Barrichello won by 0.011 seconds after Schumacher slowed to let him pass, while Ferrari broke McLaren's 1988 constructors' points record.
Key Facts
- Winning margin
- 0.011 seconds
- Race laps
- 73 laps
- Spectators
- ~125,000
- Championship round
- 16th of 17 (penultimate)
- Barrichello season wins
- 4th victory of 2002 season
- Ferrari constructors' record
- Broke McLaren's 1988 points record
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Michael Schumacher had already clinched the 2002 Drivers' Championship well before this race, leaving the remaining rounds to settle secondary standings. Starting from pole, Schumacher led the majority of the 73-lap race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with the outcome of the Constructors' Championship and Drivers' runner-up position still to be confirmed.
On the final lap, Schumacher deliberately slowed through the last corner to allow teammate Rubens Barrichello to draw alongside and edge ahead at the finish. Barrichello crossed the line 0.011 seconds ahead of Schumacher, with David Coulthard third. The result was the closest finish in United States Grand Prix history at the time.
Barrichello secured second place in the Drivers' Championship, with Juan Pablo Montoya third. Williams confirmed second in the Constructors' Championship ahead of McLaren, while Ferrari's total surpassed McLaren's long-standing 1988 record for the most constructors' championship points scored in a single season.