Schumacher wins Indianapolis GP

Indianapolis: Now this was a celebration for Michael Schumacher.

A year ago, he was dour after winning the United States Grand Prix.

On Sunday, after capturing the race for the fifth time, and becoming the first driver in any series to win five races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he cut loose.

The 37-year-old driver tossed his Brazilian teammate in the air, sprayed champagne and took a leap after stepping onto the victory podium.

Then he waved his arms like a maestro as the crowd sang along with the German anthem.

"I've had very good times here," he said.

"I feel very excited right now and on the podium I showed a lot of emotions. There are a lot of reasons that come into it, and it's something special."

In 2005, Schumacher accepted his accolades quietly, not even cracking a smile.

After 14 of 22 cars were withdrawn moments before the race because of a tire safety issue, he was in no mood to party after what he considered an embarrassing performance by Formula One.

He made up for it this year, proving he is the king of the United States GP, no matter the size of the field.

The seven-time Formula One champion won for the fourth straight time on the 2.6-mile (4.2-kilometer), 13-turn road course at the famed Brickyard.

Schumacher, pumping a fist, was followed 7.9 seconds later by Felipe Massa for a 1-2 Ferrari finish.

Formula One champ Fernando Alonso, who had won six of the first nine races and four in a row entering Sunday, was never in contention and came in fifth.

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Giancarlo Fisichella, Alonso's Renault teammate, finished third, followed by Toyota's Jarno Trulli.

Schumacher won for the third time this season and the 87th time of his career.

What's more, he cut Alonso's championship lead from 25 points to 19 with eight of 18 races left.

"We can only hope to keep some of the edge we have this weekend for the rest of the season," Schumacher said.

"This is a big step toward the championship. And to have Felipe alongside is just a dream result."

Massa's best finish until Sunday was third in the European Grand Prix at Nurburgring on May 7, Schumacher's previous victory.

"The car was really great, and I tried as hard as I could to increase the gap," Massa said.

"But Michael was really too quick on the out lap and he managed to pass me. But I'm very happy. Hopefully, we carry on at this pace until the end of the year."

Alonso said his team was not competitive all weekend, and he has "nothing new to say about the race."

As for Schumacher gaining ground, the Spaniard did not seem overly concerned.

"The races keep going and the gap never decreases below 15 points," he said. "So it's a comfortable gap."

Schumacher was not proud of his win a year ago when he raced against only the five other cars on Bridgestone tires.

The 14 cars entered on Michelin tires withdrew moments before the start after the French company decided there was a possible safety issue and a compromise could not be reached.

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Spectators responded by throwing beer and water bottles. Many disgruntled fans left long before the checkered flag.

This year, with renewed fan enthusiasm and a turnout estimated at more than 130,000, all 22 drivers started.

Eight were sidelined after a first-lap crash and only nine cars were running at the end.

Massa started alongside pole-winner Schumacher, taking the lead at the start and staying in front until the first pit stops.

Schumacher trailed Massa by just under a second before the stops and came out of his pit on lap 29 in front of the Brazilian by nearly three seconds.

Alonso led for one lap before making his first stop on lap 31. That left Schumacher out front and the rest of the race was a runaway.

Heading into the first of 73 laps, the McLaren-Mercedes cars driven by 2000 Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya and Kimi Raikkonen bumped, setting off an eight-car melee.

As cars bounced off each other and skidded off the track, Honda's Jenson Button and Sauber's Nick Heidfeld touched wheels, sending Heidfeld's car into a gravel trap.

The car dug into the gravel and began flipping, barrel-rolling several times.

"I don't know exactly what happened," said Heidfeld, who was not hurt. "I had a very good start and had already made up three positions. Then, all of a sudden, I was airborne."

Also knocked out in the crash were Scott Speed, Mark Webber, Christian Klien and Franck Montagny. Button continued but quit after three laps.

After Schumacher, the only other drivers to win as many as four races at Indy are AJ Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears - all in the Indianapolis 500 - and NASCAR's Jeff Gordon.