2007 United States Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Lewis Hamilton followed his breakthrough in Canada with another victory at Indianapolis, resisting Fernando Alonso in a close McLaren battle. Sebastian Vettel also made his mark, scoring on his Formula 1 debut for BMW Sauber at the United States Grand Prix.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren
Pole time	1:12.331
Fastest lap	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	1:13.117 on lap 49
First	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren
Second	Fernando Alonso	McLaren
Third	Felipe Massa	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
15 June 2007	Practice 1	10:00
15 June 2007	Practice 2	14:00
16 June 2007	Practice 3	10:00
16 June 2007	Qualifying	13:00
17 June 2007	Race	13:00

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Lewis Hamilton arrived at round 7 leading the 2007 F1 World Championship on 48 points, with Fernando Alonso on 40. McLaren headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 88 points.

Race entries

Sebastian Vettel replaced Robert Kubica at BMW Sauber after the Pole’s Canadian accident. Although Robert Kubica felt ready to return, the medical decision was to avoid the risk of another concussion so soon after Montreal. Nineteen-year-old Sebastian Vettel therefore made his Grand Prix debut alongside Nick Heidfeld. Kazuki Nakajima also drove for Williams in Friday practice.

Free Practice

Fernando Alonso set the Friday morning pace as Lewis Hamilton learned another unfamiliar circuit. Sebastian Vettel made an assured start to his first race weekend with fourth place, close behind the other McLaren and BMW Sauber. Adrian Sutil lost running after becoming stranded in the gravel, while Ferrari found itself behind the leading two teams despite hopes that Indianapolis would suit its car.

Lewis Hamilton closed to little more than a tenth behind Fernando Alonso in the afternoon, and Ferrari moved nearer with Felipe Massa and Kimi Räikkönen. Mark Webber’s Red Bull stopped with a mechanical problem, another reminder of the team’s reliability difficulties. Nick Heidfeld also had an off-track moment, and the tightly packed midfield meant small mistakes could have a sizeable effect on qualifying positions.

Fernando Alonso completed a sweep of practice on Saturday, but Sebastian Vettel’s second place was the session’s most striking result. The newcomer edged Lewis Hamilton, while Heikki Kovalainen also ran strongly for Renault. Different fuel loads made it difficult to judge those gaps directly, yet Sebastian Vettel had clearly settled quickly into the BMW Sauber before his first qualifying appearance.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2007 United States Grand Prix FP1, 15 June 2007

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:11.925	16
2	9	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+0.466s	24
3	2	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.703s	21
4	10	Sebastian Vettel	BMW Sauber	+0.944s	33
5	6	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.041s	21
6	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+1.095s	24
7	5	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+1.115s	22
8	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+1.234s	22
9	7	Jenson Button	Honda	+1.672s	23
10	15	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+1.757s	26
11	12	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.852s	32
12	38	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+1.861s	27
13	11	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	+1.894s	27
14	18	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Toro Rosso	+1.982s	28
15	19	Scott Speed	Toro Rosso	+2.065s	24
16	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	+2.075s	19
17	22	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	+2.112s	20
18	8	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+2.127s	23
19	4	Heikki Kovalainen	Renault	+2.264s	18
20	23	Anthony Davidson	Super Aguri	+2.707s	10
21	21	Christijan Albers	Spyker	+2.711s	28
22	20	Adrian Sutil	Spyker	+2.885s	27

Free Practice 2 Classification

2007 United States Grand Prix FP2, 15 June 2007

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:12.156	35
2	2	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.153s	34
3	5	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.279s	36
4	6	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.431s	38
5	9	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+0.870s	43
6	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+0.886s	41
7	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.901s	35
8	4	Heikki Kovalainen	Renault	+0.954s	48
9	8	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+0.988s	40
10	7	Jenson Button	Honda	+1.046s	46
11	10	Sebastian Vettel	BMW Sauber	+1.061s	50
12	15	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+1.107s	21
13	18	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Toro Rosso	+1.176s	41
14	23	Anthony Davidson	Super Aguri	+1.208s	46
15	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	+1.238s	44
16	17	Alexander Wurz	Williams	+1.383s	29
17	12	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.536s	42
18	19	Scott Speed	Toro Rosso	+1.556s	34
19	22	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	+1.597s	46
20	11	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	+1.609s	39
21	21	Christijan Albers	Spyker	+2.069s	30
22	20	Adrian Sutil	Spyker	+2.357s	33

