Atlas F1 News Editor
With a superb drive in difficult conditions, Michael Schumacher all but sealed his sixth world title at the United States Grand Prix. Only the coolness and skill of Kimi Raikkonen guaranteed the Championship race will go down to the wire. Atlas F1's Pablo Elizalde reviews the entire weekend's events and results from the penultimate round of the Championship
It can't be said enough times, and the German World Champion does not seem to get tired of showing it over and over again.
After the debacle of the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Schumacher finished a lap down to the winning Renault of Fernando Alonso, Ferrari fought back at Monza with a superb win. At Indianapolis, Schumacher underperformed in qualifying and his race was looking rather grim when his rivals flew past him as he struggled to keep his Ferrari away from the wall at the banked corner.
In that very moment, Schumacher's chances of keeping the lead of the Championship looked all but over, yet the German kept his cool, and fought his way back to the top to score his 70th Formula One victory and, more importantly, to put himself at a stone's throw of another drivers' crown.
There is no doubt that the changing Indianapolis weather eventually played into Schumacher's hands; chances are that on a dry track, the result would have been rather different. From seventh place on the grid and with Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya in front of him, his prospects were not looking too bright before the start of the race.
It's ironic that for all the criticism that Bridgestone have been subject to this year, the Japanese tyres were the ones to give Schumacher the edge over his rivals when heavy rain began to fall in the most crucial race of the 2003 season. The Ferrari driver arrived in Indianapolis ready for a showdown and as usual he came victorious while his rivals failed to live up to the expectations.
Raikkonen faced the United States Grand Prix as an outsider for the title, and the Finn did what he had to do: give it all as a driver who has a lot to win and little to lose. His pole position and the way he led the race at the start earned him a lot of credit and it is thanks to his performance that Schumacher is not celebrating the title just yet.
But the McLaren driver did not have the Bridgestone tyres that Schumacher did, and when the track was at its wettest there was little the Finn could do to match the pace of the German. At least he stayed out of trouble and was able to fight his way back to second place to guarantee another showdown at Suzuka in two weeks time, even if winning the title will be short of a miracle: he needs to win in Japan and Schumacher not to score a single point, something that looks highly unlikely considering the last time the German retired with a mechanical failure was in the 2001 German Grand Prix, exactly 37 races ago.
"It would be a tragedy for us if we got that close and didn't win it," said Ferrari's Ross Brawn. "In many ways there is more pressure just to score one point than going into a Championship when it is pretty equal. We've all got memories of Nigel [Mansell] in 1986."
And then there is Williams and Montoya, who arrived in Indianapolis as the main favourites to beat Schumacher and Ferrari only to leave the United States licking their wounds and lamenting all the errors made during the race, which were not few, especially those made by the drivers.
Few could argue that the stewards' decision to penalise Montoya for his clash with Rubens Barrichello was, at least, controversial. The Colombian's decision to try to pass the Brazilian around the outside of turn one when only two laps had been completed was also very questionable, and although his aggressive attitude bodes well among the fans, sometimes it loses him vital points and leaves his Williams bosses less than impressed.
The incident with Barrichello was only the first of many problems for Montoya, who, apart from going off the track more than once, hit trouble with the refuelling hose, something that Williams have been prone to all too often this season. Unlike Schumacher or Raikkonen, Montoya was unable to fight his way back to the front and had to settle for an insufficient sixth place that left him out of the running for the title.
If the battle for the top spot promises to be frantic, the fight for fifth place in the standings will be even more so, especially after Sauber's magnificent race at Indy.
The Swiss squad were probably the best in terms of strategy, and Heinz-Harald Frentzen was rewarded with a podium that, with Nick Heidfeld's fifth place, shot Sauber from ninth to fifth in the Constructors' Championship, ahead of the BAR team, who, to the dismay of Jenson Button, suffered the cruel blow of a broken engine when the Briton was running in second place.
Qualifying Analysis
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is always a complicated circuit for the Formula One teams and, as a team member said over the weekend, it's like racing at two different tracks at the same time. Finding the right balance to have a good top speed for the long straight and the banked turn, and enough grip to cope with the slow and twisty infield section is crucial for be competitive.
That, of course, is almost as important as the fuel levels, which in qualifying for the Unites States Grand Prix seemed to play a vital part in providing a somewhat unexpected grid. The truth is, however, that the weather also played a role in Friday's qualifying and the initial positions were not as representative as in other occasions.
Despite all that, Kimi Raikkonen's pole position came as a big surprise for almost everyone at the IMS, especially since the Finn had not been in contention for the top spots in any of the timed sessions. Against the odds, and when everybody was expecting a showdown between Michael Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya, the McLaren driver pulled an ace from his sleeve and stole the show.
