THIS YEAR, IT MEANS SOMETHING; The U.S. Grand Prix will be pivotal in the world championship.(Motorsports)(Calendar)

Byline: CURT CAVIN

Cristiano da Matta watched Ferrari's contrived finish of last year's U.S. Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and responded with all the disbelief of the paying customers.

"I'm totally against one guy letting another guy [win],'' he said earlier this month. "It's not the sporting thing.''

Michael Schumacher has continued to give mixed signals as to why he slowed down enough on the final lap at Indy to allow Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello to slip past for a controversial 0.011- second victory. On one hand Schuey called it a tactical mistake, but on the other he indicated it was a payback to Barrichello for giving him the extra points by similarly pulling over in the final feet in the Austrian Grand Prix.

Whichever, those attending the race at the hallowed Speedway, and most of the sporting public paying attention in the United States, didn't approve of the antics. Washington Post reporter Liz Clarke described it as repulsive. Fans at the track booed. Many predict the sour taste could have an effect on ticket sales for this year's Formula One race, the fourth held at the Speedway.

Da Matta, reigning CART champion, will make his racing debut as an F1 rookie at the Speedway Sept. 28, and therefore can't gauge how much leftover anger remains with the Americans. But he doesn't think Ferrari officials on pit road planned last year's unusual finish. Da Matta thinks Schumacher, who already had his fifth championship secured, did it on his own at the last moment. And it could have been a mistake, he said.

"I think what happened for sure was not organized,'' da Matta said. "If it was, it was pretty damn well organized. I've never seen two [drivers] calculate such a small difference [in time].''