
His former colleagues aren’t giving him credit: Montoya wins, to the liking of Eddie Irvine and Damon Hill. Schumacher’s triumph in Monza isn’t enough to silence the sceptics. Despite the 3-point lead on the Colombian and a 7-point lead on Kimi Raikkonen, albeit with just two races to go in the championship (in which the Maranello team will be the favourite), former Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine takes shots at his former teammate Schumacher:
"His dream of a sixth world title is pretty much finished. I’m rooting for Juan Pablo Montoya".
Interviewed by the Daily Sun, the Northern-Irish driver thinks Schumacher has passed his prime:
"Michael just has to hope that his rivals will give in to the pressure. Nevertheless, his era will soon come to an end".
Irvine raced for the Maranello team from 1996 to 1999, until the signing of Rubens Barrichello. In his final year for the team, after being promoted to number 1 driver following Schumacher’s incident in Silverstone, he lost the title at the final race, the Japanese Grand Prix, where he arrived with a 2-point lead over Mika Hakkinen. After moving to Jaguar, his career ended in 2002, at the age of 37 (Schumacher is 34). Another former rival of Michael Schumacher, Damon Hill, is rooting for Juan Pablo Montoya too:
"He definitely has a psychological advantage in this duel. It’s been a while since Schumacher’s been racing under pressure".
Interviewed by the Daily Guardian, Hill thinks Schumacher is scared of his rival, who is a fierce driver. He could make some mistakes in these conditions.
"We will have to wait and see whether the Ferrarista's desire to win his sixth World Championship will be stronger than Montoya's desire to win his first. I'm rooting for Juan Pablo not because I'm against Michael, but because I think Montoya deserves the title. And then, a change would be nice".
And speaking of digs between colleagues, Juan Pablo Montoya is not hiding his intolerance towards Ralf Schumacher, who is going through a major conflict of interest: he’s Michael’s brother and Juan Pablo’s teammate, so he’s close to both championship contenders.
"I could never rely on him to help me win the title. I never thought of Ralf as a colleague that would help me improve my championship position in such a critical moment. Gené, on the other hand, is more willing to help me".
A statement which increases the doubts over Ralf Schumacher’s absence at Monza, later confirmed to be caused by health issues.
"I’ll be back in Indianapolis".
Regardless of the drama, on Tuesday, September 16, 2003, Michael Schumacher is back on track at Jerez (Spain) to get ready for the United States Grand Prix, scheduled on Sunday, September 28, 2003. The German driver does 100 laps (the fastest of which being a 1'19"260, for a total of 440 kilometres), and sets up the car and the tyres. Meanwhile, test driver Felipe Massa is running in Monza. 3 out of 3: since Formula 1’s been to Indianapolis, Ferrari has always won. Twice with Schumacher (a crucial win in 2000, which allowed him to increase his lead over Mika Hakkinen, giving his first championship trophy of his career to Maranello, and a dominant win in 2001, when he had already won the championship), and once with Barrichello last year, with an overtake just before the finish line and his rivals well behind, another 1-2 in an unrepeatable season. Something has changed since then. The competitors especially, which improved enough to close the gap to the Maranello cars. Michael Schumacher explains:

"No point trying to make predictions, we’re all getting them wrong this year".
Even in Hungary, just to give you the most recent example, Ferrari had won both in 2001 and 2002. This year’s Hungarian Grand Prix has been very tough for Ferrari. Schumacher can even close the championship fight next Sunday at Indianapolis. He needs to outscore Juan Pablo Montoya by 7 points and Kimi Raikkonen by 3 points in order to secure his sixth title of a record-breaking career. It won’t be easy, of course. Actually, it’s quite unlikely that his rivals would give up so easily. Everyone is expecting the finale to be at Suzuka. Michael Schumacher has all the motivations to avoid making any predictions, with superstitions being the main one. The Indianapolis circuit should favour Ferrari though. There, it’s difficult for a driver to find the right setup, the ideal balance between going through the long straight and parabolic at maximum speed, whilst making sure to have enough downforce for the more technical corners. In fact, Formula 1 will be racing at the venue of the iconic Indy 500, purposely modified: partly on the original layout but in a clockwise direction, partly on a circuit created inside the racetrack. Michael Schumacher is very good at finding the right setups to get the maximum out of the car and this favours him over the opposition. There’s another unknown factor, the tyres. There’s been a lot of criticism over the last month, until the FIA stated that Michelin’s tyres’ tread would have to be within the maximum allowed tread width (27 cm) even at the end of their usage. It might have been a coincidence, but in the last Grand Prix we saw a car other than Ferrari at the front of the field with Bridgestone tyres (Jacques Villeneuve’s BAR-Honda, finishing sixth).
