INDIANAPOLIS — It was a simple question, but the pained — perhaps annoyed? — expression on Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher’s face spoke volumes.



Does Schumacher, a four-time winner of Formula One’s U.S. Grand Prix, consider himself part of the great Indianapolis Motor Speedway fraternity of four-time race winners such as A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, Rick Mears and Jeff Gordon?



“I mean, Formula One is there just for the years we are here, and I’m not sure if you should really put yourself into that history that much. So I’m not considering it too much, no,” Schumacher said.



Is Schumacher being falsely modest? Is he being mildly dismissive of Indy’s revered place in the minds of many American race fans? Is he embarrassed to claim 2005’s sham of a Grand Prix as one of his four wins? Has he ever really honestly thought about it?



Probably all of the above.



Schumacher has perfected the public relations-polished acumen of answering questions and saying nothing in his 15 years in Formula One. And like all athletes (Tiger Woods is in the same vein) who have mastered that “craft”, it makes him sponsor-safe and boring all at once.



So to deconstruct Schumacher is to do so at one’s peril, especially when soothsaying his true feelings on anything.



His legacy is a minefield in itself. Schumacher has never been terribly fond of assessing his place in racing history.



Perhaps it’s because his place in racing history is crystal clear: his 86 victories, 66 poles and seven world championships are all records. He’s as dynastic as any driver in any discipline at any time in racing’s history. But what’s made him great is his insatiable hunger for more, even when most drivers would have retired having done everything they can do. Schumacher is eager to accomplish more, and there’s no time to look back now.



Then there’s the F1 perception of Indianapolis, which Schumacher fits to a tee. It’s universally revered, but for anyone but American-based Formula One drivers, Indy is not the track that’s looked at as the track to win at. Monaco, Silverstone, Monza and other long-time European tracks (universally respected Spa in Belgium is off the schedule this year), hold the emotional attention of non-American drivers because their legendary history is roughly similar to that long-time revered American tracks.



It’s the same dynamic for NASCAR drivers during the Brickyard, with a few exceptions (Tony Stewart, Gordon) most would rather win at Daytona.



“I’m not exactly sure of the history of Indianapolis, when it started, how long it is,” Schumacher admitted.



Schumacher probably hasn’t pondered his Indy legacy, because his Indy legacy doesn’t define him as it does others, especially Indianapolis 500 winners. His record is great at nearly every track he visits. Of the 13 circuits Formula One is currently racing on that were active in 2000 — the first year of the U.S. Grand Prix — the only two tracks where Schumacher has fewer than four wins is Germany’s Hockenheim and Great Britain’s Silverstone. He has seven wins apiece at Gilles Villeneuve Circuit in Canada and Magny-Cours in France. His Indy wins are just part of his stash.



Still, his reluctance to acknowledge his place among Indy’s all-time greats is a shame, embracing it would have been a small gesture to show that F1 values its history and presence at Indy.



And though Schumacher probably didn’t intend it, his answer also capsulized the uneasy relationship Formula One has had at Indy from the beginning. It’s as hard for F1 to fully embrace Indy (and every mistake in the book has been made on their part to keep it from happening) as it has been for Indy to fully embrace F1.



If Schumacher gets win number five Sunday, and he’s F1 championship leader Fernando Alonso’s primary threat to do just that, hopefully the significance will not be lost on him.





Todd Golden writes for the Terre Haute, Ind., Tribune-Star.