Ralf Schumacher's overtaking of Mika Hakkinen on the penultimate lap of yesterday's Italian Grand Prix brought his brother - the race winner - level with the Finn in the World Drivers' Championship battle with just two races to go.

The move, coupled with Damon Hill's sixth place finish, moves the Jordan team to within two points of both Benetton and Williams and ever closer to finishing in the top four in the World Constructors' championship.

Standing either side of Michael Schumacher on the Monza podium were his two biggest supporters: Eddie Irvine brought his Ferrari home second to make it a dream day for Italian fans, and Ralf's presence reminded Michael that his interest in his brother's career has been money well spent.

It was 10 years to the day since Mika Hakkinen won the Leinster trophy - Ireland's premier motor race - at Mondello Park - and as he swept past Michael Schumacher to snatch the lead at the start of the Italian Grand Prix it looked like another easy victory was on the cards for the Finn.

Pole-sitter Schumacher was fifth by the first corner in a race he had to win to keep his title hopes alive: "It looked like I wanted to go for a walk - not a race," smiled the German afterwards. "I spun the wheels and was very slow off the line."

But in the Ferrari F300, the head went down and after half-adozen laps of the parkland track Villeneuve was behind. Irvine then waved his team leader through and on to attack the Silver Arrows - as the McLarens are known.

The torture which the three-litre engines suffer around the fast, 3.5mile circuit was too much for Coulthard's Mercedes, which blew on lap 17, leaving it a straight battle between the title contenders. The same engine torture put paid to Nakano's Ford V10, which spread a layer of oil all across the track.

Hakkinen was the first to pick it up and, going into the next corner - Lesmo 1 - he had to slow to get around. Schumacher was alongside in an instant. "We both had to back off," said Schumacher. "It was hairy. He moved over on me but I kept at it and got through."

The grandstands erupted as Italy's favourite adopted son sped off into the distance - a task made easier when Hakkinen suffered brake problems which produced a lurid, off-track excursion. The damage allowed, first, Irvine and then Ralf Schumacher to relieve the Finn of vital World Championship points.

Irvine once again proved the perfect team-mate for Schumacher, his second place giving Ferrari a dream home result and depriving Hakkinen of precious points: "There was a while earlier in the year when I was getting on the podium so often it was getting boring," the Irishman joked. "But the last few races haven't been so good, so I'll never say podiums are boring again!"

Irvine smiled and waved to the vast, boisterous, flag-waving crowd who invaded the track for the award ceremony. "It wasn't an easy race. The car was set up very stiff. It was quick but a handful to drive," said the Ulsterman, whose 38 points mean he is guaranteed fourth place in the drivers' championship - his best placing - unless the reigning champion, Jacques Villeneuve, wins the last two races and Irvine scores only one fifth place.

Eddie Jordan has quickly refocused his team on finishing in the top four for the first time. "William's are two points ahead and Benetton one point ahead now, so it's all to play for," he said. "Ralf drove a good race and I am pleased for him because he had to make sacrifices for the team at Spa."

Ralf earned his second podium finish in a row by adopting a one-stop strategy, while Damon Hill went for two stops: "Starting from 14th, I had to do something different to get into the points," Hill said. "I would have dearly liked to finish 10 seconds earlier and we'd be level with Williams, but the track was slippy and I went off a few times. I didn't want to throw away the point we had."

Williams, Benetton and Jordan are on 33, 32 and 31 points respectively, with just the Nurburgring and Suzuka to decide who finishes third in the 1998 World Constructors' championship battle.