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US preview quotes: McLaren

Kimi Raikkonen: "At Montreal, we were able to show the step forward we have made with the MP4-21 and hopefully this week in America we will be able to challenge for the top step of the podium. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a great venue, and it is one of those everyone wants to say they have won at

"The fans are also great, they are real petrol heads and I hope we can put on a good race for them this year. The track is all about compromise and is tough on all elements of the car. It is another fast track, like the past two of Silverstone and Montreal. Set-up wise the United States Grand Prix is more similar to Montreal as you have the long straight and slow corners, but you do have to allow for the slower infield section also.

"You can really challenge for position here, for sure the best opportunity is slipstreaming along the straight section of the oval and pass under braking at the right hander that takes you back into the infield. It also helps that the track is so wide here."

Juan Pablo Montoya: "After my race in Canada, I cannot wait to get straight back on track this weekend, as the car felt really quick. It is even better for me that we are at Indy this race and competing for the fans, who are amazing and I personally have awesome support from Colombia, so I am looking forward to getting out there and putting on a fantastic show for them.

"The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has such great memories for me from my days in CART and of course winning the Indy 500 in 2000, it is such a special venue, full of history and legend. The nature of the track, with the immense straight along the oval and the tight infield sees us use a medium to low downforce configuration to allow for the contrast in track style.

"The 1.7km section of the banked oval we use is the longest stretch we have at full throttle all season, it is pretty good fun as by the time you get to the end of the straight you really feel like you are going super fast because of the length of time!"

Martin Whitmarsh: "It was clear in Montreal that we are reducing the gap to the Renault as we continue to develop the pace of the MP4-21. We still have work to do, however we demonstrated we can challenge for victories and that is what we intend to do this weekend. Everyone at Team McLaren Mercedes is looking forward to returning to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this week.

"It is a great track and vital for Formula One to race at, not only because we need tracks that create exciting racing, bit it also allows us to call the sport a true world championship. Formula 1 knows we have to put on a great race this weekend and Team McLaren Mercedes are looking to be a strong part of that."

Norbert Haug: "Since 2000 Indianapolis has been on the Formula One calendar, so in 2006 the race will take place for the seventh time. As everybody is aware of, the sixth event did not go according to the plans of Formula One and it wants to show the spectators a first-class race this year and our team is keen on contributing their part.

"The track layout is challenging and the sector with 22sec of consecutive full throttle is extremely demanding for the engines. The task for the infield is exactly the opposite and to be fast you need a good compromise between top speed and good balance in corners. The race in Indianapolis is one of the most important ones on the calendar and is in the biggest market for Mercedes-Benz outside Germany. There we want to continue our positive trend of the last races."

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