NewsOnF1 - 2001 US GP - Race Preview

At Monza Juan Pablo Montoya dominated both Qualifying and the Race and while the track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway might be a fast one, it may not suit the Williams as well as Monza.

Ferrari will be the main threat to Williams as they have a car that is good on almost any kind of track. McLaren appear to have stopped in their tracks this season and the sudden improvement from the Benetton team could bring a surprise.

The weather can play a significant role at Indy. Last year the race started on a damp track and a number of drivers switched from intermediates to dry a bit too early losing them valuable time.

Ferrari: They knew that it would be hard to match the Williams' at Monza. They will be strong and very competitive here. Michael Schumacher won the inaugural race here last year.

Reliability 9.5/10 - Speed 9.5/10

Drivers: Michael Schumacher wasn't 100% at Monza, in fact he would have preferred not to race due to the tragic events in the USA on September 11. Initially he didn't want to race at the US GP but it now appears that he will be racing. Lets hope that he will give it 100% percent here as if he does he could win it.

Rubens Barrichello outperformed Michael at Monza but that was most probably due to Michael's lack of 100% commitment. It was the first time this season that Barrichello out-qualified Michael. Rubens though did do a very good job managing to finish second. A podium finish here is possible.

McLaren: Suffered a double failure at Monza indicating that they are pushing their cars beyond the limit to try and catch up with Ferrari and Williams. They had a dismal qualifying in Monza starting from 7th and 8th from the grid. Their second place in the championship looks shaky.

Reliability 7.0/10 - Speed 9.0/10

Drivers: David Coulthard will have to fight hard if he wants to finish second in the Drivers' Championship. Barrichello is just 3 points behind and the Ferrari is more competitive and reliable. A top 6 finish is possible.

Mika Hakkinen will not be under any kind of pressure this weekend. He is taking a year off next year and doesn't really need to prove anything. If he finds a good set-up for his car, he'll do well. A top 6 finish is likely and a podium finish is possible.

Williams: Even though they finished 1st and 3rd at Monza, they were not as dominant as they were at Hockenheim. They will be strong here but Ferrari might still be stronger. It was only their 3rd race of the season where both their cars managed to finish so they are working hard on their reliability problems. Their Michelin tyres could give them an advantage.

Reliability 8.0/10 - Speed 9.5/10

Drivers: Ralf Schumacher needs to win if he want to have a chance of finishing second in the championship. Like his brother, he didn't feel that it was appropriate to race at Monza and that could have affected his performance. A podium finish is likely with a strong chance for a win.

Juan Pablo Montoya has won his first race in Formula 1 in his first season. This will give him a much needed boost. Like Villeneuve, he has raced on part of the track so that will give him some prior knowledge of the circuit. He seems to have gained the upper hand on his team-mate Ralf Schumacher in qualifying. He out-qualified Ralf 4 out of the last 5 times. If his car lasts, he'll probably finish on the podium with a win a strong possibility.

Sauber: They failed to finish in the points for the last 2 races in a row. Finishing in the top 6 is very hard given the top 3 teams in front. They are only 3 points ahead of BAR in the Constructors' Championship and while it might be enough for them to finish the season in 4th given that BAR (and Jordan) will find it equally hard to score points in the last 2 races, they will need to try and score some points to build a cushion just in case.

Reliability 7.5.10 - Speed 8.0/10

Drivers: Nick Heidfeld had to start from the pits at Monza and that robbed him of any chance to finish in the points. He could finish in the points here if any of the top 3 team run into problems.

Kimi Raikkonen is on a high with the news that he will be driving for McLaren next year. He is only 2 points behind his team-mate in the championship and would love to be able to finish his first season in Formula 1 ahead. A points finish is possible but difficult.

BAR: They didn't expect to finish in the points at Monza as their car is not suited for high speed tracks. They could be stronger here and could have a chance to close the gap on Sauber.

Reliability 8.0/10 - Speed 7.5/10

Drivers: Jacques Villeneuve managed to finish in the points at Monza even though he didn't expect that after qualifying in 15th place. He should qualify much better here but whether he finishes in the points remains dependant on how the top 3 teams do.

