Indy chief Tony George

The move from September to June was not something that Tony George wanted, but it was presented to him in a take it or leave it fashion by Bernie Ecclestone. With so many races outside Europe in 2004 it was impossible to fit them all in at either end of the year. The one positive was that at the time the June decision was made Canada was off the calendar, so Indy looked set to be the only American race.

Had that remained the case, the US GP would have benefited hugely. However, by the time Bernie's roulette wheel had stopped spinning, Montreal was neatly slotted back in to the date that he'd left for it. ("It was off and then on and then off and then back on again," says George).

That left Indy as part of a double header. Convenient for F1 logistics, but the calendar presented American fans with an interesting choice. Would they commit to their own race, or instead fly to Montreal - a venue which is for many at least as easy to reach as Indianapolis, and one which has somewhat more of a party town atmosphere.

Certainly Canada seemed to be busier than ever, and when you bear in mind that it was the first race without Jacques Villeneuve since 1995, there must have been an influx of punters from below the border. In contrast Indy seemed to be a little quieter than it has been, although it's always difficult to judge when even a decent crowd can be dwarfed by the huge grandstands. With more people opting for seating away from the pit straight, it was even harder to make a call.

The other big headache was that the race fell just three weeks after the 500. That obviously created huge logistical problems, but there were commercial ones too, as selling the Grand Prix in its new slot presented a fresh challenge.

The race result might not have looked great on paper, but at least Indy provided a dramatic afternoon. A more intriguing fight for the lead would have been a big boost.

"You can't really script these things," said George shortly after the flag. "It was unfortunate to see Alonso go out early on, and certainly it was a shame to see what happened to Ralf. It got off to a slow start and kinda lost its rhythm right away. It's one of those things."

George insisted that overall he was happy with the change from September to June. If nothing else the warmer weather made it a more pleasant place to be, and the rain that hit the city earlier in the week did not affect the race weekend.

"It's been a good move for us," said George. "We were able to get the facility changed over, and now we've got to prepare for a Nextel Cup test here on July 5 or something. The guys have been working hard, but they were even able to have a day off last week. They've obviously figured out how to be efficient in the things they do over the last four years.

"I don't think it turned out to be all that hard. I think last summer gave us an idea that we could do it, and the facility staff here have done a remarkable job. I followed their progress, and they seemed to be handling it quite nicely. Things were going smoothly, and we were waiting on the teams' equipment to arrive. Other than one minor glitch, everything went off like clockwork."

But did the date change put people off, especially the proximity to the 500?

"I really don't know what people think. In large part it's somewhat of a different crowd. I think the biggest challenge was not having 12 full months between races to sell it. But it worked out fine. I think we're about where we were last year, plus or minus. Some of the people chose to reserve seats in the infield."

It seems that George is more than happy with the way things are going, for it was reported before the race that his deal with Bernie had been extended, or least an option had been taken up.

"It was something that was put in there in case we weren't happy with the way things we were going. It sort of runs in conjunction with the Concorde Agreement, as I understand it. I think we'll all have a look and see where we're at then."

The other much talked about issue concerned the possibility of a second Grand Prix in the States. Las Vegas and New York are just two of the potential venues to have cropped up. So is that just a lot of hot air?

"I don't think it's hot air. It requires a lot of planning. There's people that have been talking about it for a long time, and they continue to talk about it. We'll have to wait and see what opportunities present themselves. I wouldn't be against it, necessarily. I think it will have a positive affect, potentially. I suppose it may have some negative impact, but I don't know what that would be at this point. I mean, it's hard to talk about hypotheticals."

You do have to wonder of a second race will help Indy. At the moment the race is unique, but given the choice of the Mid West or New York or Vegas you can imagine which would have more appeal for both corporate high rollers and casual fans. George remains positive.

"We're unique, but obviously we could benefit overall from another race. It might add more interest to the championship. What's probably lacked in the United States more than anything is consistent coverage of it from mainstream media, and it's obviously not followed in the States like it is in other countries around the world."

One question remains. If there is another race in the States, is there a chance that Tony would have some role in its organisation?

"A very good chance..."