The Grid
1. Kimi Raikkonen
Saturday time: 1:11.670
2. Rubens Barrichello
Saturday time: 1:11.794
Despite some poor results in the last few races, Barrichello has been one of the most consistent qualifiers of late, and the Brazilian was again in form at Indianapolis, spearheading Ferrari's challenge after his teammate Schumacher struggled for qualifying pace. Barrichello showed good speed from the start, setting the second quickest time on Friday and being the only man who seemed capable of matching Trulli's pace before the final session. The Brazilian was pleased with his flying lap on Saturday, although he claimed his Ferrari was too loose, which cost him time.
3. Olivier Panis
Saturday time: 1:11.920
Toyota are making progress, there's little doubt about it. But Panis's amazing performance surprised everybody, even at the Japanese squad. If Raikkonen's showing was impressive jumping from ninth to first over the two qualifying session, Panis's feat was even more remarkable, the Frenchman gaining 11 positions on Saturday. His time from Friday, however, was irrelevant as he was one of several drivers to go out when the track was wet. Still, few would have expected the Toyota driver to qualify in third place ahead of the main Championship contenders.
4. Juan Pablo Montoya
Saturday time: 1:11.948
The much awaited duel between Montoya and Schumacher for pole never came, and although the Colombian's performance was disappointing, he at least was happy to be in front of his rival, just like the hoards of Colombian fans that filled the grandstands and waved their flags as the German driver crossed the line with a poor time. As quick as the BMW-powered Williams proved to be down the long main straight, on his flying laps Montoya seemed to struggle with oversteer in the infield section, where he lost too much time to be able to fight for the top spot or a place on the front row.
5. Ralf Schumacher
Saturday time: 1:12.078
Ralf had two pretty good qualifying sessions in his return to racing after missing the Italian Grand Prix two weeks earlier. The younger Schumacher did not show any side effects of the accident that sidelined him at Monza and was a good match for his teammate all weekend, even outpacing Montoya on Friday. In the final session, however, he was hampered by the time lost during practice, where he crashed his car. Still, he finished only a tenth behind Montoya so the German was happy.
6. Fernando Alonso
Saturday time: 1:12.087
The United States Grand Prix started poorly for Alonso. The Spaniard did not seem capable of matching teammate Trulli's pace in most of the sessions, and he even finished a whole second behind the Italian in opening qualifying. Alonso struggled on Friday with the handling of his car, which oversteered in some corners and understeered in others. Things were brighter on Saturday, the youngster even topping the times in the warm-up that was so dismal for his teammate.
7. Michael Schumacher
Saturday time: 1:12.194
8. David Coulthard
Saturday time: 1:12.297
Coulthard's performance was again disappointing for the teammate of a driver who is fighting for the title, and who even got a sensational pole. With Raikkonen in top form, McLaren were surely at least expecting Coulthard to be in a position to help his teammate's Championship chances, so the Scot's eighth place must have come as a disappointment. Unlike Raikkonen, Coulthard was unable to raise his game on Saturday after a solid showing on Friday, the Scot complaining of both oversteer and understeer during his flying lap.
9. Cristiano da Matta
Saturday time: 1:12.326
Considering all the problems that the Brazilian had on Saturday, da Matta's performance was quite remarkable, even if he was overshadowed by Panis's impressive showing. The rookie had an engine problem in practice and although his team replaced it for the warm-up, the new one was overheating and they decided to play it safe and use the spare car for qualifying. Although it was set up for da Matta, the CART champion did not feel too comfortable and it was reflected on his time.
10. Jarno Trulli
Saturday time: 1:12.566
Trulli was reminded of the well-know fact that it doesn't matter how fast you are during a Grand Prix weekend if you fail to deliver in the crucial moments. The Renault driver was fastest in the two-hour testing session, in Friday's practice, in opening qualifying, and in Saturday's free practice, only to throw it all away when he crashed his racing car in the warm-up. Although his mechanics did a fine job getting the car ready for his flying lap, Trulli never got close to matching his early pace.
11. Jenson Button
Saturday time: 1:12.695
The prospects for the BAR team did not look too bright on Friday when, despite the tenth quickest time, Button was unhappy with his car's handling in the dry and feared to struggle on Saturday. But things improved slightly after some overnight changes and the Briton, who was returning to the wheel after his crash at Jerez, was satisfied with his Honda-powered 005, even if he suffered from the same problem as many others: he had no grip in the infield section.
12. Jacques Villeneuve
Saturday time: 1:13.050
13. Nick Heidfeld
Saturday time: 1:13.083
There were no surprises from Sauber, who finished where they were expecting to finish given the current speed of their car. Heidfeld, who confirmed he will leave the Swiss team at the end of the season, was unfortunate on Friday, as it began to rain just as he was about to begin his run. The German felt more comfortable on Saturday, although he complained that his tyres grained before the end of the lap.