Olivier Panis is not showing the competitiveness he demonstrated during the first half of the season. He has been out-qualified and out-raced by Villeneuve in the last 4 races. BAR needs to very competitive drivers so lets hope that Panis picks up. A top 6 finish is possible but very difficult.

Jordan: They are having a very tough time. Jarno Trulli continues his amazing performance in qualifying but yet again fails to finish the race. This time he was hit from behind by Jenson Button at the start. If they get it right for the last 2 races they could finish the season ahead of BAR and even Sauber.

Reliability 5.0/10 - Speed 8.0/10

Drivers: Jarno Trulli had his 5th retirement in a row. How much worse can it get for him. He must be hoping for a change of fortune once he moves to Renault (Benetton) next year. If his car lasts expect him to finish in the points.

Jean Alesi didn't impress at Monza where he was expected to do well. In fact he qualified way back in 16th and managed to finish in 8th place. He needs to be a lot closer to Trulli if he wants to secure a drive with Jordan next year. A top 10 finish is possible.

Benetton: While they didn't do too well at Monza, it was not a track that suited their car. They could be a surprise here like they were at Spa.

Reliability 7.0/10 - Speed 7.5/10

Drivers: Giancarlo Fisichella could once again finish in the points here. He wants to show Benetton that they should have kept him for next season.

Jenson Button managed to out-qualify Fisichella at Monza for only the 3rd time this season. While he impressed during qualifying, he ran into Trulli at the start of the race and that didn't help his chances for next year. A top 10 finish is possible.

Jaguar: They managed to finish in the points with Pedro de la Rosa which wasn't expected from them. Even with the retirements of the 2 McLaren's, they weren't expected to beat all the other mid-field runners. It is a good sign that they are on their way to become a competitive team but their is a long way ahead.

Reliability 5.5/10 - Speed 7.0/10

Drivers: Eddie Irvine had his 4th retirement in a row. His second half of the season is not looking good and no matter what Niki Lauda says, Irvine needs to do well if he wants to drive next year. A top 10 finish is possible.

Pedro de la Rosa has responded to the pressure he is under to perform. He drove well at Monza and finish in 5th place. He'll be strong again at Indy but a points finish will be difficult.

Prost: They seem to be having reliability problems towards the end of the season which is unusual as the cars tend to get more reliable. In any case, the impressive grid position of Frentzen at Spa was probably more due to the changing weather conditions . Frentzen managed 12th at Monza which isn't too bad but still not competitive enough to challenge for points. Having yet another driver drive for them will be another setback.

Reliability 6.5/10 - Speed 6.5/10

Drivers: Heinz Harald Frentzen retired at Monza after starting from 12th on the grid. He is certainly making the most out of the car but the car is not good enough. A top 10 is possible.

Tomas Enge (replaces Luciano Burti) finished in 12th position in his first ever race and that is not a bad sign. Monza is a relatively easy track to race on though, Indy will be much more difficult. He'll finish outside the top 10 if he doesn't spin out.

Arrows: They seem to have a brilliant launch control system but not much more. They will be struggling here. Lets hope that with Cosworth power next year, they'll be a lot more competitive.

Reliability 6.5/10 - Speed 5.5/10

Drivers: Jos Verstappen continues to perform brilliant starts but with the car he has he can hardly show much more. He did some overtaking at Monza but that was mainly due to the lighter fuel load he was on. A top 10 finish will be very difficult.

Enrique Bernoldi seems to be trying as hard as he could. His car isn't helping him. A top 10 finish is unlikely.

Minardi: Will be happy to qualify ahead of one or more teams and that is possible.

Reliability 5.0/10 - Speed 4.0/10

Drivers: Fernando Alonso needs a car that can show his real potential. He impresses in qualifying only for the car to fail on him during the race. Even if he finishes, it will be hard for him to finish in the top 10 though.

Alex Yoong (replaces Tarso Marques) did comparatively well in his first race. The Indy track will be a real challenge for him. We can then get a better idea of how good he is. He is likely to finish outside the top 10.

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