On the Monza circuit, however, the tyres are less decisive than anywhere else (being a very fast circuit, where engine power and aerodynamic efficiency are key). They’ll be decisive again in Indianapolis. Bridgestone worked very closely with the Maranello team to close the gap to its French rival. Thousands of kilometres were completed by Michael Schumacher (the world champion played the role of test driver with great effort and humility), Luca Badoer and Felipe Massa, while Rubens Barichello was put to rest to recover from the back pain due to his crash in Budapest. Some steps were made - as the Maranello engineers acknowledged - although the perfect compound has not been found yet, which in the hopes of the Japanese tyre specialists is set to debut in the final race at Suzuka. We’ll have to see how the Williams-Bmws and the McLaren Mercedes respond to a shorter tread width, which in theory should hinder them in the slower corners. There’s a new controversy on the compounds: this time Michelin suggests that their rivals are using different compounds on the front and rear axles (which is not allowed). This will be dealt by a third-party lab, to whom the FIA has given samples of both compounds. Engines will also play a decisive role. For 20 to 22 consecutive seconds (a series’ record) the drivers will have to go flat out. The best engines are Ferrari and BMW’s V10s, which are powerful and reliable. The Mercedes engine, powering Kimi Raikkonen’s McLaren, is not as impressive: that’s why the Finn seems to have few chances to win the World Title. At the temple of speed in Monza, Michael Schumacher hit an extraordinary 368.8 km/h. At Indianapolis, however, the infield section will force the cars to have more downforce and therefore they won’t be able to reach that record: it’ll still be a close battle though, at about 340 km/h. Attending the Frankfurt Motor Show, Michael Schumacher’s brother announces without hesitation:
"I’ll be racing in Indianapolis".
As we know, the Williams driver, after suffering a big incident the previous week, didn’t take part in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. He qualified last in Friday practice due to an off-track excursion, but then didn’t show up to the circuit on Saturday morning. He looked calm and smiling, but soon after his team announced he would be replaced by Spanish test driver Marc Gené, who then finished fifth in the race.
"In agreement with Ralf who is not feeling well - as reported in the statement - it was decided to give him some days of rest".

It was surprising news, seeing young Schumacher’s normal behaviour. And some took their chance to suspect that the team wanted Gené in their lineup for the race, because they thought Ralf wouldn’t have fought hard against his brother. In a delicate moment in the championship, with Juan Pablo Montoya ready to overtake Schumacher in the standings, maybe they preferred to leave the German home and take the Spanish to the track. Gené wouldn’t have annoyed his teammate, and he showed it. Doubts are still here, even though Ralf himself makes sure he gets heard. Speaking about the next United States Grand Prix, the German states:
"I lost my first race in the hospital room, I never missed a race since I joined Formula 1. I made some further medical checks and now I’m back in full shape. I’m doing everything I can to not have any problems. Indianapolis is the home of motorsport in America, it’s a very special event that I don't want to miss. I like the track because it requires a driver to always keep a very fast pace. It’s a unique circuit, a long straight with a parabolic to face at full speed. A great challenge for everyone, going full-throttle for over 20 seconds in top gear with maximum RPMs. It takes a lot of power and luckily our BMW engine has a lot of horsepower. Through the infield section, the car requires a particular setup, with a lot of aerodynamic pressure. It’s hard to find the right setup, but I think I’ll be able to do it and have a good result".
Ralf’s excitement is great to see, but some still bring up two facts which could put the younger of the brothers from Kerpen in difficulty. Last year Ralf Schumacher, at Indianapolis, had a collision with Juan Pablo Montoya at the start of the race. That triggered controversy and most of the team was on the Colombian’s side. The German driver replies:
"These things can happen, we’ll be more careful this year".
The second one is that Ralf Schumacher is yet to renew his contract with the British team for 2004, while Montoya has already signed for next year.
"There are still some details to clear, but we’re very close to signing".
It might be true, but Williams is still waiting to see how things will turn out and surprises aren’t excluded.
"We’ll witness the most hard-fought race of the season at Indianapolis".
In between certainties and superstitions, Michael Schumacher makes his challenge clear ahead of the United States Grand Prix:
"The season is at a decisive point: I’m looking forward to the United States Grand Prix. It will be a very hard-fought weekend, considering how close the competition has been all year long. We got some good results out of the Jerez test, we can fight for the win, we’re extremely motivated. Even though the track isn’t one of the hardest, the atmosphere of the Speedway is very special. I don’t think the track will favour Williams: it was expected in Monza but we still won. I’ve been in America with my wife Corinna since last weekend, we’re enjoying nature and jet lag won’t be a problem".
Frank Williams causes controversy with a (forbidden) team order:

"Ralf mustn’t play any role in the championship battle and he mustn’t hinder Montoya against Michael. The fans want this duel and Ralf must stay out of it".
Little brother won’t like that, and it’s no guarantee that he’ll race instead of Gené. Meanwhile, Renault has signed Frenchman Franck Montagny as a test and reserve driver for 2004. Michael Schumacher is in the middle, with the behaviour of a championship leader. Around him there are Juan Pablo Montoya, naughty yet brilliant, and Kimi Raikkonen, an inversely proportional talent compared to the emotions that he shows: on Thursday, September 25, 2003, the three drivers are posing for the usual picture, as if they were standing on a podium, much to the liking of Michael Schumacher. There’s a whole season at stake in Indianapolis, an entire year of hard work, tension, challenges, fear, joy, anger, wins and defeats. All three of them have great merits and little to complain: a spin in Australia for Montoya, a crash in the downpour in Brazil for Schumacher, an engine failure whilst controlling the race to secure the 10 points at the Nurburgring for Raikkonen. The United States’ Grand Prix is the penultimate race of the season: the reigning world champion at Ferrari defends a 3-point lead on the Colombian and a 7-point lead on the Finn. Nobody is willing to make any prediction.
"It’s difficult to pin-point a track which suits us, there’s great balance within the competition. I’m expecting a hard fight, maybe like in Monza, wheel-to-wheel, hard but fair. We trust each other and we’ll always be fair".
Then, he recalls some of the championships that went down to the wire: 1994, 1995, 2000.
"But what about 1997?"
Jacques Villeneuve reminds him.
"Yeah, 1997 too".
