After a warm and sunny Thursday, the first day of practice for the United States Grand Prix has dawned cloudy and cold and a few minutes before the four teams who carry out a free test session this morning went out, a few drops of rain began to fall on the famous 'Brickyard' circuit. In fact, it seems that the weather could play a key role this weekend, with rain forecast at some point on all three days.

Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro has brought four F2003-GA to this race, rather than the more usual three cars. This is because the race is outside Europe and therefore a long way from home, but also because the championship situation is so tight, that every angle has to be covered to be as well prepared as possible. On top of the three cars, a further chassis is also on standby. In terms of the car's technical specifications, the 052 engine has undergone some modifications to suit the characteristics of this circuit, where the straight 'borrowed' from the Oval track means cars run for around 20 seconds at maximum revs, the longest quick stretch of the year. Bridgestone has also developed tyres that are new both in terms of construction and compound. When the cars take to the track at 11 0'clock local time, the Scuderia will be carrrying out the usual initial evaluation of the track, working on tyre selection and most importantly on a circuit which requires a compromise between the high-speed section and the very slow infield, trying to find the best aerodynamic balance, which allows for maximum speed without losing too much downforce.