14. Mark Webber
Saturday time: 1:13.269
Once more the Australian was impressively quick on Friday. His Jaguar seems to be a very good car when it's very light on fuel and Webber maximised the opportunity by setting the third fastest time of the first session, which did not surprise anybody considering his recent performances. But the R4 was a completely different beast on Saturday, and Webber struggled with its handling, sliding all over the place on his flying lap, which included a huge slide at the start of the lap that Webber was quick to correct.
15. Heinz-Harald Frentzen
Saturday time: 1:13.447
Like teammate Heidfeld, Frentzen did what he was expected to do, and his qualifying performance was solid but unspectacular in a car that is not capable of much more under normal circumstances. On Friday the veteran German had to complete almost half of his flying lap in the wet with dry-weather tyres. In the decisive session, Frentzen admitted to a less than perfect lap, in which he even went slightly off the track.
16. Justin Wilson
Saturday time: 1:13.585
Wilson completed a very disappointing qualifying for Jaguar, even if the Briton was happy to be somewhat close to Webber. The rookie was one of the unlucky drivers who had to run on a totally wet track on Friday, and as a result he was the third man to go out on Saturday, something that proved to be a handicap at the slippery Indianapolis circuit. Like Webber, final qualifying proved to be a struggle for Wilson, whose car was also very hard to drive and lacked grip for most of the lap.
17. Giancarlo Fisichella
Saturday time: 1:13.798
18. Ralph Firman
Saturday time: 1:14.027
Returning to competitive action after missing the last two races, Firman at least enjoyed two more or less trouble-free days, which was a lot more than could be said about Fisichella. Even so, the British rookie, racing for the first time at Indianapolis, could not compensate for the lack of pace of his Jordan. In opening qualifying he had to complete his lap in the wet, so his time was irrelevant. On Saturday he drove an error-free lap and was rewarded with a time only three tenths of a second behind Fisichella.
19. Jos Verstappen
Saturday time: 1:15.360
For the second consecutive race, Verstappen was the first man to go out on track in the decisive session after his Minardi was hit by problems before his flying lap on Friday. In the Dutchman's case, however, it probably meant that he lost just one position, as the Minardis once more looked incapable of fighting for a position outside the last row. Verstappen could complete his flying lap on Saturday, but that did not help much, as his PS03 was sliding all over the track, the Dutch driver even claiming it felt like driving with punctures.
20. Nicolas Kiesa
Saturday time: 1:15.644
Kiesa was somewhat happier than his teammate Verstappen throughout the weekend, and that was reflected in the laptimes, the Dane being closer than ever before to his more experienced teammate. On Friday he had to drive in the wet for the first time and finished 2.5 seconds behind the closest of his rivals. Kiesa's prospects look better on Saturday, and qualifying only three tenths behind Verstappen was probably the best he could have hoped for.
The Race
As the pitlane opened and the cars were ready to start lining up on the grid, a light rain began to fall, and although it was not intense enough to make the track wet, several drivers, including Montoya and Michael Schumacher left their garages with intermediates on their cars. It remains to be seen if it was just mind games, but when the cars were about to take the start, both men were on dry-weather tyres, and the sky looked threatening.
The on-track action began real soon, with Coulthard moving ahead of Barrichello at the end of the lap and Ralf overtaking Panis for second place moments later. While Raikkonen managed to open a two-second gap to Ralf, the German's teammate Montoya was already all over the back of Barrichello, and at the start of the third lap, the Colombian tried to go around the outside under braking. At the entry of the next left hander Montoya had the inside line, but he ran wide and touched Barrichello's car, sending him into a spin and out of the race.
"We've always said that we are running quite close and one day we might touch, but it shouldn't have been today because it was a close battle," said the unimpressed Brazilian. "The turn actually turns quite rapidly. I didn't turn in onto him. I thought I had left enough space. I didn't even reach the apex of the corner and all of a sudden I felt a bang."
Montoya managed to continue in the race, although he lost two places to the Renaults of Alonso and Trulli. While the Colombian struggled, his title rival Schumacher continued to make progress, and by the start of lap five the German passed Panis for third place in the middle of the straight while Barrichello's car was still being removed at the end. Some, Ron Dennis included, thought Schumacher had overtaken under yellow, but the FIA made clear that the German had already passed Panis by the time he reached the yellow flag zone, and so Schumacher's race continued unaltered.
And suddenly the sky opened and it began to rain.
The Ferrari driver was unable to keep up with the Michelin-shod cars in the banked corner, and Coulthard, Montoya and Alonso flew past him, Schumacher dropping down to sixth place and his chances of finishing on the podium looking rather dim.
The rain stopped quite quickly and the track began to dry up, with Raikkonen still in the lead followed by Ralf, Coulthard, Montoya, Alonso, Schumacher, Trulli and Heidfeld by the end of lap 10, when it was announced that Montoya's incident with Barrichello was being investigated by the stewards.
As the track dried up again, many drivers - including Panis, Villeneuve, and da Matta - were forced to return to the pits, having switched to wets too early.
