are with the tyres, so we're not fully confident yet about running the cars. We'll have to analyse everything tonight."
• Ralf Schumacher (1st Session: 11th; 2nd Session: 24th No lap time)
  "Thankfully I am feeling okay, but that was quite a big accident. Lightning is supposed not to strike twice in the same place but on this occasion I guess that does not apply to me. I was approaching the last corner when I felt something go wrong on the left-hand side. We will now have to investigate exactly what happened and why. The morning session had been fine, although the track was very slippery. I've never had much luck here as a driver, but I'm still hopeful that record will improve."

2005 RACE PREVIEW: US GP
BAR - FERRARI - McLAREN - RENAULT - SAUBER - TOYOTA - WILLIAMS

McLAREN-MERCEDES PREVIEW:

• Kimi Raikkonen: "It was a great result for me in Montreal last weekend, and I am looking forward to continuing the Championship battle this weekend in Indianapolis. The Motor Speedway is legendary and it is one of the places that every driver would like to win at, like Monaco and Spa. The circuit is a fast track like Montreal, with a top speed of 335km/h along the main straight. It is the longest time of full throttle we have all year, as we are flat out along the oval part of the track for 1.7kms."
• "The other section of the track is the slow, winding infield, with tight corners and hairpins and as a result we will use a medium-low downforce set-up to have good cornering and the power we need on the straight. The weather can be unpredictable at Indy, and can go from one extreme to the other, which means our tyre selection with Michelin will need to make sure we have a tyre that operates well under a wide temperature range."
• Juan Pablo Montoya: "After the end to my race in Canada, all you can do is move on to the next event, and where better to go than the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is one of those venues that has something a bit special about it and has some great memories for me, from CART and the Indy 500, which I won in 2000, and the crowds are always so supportive and enthusiastic. It is like a home race for me, with all the Colombian flags in the grandstands. I enjoy competing at the track and hopefully will achieve a podium finish this time."
• "The two contrasting elements of the Speedway, the tight, twisting infield and fast, banked section of the oval, means we have a unique challenge for the whole package. There is very high loading on our Michelins through the banked section for example, and we need to find a compromise to have the durability to take these loadings whilst also providing the low speed grip that is required to be quick in the infield section."

BAR-HONDA PREVIEW:

• Jenson Button: "We were very competitive in Indianapolis last year and I think we will be again this year, so I'm looking forward to next weekend. We don't have the best qualifying slot but it's reasonable and I think that we can do great things from there. Montréal was a good race for us even though we didn't score any points, as we showed that the car is back on form. The Brickyard is a very slow circuit. I prefer fast flowing circuits, but the car works well there which is the most important thing. It's always a great atmosphere at Indianapolis. The circuit has a lot of history and the crowd are always very supportive. It should be a good race for us."
• Takuma Sato: "I have great memories from Indianapolis in 2004 as I got my first podium at the race last year. I am very much looking forward to getting back to Indy next weekend and I think we will be competitive. The new aero package looked promising in Canada this weekend, so I hope the car will again show a step forward in performance and it should suit the Indy circuit quite well."
• Gil de Ferran, Sporting director: "Personally there is a special feeling returning to Indy for a race. Although I return in a very different capacity, Indy is a place where one of my greatest triumphs took place as driver and I have some fantastic memories. Hopefully I will be able to add to those memories with a good showing from B*A*R Honda. Despite the disappointment in Canada, we feel very good going into the US Grand Prix. We were quite competitive throughout the last weekend and we are hoping to find ourselves in a similar position at Indianapolis."

SAUBER RACE PREVIEW:

• Jacques Villeneuve (141 GPs, 5 points 2005): "Indy is a nice track. You have the infield complex, but then at the end of the lap it's flat out with just a kink when you get on to the main oval and the banked corner. We're going through it at 300 kph, and it doesn't feel like a corner at all. Finally, you have the very long straight with the start/finish line, where we reach 340 kph. There is heavy braking at the end of that, which is different to other tracks. That section offers a good overtaking opportunity. The circuit is also bumpy, and quite difficult."
• "It's always nice to go to Indy because the atmosphere outside of the paddock is always great. It feels a bit like a home Grand Prix because the number of Canadian fans that come and the many supporters that I still have around the USA after my time in IndyCar there and winning the Indy 500. Obviously, the track brings some good memories, so I am always happy to race there."
• Felipe Massa (42 GPs, 7 points 2005): "In my time in F1 I have only raced once at Indianapolis, and that was last year when my race lasted until the first corner! There's a good chance I can improve on that this year - I hope to get to the finish this time! The banking is easy flat, no problem. It isn't a corner at all in an F1 car. And that high-speed part creates the need for a compromise. You need downforce for the tight infield corners, but you also need good top speed and minimal drag for the banking and the pit straight otherwise you are just going to get overtaken. I like Indianapolis. You are conscious of being somewhere special, with a big history, racing in front of knowledgeable fans who really love their motor racing."

