Massa ready for Indy

The Brazilian was fighting back from a delay during his first pitstop when he plunged straight on at the Casino hairpin, which is approached at 190mph, hitting the tyrewall head-on. It appeared that his left-rear wheel had become detached before he hit the barrier.

Massa was taken to hospital for a precautionary check-up but he was declared fit. "The medical checks in the hospital after my accident in the closing stages of the Canadian Grand Prix have proven that I was lucky enough to escape from it without injuries. I'm okay and ready to race next weekend," said Massa.

It will be the first time Massa has raced at the Brickyard, but the youngster is confident he will learn it in no time.

"I didn't get to Indianapolis in 2002 so this will be my first visit. I have talked the layout over with the team, of course, and I am familiar with it from television footage," he said. "The best way to learn a circuit, for me, is to go round it on a scooter, but in any case I learn them pretty quickly and it should only take me half a dozen laps to familiarise myself."

Team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella is riding high after securing five points in Canada with his fourth place. But the Italian is not confident the feat can be repeated at Indy due to the track's particularly technical nature.

"It was very satisfying to score five valuable points in Montreal and hence to join the '100 club'," said Fisi. "We continued to make progress on the car and our strategy once again paid off. At Indianapolis I have been unlucky in the past, but the circuit is okay and the race is a big story in America."

"The track isn't so great on the infield, where the car is loose because we run such low downforce. But when we go through the Parabolica, that is when we really feel like we are racing at Indy! The first corner is a bit difficult, because you approach at top speed and have to slow down a lot for the first corner and the chicane that follows. If you brake a little bit too late you can be in trouble, which keeps you on your toes."