Up in front Raikkonen continued in the lead, although Ralf was slowly catching him before the Williams driver made his first scheduled stop on lap 15, returning to the race in 12th position. Montoya and Coulthard, who had dropped behind the Colombian and Alonso, pitted next. The Williams driver's problems continued, the refuelling hose giving the mechanics more headache, and he returned to the track behind Coulthard, having lost some seven seconds.
Those who were about to come into the pits faced a dilemma, as a light rain was again falling over Indianapolis. Alonso, running in second, dived into the pits and, like Montoya had done previously, only changed his front tyres, rejoining the race in seventh position. Raikkonen was the next man to come into the pits, although it proved to be the worst moment, as the rain was getting harder and the Finn opted for dry-weather tyres. That was not the only bad news for the Finn, however, as he rejoined the race right behind Ralf.
Few teams risked switching to rain tyres, and while Schumacher - running second - stopped to get a new set of drys, the Sauber team opted for wets when Frentzen made his top, a gamble that soon began to pay off, as the rain got heavier and heavier. Another driver who opted to switch to wets was Button, who stayed on the wet until his car was almost undriveable before coming into the pits.
With the track completely soaked, there was chaos all over, with drivers going off all the time. Ralf and Webber came off worst, both crashing out of the race in the wet. After that Coulthard found himself in the lead, followed by Frentzen and Button, but the Scot would also go off the track and, with Button passing Frentzen, the BAR driver emerged in the lead.
Wilson was third, followed by Raikkonen and Coulthard, who continued to drop down the order with the wrong set of tyres. Alonso was sixth ahead of Schumacher, who had already switched to wets, with Heidfeld completing the top eight. Following his penalty and the pitstop to change tyres, Montoya was down in 11th.
As the rain intensified, the Bridgestones were clearly the tyres to have, with the Michelin runners struggling to match their rivals' pace. Button managed to extend his lead to more than five seconds by lap 30, while Frentzen continued in second followed by Schumacher, who had passed Raikkonen easily. The Ferrari driver overtook Frentzen three laps later and began to catch Button, still running strongly.
The strength of the Bridgestones was highlighted even more by Heidfeld, who had passed Wilson and Alonso and was catching fourth-placed Raikkonen at around two seconds per lap before the rain stopped and the track began to dry up once more.
All the top runners began to complete the second round of pitstops, switching to dry-weather tyres. All except Schumacher, who was still using the wets even if the track was mostly dry, and even so his rivals were unable to close the gap. The World Champion finally pitted on lap 48, allowing Frentzen to take the lead momentarily before the German also pitted.
When everybody was finally on drys, Schumacher was more than 15 seconds ahead of Frentzen, who was followed closely by Raikkonen. Further back Heidfeld was fourth, ahead of Trulli - the only remaining Renault after Alonso's engine let go - Fisichella, Montoya and Wilson.
With Montoya out of contention, it was up to Raikkonen to keep the Championship alive, and the Finn did what he had to do and passed Frentzen to take second place to guarantee some excitement in Japan. In the remaining laps, Trulli passed Heidfeld for fourth, and Montoya passed Fisichella, which was not enough to keep him in the run for the title.
Schumacher took things easy in the final part of the race, and crossed the line more than 18 seconds ahead of Raikkonen to score his sixth win of the season and to leave the Championship all but decided ahead of the final race. Raikkonen got a deserved second, which put him ahead of Montoya, who had to settle for a poor sixth ahead of Fisichella and Wilson, the Jaguar driver scoring his first F1 point.
So Formula One heads to Japan with (sort of) all to play for in a season that has revitalised the sport and that has showed that, even if the future is in good hands, Schumacher is, in the present, still the man to beat.
"It was just outstanding in Monza," a happy Schumacher said after winning. "This tops it again. Who knows what will be the next?"
And Indeed, who does?
There are rain drops falling in the period leading up to the race but the track is still dry when the grid assembles.
Lap 2: Light rain begins on certain parts of the track. Raikkonen increases his lead to 2.4 seconds while Panis is under serious threat from Ralf as they cross the finish line. Coulthard is able to overtake Barrichello for fifth place. At the back of the field Verstappen pits for repairs.
Lap 3: At the first corner Ralf Schumacher gets ahead of Panis. Further back Montoya challenges Barrichello for sixth in Turn 2. The Ferrari is tipped into a spin and Barrichello is out. Montoya drops behind the two Renaults as a result.
Lap 4: Michael Schumacher closes up on Panis, while further back Montoya manages to repass Trulli to move back to seventh place.
Lap 5: Michael Schumacher passes Panis going into Turn 1. Although there are yellow flags displayed in the corner, Michael has completed the manoeuvre before getting to the yellow flag zone. The rain is getting stronger and as a result Alonso passes Coulthard for fifth place. Firman returns to the pits at the tail of the field.
