The 2002 United States Grand Prix (formally the 2002 SAP United States Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 29 September 2002 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. Background The race was noted as one of the rare times in which Bernd Mayländer was unable to drive the Safety Car, resulting in Damien Faulkner taking over the role for one race. With both season titles already in Ferrari's grasp, promoters for the race urged fans to come "see history in the making" and described five-time World Champion Michael Schumacher as "a sports legend...one of the greatest racing drivers...of all time." Practice and qualifying Despite heavy rain early Friday morning, the track was dry for the first practice and remained that way all weekend. On his first lap, Barrichello became the first Formula 1 driver in three years of running at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to hit the concrete wall in the oval section of the track. As he was about to finish his first lap, his left rear tire lost pressure and the car was flung into the outer wall at the top of the main straight, ripping off the left rear corner and front wing. Barrichello's car missed the energy-absorbing Steel And Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) barrier that had been installed in front of the concrete wall in all of the oval turns the previous May. The Ferrari went across the grass at the bottom of Turn 13, up the banking, and hit the bare concrete wall at the beginning of the straight. Schumacher topped the charts in every practice session. Eddie Irvine, fresh off a podium finish at the Italian GP, showed promise for Jaguar by posting the second best time on Friday, just ahead of the two McLarens, as Williams struggled to get in the top 10. On Saturday, Schumacher set a new qualifying record of 1:10.790. Coulthard edged Montoya for third spot on his last lap by one one-thousandth of a second. Williams took fourth (Montoya) and fifth (Ralf Schumacher), while Irvine could do no better than thirteenth. Qualifying classification Race Rubens Barrichello took the win by 0.011 seconds from teammate Michael Schumacher, with the two Ferrari drivers switching positions in the final few metres of the race after Schumacher attempted to stage a dead heat with his teammate at the finish. It was the smallest margin of victory in an American