When the German unsuccessfully tried to take out his rival in Jerez, which cost him the title. It’s all smiles between them; even if they haven’t cleared up, at least they’re joking about it.
"I have to gain some points, it will be crucial to finish ahead of them".
Says Juan Pablo Montoya, pointing his head to his rivals.
"Winning here would be amazing. I'm Colombian, I live in Florida, this is the closest Grand Prix to home, it’s full of Colombian fans. For me, it would have the same meaning as Michael’s success at Monza".
Americans don’t really love F1, but he is their exception, because of his win in the CART series in 1999 and his triumph at the classic Indy 500 in 2000. Most of them, however, support Ferrari, which is also a myth across the Atlantic. But Michael Schumacher doesn’t reciprocate the love:
"I’m not interested in racing in the American formulas. Every driver’s goal is to get to the highest racing series in the world and I’m already there. Formula 1 represents the pinnacle of motorsport. Sunday’s race? If we race too close, someone else might win, like Jarno Trulli".

Raikkonen is happy to be the outsider:
"We have a reliable car, we tried to improve the performance during testing".
Michael Schumacher is close to a sixth championship crown, but would he still have the motivation to go for the seventh?
"I’m not sure, for now I’m focusing on the on-going season. I won a title for Ferrari after 21 years in 2000. To me that was the maximum. After that it was all just for fun".
About the strategy and the second drivers, Michael Schumacher says:
"Barrichello can take some points off of my rivals, but he cannot make me go faster".
Juan Pablo Montoya then adds:
"I’d rather have Ralf then Gené as a teammate, he knows the track better and Williams-Bmw is focused on the Constructors’ Championship [Ferrari have a 4-point advantage over them, ndr]. To accomplish that goal we’ll have to study some cooperation tactics that will also end up favouring me as well".
Ralf Schumacher, clearly frustrated, will race, if there are no last-minute changes.
"I’m fine. The only problem is that I haven’t been in the car for 20 days".
When asked about helping Montoya he says:
"No one has ever helped me, I’ll do my own race as always".
And then he is asked if he thinks his brother Michael is the favourite for the title:
"He has more experience, but Juan Pablo and Raikkonen aren’t the types to give in to the pressure. Actually, they have nothing to lose, they’ll push to the maximum".
Marc Gené, who replaced Ralf Schumacher in Monza, is also in the Williams garage. Meanwhile, in the Jordan one, there are three drivers, all looking to be Giancarlo Fisichella’s teammate next year: main driver Ralph Firman, and the two challengers, the Hungarian driver Zsolt Baumgartner and the Swedish driver Bjorn Wirdheim, the reigning Formula 3000 champion who will make his debut as a test driver for the Irish team. It might go down to whoever has the most money. And finally, the atmosphere is extraordinary: 15,000 people showed up just to see an empty track, and 500,000 are expected for the weekend. Everything has been unpredictable in this year’s World Championship, including the weather forecast: Friday, September 26, 2003, it’s raining in Indianapolis, and the super reliable American weather experts couldn’t predict that. When the track is wet anything can happen (and it usually does). Schumacher is slow in practice (P8): he will be the first out in pre-qualifying, which is usually the one which cleans the track, and this time he will be the one which dries it for everyone else.

Jarno Trulli sets the fastest time in 1'09"566, setting a track record and being ahead of the other Ferrari of Rubens Barrichello: one car on the Michelin tyres, the other one on Bridgestones. Then there is Webber, the two Williams (Ralf ahead of Montoya), Coulthard (McLaren), Alonso in the other Renault and Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren-Mercedes). Jarno Trulli conquers America, which is looking for someone in a sport that is struggling to love.
"I’m happy, our car keeps improving, I could feel it since the first morning practice sessions, this racetrack is amazing".
Stresses the Italian driver to the US tv. Rubens Barrichello is also happy:
"We still have a lot of work to do, as the rain set us back in free practice. If I didn’t make a small mistake in turn 2 I would be leading, but I’m still ahead of the Williams and the McLarens".
In the 7th out of 9 official sessions of the weekend (including pre-qualifying and qualifying) the Brazilian driver is ahead of his teammate.
"I’ll be a weapon for Michael: we’re working for the same team and we both have the goal to win for Ferrari. If we have a chance to wrap up the Championship in America, we have to take it".
The Schumacher brothers are disappointed. Michael says:
"Once again I had to pre-qualify on a dirty and slippery track. I’m not worried though, 8th place doesn’t mean anything for us".
And Ralf adds:
"In the wet our tyres are one second slower than everyone else’s".
Michael Schumacher has some family company to bring him some luck: the German driver is with her wife Corinna, following a quick trip in Las Vegas in the last few days, spending time in the casino’s and in Colorado on their Harley Davidson motorbike without the stress from the fans, as his relevance in the United States is equivalent to a good baseball player in Europe. His Colombian colleague is joined by his mother Libia, his father Pablo and brother Federico, and obviously the beautiful Connie. Schumacher and Jean Todt were involved in an off-track appointment on Thursday morning: as ambassadors of the San Marino Republic, they went to the Indianapolis’ Riley Hospital for Children. Accompanied by professor Howard Eigen, Pneumology and Intensive Care department director, they visited the infant oncology department and burns centre, gifting the little kids with a scale model of the F2002. Eigen said:
"We’re so grateful to Jean Todt and Michael Schumacher".
Back in the Indianapolis Speedway, the German speaks to the media:

"The track reminds me of Montreal and Monza. Tyres will be a crucial factor".
