Schu got it wrong, says BAR boss

It will be filed under the cock-up rather than the conspiracy theory of history but Formula One was left to reflect on another damaging incident to its reputation in the United States Grand Prix.

Just hours after Europe’s and America’s finest golfers had conjured up a sporting treat of pure drama, a solitary German’s hamfisted attempt to stage-manage the finale at Indianapolis yesterday simply produced another Ferrari farrago.

Michael Schumacher may be the greatest driver of his age, but not even the five-time world champion can surely think he can somehow contrive the perfect finish.

Schumacher was as confused as most in the 130,000 crowd afterwards as first he said he wanted to cross the line side-by-side with Rubens Barrichello then said he was paying back his Brazilian team-mate for the Austrian controversy.

“The end of the race was not planned,” said Schumacher after losing by 0.011 secs, the closest finish in grand prix history using modern timing methods, having led for all but two of the 73 laps.

“We tried to cross the line together but failed by a tiny bit. In fact we did not know who had won until we got out of the cars. I just felt Rubens deserved to win this race. He has made sacrifices for me at least twice this year.

“It is fair to say that both of us understood and accepted the decision of Austria because we know that the interests of the team come first. I feel that this equalises what happened there.”

British American Racing boss David Richards said: “That wasn’t a stage finish, it was a cock-up, they are covering up for a complete cock-up. Michael backed off and Rubens didn’t.

“He wasn’t letting Rubens past. They were going to come over the line side-by-side, great show, great showmanship, waving at the crowd as they went past. We all make cock-ups in our lives and that was Michael’s one cock-up this year.”

The manipulation at the Motor Speedway was not on a par with the A1-Ring, when Barrichello was ordered to move over to gift Schumacher the victory by the team, and is unlikely to incur the wrath of the governing body.

But it could not have come at a worse time as the sport fights against falling crowds and plummeting viewing figures, partially caused by Ferrari producing a car that is on a different planet to its rivals.

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone admitted over the weekend that the spectacle had to be improved. Action will be even more urgent after a fourth successive Ferrari procession and another manufactured result.

It was also Ferrari’s eighth one-two of the campaign and Schumacher and Barrichello’s 14th as team-mates, moving them level with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost as the most successful partnership of all-time.

The Italian team have now won 14 of this season’s 16 races – 10 of them to Schumacher – and will equal the record set by McLaren in 1988 if they triumph in the finale in Japan on Sunday week.

Britain’s David Coulthard showed that McLaren-Mercedes are finally getting their act together with third place.

Colombia’s Juan Pablo Montoya was fourth despite a second-corner shunt with Williams-BMW team-mate Ralf Schumacher that is likely to earn the two drivers a tongue-lashing from boss Frank Williams.

Jarno Trulli was fifth for Renault with Jacques Villeneuve sixth in the British American Racing car.

Jenson Button was eighth for Renault, Eddie Irvine finished 10th for Jaguar while Allan McNish came home 15th for Toyota.