Lap 6: The rain is even worse and Panis decides to go into the pits for wet tyres. He is slow away and loses about seven seconds and drops from fourth place to 15th. Alonso makes a mistake and is passed by Coulthard and Montoya. Frentzen also makes an error and drops from 12th to 14th. Also pitting for tyres are Jacques Villeneuve and Nicolas Kiesa.
Lap 7: The rain eases a little and while Raikkonen stays ahead with Ralf Schumacher second but Michael Schumacher is suddenly struggling and drops behind Coulthard, Montoya and Alonso. Further back Nick Heidfeld moves up to eighth passing Button, while Da Matta heads for pit lane for wet tyres.
Lap 8: The track is drying again and Raikkonen sets the fastest lap of the race to increase his lead to 3.4 seconds. This is beaten by Montoya but word comes through that the Colombian is being investigated for the incident with Barrichello.
Lap 9: Villeneuve and Firman go back to the pits to change back to dry tyres.
Lap 11: Toyota's day gets even worse as Da Matta goes back to the pits to switch back to dry rubber.
Lap 12: The race begins to settle down with Ralf Schumacher closing on Raikkonen. Further back Panis overtakes Villeneuve to grab 15th place.
Lap 15: Ralf Schumacher heads for the pits for the first scheduled stop and re-emerges in 12th place. Behind him Montoya passes Coulthard for third. DC is then overtaken by Alonso as well.
Lap 17: Montoya and Coulthard both pit. Montoya has trouble with his refuelling rig and loses around six seconds. He rejoins 11th, behind Coulthard. Also pitting is Heidfeld who drops from seventh place to 13th.
Lap 18: Rain is threatening again and this gives drivers a problem deciding which tyres to choose. Alonso is the next to pit and goes for dry tyres. Michael Schumacher moves up to second place. Alonso rejoins back in ninth.
Lap 19: Raikkonen comes into the pits and goes out on dry tyres even though the rain in increasing. Further back Frentzen pits and makes the crucial decision to switch to rain tyres. Montoya is given a drive-through penalty for his role in the earlier incident with Barrichello.
Lap 21: Webber continues to lead but the weather is getting worse. Button spins and Wilson pits. Button also pits at the end of the lap. Michael Schumacher hurries back to the pits to switch to rain tyres. Further back Fisichella and Heidfeld are also in the pits for wet tyres.
Lap 22: Chaos reigns. Webber crashes out of the lead and Ralf Schumacher also spins into retirement. Raikkonen and Alonso both pit for wet rubber. This puts Coulthard into the lead with Frentzen second and Button third. Wilson is fourth. Montoya pits for his penalty. He is still on dry tyres and so needs to stop again. Also in pit lane in Trulli, switching to wet tyres.
Lap 23: Coulthard goes off and Button passes Frentzen and so the BAR driver comes through in the lead. Frentzen is second with Wilson third, Raikkonen fourth, Coulthard now fifth but staying out in the hope that the rain will ease. Next up is Alonso with Michael Schumacher seventh and Heidfeld eighth. Montoya pits again to switch to wet tyres.
Lap 24: Button is still ahead but further back Coulthard's gamble is proving to be a disaster as he drops behind Alonso and Michael Schumacher. David and Michael touch as the Ferrari gets ahead.
Lap 26: Button is pulling away at the front. Wilson continues to fade with Michael Schumacher passing both the Jaguar and Alonso to move up to fourth place. Coulthard continues to drop away, falling behind Trulli and Fisichella.
Lap 27: Alonso passes Wilson for fifth.
Lap 28: Button's lead is out to 5.8 seconds while Michael Schumacher moves to third place, passing Raikkonen. Further back Montoya passes the ailing Coulthard for 10th place. Panis spins out of the race.
Lap 29: The action continues as Da Matta passes the fading Coulthard. Further back Villeneuve gets ahead of Verstappen to take 13th place. The rain however is now stopping.
Lap 30: Frentzen and Schumacher both begin to close on Button. Further back Wilson is passed for sixth place by Heidfeld. Coulthard pits and rejoins back in 13th place.
Lap 32: Wilson pits and falls from seventh place down to 10th. Da Matta also stops again.
Lap 33: Michael Schumacher catches and passes Frentzen and takes second place. Michael begins his chase of Button.
Lap 36: Alonso pits and goes on to dry rubber. He falls behind Trulli and Fisichella but is still running eighth.
Lap 37: Schumacher eats into Button's lead and ends the lap just behind the BAR. Further back da Matta passes Wilson for 10th place.
Lap 38: Michael Schumacher takes the lead. Further back Montoya pits to switch to dry tyres. Also on the move is Villeneuve who passes Wilson for 11th.
Lap 40: Schumacher pulls gradually away from Button while down in the midfield da Matta is the next man to switch to dry tyres. He drops from 10th to 13th.
Lap 41: Raikkonen follows the trend and pits from fourth place and so falls behind Heidfeld.