The Bridgestone men are optimistic of having both dry and wet-track running. The temperature’s will be relatively low, up to 16 C°. The scorching hot summer which caused problems for the Japanese tyre manufacturer is over. But the plot thickens. A very close challenge between Michael Schumacher, Juan Pablo Montoya and Kimi Raikkonen, covered by just 7 points with two races remaining, isn't enough. On the eve of the United States' GP, there are a lot of factors to take into account. A track where there are barely any tests, challenging for being very fast on one side and quite slow on the other, the unpredictable weather which could cause many surprises on Saturday qualifying and Sunday’s race, the new tyres brought by Bridgestone and Michelin, and the firm position of the FIA threatening heavy fines and penalties if team orders are applied. Even the smallest suspicion could cause problems, as stated by FIA president Max Mosley. All of that in an already tense context for the teams, and not just the ones contending for the constructors’ or drivers’ championships. Data analysis suggests that Renault shouldn’t be ruled out either as it could have an impact on the title fight. On a dry track, the fastest times in practice are set by Jarno Trulli and teammate Fernando Alonso, separated by just 0.001 seconds. The Italian driver is the fastest in the first timed session, until it starts raining and Michael Schumacher stands out as usual in wet conditions. But in pre-qualifying Jarno Trulli does a masterpiece, proving that he is a driver who doesn’t fear his rivals when things go the right way for him, including Fernando Alonso. On paper, Michael Schumacher’s poor performance could compromise his starting position. It would be a serious problem if he were to be far from his rivals on the grid. The German has the excuse of being the first one out on track, without any reference time and a dirty track. However, his 0.9-second gap to Rubens Barrichello is still quite worrying. There’s still the impression that the World Champion doesn’t like the format which is forcing him to always be the first one out on track. Ferrari is still relying on Michael Schumacher’s consistency in the race. About the tyres, for the first time he says that Michelin still has a good margin on one-lap pace. However, in the changeable weather conditions any strategy can be thrown out the window.
Maybe Michael Schumacher is now hoping for the rain to arrive, even though the weather forecast has been wrong so far. From one Schumacher to another, Ralf - according to the Sun tabloid - is down for taking a 50% salary pay-cut to stay with Williams until 2006, earning 9 mln/year instead of 18. So that his team could offer more money to Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, preventing a move to McLaren-Mercedes for 2004. If he was to reject the offer, he could be replaced by Australian Mark Webber, currently committed to Jaguar. Jacques Villeneuve, who himself is at loggerheads with his team (Bar-Honda), is also in contention for the seat at Williams-Bmw. On Saturday, September 27, 2003, the weather changes, as do latitude, tyres, track type and results. Monza already feels so long ago for Ferrari. Michael Schumacher qualifies 7th, his worst qualifying since Hungary (P8) this season. A tough day in the office, starting with the fuel pump issues which set him back for the morning practice session, meaning he couldn’t set his car up to his liking, with a pointy and perfect front-end, and forcing him to copy his teammate’s setup. Kimi Raikkonen is the driver of the day, in a crucial weekend for him at Indianapolis, for the penultimate round of the Formula 1 World Championship, where he has to stay in the title fight to become the youngest Formula 1 champion. He takes his second pole position of the season. In the standings, he has to recover 7 points on the German driver, so, realistically, there’s only one result that matters for him: victory. It’s good for Michael Schumacher that Juan Pablo Montoya isn’t the fastest. The Colombian is 4th, just a little faster than Schumacher, who definitely has the chances to recover, on a track where overtaking is possible, but he is still two rows behind. It’ll be a very close race, in which the strategies and the technical decisions will make the difference. Michael Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya have chosen to favour straight line speed (344.8 and 350.3 km/h the respective top speeds), sacrificing the twisty corners of the in-field. This will improve overtaking by sacrificing overall pace. And when the gaps are this small, a few more - or less - litres of fuel could be crucial.

"We’ll see what strategy our opponents go for".
States Michael Schumacher. Olivier Panis’ 3rd place (Toyota’s best qualifying result of the season) is a big surprise which causes some doubts around the grid: he’s a very quick driver, the car has been improving race by race, it’s very powerful (which will help them through the fastest part of the track where the throttle is flat for over 20 seconds), but it may not have enough pace for a podium. For the others, the race could be decided in the pitstop phases. Schumacher lost a lot of time between the first and second corner: one, two and then three corrections, as captured by the onboard footage, which is very rare from him.
"The car is very unstable, we’ll figure out why".
The car needs a technical diagnosis from the Maranello team. It’s impossible to find a cure, as the F2003-GA spends its night in parc fermé along with its 19 colleagues, as required by the rules. He’ll have to make up for it: if he wants that 6th title, which would make history, he’ll have to earn it, bringing out his class as he only has done a number of times this year. Let’s take Rubens Barrichello’s performance: his time was only 0.124 off of Kimi Raikkonen’s, so the potential is there. For the 8th time out of the last 10 qualifying and pre-qualifying sessions, the Brazilian is faster than his teammate. Ferrari stresses that they were on the same tyre, but there are doubts over Michael Schumacher’s tyre choice: he might’ve gone conservative, choosing harder and more durable tyres, which are better over distance. Same for Juan Pablo Montoya (supported by thousands of fans, displaying a poster which compared him to the Pope: "You’re the number one, because the number two is in Rome"), unlike Rubens Barichello and Kimi Raikkonen. Trulli is very disappointed, as he did the fastest time on friday but had a crash during the warm up session, breaking the front-right suspension after an off-track excursion, which was caused, according to him, by the wind. The Renault mechanics put the car together quickly enough to get him back on track, but he still had issues, finishing in a disappointing 10th place. Alonso went better than him, 6th on the grid; he is already counting how many positions he’ll make up at the start thanks to his sophisticated electronic system for race starts. The number two drivers will play a big role in the race. Bernie Ecclestone seems to be a bit more tolerant towards the forbidden team orders: if Ralf Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello were to help their respective teammates, it wouldn’t be strange. Just one hour after qualifying, Michael Schumacher has a fake smile on his face, when he and his wife Corinna meet with some American friends. He seems to be in a bad mood, perhaps acknowledging how he compromised his race, his chances to wrap up the title a race early, and his vulnerability at the top of the standings.
