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Here I go again, making a habit for myself. This weekend sees the second of the back to back races in the championship this year, as the North American leg moves down from Montreal to Indianapolis, undoubtedly one of the most famous places on Earth when it comes to motor racing, a title boasted on the front of the building itself which in true American fashion proclaims Indianapolis as "Racing Capital of the World". The Brickyard, as it's affectionately called, was the penultimate round of the 2003 championship and one of the best races of the season.
Ferrari comes to Indianapolis looking for a repeat of their impressive victories of 2002 and 2003. Given their current form few are keen to bet against the mighty Maranello.
Williams seemed to have made a return to form in Canada, and despite a horrible Friday they managed pole position and some strong races. Sadly this was not to be and both cars were disqualified, but it was encouraging to see the Williams holding their own once again, not sliding back through the field as they have done all too often this year. Montoya will be looking to avoid crashing into Rubens, which so horribly ended his championship challenge in 2003, and also no doubt be looking to beat Ralf again, the tables having finally turned in Montreal.
McLaren's new car is still a while away, but if they can produce the same reliability they did in Canada they may be in the points again. Their Canadian campaign was of course aided by the exclusion of Williams and Toyota.
BAR continue to look strong, but not as much as past races. Button fought understeer and fading brakes whilst Sato lost his 4th engine in a row. On a circuit where the cars will spend the most time at full throttle for the entire season, Sato has a monkey to shrug off. This was however the race that Button briefly lead last year before succumbing to Raikkonen and Schumacher, and BAR are far more threatening in 2004.
Renault will be looking to put their bad weekend behind them, their first blip on the 2004 radar, the team having scored points at every race prior. Their driveshaft failures will hopefully not recur, but given the high speed nature of the circuit no one is really expecting them to take the fight to the Ferraris.
Sauber have been going from strength to strength, the consistency of their Bridgestone tyres and Ferrari engines helping them to a fine 5th on the constructor's table as we near the half way mark. They'll be two stopping again for sure, and this time Massa's suspension hopefully won't fail at an inopportune moment.
Jordan are smiling after their impressive haul in Canada, with Glock scoring 2 points in his debut race and outgunning Heidfeld, who also scored for the team. They'll be hoping similar shenanigans ensue as did in Canada and also America last year, where Heidfeld ran 3rd in his Sauber.
Toyota had a lacklustre race in Canada which then counted for nothing following their brake duct violations. Their only hope may lie in rain, or perhaps another track invasion ala Britain 2003, where they lead briefly.
Jaguar's sad season continues, they would surely have scored valuable points in Canada but for Klien managing to eliminate teammate Webber at the second turn. According to what got posted in another thread, Jaguar needs to be 6th or better to avoid the performance clause of Webber's contract kicking in, meaning they need to score 10 points to McLaren's none, along with a few other teams in between. Needless to say it's a hard ask.
The perennial underdogs will be on track, as Minardi continue their game struggle. Baumgartner and Bruni have been one retirement from the points in various races, but never quite broken through.
So, there you have it, a recap for all of you who already knew all that. Still, it gives me something to do. I know a few members will be in attendance so let the pics, comments and gossip be posted.
Ferrari comes to Indianapolis looking for a repeat of their impressive victories of 2002 and 2003. Given their current form few are keen to bet against the mighty Maranello.
Williams seemed to have made a return to form in Canada, and despite a horrible Friday they managed pole position and some strong races. Sadly this was not to be and both cars were disqualified, but it was encouraging to see the Williams holding their own once again, not sliding back through the field as they have done all too often this year. Montoya will be looking to avoid crashing into Rubens, which so horribly ended his championship challenge in 2003, and also no doubt be looking to beat Ralf again, the tables having finally turned in Montreal.
McLaren's new car is still a while away, but if they can produce the same reliability they did in Canada they may be in the points again. Their Canadian campaign was of course aided by the exclusion of Williams and Toyota.
BAR continue to look strong, but not as much as past races. Button fought understeer and fading brakes whilst Sato lost his 4th engine in a row. On a circuit where the cars will spend the most time at full throttle for the entire season, Sato has a monkey to shrug off. This was however the race that Button briefly lead last year before succumbing to Raikkonen and Schumacher, and BAR are far more threatening in 2004.
Renault will be looking to put their bad weekend behind them, their first blip on the 2004 radar, the team having scored points at every race prior. Their driveshaft failures will hopefully not recur, but given the high speed nature of the circuit no one is really expecting them to take the fight to the Ferraris.
Sauber have been going from strength to strength, the consistency of their Bridgestone tyres and Ferrari engines helping them to a fine 5th on the constructor's table as we near the half way mark. They'll be two stopping again for sure, and this time Massa's suspension hopefully won't fail at an inopportune moment.
Jordan are smiling after their impressive haul in Canada, with Glock scoring 2 points in his debut race and outgunning Heidfeld, who also scored for the team. They'll be hoping similar shenanigans ensue as did in Canada and also America last year, where Heidfeld ran 3rd in his Sauber.
Toyota had a lacklustre race in Canada which then counted for nothing following their brake duct violations. Their only hope may lie in rain, or perhaps another track invasion ala Britain 2003, where they lead briefly.
Jaguar's sad season continues, they would surely have scored valuable points in Canada but for Klien managing to eliminate teammate Webber at the second turn. According to what got posted in another thread, Jaguar needs to be 6th or better to avoid the performance clause of Webber's contract kicking in, meaning they need to score 10 points to McLaren's none, along with a few other teams in between. Needless to say it's a hard ask.
The perennial underdogs will be on track, as Minardi continue their game struggle. Baumgartner and Bruni have been one retirement from the points in various races, but never quite broken through.
So, there you have it, a recap for all of you who already knew all that. Still, it gives me something to do. I know a few members will be in attendance so let the pics, comments and gossip be posted.