Free Practice 3 Classification

2007 United States Grand Prix FP3, 16 June 2007

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:12.150	12
2	10	Sebastian Vettel	BMW Sauber	+0.171s	27
3	2	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.228s	14
4	4	Heikki Kovalainen	Renault	+0.424s	21
5	9	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+0.496s	24
6	6	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.542s	16
7	5	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.559s	17
8	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	+0.560s	20
9	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+0.790s	17
10	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.881s	18
11	12	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.907s	23
12	11	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	+0.911s	23
13	23	Anthony Davidson	Super Aguri	+0.919s	20
14	15	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+1.139s	14
15	7	Jenson Button	Honda	+1.168s	20
16	18	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Toro Rosso	+1.265s	23
17	22	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	+1.326s	19
18	8	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+1.423s	17
19	17	Alexander Wurz	Williams	+1.476s	18
20	19	Scott Speed	Toro Rosso	+1.829s	18
21	20	Adrian Sutil	Spyker	+1.992s	24
22	21	Christijan Albers	Spyker	+2.252s	24

Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton overturned Fernando Alonso’s practice advantage to take pole, leading another McLaren front-row lockout. Felipe Massa and Kimi Räikkönen shared row two, followed by Nick Heidfeld and Heikki Kovalainen. Sebastian Vettel qualified an impressive seventh on debut, ahead of Jarno Trulli, Mark Webber and Giancarlo Fisichella.

Both Toro Rossos were eliminated in Q1, ending Scott Speed’s hopes of a strong home grid position. David Coulthard spun in the opening segment but continued into Q2, where he was knocked out along with both Hondas, Nico Rosberg, Anthony Davidson and Ralf Schumacher. At the front, Lewis Hamilton’s final improvement proved beyond Fernando Alonso’s last response.

Qualifying Classification

2007 United States Grand Prix Qualifying, 16 June 2007

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	2	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:12.563	1:12.065	1:12.331	19
2	1	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:12.416	1:11.926	1:12.500	18
3	5	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:12.731	1:12.180	1:12.703	20
4	6	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:12.732	1:12.111	1:12.839	22
5	9	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:12.543	1:12.188	1:12.847	20
6	4	Heikki Kovalainen	Renault	1:12.998	1:12.599	1:13.308	24
7	10	Sebastian Vettel	BMW Sauber	1:12.711	1:12.644	1:13.513	24
8	12	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:13.186	1:12.828	1:13.789	26
9	15	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:13.425	1:12.788	1:13.871	25
10	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	1:13.168	1:12.603	1:13.953	24
11	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	1:13.424	1:12.873	—	15
12	11	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	1:12.851	1:12.920	—	13
13	7	Jenson Button	Honda	1:13.306	1:12.998	—	12
14	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:13.128	1:13.060	—	12
15	8	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	1:13.203	1:13.201	—	12
16	23	Anthony Davidson	Super Aguri	1:13.164	1:13.259	—	13
17	17	Alexander Wurz	Williams	1:13.441	—	—	6
18	22	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	1:13.477	—	—	7
19	18	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Toro Rosso	1:13.484	—	—	7
20	19	Scott Speed	Toro Rosso	1:13.712	—	—	7
21	20	Adrian Sutil	Spyker	1:14.122	—	—	6
22	21	Christijan Albers	Spyker	1:14.597	—	—	7

What happened in the 2007 United States Grand Prix?

Lewis Hamilton held the lead at the start while trouble erupted behind: Ralf Schumacher’s contact with David Coulthard also caught Rubens Barrichello, ending all three drivers’ races. Sebastian Vettel ran wide and lost places but continued. Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso then established the contest at the front, with the Ferraris in pursuit.

Fernando Alonso challenged his team-mate along the main straight and the McLarens ran side by side, but Lewis Hamilton retained the lead. Heikki Kovalainen briefly led during the first pit-stop cycle before the established order returned. Kimi Räikkönen recovered from losing ground early to finish close behind Felipe Massa, but neither Ferrari could break McLaren’s control.

Lewis Hamilton secured his second win in eight days, with Fernando Alonso second and Felipe Massa third. Kimi Räikkönen, Heikki Kovalainen, Jarno Trulli and Mark Webber followed. Nico Rosberg’s late engine failure helped Sebastian Vettel into eighth, making him the youngest points scorer at the time. Takuma Sato spun out with a yellow-flag infringement unresolved, and his penalty carried over to the next race.

