Ralf Schumacher answered his critics in no uncertain terms after his tremendous sixth place in yesterday's British Grand Prix at a rain-soaked Silverstone. Coming from last spot on the grid, Schumacher scored Jordan Grand Prix's first points of the 1998 World Championship season.

Michael Schumacher lived up to his reputation as the rain-master to win his first British Grand Prix in extraordinary fashion. Schumacher triumphed in the pitlane after being hit with a 10second time penalty for overtaking while the safety car was on the track because of the dangerous conditions.

The German would have won even had he not stopped alongside the Ferrari garage to serve the penalty after darting into the pitlane on the 60th and final lap.

The finish line at Silverstone is before the Ferrari garage and Schumacher's 22 seconds lead over McLaren's Mika Hakkinen was enough of a cushion even with the time added.

But questions were being asked why stewards had not called Schumacher in for his stop-go penalty earlier with the incident happening well before the finish.

And two hours after the race had finished McLaren lodged an official protest with the race stewards. However, the stewards, after deliberating for over an hour, threw out McLaren's protest. But they also decided that because of a technicality, Schumacher's 10second penalty should not be imposed. The result was amended to show he won by just over 22 seconds. The two-time champion's victory left him trailing Hakkinen by just two points going into the next race in Austria in a fortnight's time.

Eddie Irvine continued his remarkable run of podium finishes and is now within one point of his friend David Coulthard in the battle for third place in the driver's championship. Coupled with Schumacher's win and Hakkinen's survival of two off-track excursions to finish second, Ferrari are now just three points behind McLaren in the constructors championship after this opening race of the second half of the season.

Damon Hill started the race in seventh place, equalling his best qualifying position of the season. However, he failed to improve his position before spinning into retirement on lap 16 of the 60-lap race.

"I am disappointed," he said while encouraging Ralf along during the closing stages of the race: "It was clearly going to be a race of attrition and I was biding my time. Unfortunately I was one of those caught out. The rain was increasing and I put on too much power coming out of the corner and around she went."

Ralf Schumacher has had an appalling season with dire starts and very short races with mistakes galore. Yesterday he drove a mighty race from last on the grid and the only mistakes were by his team; fitting him with intermediate tyres when full wets would have earned them fourth place.

Eddie Jordan was relieved with the opening point of the season: "I was beginning to wonder if we were jinxed. Ralf drove a great race in wicked conditions. He was patient and while he challenged the Benettons at various stages, he has learnt when to back off.

"That may not sound like a great attribute for a Grand Prix driver but believe me it is absolutely essential to finishing and to winning."

On lap 35 (of 60) the rains were turning into a deluge and Ralf was called into the Jordan pit. Surprisingly he was not fitted with full wet tyres, necessitating a further stop five laps later.

"We made a bad decision. We thought it was getting warmer and would dry out," said Jordan.

Irvine had a real racer's race and now must now qualify for temporary ownership of the third podium place - yesterday was his fifth in nine races this year. He started badly but for each of the first five laps he passed the ball of spray in front.

Wurz, Herbert, Frentzen, Hill and Villeneuve were all left behind by the fighting Ulsterman: "At the start my engine lapsed into anti-stall and I started in third gear. I was 10th at the end of the first lap. It was damp but the car felt fairly good.

"I have to say that Damon weaved a lot in front of me and it's completely unacceptable. I won't make a protest - I will leave it up to the stewards to judge," said Irvine.

Despite closing on Hakkinen, Irvine couldn't quite pass the Finn - a move that would have brought his team leader level with Hakkinen in the title race.

"Hakkinen was in trouble," he added. "How he survived going off twice I don't know. He's the luck of the devil!

"It was obvious the front of his car was not gripping right - the wing must have been twisted - but I was having tyre trouble myself. There was nothing wrong with his engine so there was simply no place for me to get through," added Irvine.

With Ferrari expected to announce their 1999 driver line-up before the next race, Irvine's drive reinforces his claims to more equal treatment within the most successful team in racing history.