Grapevine: Final News from the Paddock - US GP

Head's Leg Pain

The absence of Williams' lucky pig at Indianapolis looked as though it affected the team's performance after they lost the World Championship lead and driver Juan Pablo Montoya dropped out of the drivers' title race. It seemed their decision to leave it at home was already causing them problems before the headed Stateside. Technical director Patrick Head was out of luck before he even left England and arrived with a special cover on his right ankle - after he injured himself when he fell over backwards in the team's wind tunnel preparing for this weekend's event. Head, it is claimed, was working on the team's model while the tunnel was still in operation - although quite how he managed to do so remains a tightly guarded secret. He broke a small bone in his foot so at least he couldn't kick anything after Montoya threw himself out of the title race.

Engineer Warning

Formula One moves fast, and former Renault engineer Gilbert Lage sent a warning to any out-of-work engineers who are looking to get back into the sport when he paid a visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend. The designer, who worked for Renault between the years 1969 and 1985, believes that the rapid development means that even 12 months off-track can leave even the brightest minds baffled. "My last Formula One race was Kyalami in 1985 and I miss it very much," he said. "But as time goes on and other things happen, it goes along and now it's so technical that if you quit one year then you get so far behind."

Ooh 'ER' Missus...

Anthony Edwards, Doctor Mark Greene in the TV show ER, was a guest of Williams at the Indianapolis track this weekend. He had flown over from London, where he is currently filming Thunderbirds, and revealed where he got his inspiration for his character Brains. "I am basing my character Brains on Patrick Head," he said. He obviously kept a close eye on the Williams technical director on his last visit to a Formula One paddock in Monaco, where he enjoyed Juan Pablo Montoya's sweet victory, but he also admitted he is a real "Monte" man. "It is so fantastic that the Williams team let me come here. It was a great celebration to be around in Monte Carlo. I watched him (Montoya) in Champ Cars and met him and obviously he is a fantastic driver." But he also revealed another reason why he likes Montoya so much. "I love the spirit and passion and his beautiful wife - what can you not like!"

Party Time

Many of the journalists in the Indianapolis media centre were secretly hoping for Kimi Raikkonen to fail in his bid to keep the Championship going all the way down to the wire â€" because they are already ready to celebrate after a gruelling 15-race journey around the globe. Many of the newspaper journalists would have probably cancelled their pricey flights to Japan if Michael Schumacher had won the title battle in the United States. But the atmosphere heading to Japan is now one of relaxed excitement and one radio journalist summed up the mood perfectly when he admitted: "It's all over bar the partying." Roll on Suzuka.