Lap 42: Button's engine blows up and he pulls off to retire. This leaves Michael Schumacher with a 10 second lead over Frentzen. Heidfeld is third and Raikkonen fourth while Trulli stops allowing Fisichella up to fifth.
Lap 44: Fisichella pits and falls behind Trulli again.
Lap 45: At the tail of the field Coulthard retires with a mechanical problem.
Lap 46: Villeneuve and da Matta both stop. Villeneuve hands over eighth place to Wilson but da Matta holds on to 10th.
Lap 48: Michael Schumacher comes in for fuel. Frentzen goes into the lead.
Lap 51: Heidfeld pits and so hands second place to Frentzen, but Raikkonen is closing fast. Heidfeld rejoins in fourth.
Lap 55: Raikkonen passes Frentzen to take second place and so keep the World Championship alive.
Lap 63: Trulli catches and overtakes Heidfeld for fourth place.
Lap 64: Ninth-placed Villeneuve goes out with a big engine failure.
Lap 67: Montoya overtakes Fisichella for sixth place but he needs to get one more place to stay in the World Championship.
Lap 73: The Ferrari fans celebrate as Michael Schumacher wins. The World Championship is still open but with a nine point lead in the series all Schumacher needs to do in Japan is score one point. Montoya is out because even if he wins in Suzuka and Michael does not score he will be equal to Schumacher on points but will give fewer race victories.
Only Michael Schumacher and Ferrari can go from being a team accused of enduring a huge crisis to having a record sixth title almost in the bag in the space of one month. But that's Schumacher for you, and if there is a clear message to read from this year's Championship is that the German can never be underestimated.
But, as usual, it can be said that Formula One is full of "ifs", so at the end of the day it's about coping with the actual circumstances, and Schumacher and Ferrari were the best at that in Indy.
There is a big difference between having the title in the pocket and being one point away from it, and thanks to his strong performance Raikkonen at least managed to keep the pressure on Ferrari, who cannot rest on their laurels at Suzuka and they know it. The point needed could be a mere formality, but it also could be not.
With Ralf Schumacher going out of the race when he spun in the wet, Williams were left with a mountain to climb in Suzuka if they want to stop Ferrari from taking both titles for the fourth year in a row.
Friday Qualifying: 9th, 1:10.756
Juan Pablo Montoya said after qualifying that Kimi Raikkonen is full of surprises, and it was hard not to agree with the Colombian after watching the Finn roaring to his second pole position of the season when very few were expecting such a performance. With almost everyone anticipating a frantic Schumacher-Montoya battle for the top spot, it was Raikkonen who stole the limelight with his flawless performance, getting himself in the driving seat ahead of the race and putting the heat on his title rivals. All it took, as Raikkonen said himself after qualifying, was "a normal, good lap".
Friday Qualifying: 2nd, 1:09.835
Friday Qualifying: 14th, 1:17.666
Friday Qualifying: 5th, 1:10.372
Friday Qualifying: 4th, 1:10.222
Friday Qualifying: 7th, 1:10.556
Friday Qualifying: 8th, 1:10.736
Fresh from his victory at Monza, more was expected from the man who had started from pole position in all the Formula One races at Indianapolis. With the Championship at stake, Schumacher opted for a bad moment to underperform, and apart from Saturday's second practice the German was never close to the top of the timesheets. After missing the whole first practice session, Schumacher's qualifying lap was rather poor and even made an error at the start of it. The World Champion, however, claimed that he lost most of the time in the second sector, where his Ferrari apparently had no grip at all.
Friday Qualifying: 6th, 1:10.450
Friday Qualifying: 11th, 1:11.949
Friday Qualifying: 1st, 1:09.566
Friday Qualifying: 10th, 1:11.847
Friday Qualifying: 16th, 1:18.547
Villeneuve was in a similar position as teammate Button, the Canadian struggling for grip at the wheel of his car during most of Saturday morning, when the BAR driver claimed the 005 was close to undriveable. The team changed the set-up for the warm-up, making things better, and went even further by taking a gamble for the final qualifying session. The risk paid off and Villeneuve was much happier with his car, even if he finished almost four tenths behind Button.
Friday Qualifying: 15th, 1:17.768
Friday Qualifying: 3rd, 1:10.081
Friday Qualifying: 13th, 1:13.541
Friday Qualifying: 18th, 1:19.491
Friday Qualifying: 12th, 1:12.227
The Italian's United States Grand Prix started badly and did not improve much as the qualifying sessions went by. Already in Friday's testing session, Fisichella was hit by mechanical problems that cut his running short, the Jordan driver completing just 17 laps during the two hours. After succumbing to problems again in practice, Fisichella faced first qualifying with just 25 laps completed, so his 12th position was remarkable. Trouble continued in Saturday's practice - his car's gearbox again failing - so 17th position was as much as he could have been asked for.
