Last weekend at the Canadian GP, Lewis Hamilton scored his maiden victory on a circuit that he had never raced on before, although he had been able to prepare for the race by using the McLaren driving simulator at the team’s Woking headquarters. However, Hamilton has not had the same luxury for Indianapolis, another circuit he has not raced on before.
“I actually haven’t been on the simulator for Indianapolis, but I have seen it on computer games,” Hamilton admitted. “I don’t really know what to expect. I have watched the previous races and onboard footage and looked at data. But I will be going there with an open mind and having to do the same sort of job as I did here in Canada.
“I have always watched the Indy 500 and I was really happy for Dario Franchitti when he won recently. The Motor Speedway is another tough circuit on the cars. I hope we are competitive but, until we get out on the circuit on Friday, we cannot really predict how it is going to go.
“But I am really excited to be racing at Indianapolis. It is such a legendary venue – you can’t escape the history here and I am looking forward to experiencing the atmosphere for the first time. The track has the unique characteristic of the banking but, from what I hear, it doesn’t have a massive impact on the cars – but it will be pretty cool!
“To be going into race seven of the championship in the position I am in is amazing, however it is still early days. This will be my seventh race and I am very much still learning. There are 11 more this season, including Indy, and that is a long way to go with a lot of hard work ahead. I have enjoyed the season so far, but am aware racing isn’t predictable and anything could happen at the next race.”
