MOTOR RACING: We're sorry for the temporary interruption, normal service is now resumed. After the momentary breakdown that was David Coulthard's win in Monaco two weeks ago, Michael Schumacher brought the Formula One world championship back into stark focus yesterday with his sixth victory of the season at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.
The German was content to sit back and wait at the start as two-stopping team-mate Rubens Barrichello flew past to challenge pole position winner Juan Pablo Montoya who held his lead into turn one. It didn't last, however, and Barrichello was leading by the end of lap one. Eight laps later and Barrichello's race was run, the Brazilian's two-stop strategy undermined by a safety car period when Jacques Villeneuve's BAR was left stranded on the circuit.
That left Schumacher to battle it out with Montoya. But Williams, who in the run-up to this weekend had the grid's most enviable reliability record with 12 finishes from 14 starts, suddenly hit a bad dose of the gremlins. Montoya made an early error in pitting during the safety car period, and later needed another stop, which gave Schumacher the lead. The Colombian regained his composure and began the type of dashing fightback he is becoming renowned for, but pushed too hard and on lap 57 Schumacher was handed certain victory when Montoya's engine let go.
Montoya's team-mate Ralf Schumacher also had a less than satisfactory run. Pitting from fourth after 42 laps, a refuelling rig problem saw the team having to fuel the German twice and the lost seconds dropped him to 10th.
Williams' sudden run of bad fortune was completed on the last lap when the younger Schumacher's engine blew.
That left older brother Michael and by now third-placed Barrichello with only the McLarens of David Coulthard and Kimi Raikkonen for competitive company and unlike Monaco, the great performance leveller, Montreal's long, flat-out straights and brake crushing corners were not suited to a sudden McLaren miracle.
Schumacher's sixth win of the year now moves him an incredible 43 points clear of his brother and Montoya in the drivers' championship and with neither Williams scoring yesterday the constructors' championship now shows Ferrari with a commanding 32 point advantage.
After the race Schumacher, asked if he would now bet against himself winning this year's title was succinct: "I'm not a betting man, but if I was, I don't think I'd take it.
"I didn't expect Rubens to pass me so quickly," he added. "I knew he was on a two-stop strategy, though, so I didn't make life difficult. The safety car worked in my favour, even if I don't understand why they had to use it. I kept a good pace as we knew Montoya was on a two-stop, but I couldn't ease up until I knew I would be in front after his second stop. It worked out that way and I'm very pleased to have given Ferrari its 150th win."
It wasn't only Schumacher who benefited from Williams' mishaps. Jordan's Giancarlo Fisichella, too, was rewarded. The Italian continued the good work of Austria and Monaco by recording a third fifth place finish in a row.
Despite a launch control problem at the start, which dropped him two places from his starting position of sixth, Fisichella battled back. "Fifth again after two fifths in the last couple of races, it's another great result for us," he said.