Friday Qualifying: 17th, 1:19.383
Friday Qualifying: 20th, no time
Friday Qualifying: 19th, 1:21.973
The start was always going to be crucial, and when the red lights went off, Raikkonen made the most of his pole position to stay clearly in the lead ahead of Panis, who was fast to overtake Barrichello, the Brazilian suffering a problem with his automatic gearchange and having to change gears manually, which cost him three places. Ralf followed Panis in third, with Michael in fourth ahead of his teammate and Coulthard. Montoya came off worst, dropping from fourth to seventh, and more importantly losing out to Schumacher.
As the rain got heavier, Panis was the first of the top runners to pit for wet-weather tyres, although the move proved wrong and the Frenchman dropped out of contention. The very slippery conditions allowed for a lot of overtaking, and in the space of two laps the order changed dramatically. Alonso dropped from fourth to sixth as Coulthard and Montoya moved ahead of the Spaniard and set their sights on Schumacher, who was struggling badly to keep his car on the road.
While the German's race was looking promising, his teammate Montoya suffered another blow, the stewards announcing a drive-through penalty for his incident with Barrichello.
Alonso was the first of the top runners to switch to dry-weather tyres on lap 36, only two laps before Schumacher completed his recovery and passed Button at the end of the straight to take the lead for the first time in the race. Meanwhile, Button's chances of his first podium finish vanished minutes later when his Honda engine let go to the dismay of the unlucky Briton, who did not get any rewards for his good drive.
Apart from Schumacher and Ferrari, the Sauber team were the heroes of the day thanks to Frentzen's third and Heidfeld's fifth. In a single race, the Swiss squad compensated for a season of disappointments, leapfrogging Toyota, Jaguar and BAR in the standings.
Race Results
1. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1h 33:35.997
2. Raikkonen McLaren Mercedes (M) + 18.258
3. Frentzen Sauber Petronas (B) + 37.964
4. Trulli Renault (M) + 48.339
5. Heidfeld Sauber Petronas (B) + 56.403
6. Montoya Williams BMW (M) + 1 lap
7. Fisichella Jordan Ford (B) + 1 lap
8. Wilson Jaguar Cosworth (M) + 2 laps
9. da Matta Toyota (M) + 2 laps
10. Verstappen Minardi Cosworth (B) + 4 laps
11. Kiesa Minardi Cosworth (B) + 4 laps
Not Classified/Retirements:
Driver Team On Lap
Villeneuve BAR Honda (B) 64
Firman Jordan Ford (B) 49
Coulthard McLaren Mercedes (M) 46
Alonso Renault (M) 45
Button BAR Honda (B) 42
Panis Toyota (M) 28
Webber Jaguar Cosworth (M) 22
R.Schumacher Williams BMW (M) 22
Barrichello Ferrari (B) 3
World Championship Standing, Round 15:
Drivers: Constructors:
1. M.Schumacher 92 1. Ferrari 147
2. Raikkonen 83 2. Williams-BMW 144
3. Montoya 82 3. McLaren-Mercedes 128
4. R.Schumacher 58 4. Renault 84
5. Barrichello 55 5. Sauber 19
= Alonso 55 6. BAR-Honda 18
7. Coulthard 45 7. Jaguar-Cosworth 18
8. Trulli 29 8. Toyota 14
9. Webber 17 9. Jordan-Ford 13
10. Frentzen 13
11. Fisichella 12
= Button 12
13. da Matta 8
14. Panis 6
= Villeneuve 6
= Heidfeld 6
17. Gene 4
18. Firman 1
= Wilson 1
Pos Driver Team Lap Time
1. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 13 1:11.473
2. Alonso Renault (M) 9 1:11.525 + 0.052
3. Montoya Williams-BMW (M) 9 1:11.595 + 0.122
4. Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes (M) 9 1:11.617 + 0.144
5. R.Schumacher Williams-BMW (M) 13 1:11.655 + 0.182
6. Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (M) 12 1:12.009 + 0.536
7. Trulli Renault (M) 14 1:12.015 + 0.542
8. Button BAR-Honda (B) 10 1:13.038 + 1.565
9. Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas (B) 13 1:13.085 + 1.612
10. Webber Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 12 1:13.099 + 1.626
11. da Matta Toyota (M) 13 1:13.231 + 1.758
12. Wilson Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 12 1:13.324 + 1.851
13. Frentzen Sauber-Petronas (B) 71 1:13.338 + 1.865
14. Panis Toyota (M) 12 1:13.340 + 1.867
15. Villeneuve BAR-Honda (B) 62 1:13.538 + 2.065
16. Fisichella Jordan-Ford (B) 13 1:13.630 + 2.157
17. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 2 1:13.905 + 2.432
18. Firman Jordan-Ford (B) 11 1:14.687 + 3.214
19. Kiesa Minardi-Cosworth (B) 67 1:14.737 + 3.264
20. Verstappen Minardi-Cosworth (B) 68 1:15.257 + 3.784
