Hi folks...
We have the second of the two events in North America this weekend and, after the Canadian Grand Prix, which was undoubtedly the most incident-packed race of the season, Indianapolis has a lot to live up to.
Montreal really did have it all and it is really good to hear that
Robert Kubica escaped from his horrific crash with nothing more than mild concussion and a sprained right ankle.
The fact there is even talk he might be able to compete this weekend is a real testimony to the strength of these cars and the work done by the
FIA, the sport’s governing body, to increase safety standards.
It was a shame that the incident slightly overshadowed Lewis Hamilton’s first win, but that is the way it goes sometimes.
Lewis’ win really was good though, especially as the race was very difficult, with a number of safety car periods and restarts. He was composed throughout and didn’t seem especially worried by any of it.
I really have been shocked at how well he has handled things since his debut in Australia and he already looks like a veteran to me. It is quite hard to believe that he is a rookie and that this will be only his seventh outing in the sport. Where he goes from here, I don’t know. He is leading the championship and, given his form so far, it has got to the stage that it is now very possible that he could take the title in his debut season. That really would be remarkable.
I think that the US GP will be good to him as well, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the top step of the podium again this Sunday. He seems to have the momentum and that first win will have given him even more confidence.
Indianapolis is, of course, a great venue and one steeped in history. Like Monaco and
Silverstone, a lot has happened there over the years and that adds to its allure.
Granted, the road course doesn’t have nearly as much appeal as the oval – and has only been used since 2000, but it’s not too bad a circuit, even if it is sometimes said to be a bit ‘Mickey Mouse’. It is also the only track with a banked corner and we all know how many problems that caused back in 2005…
One person who has never gone especially well there, though, is
Fernando Alonso and that is bad news for the Spaniard.
His outing in Canada was a bit of a nightmare and his error at the start compromised him for the rest of the afternoon. In the end, he had to settle for seventh. If he is ever going to get to grips with Indy, now would be the perfect moment. One thing is for sure: he cannot afford to keep making silly mistakes.
Of course, the main competition for the two McLaren-Mercedes drivers’ is likely to come from
Ferrari.
Indy has been good to Ferrari in the past, although the same could have been said for the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. I was very surprised they didn’t do better last weekend and, with
Felipe Massa being disqualified and
Kimi Raikkonen only taking fifth, both will be eager to bounce back and finish a lot higher this time out.
