INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Michael Schumacher remains the king of the U.S. Grand Prix, no matter the size of the field.

The seven-time Formula One champion became the first driver in any series to win five races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, taking his fourth straight Sunday on the 2.6-mile, 13-turn road course at the famed Brickyard.

The only other drivers to win as many as four at Indy are A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears – all in the Indianapolis 500 – and NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon.

Schumacher was followed by Felipe Massa for a 1-2 Ferrari finish. Afterward, Schumacher picked up his teammate and tossed him in the air, waving his arms like a maestro as the crowd sang along with the German anthem.

Formula One champion Fernando Alonso, who had won six of the first nine races and four in a row entering Sunday, was never in contention and wound up fifth. 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. He cut Alonso’s championship lead from 25 points to 19 with eight of 18 races left.

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

Schumacher was not particularly proud of his win at this track a year ago when he raced against only five other cars on Bridgestone tires. The 14 cars entered on Michelin tires withdrew moments before the start because of a safety issue.

It was an embarrassment for Schumacher and the rest of F1, especially when 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 the race. This time, 10 of them were sidelined after just 14 laps and only nine 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 in the middle of the pack.

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 escaped unhurt from the accident,” Heidfeld said. “I don’t know exactly what happened. 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, about four seconds into the race, were Scott Speed, the only American in the field.

, Mark Webber, Christian Klien and Franck Montagny. Button continued but quit after three laps.

After the restart near the end of the sixth lap, Takuma Sato and Tiago Monteiro came together heading into the first turn, knocking Sato out of the race. Monteiro retired several laps later, leaving 12 cars running.

Jacques Villeneuve, the 1995 Indy 500 winner and a former F1 champion, was the next to exit, pulling off track on lap seven after an engine failure.

AP-ES-07-02-06 1535EDT