"The track was very slippery for me. But honestly, I still don’t understand how I can be so far back. Maybe having limited time to do laps in practice might’ve been the cause, stopping on track watching the others do laps. We had to go for a compromise with the setup, also because half of the track is really fast and the other is really slow".
And to those who say that overtaking is possible at the end of the main straight, the German replies:
"Overtaking here is possible, but I’m not sure if it’ll be as easy as it was in Monza".
When he is asked if he is worried about Raikkonen’s performance, he replies:
"Why should I be worried?"

Starting from 7th would make it a tough race.
"It wasn’t the result I was expecting, but it wasn’t a disaster either. In Hungary I started 8th and finished where I started, but I could’ve gained a few places if I didn’t have any issues".
Barrichello, meanwhile, is on the front row...
"He did great, but I still don’t understand how I can be this far back. I made some mistakes early in my lap, but I don’t think that was the main issue".
The Brazilian looks quite happy to have out-qualified his teammate for the 6th time this season and he is optimistic ahead of the race:
"We don’t have the fastest car for qualifying, but we are quite strong in the race. Michael always proved how he can recover. I hope to win, that would help him and my team".
The cheers of the Colombian fans gathered by the grandstands on the final corner get louder and louder as soon as a driver sets a time faster than Michael Schumacher’s, but the passion of his fans isn’t enough to help Montoya to take pole position.
"I could’ve done better, but I had some issues with the traction control system in the slow corners. But it doesn’t matter: I believe Raikkonen and Barrichello were running low on fuel. It won’t be an easy race, but I’m looking forward to it".
One of the three championship contenders, Raikkonen, is unexpectedly ahead of everyone. A great starting position for the Finn, but he’s being quiet and cautious ahead of the race:
"I wasn’t happy with my McLaren car in practice and I couldn’t even find a good setup on Saturday morning. But apparently my lap was good and the car behaved quite well. And yes, I was aiming for the front row, but not necessarily for the pole position. That’s better than I expected, but I still believe it’s going to be a tough race. Schumacher is quite far behind, which could help, but you never know what’s going to happen in such a long and unpredictable race".
Big disappointment for Jarno Trulli, who was hoping to qualify on the front row at least, after showing brilliant pace on Friday and Saturday morning in practice. The Renault driver blamed it on the weather conditions.
"The track was slippery all the way through and the wind direction changed during the warm up before qualifying. I didn’t notice it straight away and I made a mistake and went off track. I damaged the car, but luckily enough the mechanics did a great job to get the car ready in time. I couldn’t find the right feeling with the lines I studied on my lap. Maybe I just didn’t adapt to the new conditions. It’s a shame, I hope I can still have a good race".
In contrast with the disappointment of Trulli is the delightment of Olivier Panis, who was very upset on Friday after learning that his father was arrested for stolen car trafficking.
"Third place is the best starting position for Toyota since it entered Formula 1. A lot of people think it’s just luck, I’ll try and prove them wrong in the race".

On Sunday, September 28, 2003, Kimi Raikkonen holds the lead at the start of the United States Grand Prix, meanwhile behind him Rubens Barrichello is passed by Olivier Panis and Ralf Schumacher, and Juan Pablo Montoya is overtaken by both of the Schumacher brothers. At the end of the first lap, Raikkonen leads over Olivier Panis, Ralf Schumacher, Michael Schumacher (who was let through by his teammate on the first lap), David Coulthard, Rubens Barrichello and Juan Pablo Montoya. In an effort to make up for the loss ground at the start, on lap 3 the Colombian driver is side-by-side with the Brazilian: the two make contact and Rubens Barrichello is forced to retire, while Juan Pablo Montoya is passed by both Renault drivers, Jarno Trulli and Fernando Alonso, but he is still in the race with no apparent damage. In the meantime, Ralf Schumacher overtakes Olivier Panis, and a lap later his brother also passes the French driver; further back, Juan Pablo Montoya is making a quick comeback, while Alonso overtakes Coulthard. On lap 6 some rain drops begin to fall: in these conditions the Michelin tyres are proving to be faster than the Bridgestones and Michael Schumacher is losing ground, as Montoya makes his way into third place. The Colombian driver, however, is under investigation by the stewards for making contact with Rubens Barrichello. Some drivers, including Olivier Panis, enter the pits to put on wet tyres, but the rain stops falling a couple of laps later, forcing them to make a second pit stop. Kimi Raikkonen keeps the lead of the race ahead of Ralf Schumacher, David Coulthard, Juan Pablo Montoya, Fernando Alonso, Michael Schumacher and Jarno Trulli. As the track dries up, the German driver of Ferrari is back lapping with competitive times, setting the fastest lap as well. On lap 15 Juan Pablo Montoya overtakes David Coulthard. Two laps later they both pit to refuel, but the Colombian is held back by a problem while refuelling, losing a lot of time. Meanwhile it starts raining again, however none of the leading drivers are pitting for wet tyres. The only ones doing that are Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Jenson Button and Justin Wilson. The rain increases dramatically and all the other drivers are also forced to pit again for the wets. Ralf Schumacher, Mark Webber and David Coulthard, who stayed out on dry tyres, are all over the place and going off track.
