We Tried to Finish Equal, Says Schumacher

Rubens Barrichello gratefully accepted his fourth win of the Formula One season on Sunday as Ferrari flaunted their supremacy with a contrived one-two in the U.S. Grand Prix.

The Brazilian had followed teammate and five times World Champion Michael Schumacher from the start but won the closest finish ever - a hundredth of a second - as the German slowed.

The two cars crossed the line side by side in a deliberate, successful and ultimately controversial attempt to secure another slice of Grand Prix history after a season of record-breaking success.

"I got to the last corner and I didn't know what to do," said Barrichello after the two Ferrari drivers had hugged each other at the finish. "Nothing was said. Michael was very kind to let us finish equally. I guess I just pointed a little bit in front.

"It took me about three quarters of a lap to understand if I had won or not. Because I was pointing at him and he was pointing at me. I didn't know if he knew that I won the race or not and I was on the radio but the radio was a bit of a confusion so I didn't know what was happening."

Whereas Briton Peter Gethin was racing Sweden's Ronnie Peterson flat out to the end in the 1971 Italian Grand Prix that he won by a tenth of a second, there was no battle between the Ferraris at Indianapolis. But there was plenty of heat off the track.

Austria Payback

Schumacher was asked whether he had deliberately given Barrichello the victory as payback for the Austrian Grand Prix in May that the Brazilian had to forego after being ordered by the team to let the German win. He said Barrichello deserved to triumph but there was no pre-arranged plan with the drivers themselves unclear about who had won as they crossed the line.

"We tried to be side by side," said Schumacher. "We have always supported each other. I thought today was a great opportunity to finish equal, to go together over the line, but we failed."

The Ferrari duo, who have already sewn up both championships with Schumacher taking the title two months ago, also reached another milestone in a season marked by a mix of spectator fury and boredom. Their eighth one-two of the season - and fourth in succession - was the 14th of their partnership at Ferrari and equalled the achievements of Formula One's most successful pairing.

The late Brazilian Ayrton Senna and Frenchman Alain Prost, both champions and fierce rivals in contrast to Ferrari's policy of favouring Schumacher, had 14 one-two finishes at McLaren in 1988 and 1989.

Barrichello's win before a crowd of around 150,000 also paved the way for a final flourish at Suzuka next month, with Ferrari now just a race away from equalling McLaren's 1988 record of 15 wins in a season. The Brazilian was also confirmed as runner-up in the Championship, the best placing of his career.