After the race, Lewis Hamilton headed the drivers’ standings with 58 points, followed by Fernando Alonso on 48. McLaren led the constructors’ table on 106, with Ferrari on 71.

2007 United States Grand Prix race results

The 2007 United States Grand Prix was held on 17 June 2007, with a scheduled start of 13:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	2	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	73	1:31:09.965	10
2	1	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	73	+1.518	8
3	5	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	73	+12.836	6
4	6	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	73	+15.422	5
5	4	Heikki Kovalainen	Renault	73	+41.402	4
6	12	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	73	+1:06.703	3
7	15	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	73	+1:07.331	2
8	10	Sebastian Vettel	BMW Sauber	73	+1:07.783	1
9	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	72	+1 lap	0
10	17	Alexander Wurz	Williams	72	+1 lap	0
11	23	Anthony Davidson	Super Aguri	72	+1 lap	0
12	7	Jenson Button	Honda	72	+1 lap	0
13	19	Scott Speed	Toro Rosso	71	+2 laps	0
14	20	Adrian Sutil	Spyker	71	+2 laps	0
15	21	Christijan Albers	Spyker	70	+3 laps	0
16	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	68	Engine	0
17	18	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Toro Rosso	68	Water pressure	0
Ret	9	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	55	Hydraulics	0
Ret	22	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	13	Spun off	0
Ret	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	0	Collision damage	0
Ret	8	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	0	Collision damage	0
Ret	11	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	0	Collision	0

2007 United States Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	6	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	49	1:13.117	206.397
2	2	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	20	1:13.222	206.101
3	1	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	21	1:13.257	206.003
4	5	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	50	1:13.380	205.658
5	9	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	20	1:13.414	205.562
6	10	Sebastian Vettel	BMW Sauber	53	1:13.862	204.316
7	4	Heikki Kovalainen	Renault	67	1:13.998	203.940
8	15	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	57	1:14.004	203.924
9	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	67	1:14.009	203.910
10	12	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	30	1:14.016	203.891
11	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	34	1:14.066	203.753
12	23	Anthony Davidson	Super Aguri	55	1:14.066	203.753
13	17	Alexander Wurz	Williams	41	1:14.486	202.604
14	7	Jenson Button	Honda	42	1:14.703	202.015
15	20	Adrian Sutil	Spyker	49	1:14.858	201.597
16	19	Scott Speed	Toro Rosso	66	1:15.092	200.969
17	18	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Toro Rosso	64	1:15.426	200.079
18	21	Christijan Albers	Spyker	65	1:15.902	198.824
19	22	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	8	1:16.680	196.807

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. Average speeds are in km/h. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

2007 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2007 United States Grand Prix.

2007 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	58
2	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	McLaren	48
3	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	39
4	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	32
5	Nick Heidfeld	German	BMW Sauber	26
6	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Renault	13
7	Robert Kubica	Polish	BMW Sauber	12
8	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	Renault	12
9	Alexander Wurz	Austrian	Williams	8
10	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Toyota	7
11	Nico Rosberg	German	Williams	5
12	David Coulthard	British	Red Bull Racing	4
13	Takuma Sato	Japanese	Super Aguri	4
14	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	2
15	Ralf Schumacher	German	Toyota	2
16	Sebastian Vettel	German	BMW Sauber	1
17	Scott Speed	American	Toro Rosso	0
18	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Honda	0
19	Anthony Davidson	British	Super Aguri	0
20	Jenson Button	British	Honda	0
21	Adrian Sutil	German	Spyker	0
22	Christijan Albers	Dutch	Spyker	0
23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Italian	Toro Rosso	0

2007 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	McLaren	106
2	Ferrari	71
3	BMW Sauber	39
4	Renault	25
5	Williams	13
6	Toyota	9
7	Red Bull Racing	6
8	Super Aguri	4
9	Toro Rosso	0
10	Honda	0
11	Spyker	0

2007 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2007 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	18 March
2	2007 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	8 April
3	2007 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	15 April
4	2007 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	13 May
5	2007 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	27 May
6	2007 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	10 June
7	2007 United States Grand Prix	Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis	17 June
8	2007 French Grand Prix	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours	1 July
9	2007 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	8 July
10	2007 European Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	22 July
11	2007 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	5 August
12	2007 Turkish Grand Prix	Istanbul Park, Istanbul	26 August
13	2007 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	9 September
14	2007 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	16 September
15	2007 Japanese Grand Prix	Fuji Speedway, Oyama	30 September
16	2007 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	7 October
17	2007 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	21 October