Mika's Indy win

It was the ideal end to a weekend that looked likely to be utterly overshadowed by the events of September 11, but which turned into a joyous occasion that reminded us of how sport can lift the spirits.

Mika Hakkinen endured some appalling misfortunes in 2001, and his reputation took a serious battering as the year went on. But having finally confirmed that he would not be racing in 2002, he could tackle the final races of the season without pressure. There were signs that the old qualifying spark was back when he got on the front row at Indy, having outpaced his team mate by more than 0.5s. A Michael v Mika race, something that we hadn't seen for a while, was on the cards.

But then the Finn blew it in the Sunday morning warm-up, leaving the pits a few seconds before the exit lights turned green. It was a simple misjudgement; Mika claimed that his vision had been obscured by the cars that were waiting, but the fact that none of them were yet moving should have been a clue.

It was a minor transgression, but you could argue that by being first out on a clear track he gained an advantage, however slight. The Stewards had to come up with a penalty, and they chose to cancel his best qualifying time, dropping him to fourth. With the Williams pair now in front, his chances of giving Michael a hard time appeared to be over.

That was the message we got in the early laps of the race, when the McLarens droned round seemingly well out of contention. But in the middle of the race the pattern changed as both of the Williams dropped out. As ever the stops were to be critical, and when Schumacher pitted and Mika stayed out, it was apparent that Mika was in with a shout.

In fact he completed another seven laps before he pitted, and his speed was good enough to ensure that he got ahead of Michael. Not only that, he proved faster than two-stopper Rubens Barrichello, and duly got ahead of the Brazilian to claim the lead. In stark contrast to Spain the Ferrari then hit problems, and Mika had an untroubled run to the flag.

We can only guess at the weight that lifted off Mika's shoulders as he completed his victory lap, and the celebrations that followed were something to behold, even Schumacher recognising that it was a good outcome on the day.

Most of Mika's wins have been earned from the front, but this was quite different. Sure, Michael and Rubens were both compromised to various degrees by tyres or traffic, but so what? Mika had to be patient early on, conserve his rubber, and then strike when the time was right. With a scent of victory, he found that little extra World Champion's magic that was obviously missing when battling for fourth and fifth earlier in the year.

It was also a fitting end to the career of McLaren team co-ordinator Jo Ramirez, who'd hosted a splendid retirement party earlier in the week. Jo enjoyed his 114th GP win perhaps as much as any other.

Perhaps the biggest compliment came from Ross Brawn: "McLaren had a good strategy. They just sat behind us quietly, looked after their tyres at the beginning of the race, and particularly for Mika it all came together in those five or six laps in the middle of the race. It's always frustrating to lose a race which we could have won, but they did a good job."