The first two are forced to retire, while the Scottish driver is able to continue, albeit losing a lot of time. Meanwhile Juan Pablo Montoya is given a drive-through penalty for causing a collision with Rubens Barrichello. The Colombian driver loses several places, rejoining the race in 11th place. Thus, the race classification is turned upside down: on lap 23, Jenson Button finds himself in the lead ahead of Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Kimi Raikkonen, Justin Wilson, Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher. However, the Bridgestone tyres look a lot quicker than the Michelins on a fully wet track, and Micheal Schumacher immediately overtakes the two drivers directly in front of him, and on lap 28 he passes Kimi Raikkonen, too. Four laps later, the German driver overtakes Heinz-Harald Frentzen as well, and quickly closes the gap on Jenson Button, overtaking him on lap 36. 5 laps later the British driver is forced to retire because of a gearbox failure on his BAR-Honda. Behind Micheal Schumacher there are Heinz Harald Frentzen, Kimi Raikkonen, Nick Heidfeld, Jarno Trulli, Giancarlo Fisichella and Fernando Alonso. Soon after though, the rain stops falling and the track dries up. During the second round of pit stops, starting with Kimi Raikkonen on lap 42, all drivers pit for the dry tyres, with no significant changes of positions. Michael Schumacher keeps the lead ahead of Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Kimi Raikkonen, Nick Heidfeld, Jarno Trulli, Giancarlo Fisichella, Juan Pablo Montoya and Justin Wilson. The McLaren driver is making progress on Heinz-Harald Frentzen, overtaking him on lap 54. 9 laps later Jarno Trulli overtakes Nick Heidfeld, and with 6 laps to go Juan Pablo Montoya overtakes Giancarlo Fisichella. After 73 laps, Michael Schumacher crosses the line to win the United States Grand Prix, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Jarno Trulli, Nick Heidfeld, Juan Pablo Montoya, Giancarlo Fisichella and Justin Wilson, who gets the first point of his career. A great, great job by Michael Schumacher, Ferrari and Bridgestone. Together they suffered and together they managed to be back on top under the downpour of Indianapolis, which compromised both Juan Pablo Montoya and Kimi Raikkonen.

The World Championship battle is still mathematically alive: only one point separates Michael Schumacher from history, as long as the Finn is able to win in two weeks’ time in Japan, for the final race of the season. Michael Schumacher won in a rollercoaster of spins, off-track excursions and mistakes: for his opponents, obviously. From lap 33 and 55 he was virtually the champion. Then Kimi Raikkonen started coming back, perhaps pushed from his own anger and pride to make it all the way up to 2nd place to keep his championship hopes alive. Over 54 years of history, the Formula 1 drivers’ championship will be decided at the final race. And for the 6th time (4th in a row), unless there are some surprises, it’ll be the German who celebrates again, breaking Juan Manuel Fangio’s record. The Constructors’ Championship is still wide open. The 10 points of the United States’ Grand Prix took Ferrari back on top: 147 to 144 over Williams-BMW, who gained 3 points thanks to Juan Pablo Montoya (6th place) but no points following Ralf Schumacher’s accident. The only sour note of a day of triumph for the Maranello team was Rubens Barrichello’s DNF after two laps, who was pushed off by Juan Pablo Montoya who was trying to overtake him. For that offence, the Colombian had to serve a drive-through penalty which put him out of contention for the race win and the 2003 title. Unlike the Colombian, Michael Schumacher didn’t make any mistake: he stayed out of trouble when his rivals were faster, and when the rain started to fall and everyone was still on the dry tyres. Soon after he started an unstoppable comeback from 7th to 1st, despite David Coulthard’s offence, and won in dominant style on his way to his 70th win of his career, his 51st for Ferrari (who got its 166th win) and the 6th of the season. When the German crossed the line in front of the red Ferrari flags, the supporters of Juan Pablo Montoya had already put their banners away.
The opponents deserve credit too, especially Kimi Raikkonen, who for the first time let his iceman personality melt, showing his disappointment. He got pole on Saturday and led the group for a long time. When he lost ground because of the rain, he rolled up his sleeves and did what he could, but Michael Schumacher was unreachable. Young Kimi has been the most consistent driver of 2003: only one win, but six 2nd places, and two 3rd places are enough to make him a title contender at Suzuka. Michael Schumacher hasn’t been as consistent: other than his 6 wins, he’s only stepped on the podium twice, while still making up for it with some valuable points finishes. Juan Pablo Montoya is out of the fight after a spectacular season. He put Ferrari under pressure and he can still have an impact on the Constructors’ Championship. He fought in his own way at Indianapolis, aggressive and impetuous, but not mature enough to win the title: he could’ve ended up on the grass with that contact with Rubens Barrichello, and was later penalised for it. There was no reason to take certain risks at the start of such an important race with the threat of rain. He was also lapped by Jenson Button (who later retired) and Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who is back on the podium after 3 years. Jarno Trulli had a good race, very quick on Friday, then a disaster in qualifying, then a 4th place finish at a race in which only 11 cars made it to the chequered flag. After the critics, Bridgestone receives high praise, who other than Michael Schumacher and Heinz-Harald Frentzen placed the other Sauber-Petronas car of Nick Heidfeld (P5) and the Jordan-Cosworth of Giancarlo Fisichella (P7) in the points. The World Champion will be crowned in Japan for the 7th time in a row, from Mika Hakkinen in 1998 to the Schumacher era, which looks far from over. A podium finish would be enough. On his way to a 6th title, he is really happy, after a lot of people thought he was struggling. After Hungary we saw the true Michael Schumacher again: he won in Monza and then back to back in tricky conditions, he probably wasn’t expecting it. Michael, and his wife Corinna, will be back home for a few days, with his kids, Mick and Gina Maria, and tell them about his new feat. Then, he’ll go to Mugello, likely from Thursday, October 2, 2003, to prepare for the final race in Japan.
