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Schumacher wins US Grand Prix
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-06-20 10:58
Ferrari's Michael Schumacher emerged with the victory in a US Grand Prix that
fell little short of farce after the withdrawal of 14 Formula One cars running
on suspect Michelin tires left only six cars in the race.
Ferrari F1 driver
Michael Schumacher of Germany listens to shouting fans as he walks to the
winners circle of the US Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Schumacher emerged with the victory in a US Grand Prix turned into a
parade by the withdrawal of 14 Formula One cars running on suspect
Michelin tires. All seven of the teams supplied by Michelin, including
championship front-runners Renault and McLaren, formed up on the grid, but
were back in the pits at the end of the warm-up lap leaving Ferrari,
Minardi and Jordan, all on Bridgestone tires, in the
field.[AFP] | All seven of the teams supplied by
Michelin formed up on the grid, but were back in the pits at the end of the
warm-up lap leaving Ferrari, Minardi and Jordan, all on Bridgestone tires, to
race.
As big-screen televisions showed the drivers climbing out of their cars, boos
rang out from the crowd of more than 100,000 at the famed Indianapolis Motor
Speedway and angry fans threw things at the track.
"It was mainly bottles, maybe some beer," Schumacher said.
More jeers greeted the award ceremony, where Ferrari topped the podium for
the first time this year after Schumacher's 1.5-second victory over teammate
Rubens Barrichello of Brazil and Jordan's Tiago Monteiro. Monteiro finished a
lap back to become the first Portuguese driver to post a podium finish in
Formula One.
"It's not the right way to win my first one this year," admitted Schumacher,
Germany's seven-time world champion who has now won four of the six US Grands
Prix staged at Indianapolis.
"It is just a shame we could not fight in the normal way, because I think
that even with the other cars we could have won."
Schumacher jumped two places to third in the world drivers standings, with 34
points to the 59 of leader Fernando Alonso and 37 of second-placed Kimi
Raikkonen.
After their one-two finish, Ferrari are tied for second with McLaren in the
constructors' championship, 13 points behind Renault.
Despite having the track virtually to themselves, Schumacher and his
Brazilian teammate nearly collided as Schumacher returned from a pitstop on lap
51.
Barrichello was forced off the track and across the grass before resuming in
second place.
Monteiro was followed home by his Jordan teammate Narain Karthikeyan of India
in fourth, and Minardi's Christijan Albers of the Netherlands and Austrian
teammate Patrick Friesacher.
But the race will be remembered for who wasn't there, a fiasco that dismayed
Red Bull driver David Coulthard of Scotland.
"This is going to leave a long-lasting and bitter taste in the mouth, but as
drivers we had to follow instructions from those above us," he said.
"It is quite remarkable that in the interests of the sport we weren't able to
find a solution. We have upset the viewers and the spectators," he said.
Red Bull sporting director Christian Horner said: "I have the greatest of
sympathy for all the fans and supporters here today, but we were left with no
other option based on the advice of our tyre supplier. It has been a difficult
situation and unfortunately, the result hasn't been fantastic. It's not a great
day for Formula One."
Renault chief Flavio Briatore said they had wanted to race even if they had
used new tires and had to forfeit points under FIA rules.
"We don't care if Ferrari would have got the points, we just wanted to race
for the fans and spectators," he said.
The mass defection capped a morning of confusion that saw the International
Automobile Federation (FIA) veto the suggestion of introducing a temporary
chicane before the final turn.
The chicane idea gained force when it became clear that new tires flown in by
Michelin - the use of which would have broken Formula One rules and incurred a
penalty - would not meet the problem.
Even after the FIA rejection, Michelin and its teams continued to press for
the addition of a chicane to slow cars heading into the banked turn, where a
left rear tire deflation led to a spin and crash for Toyota driver Ralf
Schumacher on Friday.
Schumacher's teammate Ricardo Zonta also suffered a left rear tire deflation
in practice, and despite the fact that Toyota's Jarno Trulli claimed pole
position on the same Michelin tires, the manufacturers said they couldn't vouch
for their safety over the course of the entire race.
Minardi and Jordan joined the Michelin teams in backing the chicane solution,
with Ferrari - hungry for their first win of the season - the only hold-out.
Minardi chief Paul Stoddart said he hadn't even wanted to start the race, but
went ahead when Jordan decided to go.
"This is not a race, this is a farce," he said. "I have complete sympathy
with the Michelin teams and can take neither satisfaction from, nor interest in,
this afternoon's race - if you can call it that."
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