2004 United States GP: Schumacher wins as Ralf's crash overshadows Indy

At the 2004 United States GP, round 9 of the season, Michael Schumacher won ahead of his Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello, who had started from pole position. Takuma Sato finished third in the BAR. The race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was decided under the Safety Car. Schumacher first passed Barrichello at the opening restart, then used a second Safety Car period to make his pit stop. The day was overshadowed by a heavy crash for his brother Ralf Schumacher on the banked section.

Barrichello kept the lead from Schumacher at the start, but behind them there was carnage. According to grandprix.com, Cristiano da Matta braked in Turn 2 to avoid his Toyota team-mate Olivier Panis and was hit from behind by Christian Klien in the Jaguar. Klien then slid into Felipe Massa in the Sauber. Massa said afterwards that the Jaguar had been sideways across the track and he had no way of avoiding it (crash.net). Giorgio Pantano in the Jordan and Gianmaria Bruni in the Minardi were also caught up in the accident. Klien, Massa, Pantano and Bruni were all out before completing a single lap. Da Matta limped back to the pits.

According to grandprix.com and Wikipedia, the Safety Car stayed out until the end of lap 5. Schumacher won the restart because he had been careful to bring his tyres up to temperature, while Barrichello struggled with wheelspin. Barrichello explained that his tyre pressure had been too low for the restart (crash.net). Schumacher slipstreamed past, and grandprix.com reported that just 0.013 seconds separated the two at the line. Michael Schumacher led from lap 6.

Shortly afterwards, two Michelin tyre failures shaped the race. Fernando Alonso had climbed from grid position 9 to 3rd place in the Renault. According to grandprix.com, his right-rear tyre exploded after 8 laps and he hit the wall on the way into the first corner.

Ralf Schumacher's accident was even worse. After 9 laps his Williams lost a rear tyre in Turn 13, the only banked corner on the calendar at the time, and hit the wall almost at right angles (Wikipedia, grandprix.com). Williams technical director Sam Michael blamed a tyre failure. Grandprix.com considered debris from the start crash the most likely cause. Ralf stayed in the wreck for a long time, and debris was scattered across the middle of the track. According to Wikipedia, the second Safety Car period ran from lap 10 to 19, considerably longer than expected.

Context from the following days: Williams announced that Ralf Schumacher had suffered two fractures to his spine and would be out for up to twelve weeks. Marc Gené replaced him at the next race in France (grandprix.com, 30 June 2004).

The race was decided during the second Safety Car period. Ferrari brought both cars in at the same time, so Barrichello had to wait behind Schumacher. According to grandprix.com, he was stationary for only 5.1 seconds but lost around 15 seconds on that lap. Despite refuelling and taking fresh tyres, Schumacher rejoined in the lead because the field had to slow down for the debris. Barrichello rejoined seventh in the queue behind the Safety Car. He was stuck in traffic until around lap 35, after which he was about ten seconds behind his team-mate, according to grandprix.com.

When Schumacher pitted for the second time, Barrichello took the lead from lap 42 and pushed flat out. According to Wikipedia, he had cut the gap from about 15 seconds to around two by the time of his own stop. Schumacher was back in front from lap 51. Then came the duel between the Ferrari drivers. Barrichello dived up the inside at Turn 4, Schumacher slammed the door shut, and the two very nearly touched. After that, according to Wikipedia, Barrichello was expected to stay behind his team-mate. He did at least take the fastest lap. Schumacher crossed the line 2.950 seconds ahead (grandprix.com).

Behind the Ferraris, Takuma Sato was the man of the day. He started 3rd and finished third, 22.0 seconds behind the winner according to crash.net. It was his first Formula 1 podium and only the second ever for Japan, after Aguri Suzuki (Wikipedia). However, Sato had to fight for it late in the race.

Jarno Trulli had been in 3rd place for a long time. The Renault driver had not set a time in qualifying because of a gearbox problem, so he started last (Wikipedia). Trulli brought his first stop forward into the second Safety Car period, and it paid off (crash.net). In the closing stages, though, Sato kept closing in. Trulli ran wide, then lifted off when flags were waved on the banking because of oil on the track. Sato took advantage and passed him at Turn 1 (crash.net, grandprix.com). Even so, Trulli's 4th place meant he gained more positions than any other driver: 16.

Panis finished fifth. Behind him, the McLaren drivers Kimi Räikkönen and David Coulthard finished a lap down. According to crash.net, Räikkönen made two unscheduled pit stops because of a faulty air compressor on the engine. Coulthard needed an extra stop because pieces of polystyrene had got stuck under his car. Zsolt Baumgartner had a historic day. His 8th place made him the first Hungarian ever to score a championship point (grandprix.com, Wikipedia), and according to crash.net it was Minardi's first point in 41 races.

Only nine drivers were classified. Apart from the start crash and the two tyre failures, these drivers retired:

• Juan Pablo Montoya, Williams: His car would not start on the starting grid, so he ran to the pits and switched to the spare car. The stewards ruled that he had not left the grid in time before the formation lap. Grandprix.com cites the 15-second rule, while crash.net reports that Sam Michael referred to Article 85. Montoya was shown the black flag after 57 laps, and grandprix.com criticised how late the decision came. It was his second disqualification in a row after the Canadian GP (Wikipedia).
• Mark Webber, Jaguar: Engine failure after 60 laps. According to grandprix.com, Mark Webber lost an oil line, and that oil brought out the flags that cost Trulli the podium.
• Nick Heidfeld, Jordan: Engine failure after 40 laps. According to grandprix.com, Nick Heidfeld had put up a brave fight against faster cars until then.
• Jenson Button, BAR: Gearbox failure after 26 laps. According to grandprix.com, Jenson Button had already lost a lot of time driving through the debris, and the long Safety Car period also upset BAR's strategy.
• Cristiano da Matta, Toyota: Gearbox failure after 17 laps. He had also been involved in the start crash.

Giancarlo Fisichella was classified ninth in the Sauber despite finishing 8 laps down. According to Wikipedia, he had a left-rear puncture and later retired with a hydraulic problem.

The win extended Michael Schumacher's lead in the 2004 standings. He now had 80 points, 18 more than Barrichello on 62. Button stayed third on 44 points despite his retirement, just ahead of Trulli on 41. Alonso followed with 25 points and Montoya with 24. Sato moved up two places to 7th on 14 points, while Ralf Schumacher dropped to 8th on 12. In the constructors' standings, Ferrari's 142 points were already more than double Renault's 66. BAR were third on 58 points.

Indianapolis confirmed Ferrari's superiority, but it was a bitter day for the Michelin teams. Two leading drivers lost their cars to tyre blowouts. The weekend was a disaster for Williams. Montoya was disqualified, and Ralf Schumacher's injury kept him out for several races. For Sato and Baumgartner, however, the race remains a milestone. Context: According to Wikipedia, it would be Sato's only podium in Formula 1.