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Just five days
after taking the chequered flag in Montreal, Scuderia
Ferrari was back on track in Indianapolis today. After the
Canadian race, the F2005 were rebuilt here in America, with
new versions of the 055 engine fitted. The cars themselves
are basically the same as those used by Michael and Rubens
when they came second and third in Canada, apart from the
obvious set-up changes to deal with the peculiar
requirements of the Brickyard track, with its very long
straight, followed by a slow infield section.
Both Ferrari men
had a trouble-free Friday, getting through their entire
programme of set-up work and tyre evaluation and they ended
the day after the first two hours of free practice with the
Brazilian third and the German fourth, behind the two
McLaren-Mercedes of Juan Pablo Montoya and Canada winner
Kimi Raikkonen. Nick Heidfeld was fifth for BMW-Williams and
David Coulthard was sixth for Red Bull Racing.
American
interest in F1 has been boosted this weekend by the
appearance of Californian GP2 driver Scott Speed running the
third Red Bull car and he finished eighth today. In a
bizarre repeat of his accident here last year in a Williams,
Ralf Schumacher again slammed a car into the wall at the
final turn this afternoon. Thankfully, the crash caused by a
loss of air pressure in a tyre, was far less serious than
his 2004 accident and he was able to climb out of his Toyota
unaided. The weather has been warm and sunny here in
Indianapolis and although it clouded over in the late
afternoon, the forecast for tomorrow’s qualifying session is
dry and the two Ferrari men will be hoping to make the best
of their late running positions, inherited from finishing on
the Montreal podium.
Jean Todt
: “We are happy to be here in Indianapolis and in the United
States, which is our biggest market. Even if Formula 1 is
not yet as big a draw as it is in other parts of the world,
Ferrari is a very famous name here. Turning to the track
now, it was the usual Friday. We worked on finding the best
set-up, which requires a compromise between the section of
the track on the oval and that on the infield, which is much
slower. We also ran a comparison between the two types of
tyre at our disposal. I have to say that, looking at the way
things went today, we seem to have done a good job along
with Bridgestone, in preparing for this weekend, at a track
where we have always gone well.”
Rubens
Barrichello : “It has been a long time since we have had
such a good Friday. I am happy with the set-up, with the
balance of the car and the Bridgestone tyres. We look much
more competitive than we have done at some of the other
races.
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