MOTOR SPORTS/Grand Prix: In the week before yesterday's US Grand Prix, the anticipation was that the effects of last year's tyre debacle and the accompanying hail of beer bottles and abuse that greeted the six-car start would echo on as Formula One returned to Indianapolis. But yesterday the only lingering damage was done on track. Michelin, the tyre company responsible for last year's non-start, made their rubber work, but so conservatively that the result was as foregone a conclusion as last year's, when Michael Schumacher breezed unchallenged to victory.

Runaway championship leader Fernando Alonso should have prospered. Instead, on Michelin tyres, he was a bystander as the Bridgestone-shod Ferraris dominated from the moment the cars hit the track in last Friday's practice sessions.

When the full grid lined up yesterday afternoon, the finest driver, car and tyre package in F1 this year, Renault's Michelin-running Alonso, could only stare forward from fifth on the grid and a over a second away from Schumacher's pole time and hope.

At the start his faith look like being rewarded as he blasted away from the lights around the outside and almost into the lead as Felipe Massa eclipsed team-mate Schumacher into turn one, but the German shut the door and Alonso was dumped to third as team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella slotted in behind.

Behind them all hell was breaking loose as the tailend of the midfield attempted to squeeze through turn one. Forced into a late breaking move, McLaren's Juan Pablo Montoya smashed into the back of team-mate Kimi Raikkonen. The Finn was pushed sideways into the path of Nick Heidfeld, whose BMW-Sauber was flipped into a spectacular barrel roll. By the time the dust cleared and the debris settled, seven drivers were out: Heidfeld, Montoya, Raikkonen, Mark Webbber of Williams, Franck Montagny of Super Aguri, Red Bull's Christian Klien and local hero Scott Speed of Scuderia Toro Rosso.

Others followed, and by the time Schumacher was powering away to his third win of the season there were, at nine, only three more cars running during last year's disastrous visit.

This time though, at least the surprisingly large crowd, wreathed in smoke from crashes and treated to explosions of carbon fibre during the collisions, had been given a show.

At the front it was a different, more predictable routine. For the first stint of the race Schumacher was boxed in behind Massa, but in the first round of pit stops the German made it out ahead of the Brazilian to take the lead. A surprise given that Massa had just put in the fastest lap of the race and had made a quicker stop than his team-mate.

Behind was Giancarlo Fisichella, though far behind. The Italian had been beaten into turn one by Alonso and, lighter-fuelled, was hampered by the world champion's slow pace in the first laps. He eventually made his way past Alonso but by that time Schumacher and Massa has established a position almost impossible to attack.

With Schumacher ahead of Fisichella by 25 seconds with just 26 laps to go, the result was assured and attention turned to the plight of Alonso, who could be seen fighting his Renault into almost every corner.

Schumacher, in claiming his fifth win from seven starts at Indy, has closed ground on Alonso, now 19 points behind the champion with eight races to go. But it isn't enough.

Bridgestone may take the laurels here but the suspicion is that normal service will resume when F1 returns to Europe at the French Grand Prix in a fortnight. It is the backyard of Michelin. It is home turf for Renault. The best car, driver and tyre package in Formula One is likely to reassert its dominance once again.

Last year's Indianapolis race was an aberration. This appears to be a similar beast.