"Unbelievable. A result that was hard to predict, but we obviously wanted to come out of the United States Grand Prix with a good amount of points to stay on top and close the battle out in Suzuka".

The German isn’t taking anything for granted, but you can tell from the look on his face how delighted he is. The Ferrari driver would much rather talk about a difficult and chaotic race.
"I had a good start, especially because we worked really hard on the electronic system in the last few weeks, and the progress showed. Then things got more complicated for us. I had more fuel in the tank of my F2003-GA compared to the cars of my rivals. When it was time to come into the pits to change tyres and refuel, it was starting to rain but the track wasn’t wet enough. I was forced to go for the slicks but then I had to come in again a lap later for the wets. When the first drops of rain started to fall, my Bridgestone slicks were slower and I lost several places. Then the rain got heavier and I knew that we would’ve been faster on the wets. I realised there was a chance, not just to come back, but to get very close to a win. We knew we had a wild card available in our Bridgestones if it rained, but we never got the chance to use it".
But everyone is asking him about the title. Schumacher adds:
"Obviously I’m very optimistic, we’re in a very good situation. I would love to go for the win in Suzuka, but we know we have a very reliable car and if I need just one point, I'll adapt to the situation. Let’s not forget about the World Constructors’ Championship as well".
When asked about the incident between Barrichello and Montoya, he replies:
"I don’t have a tv in my Ferrari, I couldn’t see what happened. I can only say that I feel sorry for Rubens, he could’ve had a strong race and he would’ve been a great helping hand. We could’ve wrapped up one of the two titles if he’d still been on track".
Michael Schumacher acknowledges that Juan Pablo Montoya, despite his aggressiveness and determination, had a fair behaviour:
"When it started raining and we were still on dry tyres, he passed me easily though turns 9 and 10, because my car was sliding a lot. I was passed by Alonso and Coulthard as well. Then I caught the Colombian, Juan Pablo didn’t put up much of a fight because I was faster and he gave me way. David Coulthard shut the door on me, instead, caused a few issues and we touched as well. On my Ferrari there are marks of his McLaren. My race could’ve ended there. I was lucky".
Is the race performance also coming thanks to the preparation during the previous days?
"I was unlucky on Saturday. A small mistake, a gust of wind, I tried to recover in the final sector of the track by pushing to the maximum, but it didn’t work. Thankfully, also in agreement with the mechanics, I chose to start with a higher fuel load and with an aerodynamic setup which was good for the rain. So 7th place on the grid had its reason. However I was still surprised because I knew we could’ve done better".
Jean Todt is also pretty delighted:
"That was some genius stuff. A dream day for us, after a very tough and close race. Thanks to Bridgestone who provided us with winning tyres. The Japanese manufacturer received a lot of criticism, but those helped them to improve. The team was great and Michael drove like only he can. We’re very close to winning the drivers’ championship and we are leading in the constructors’. But the party's over now, we’ll start working for Suzuka".

Juan Pablo Montoya already left the circuit. Visibly frustrated, he states:
"The penalty that was given to me ruined my race. I’m innocent, it was just a racing incident".
Kimi Raikkonen had a resigning look, despite being the only one still in the championship fight:
"I gave it all out there. It’s a pretty desperate situation, but you never know. We will give it everything to try and beat the odds".
The wheels on the gravel, the desperate hand gestures to the marshalls, begging them - in vain - to put him back on track. But it was all for nothing. Rubens Barrichello’s race was over soon after it began, way too soon. After just two laps. Whether that was because of an issue on his Ferrari or because of a contact with the Williams-BMW of Juan Pablo Montoya, or perhaps both, is difficult to say. There were no doubts for the race directors, however: it was Montoya’s fault, so he was given a drive-through penalty. But for Barrichello the race was still over. At the worst possible moment and the worst possible way, after a great weekend, and a great Saturday qualifying session which earned him a front row start behind Kimi Raikkonen. Then at the start he had a gearbox issue, the gears were not going in, and he lost positions. And only a lap later he made contact with Montoya. When he comes to the pits it is hard to tell if he is angry or just disappointed. Barrichello sits in a corner and talks to his mechanics. After cooling down he gives his version:
"The race ended in the worst possible way and I don’t understand why. I had gearbox issues at the start. I stayed in first gear for an extra 2-3 seconds. It wasn’t easy to drive in those conditions. About the incident, I thought I left Montoya enough room. Then all of a sudden I felt a hit and I found myself on the gravel".
A difficult Sunday for Ralf Schumacher. The brother of the reigning World Champion also went off the track, following the downpour on the racetrack. Ralf tried everything he could to rejoin the race, but he retired following a failure of his right rear suspension. He explained the reason of the accident:
"I had been trying to speak to the pit wall for two laps: I wanted to pit for new tyres. I was trying to tell them but nobody replied. Driving and talking at the same time wasn’t the easiest of things: I lost focus and went off track. It couldn’t have been any worse…".
