Free practice 1: Schu sets pace

With the Indianapolis track still fairly dirty, much of the hour-long session was spent cleaning the circuit and getting some much-needed rubber down. The lack of grip made for spins galore, with only the Ferraris of Schumacher and team mate Rubens Barrichello, who finished third, seeming to escape without incident.

Coulthard was one of the first to fall foul of the dusty surface when his McLaren swapped ends at Turn 6. The Scot took a trip across the grass and continued on his way, but before the end of the session Juan Pablo Montoya (12th), Jarno Trulli (seventh) and Alex Yoong (22nd) joining DC in his exploits.

Surprise of the session was the performance of the Benettons of Ginacarlo Fisichella and Jenson Button. The young Brit found himself sixth with only 15 minutes to go, which turned into ninth by the close. But Fisichella wound up an impressive fourth, despite a spin early on.

The Sauber team continued to impress with McLaren-bound Kimi Raikkonen lapping the 2.605-mile track in 1m15.156s, just over a second behind Schumacher, to put him fifth with team mate Nick Heidfeld just one place behind.

While Trulli finished seventh, the Italian's Jordan team mate Jean Alesi was complaining of rebound problems on his EJ10's suspension and finished a lowly 19th.

A notable absentee from the top 10 was Mika Hakkinen. This weekend marks the Finn's penultimate race before a sabbatical in 2002 and a problem with a control system on his McLaren meant he was unable to take to the track until two minutes before the end. On one flying lap he managed to go 14th fastest. The double world champion will be hoping for better in the second session.

The first session got under way without any delay, despite the massive security upgrades that are surrounding this weekend's race. Most of the cars and the drivers' helmets are carrying American flags out of respect for the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.

For practice session 1 results, click here.