Set up for 'Indy' tricky compromise - Rampf

The 'Indianapolis Motor Speedway' represents a venue of extremes. Hence, the enormous differences between the quick and the slow sections require setup compromises. Willy Ramp, the BMW Sauber F1 Team's Technical Director, knows what it takes to succeed at the 'Brickyard'.

"Due to the enormous differences between the oval and the infield sections, the setup for Indy is the result of a tricky compromise," reveals Rampf. "On the oval section - the longest flat-out stretch on the F1 calendar - you are going flat out for 1860 metres. To achieve maximum top speed, you would want to take the Indy oval with a very low wing setting and minimal drag."

But the 4.192-kilometre track also features a completely different challenge: "With a low-downforce package of the kind we use in Monza, the downforce would be nowhere near enough for the 11 turns in the Indianapolis infield section," explains Rampf. "And if you haven't got sufficient braking stability and traction in these corners, you lose more time than what can be gained on the straights. In the infield, where you shift down all the way to first, you want the maximum possible downforce, similar to Monaco or Budapest."

That's why a perfect preparation for the 73-lap race held on Sunday will be particularly crucial. "For the race, it is also worth noting that there are passing opportunities at the end of the straights," concludes the Technical Director. "The transition to the infield of the track is so wide that you have the chance of opting for quite a number of possible lines."