Pos Driver Team Time Lap
1. da Matta Toyota (M) 17.981 46
2. Montoya Williams-BMW (M) 18.086 22
3. Firman Jordan-Ford (B) 18.230 19
4. Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (M) 18.441 35
5. da Matta Toyota (M) 26.682 20
6. Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes (M) 26.871 22
7. da Matta Toyota (M) 27.174 40
8. da Matta Toyota (M) 27.282 11
9. Firman Jordan-Ford (B) 27.823 9
10. Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes (M) 27.879 41
11. Trulli Renault (M) 28.170 42
12. Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas (B) 28.409 51
13. Villeneuve BAR-Honda (B) 28.513 9
14. Trulli Renault (M) 28.682 22
15. da Matta Toyota (M) 28.990 7
16. Montoya Williams-BMW (M) 29.023 38
17. Alonso Renault (M) 29.077 22
18. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 29.106 21
19. Alonso Renault (M) 29.107 18
20. Firman Jordan-Ford (B) 29.128 5
21. Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas (B) 29.213 21
22. Trulli Renault (M) 29.274 20
23. Alonso Renault (M) 29.281 36
24. Frentzen Sauber-Petronas (B) 29.359 49
25. Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas (B) 29.648 17
26. Firman Jordan-Ford (B) 29.651 42
27. R.Schumacher Williams-BMW (M) 29.792 15
28. Villeneuve BAR-Honda (B) 30.057 46
29. Montoya Williams-BMW (M) 30.088 23
30. Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (M) 30.345 30
31. Villeneuve BAR-Honda (B) 30.564 6
32. Firman Jordan-Ford (B) 30.666 20
33. Verstappen Minardi-Cosworth (B) 30.861 19
34. Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (M) 30.949 17
35. Panis Toyota (M) 31.067 10
36. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 31.126 20
37. Kiesa Minardi-Cosworth (B) 31.187 48
38. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 31.332 48
39. Button BAR-Honda (B) 31.455 21
40. Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes (M) 31.477 19
41. Villeneuve BAR-Honda (B) 31.535 20
42. Verstappen Minardi-Cosworth (B) 31.839 2
43. Panis Toyota (M) 32.031 25
44. Kiesa Minardi-Cosworth (B) 32.123 10
45. Kiesa Minardi-Cosworth (B) 32.332 6
46. Frentzen Sauber-Petronas (B) 32.400 19
47. Wilson Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 32.807 21
48. Firman Jordan-Ford (B) 34.500 1
49. da Matta Toyota (M) 36.234 32
50. Montoya Williams-BMW (M) 36.522 17
51. Kiesa Minardi-Cosworth (B) 36.589 47
52. Kiesa Minardi-Cosworth (B) 36.955 20
53. Wilson Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 37.005 32
54. Panis Toyota (M) 37.304 17
55. Panis Toyota (M) 37.576 6
56. Fisichella Jordan-Ford (B) 38.382 21
57. Verstappen Minardi-Cosworth (B) 42.418 43
58. Fisichella Jordan-Ford (B) 42.710 44
The Unites States Grand Prix, Lap by Lap
Lap 1: At the start Olivier Panis gets away well and takes second place going into the first corner. Ralf Schumacher makes a good start and takes third while a flying Michael Schumacher is fourth ahead of a slow-starting Barrichello, David Coulthard, a slow-starting Juan Pablo Montoya, Fernando Alonso, Cristiano da Matta and Jarno Trulli. Further back in the field Ralph Firman runs into the back of Jos Verstappen and removes the front wings of his Jordan. He has to pit at the end of the lap. At the end of the lap Raikkonen is 1.6 seconds ahead of Panis with Ralf Schumacher stuck behind the Toyota.
Lap 10: Panis and Kiesa go back to the pits for dry tyres.
Lap 20: The rain has intensified and, after leading for one lap, Schumacher comes into the pits and decides to stay with dry tyres. Second-placed Trulli also stops and makes the same choice. This puts Mark Webber into the lead. Jenson Button is second with Justin Wilson third, Ralf Schumacher fourth.
Lap 25: Raikkonen moves ahead of Wilson to take third. Further back Coulthard falls behind Heidfeld. It is clear that in the wet the Bridgestone runners are strong. Further back Panis comes in for rain tyres.
Lap 35: The gap is down to 3.4 seconds. Further back Heidfeld passes Alonso to take fifth place. Coulthard pits again.
Lap 49: Frentzen pits and rejoins in third behind Schumacher and Heidfeld. At the tail of the field Firman retires with an engine failure.
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Volume 9, Issue 40
Atlas F1 Exclusive
Interview with Rubens Barrichello
Ann Bradshaw: View from the Paddock
2003 US GP Review
2003 US GP Review
The Michael Schumacher Problem
American Heartbreak
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