RENAULT RACE PREVIEW:

• Fernando Alonso: "There is always a fantastic atmosphere there ... it is one of the most famous venues in motorsports, and everybody knows about Indianapolis. Without a doubt, it would be one of the best possible races to win a Grand Prix. In terms of the circuit itself, it is a bit complex and there are some very contrasting sections: very high speed straights, and very, very slow corners. You have to be really careful when you are selecting the set-up with the engineers to make sure you do not cost yourself a lot of time"
• Giancarlo Fisichella: "Even last year, we saw that it can be very demanding for the rear tyres, and with the new single-tyre rules, I think that characteristics will be even more evident this season. There is a lot of acceleration from very low speeds, which puts the tyres under quite a high loading, and also the slippery surface can wear out the tyres. Generally, from half distance onwards, the car is quite tricky to drive and keep on the road. What's more, if you are struggling, it can be quite hard to protect yourself because the long main straight means you can get a good tow and draft past anybody who has a bad exit from the final corner"

TOYOTA RACE PREVIEW:

• Hot on the heels of Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix, the Formula One circus is already heading down to the second part of the North American double-header in Indianapolis. After a host of different venues down the years, the US Grand Prix settled at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the historic home of American racing, in 2000. The F1 circuit uses part of the famous banked oval before snaking round the twisty infield so the challenge for teams is always to set up the cars to work well around both contrasting sections. The Indianapolis circuit has been kind to Panasonic Toyota Racing in the past. In 2003, Olivier Panis qualified third, the team's highest grid position before Jarno Trulli's front row slots this season. Olivier followed that with our best individual race result of 2004 with fifth place. Now race drivers Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli will be looking to make the most of this season's improved form to bring home an even better result this weekend.
• INDY MOOD
  Jarno Trulli arrives in Indianapolis holding onto third place in the world drivers' championship. This music fan can usually be found soaking up the sounds of the city's blues bars in the evenings.
• Jarno Trulli (Car 16): "I always enjoy the atmosphere in North America, and this double-header provides a welcome contrast to Europe. Indianapolis is a special venue which plays host to one of the most important races in the world, and I also enjoy the atmosphere in the evenings because the people are so friendly. The Indianapolis track is also different from the rest of the calendar. It is not particularly technical - it is slippery, and downforce levels are quite low. When it comes to setting up the car, we try to get good speeds down the main straight, and work hard on the mechanical grip in the slow corners to allow us to take off downforce for straight-line speed. It's my first season at Panasonic Toyota Racing so I can't predict exactly how we'll perform at Indianapolis until we do some running there on Friday. But we remain positive. Toyota has gone well there in the past, so we'll hope for another good result here this year."
• SPEEDWAY OF SOUND
  Fresh from his sixth place finish in Montreal on Sunday, Ralf Schumacher heads to Indianapolis seeking to build on his impressive collection of points from 2005 so far.
• Ralf Schumacher (Car 17): "Toyota has always performed well in Indianapolis despite not having had a particularly strong car in the past. So that certainly bodes well for us this season. The challenge of the speedway is juggling the set-up of the car to make sure we reach a good top speed along the banked start-finish straight into the first corner while making sure that the car is stable through the slow and twisty infield section. But I have no doubt that we have the tools we need to perform well at Indy. Our RVX-05 engine has proven reliable and powerful, which will benefit us on the straight, whilst our aero efficiency has been gradually improved to cope with the infield. As the home of motor racing in the US, Indianapolis is a special venue and, like Montreal, has a unique atmosphere. Since its arrival on the F1 calendar in 2000, Indianapolis has been an unlucky track for me. But this season is a different story and I am confident we can rectify this unfortunate record."
• COWBOYS AND ENGINES
  Engines come under fire along Indy's famous banked corner but both Toyota's drivers will benefit from the power and reliability of the team's recently upgraded RVX-05 engine.
• Luca Marmorini - Technical Director Engine: "The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one of the toughest circuits on the calendar for the engine department. Over the entire lap, the percentage of full throttle is not as high as Spa or Monza, but the 1km banked straight which links the final corner of the preceding lap and the first corner of the next means that we are running the engine at max power for almost 24 seconds without a break. This naturally places a unique stress on the engine, so we have worked a lot on the test bench in Cologne to simulate this. Top speed along the start-finish straight requires us to run with lower downforce settings which should aid overtaking possibilities down to the first corner. But this will have some knock-on effects in the slower, tighter section where grip is important. We have seen in previous years that we can be quite competitive at the US grand prix. I do not think that a podium is out of the question this year, even if many other team!
  s have made performance gains in recent races."

WILLIAMS-BMW RACE PREVIEW:

• Nick Heidfeld: "I have always liked Indianapolis, I've always had good results there in the past so I'm looking forward to going back there again and hopefully getting another good result for the team. The place itself is outstanding, particularly because of the grandstand in front of the pits. I hope there's another good crowd to give us a great atmosphere."
• "The banking looks spectacular but, for a driver, it is actually quite easy to go flat out there as long as you don't have any problems with the car. We should be a bit stronger in the US than we were in Montreal."
• Mark Webber: "Every time we visit Indianapolis, it's impossible to ignore the fantastic history and atmosphere of the Brickyard, and the world famous Indy 500. It's a place steeped in American motor racing history, but I also think Formula One is growing bigger in the States with every US GP."
• "In fact, I expect the interest will be even greater this year given that this year's championship has so many different contenders and new names are coming to the fore. What always impresses me about racing in the States is just how passionate and educated the audience is about Formula One."
• "The layout of the circuit isn't the most demanding by any means for either the car, or the driver, because of the repetitive nature of the infield section. But that's why we go to nineteen different venues each year as they all provide very different challenges."
• "Indy is a circuit which generally provides pretty good racing, mainly because the long straight offers the drivers some overtaking opportunities at the end of it."
• Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1): "We are now going to Indy, the second of the North American races, and a circuit similar to Montreal in that it is a low drag level track. The circuit demands one of the longest times on full throttle, at just over 20 seconds from the last corner all the way through the banking and down to Turn 1. The rest of the circuit is dominated by slow speed corners, which means that traction control is crucial."
• "It is also important to have a tyre that can cope with the high loads of the banking while giving good grip in slow speed. The tyres were selected two weeks ago for this Grand Prix, having worked on them with Michelin during our test programme in Europe. In terms of race strategy, Indy is normally a two-stop race, but we'll wait and see what the situation is on tyre degradation and fuel effect after practice."

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