Schumacher wins United States Grand Prix

INDIANAPOLIS Sep. 28, 2003; Steve Herman writing for the AP reported that Michael Schumacher won the United States Grand Prix by 18.2 seconds over pole-starter Kimi Raikkonen on Sunday.

Schumacher took the lead for good after his final pit stop with 25 laps remaining. But the German will have to wait two weeks for a chance at a record sixth Formula One title.

The victory, his second at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and record 70th of his career, gave him 92 points, nine more than Raikkonen with 83. Sixth-place finisher Juan Pablo Montoya is right behind at 82 points.

"Obviously, it's a very good position for us to start the last race," Schumacher said. "We just need one point, basically, but you first have to finish. My target will be to win another race."

Schumacher can clinch the F1 championship by finishing seventh or better in the season's final race on Oct. 12 in Japan. An eighth-place finish would guarantee at least a tie for the title.

Schumacher, who shares the record of five F1 championships with Juan Manuel Fangio, started seventh after a disappointing qualifying run on Saturday. But he never fell far behind the leaders, survived a flurry of pit stops for rain tires and passed Jenson Button for the lead on the 38th of the 73 laps on the Speedway's 4.19-kilometer (2.605-mile) road course.

He lost the lead only once after that, but regained it again on the next lap when leader Heinz-Harald Frentzen came into the pits. Raikkonen passed Frentzen for second place on the 55th lap, but he was more than 20 seconds behind Schumacher and was unable to catch him in the closing laps.

"It was a great and an important (victory)," Schumacher said. "Obviously, an important one for all the competitors. I'm so pleased.

"It's such an emotional day," he said. "Having a good start, falling back due to the rain, then coming back with rain tires ... there was everything in it today. To win this one in the crucial stage of the championship meant a lot."

Frentzen finished third, 37.9 seconds behind Schumacher. Jarno Trulli was fourth, another 10 seconds back.

Raikkonen, who started from the pole for only the second time in his career, led the race until his first pit stop on the 19th lap, giving Schumacher his first lead. But an early drizzle turned into a heavy rain, forcing all the cars into the pits to change tires, and Raikkonen never led again.

"We were very unlucky with the weather, but what can you do?" Raikkonen said. "We got second place. Of course, it's not the best, because Michael won. It's making it a lot more difficult (for the final race)."

Schumacher, who lost practice time on Saturday when his Ferrari developed a fuel pressure problem, had no trouble in the race. Montoya, who trailed him by only three points going into the race, had a lot of trouble, however.

On the second lap, Montoya knocked, Rubens Barrichello, Schumacher's teammate and last year's winner, into a gravel trap and out of the race. Later, after a review by race stewards, Montoya was called into the pits for a drive-through penalty.

Running as high as second, Montoya dropped to 11th after the penalty and never caught up.

"Then I was lapping him and he was giving way fairly," Schumacher said. "So there wasn't much competition between us.

"This is one of the best days of my life," Schumacher said. "It's just such an important moment. Such an unusual race, so many possibilities to make mistakes, and to win such a race is crucial."