US Grand Prix Winners & Losers by J. Allen

US Grand Prix Winners & Losers


Star of the Race

Lewis Hamilton, McLaren 1st

He got the pole, he got the second fastest lap, he got the win. He may not have got the unfettered love of his team-mate, but it's unlikely Lewis will lose much sleep over that.

Seven races have produced seven podiums and, as a lot of people have pointed out now, the only thing missing from his debut season is a serious mistake. He led away from pole and covered any threat from Alonso. Fernando may have got a bit grumpy about not getting past him on Lap 39 but the only reason he got so close in the first place is because Liuzzi couldn't be arsed to look at the blue flags.

There is one drawback of Lewis Hamilton winning races, though. Because ITV's James Allen can't work out when he's going to cross the line, the chequered flags have become excruciating. Last race he mistimed Hamilton's run to the line and came out with the totally lame: "And Lewis Hamilton...(too long pause while the chequered flag is poised and doesn't fall - wait, wait, wait - and then it does)...wins!"

Having messed it up embarrassingly in Montreal, he tried to make it seem like it was intended - you know, James Allen stylee - by repeating it at Indy. It makes your flesh creep. The sooner Sky get the coverage the better.


Overtaking Move of the Race

Giancarlo Fisichella on Alex Wurz, Lap 24

Though he was gamely resisted by Jenson Button earlier in the race, Giancarlo Fisichella produced a gem of an overtaking move on lap 24 when he drove round the outside of Alex Wurz's Williams. What's more he did it between Turns 6 and 7 where it is seemingly impossible. As if to perfectly round off the move, at the point of making the pass Fisi flicked his tyres against Wurz sending him off line with no chance of fighting back.


Winners

Fernando Alonso, McLaren 2nd

Fernando tried very hard but he couldn't upset the equilibrium of Lewis Hamilton. Why he chose to swerve his car toward the pitwall on Lap 40, when he'd failed to get past Lewis on Lap 39, is hard to conceive. (Brake cooling...?) If it was a petulant action meant to make a statement to the team then it almost ended in total embarrassment. Because by this time, the blue flag that had threatened a Safety Car earlier on in the race, had drifted down harmlessly to the inside of the track. Alonso ran it over. If it had gone through a side pod it would have been one of the most spectacularly random acts in F1's history. Imagine if he lost a World Championship because of it...?

It wasn't as though he was faster than Lewis all afternoon and had been badly held up. Until Hamilton hit traffic after the first pit-stops Lewis had been faster on about 27 out of 30 laps. Only then did Fernando close up.

He didn't say much after the race, but expect some revelation on Spanish TV around Tuesday/Wednesday. He's not comfortable with the team because they won't order Hamilton out of his way.


Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 3rd

Massa did well to keep his car ahead of the faster-than-usual Kimi Raikkonen. Without some unexpected hold-ups back in the pack it would have been the Finn up on the podium.


Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 4th

Is this the start of the fightback for Kimi? Raikkonen got fastest lap and looked very quick in clear air. Had his strategy worked out better he could even have been challenging the McLarens at the end of the race, something that looked highly unlikely after the practice sessions.


Heiki Kovalainen, Renault 5th

A great start from Heiki to take P5 off Raikkonen and scoring four points when your team-mate trashes his prospects on Lap 2 has got to be a good day in the office. With nine points from two races Kovalainen has massively increased his employment chances for 2008.


Jarno Trulli, Toyota, 6th

Trulli did well to avoid the challenges of Mark Webber and keep his gap to the line, but it really should have been 7th or 8th. He was gifted places late on by Heidfeld and Rosbergs' exits.


Mark Webber, Red Bull, 7th

It finished a race! Mark was probably more surprised than most that his Red Bull got to the line without the strange noises or strange smells that normally emerge from the car before the end.


Sebastien Vettel, BMW, 8th

The immensely likeable Vettel lucked into a point on his debut. He was fortunate to escape a couple of trips onto the grass and benefited from a couple of retirements, but not too bad a race


Losers

Nico Rosberg, Williams-Toyota, DNF

Nico Rosberg gave us the closest thing we've ever had to a Basil Fawlty moment in F1. You know, the bit where Basil's Austin 1100 breaks down and he goes and thrashes it with a branch. Rosberg got out of his car and started pointing and swearing at his Williams-Toyota. Hopefully it made him feel better


Ralf Schumacher, Toyota, DNF

Ralf put an end to the races of David Coulthard and Rubens Barrichello in Turn 1. And himself. The pictures from Anthony Davidson's car couldn't be any clearer. He braked too hard, the car snapped left and bounced into Barrichello and Coulthard. So why doesn't he get a punishment for an avoidable accident...?

Let's hope he has good contacts for a drive in the DTM because his F1 days are fading.


Takuma Sato, Super Aguri, DNF

In Canada he drove a superb race, but at the Brickyard Sato spun off carelessly at Turn 4. What's more he is being given a ten-place grid deduction for the French GP for overtaking under waved yellows. It seems a harsh punishment when others escaped without censure - if Taku's going back ten, then Ralf should be doing at least the same.


David Coulthard, Red Bull, DNF

Five retirements from seven races now, but at least the car is getting quicker.


Race Marshals

In Canada they coped with everything the drivers threw at them. At Indy the drivers coped with everything the marshals threw at them.


That Mark - I'm a skateboarding cockney monkey - Blundell

Blunders was in the mood to put some long sentences together at Indianapolis, but he also had some short, pithy moments.


On the high temperatures experienced at Indianapolis:

"It's as hot as what I've felt it here before."


On why he'd really like to be commentating on football not F1:

"The new boy Vettel done a good job." (the boy done good)


On Lewis's ability to run at the front.

"Start to finish, under a little bit of pressure from time to time but nuffing what worried him one little bit."


On strategy not going wrong.

"I don't fink there's anything strategy there what went wrong at all."


On stating the bleeding obvious.

You know it all started off at the start, Steve."


On Lewis's brain.

"Lewis Hamilton has to be in the reckoning now to pull this off - he's two in a row - he's got a little bit of an advantage now, a whole grand prix advantage at this point and at some stage in the near future his brain will have to tick in that the World Championship is there for the taking."


James Allen: "It's going to be very hard to gauge Alonso's eraction."