Formula One: Indy Softens the Blow But Schumacher Feels the Force

Ralf Schumacher's powers of recall were given a severe jolt on Friday when he slammed backwards into a wall at 175mph shortly after saying he had no recollection of a similar crash at the very same spot during last year's United States Grand Prix.

The outcome was less damaging this time, Schumacher stepping from the wreckage instead of being ferried to hospital at the start of a recovery period lasting for five races. Schumacher, complaining of blurred vision, was eventually taken to a specialist and will not take part in today's race. But that problem notwithstanding, his more agreeable condition could be attributed largely to a safety development, yet to be adopted by F1 on other race tracks but pioneered by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

It has been a case of needs must in this unique environment. The Indianapolis legend may have been built around the 2.5-mile oval track but it has not been gained without a share of pain since the first Indy 500 in 1911.

Gil de Ferran, who won the 500-mile classic in 2003, summed it up. 'I can't put my finger on exactly what makes this place so special,' he said. 'It is the most thrilling thing I have ever done in motor sport. You have to get so many things right on the day and it's a long, very tough race. But much of the feeling comes from lapping at more than 230mph knowing that, with even the smallest mistake, you're in the wall. Big time.'

The wall lines the oval but it only affects the F1 drivers for about half the lap since an infield section - similar to a more traditional road circuit - has the necessary run-off areas. Mindful of the need to soften the blow on the oval section, the Indianapolis organisers have introduced a so-called SAFER (steel and foam energy reduction) barrier in front of the concrete wall. Five horizontally mounted square section steel tubes are backed by 10 layers of foam designed to absorb impact energy during collisions at these colossal speeds.

Schumacher proved the barrier's worth when he spun up the banking and the gearbox on the back of his Toyota punched a hole in the hollow steel tubes. The right-hand side of car was destroyed as it was flicked sideways but the wheels stayed attached to the car thanks to tethers designed to stop them either hitting the driver or bouncing into the crowd.

The tethers have been part of on-going safety measures introduced by the FIA. Further proposals from the sport's governing body, revealed this weekend and planned for 2008, are designed to slow the cars and save money. The changes include a standard electronics control box, the banning of traction control, a return to stick-shift gear selection and standard tyres.

Schumacher's crash highlighted concerns over the current rule that calls for drivers to use the same set of tyres throughout qualifying and the race. With Michelin and Bridgestone pushing development in search of the most competitive rubber, there is an element of risk at circuits such as Indianapolis where a lack of pre-race testing means the tyre companies have no practical knowledge of the latest track conditions.

A new track surface on the oval section has been subjected to diamond grinding. This process may provide grip but it also increases tyre wear, particularly on the banking. Juan Pablo Montoya, fastest on Friday, admitted that he had concerns about tyres at a venue where he won the Indy 500 in 2000.

'The tyre tread was pretty bad,' said Montoya. 'I think everybody is probably complaining about the same thing. It feels terrible, but you know, it feels terrible and we're fastest. I don't know how everybody else is, but I am looking pretty strong for the weekend. We'll have to wait and see.'

Montoya's forecast for today's 73-lap race is tempered by the view that his progress at Indianapolis in recent years has been dogged by misfortune.

'Every year, I've come so close to winning this race, and something has always gone wrong,' he said. 'So it would be nice to come here once and get a pretty quiet weekend and a good result. This year has been a bit of a struggle. I've been very unlucky. Everything that can go wrong has been going wrong. If we could come out of here with good result and a nice party for the guys, that would be amazing.'

Montoya was driving immaculately in Canada last weekend and heading for his first win of the season when his race collapsed around him at the point when the Safety Car was deployed to allow the clearance of Jenson Button's crashed car. McLaren failed to call Montoya into the pits on time and the Colombian then compounded the error by driving through a red light. He claims his subsequent disqualification was too harsh but it was in line with similar penalties for Jarno Trulli and Heinz-Harald Frentzen after they had ignored red lights in previous races.

Montoya's McLaren will be among several F1 cars either on display or active at the Goodwood Festival of Speed next weekend. Details of this ticket-only event on goodwood.co.uk.

1 Juan Pablo Montoya (Col) McLaren 1:11.118

2 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) McLaren 1:11.228

3 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Ferrari 1:11.746

4 Michael Schumacher (Ger) Ferrari 1:11.758

5 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) Williams 1:11.825

6 David Coulthard (GB) Red Bull 1:12.076

7 Pedro de la Rosa (Spa) McLaren 1:12.119

8 Scott Speed (US) Red Bull 1:12.143

9 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 1:12.265

10 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 1:12.344

11 Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Renault 1:12.384

12 Felipe Massa (Bra) Sauber 1:12.464

13 Mark Webber (Aus) Williams 1:12.578

14 Christian Klien (Aut) Red Bull 1:12.664

15 Jenson Button (GB) BAR 1:12.803

16 Takuma Sato (Jap) BAR 1:13.037

17 Jacques Villeneuve (Can) Sauber 1:13.079

18 Robert Doornbos (Hol) Jordan 1:13.361

19 Ricardo Zonta (Bra) Toyota 1:13.567

20 Patrick Friesacher (Aut) Minardi 1:13.783

21 Christijan Albers (Hol) Minardi 1:13.963

22 Narain Karthikeyan (Ind) Jordan 1:14.008

23 Tiago Monteiro (Por) Jordan 1:14.336

24 Ralf Schumacher (Ger) Toyota no time

Race: 7pm (BST) Television: ITV1 Radio: BBC Five Live

Next race: France (Magny-Cours) 3 July

Leading drivers' championship standings

1 F Alonso 59 2 K Raikkonen 37 3 J Trulli 27 4 N Heidfeld 25 5 M Schumacher 24 6 M Webber 22 7 R Barrichello 21 8 R Schumacher 20 9= D Coulthard, G Fisichella 17 11 JP Montoya 16 12 F Massa 7 13 A Wurz 6 14 J Villeneuve 5