Ferrari Dominate With 1-2 Finish At Indy
By Dale Calkins
July 3 2006
Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa came home first and second respectively at the United States Grand Prix after an utterly dominating race.
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Ferrari Dominate With 1-2 Finish At Indy |
Dale Calkins |
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Michael
Schumacher Race Victory Starting from pole, Schumacher lost out to team mate Felipe Massa into the first corner. Schumacher remained behind the Brazilian until his first pit stop where he ended up in front of Massa, whether by actual racing or by Ferrari design. Michael then continued to dominate the race, aided by excellent Bridgestone performance in contrast to Michelin's conservative approach. This was a massive victory for Schumacher as by winning and with Fernando Alonso coming 5th, Michael has closed in on his Championship rival. Here is what the 7-Time World Champion had to say about his race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway: "I am very happy! It was a great weekend: first with Germany in the semi-final, then Italy, pole position yesterday and now this great victory today! We had prepared very well for these last two races, but for some reason, in Canada we were unable to demonstrate that fact. Here however, we have been strong since the start of free practice on Friday, in part due to the Bridgestone tyres. We have made up six points which are important for the championships and we want to keep moving forward this way, fighting, pushing to the maximum and trying to win every time! Now we go back to Europe where we will try and continue to fight back. I want to thank the whole team who did a marvellous job!" Felipe Massa Race2nd + 0'07.984 Felipe Massa scored his best ever finish today, coming second behind his team mate Michael Schumacher. Massa even lead the race for several laps before Schumacher slipped past him in the first pit stop exchange. It was certainly a brilliant weekend for Massa who is looking to retain his seat at the Scuderia for 2007. Here is what the Brazilian had to say about his drive: "It was a fantastic race for us, in which we showed that the championship is not yet over. The team has done an incredible job this weekend. Everything worked well, especially the Bridgestone tyres. The start went very, very well for me and I managed to pass Michael. I had a very strong first stint, but he managed to pass me during the first pit stop, when I had a clutch problem which slowed me, but I was still motivated to fight hard for second place to give the team the maximum number of points from this race. First and second is a fantastic day for us and an important day in my career." Ross Brawn Technical Director Ferrari's Technical Director Ross Brawn, was very pleased with today's race result but admits he was somewhat surprised by the outcome. This is what Ross had to say about the United Statesm Grand Prix: "Everything went to plan today. It all felt good, especially on the tyre front, from the first day when they already delivered the grip we needed. We had seen some tyre graining at first, but this disappeared in the race. In fact the Bridgestone tyres were perfect and they allowed us to have an easy weekend and an easy race. The team and drivers did a great job. Put all those elements together and you get a performance like the one we saw today. We had a few races where it went the wrong way and today the momentum came back to us in a substantial way.I was surprised at the gap to the Renaults, but I don’t think this is an indication for the future. I think the remaining races will be much closer. Now we have to keep the impetus going: in Magny-Cours, good tyres will once again be important and we will also have some improvements to the car that I am optimistic about." |
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July 3, 2006 |
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