Jean Todt states:
"We want to win it all. We are relieved but the job is not finished yet".
Ferrari leaves Indianapolis being aware that they went from having a terrible season of high intensity and instability, to being separated by a small step to one of the two titles, the Drivers’ World Championship. The cars and all the equipment will be put in some containers in a few days and it will all be shipped directly to Japan on a cargo flight. At the Suzuka racetrack, on Sunday, October 12, 2003, Michael Schumacher will look for that one point that would win him his 6th title and become a legend of the sport: 8th place would be enough, as long as Kimi Raikkonen, the sole contender, is able to win the race. The Maranello team will also try to extend their golden run since 1999 in the Constructors’ Championship. That challenge will be harder, a 3-point lead over Williams-Bmw means that they will need a second and a forth place to avoid any risk. Here’s the dilemma though: will they go for that one point or will they go all in? Michael Schumacher states:

"My goal for Suzuka is the same as always: first place".
Will it be worth taking risks in a possible battle with Kimi Raikkonen?
"I raced with my head first".
Which means he’ll stay out of trouble. Rubens Barrichello’s role will be crucial. It’s time to make some conclusions. With some regrets. Jean Todt states:
"With last year’s points system, Schumacher would already be world champion".
The 6 wins of his golden boy against the only one of Kimi Raikkonen aren’t enough to secure the championship with one race to go and he will have to suffer a bit more. However, suffering is an overstatement: he will have to go through two days of testing in Mugello and an intense race weekend at Suzuka. Michael Schumacher is leaving the Indianapolis Speedway on Sunday evening at sunset with his wife Corinna, with two policemen on a Harley Davidson escorting them, heading to the airport and on his private jet. On Monday he’s already home in Switzerland, hugging his children Gina Maria and Mick, on Thursday and Friday he’ll be on track to test the final upgrade package for the tyres and the electronics. Meanwhile, Luca Badoer and Felipe Massa will also be at the Tuscan racetrack. The final efforts before the winter break, just two more weeks. The opponents praise and criticise them. Mario Theissen (sporting director of Williams-Bmw) and Norbert Haug (Mercedes Motorsport director) congratulate Schumacher and Ferrari, despite being still in the fight. Juan Pablo Montoya feels robbed but his team don’t agree with him:
"We made too many mistakes, it wouldn’t make sense to appeal".
The Colombian doesn’t agree with them:
"I’m innocent, the incident with Barrichello was just a racing incident. The penalty wasn’t fair. That’s where I lost the race and the World Championship".
Jean Todt replies quickly:
"Barrichello is not happy to have been taken out".
Juan Pablo Montoya lost the title on track. He fought hard, often beating who is on his way to become the greatest of all time, putting him under pressure all the way to the penultimate race of the season, but he only has 2 wins compared to his rival who has 6. Too many mistakes over the course of the season, both from him and his team, mixing some great performances with some negative days. On the contrary, Kimi Raikkonen proved to be the more consistent of the contenders, held back by an inferior car. One win was enough to keep his hopes alive. The Ferrari fans don’t like the new points system, but after the win at Indianapolis they’re not too concerned about it. There’s just one race left to go, but the attention is already on the next season. Since Friday, September 26, 2003 all team representatives have been meeting daily with Bernie Ecclestone. In these meetings, they talk about the season ahead, the sporting regulations, the calendar, the time schedules and testing rules for race weekends and private testing.

The meetings have helped to understand the intentions of the teams after the suggestions made by the FIA. Like Flavio Briatore says, decisions aren’t made in these meetings. All the teams will have to show their plans and suggestions to discuss with the Formula 1 Commission, who scheduled a meeting in Paris on Friday, October 3, 2003. FIA president Max Mosley (just like Bernie Ecclestone), wants to revolutionise the plans once again. He wants Friday to be free practice day, qualifying to be held on Saturday and a sort of super pole session on Sunday morning before the Grand Prix, with the fastest 8 drivers taking part. He’s also suggesting a reduction in the amount of days of private testing over the course of the season, with a maximum of 30 days per car. This purpose isn’t receiving unanimous approval, with the top teams being firmly against it. According to the FIA, the new rules would improve the show and reduce costs. But it wouldn’t actually be like that: teams with bigger means and resources aren’t giving up free practice, which would provide safety for the cars and the drivers. If the new proposal were to be approved, Friday would be even more action-packed than it is now. McLaren has already stated that, in order to get data, they would even put 6 cars out on track. Ferrari could put at least 4, same for Williams, Toyota and Jaguar. It wouldn’t reduce costs at all. Those would actually rise massively. With four or six cars on track, it would also mean more spare parts, mechanics and engineers, and paid flights and hotels for the drivers. Facilities like Fiorano for Ferrari or Le Castellet for Toyota would become pointless, at least for their Formula 1 departments. The superpole would be fun for the fans, but it would be hard to manage only one engine for each race weekend. Those who wouldn’t take part in the superpole session would save their engines. It wouldn’t be fair. A set of timed laps on Saturday (instead of just one) and a one-lap qualifying on Sunday would be more likely. It’s not taken for granted that the format could change. More about it will be known in a week’s time. Reducing costs, no matter what is proposed, would be very hard. Every team is doing anything in their power to improve their chances to win, investing in new technology: like Jaguar, who on Saturday announced to have purchased a wind tunnel in Bedford, previously used by the Ministry of Defence to develop fighter jets and missiles.