MOTOR SPORT - AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX: Each year Formula One heads to Melbourne and the opening race of the new season with hearts in mouth and the expectation that their new challengers, all too hastily built and tested in the short off-season, might succumb to some sort of mechanical or technological melt-down and rule them out of the chase for early-season points.
That they might not make it through the first turn in a haze of flying debris and smoke is not normally chief among their concerns. But after yesterday in Melbourne at least half the field will travel to the next race in Malaysia in a fortnight with their technological concerns still active after a massive first-corner pile-up removed more than a third of the field at the Albert Park circuit.
Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello had lucked into his fourth career pole on Saturday when he had pipped team-mate Michael Schumacher for fastest time seconds before rain began to bucket down across Melbourne. His luck wasn't to hold, however, and within seconds of the start, Barrichello was out of the race. Attempting to hold onto his lead under threat from a hard-charging Ralf Schumacher in the lead Williams, Barrichello blocked once and pushed on.
Schumacher pushed back, attempting to find a way past around the outside of the Brazilian's Ferrari. Barrichello had other ideas though, ones Schumacher failed to read. The Brazilian blocked again, but by that time was already on his brakes for the entry into turn one. Schumacher, by contrast, hadn't hit his anchors as forcefully and ploughed into the back of the Ferrari, his Williams FW24 flying through the gravel tarps.
The chaos enveloped the following pack like a brush fire. Jordan's Giancarlo Fischella was slammed off the track by the Sauber of Nick Heidfeld. Jenson Button emerged from the smoke with the right-side pod of his Renault torn away and flames licking out from his engine. Olivier Panis, Felippe Massa and Allan McNish all ended their races at turn one.
And who emerged from the carnage, unscathed and perfectly poised? Michael Schumacher.
Hardly a surprise that the German would get the rub of the green and avoid the gravel, but he wasn't having it all his own way. Up ahead was David Coulthard, the McLaren driver having similarly avoided collision. Behind was Juan Pablo Montoya in the remaining Williams, the Colombian intent on renewing the rivalry with Schumacher begun last year in Brazil. Coulthard was ruled out within 11 laps through gearbox problems.
"My car developed a gearbox selection problem and when the safety car pulled in the car put itself in neutral, which caught me out and I went off."
Coulthard rejoined in fourth but the problems were terminal and once his gearbox had jammed in sixth gear he drifted further and further back and eventually retired on lap 33. Schumacher, meanwhile, had inherited the lead, but not for long. A lap later and Montoya was blasting by inside Schumacher into turn one.
It looked for a while like Montoya and Williams had found something from their car that had not shown in testing or the early stages of this weekend. The Colombian held off Schumacher for five laps, his defensive posturing looked assured and not the actions of a man desperately fighting a losing battle. But on lap 17 it proved to be so.
At the end of the start-finish straight, Schumacher, right on the tail of the Williams, feinted right to Montoya's inside and when the Colombian dived to defend his line the world champion blasted round the outside, closing Montoya tight against the kerbing into turn one, allowing no room for maneouvre and gave himself the better exit inside of the Williams as they headed towards turn two. It was a masterful move and one that sealed the race.
"I was afraid to turn into the first corner, so went over the grass," admitted Schumacher afterwards. "It turned out to be the right decision. It was an interesting fight with Juan after that, a straight battle with pretty equal cars. I lost a bit of ground after the first safety car but Juan braked on oil in turn three and I could pass. Then I had Trulli to worry about and I was worried about Juan getting closer. Trulli went off and then at the second safety car Juan ran wide and so did I but he got a good run and got by me easily. When I got back the position, I went to the outside of the corner to get a better exit and it worked."
Montoya dismissed, Schumacher deployed the power and stretched out a 20-second lead over Montoya. A flawless single pit stop later and it was job done, 10 points on the board.
Montoya ceded the victory and settled into second place, content to fend of the challenge of McLaren's young signing, Kimi Raikkonen. It was a challenge that could have worked as McLaren's pit strategy put the Finn out on track tenths of a second ahead of Montoya. Second place though slipped away as soon as it was within his grasp. Raikkonen suffered a rush of blood to the head as he exited the pit lane, deployed too much power and slid off onto the grass, which allowed Montoya to past. After that the Finn was content to hold third and take four points.
While Schumacher's victory was a cause for celebration within Ferrari, the day's real hero was local man Mark Webber. In his debut F1 race, the Australian found himself taking fifth place for Minardi, the team owned by Melbourne-born aviation millionaire Paul Stoddart. Webber fended off a strong challenger from Toyota's Mika Salo in the closing two laps and crossed the line to scenes of pandemonium in the Minardi pit and in the grandstands.
"This was a really tough race and I had to push the whole way," said Webber. "The thing that got to me most though was on the last couple of laps - every time I came down the pit straight, I could see the crowd in the grandstand rise, but there was no chequered flag and I wasn't sure whether the race was over or not. I have to say I was relieved when I came round the final time and saw it being waved. I'm really pleased to have scored points for the team in my home grand prix."
Toyota, too, had reason to celebrate, Salo taking a point on the team's F1 debut, a feat that even Toyota Motorsport boss Ove Andersson had deemed impossible. "We had a great race today," said Salo. "I'm really happy for the team, they've worked really well this weekend. I've had points before but this is probably the most satisfactory one I've ever scored."
RESULTS:
1 Michael Schumacher (Ger, Ferrari) one hour 35 minutes 36.792 seconds
2 Juan Pablo Montoya (Col, Williams) at 18.628 seconds
3 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin, McLaren) at 25.067seconds
4 Eddie Irvine (NI, Jaguar) at one lap
5 Mark Webber (Aus, Minardi) at 2 laps
6 Mika Salo (Fin, Toyota) at 2 laps
7 Alex Yoong (Mal, Minardi) at 3 laps
8 Pedro de la Rosa (Spa, Jaguar) at 5 laps
Fastest Lap: K Raikkonen 1:28.541 (on lap 37)
Not Classified: D Coulthard (Br, McLaren) Did Not Finish (33 laps completed), J Villeneuve (Can, British American Racing) DNF (27 laps), T Sato (Jap, Jordan) DNF (12 laps), J Trulli DNF (Ita, Renault) (8 laps), R Barrichello (Ger, Ferrari) DNF (0 laps), R Schumacher (Ger, Williams) DNF (0 laps), G Fisichella (Ita, Jordan) DNF (0 laps), F Massa (Bra, Sauber) DNF (0 laps), N Heidfeld (Ger, Sauber) DNF (0 laps), J Button (Br, Renault) DNF (0 laps), O Panis (Fra, British American Racing) DNF (0 laps), A McNish (Br, Toyota) DNF (0 laps). H-H Frentzen (Ger, Arrows) Disqualified, E Bernoldi (Bra, Arrows) Disqualified.
Drivers' championship 1. M Schumacher 10 points, 2. J P Montoya 6, 3. K Raikkonen 4, 4. E Irvine 3, 5. M Webber 2, 6. Mika Salo 1.
Constructors' championship 1. Ferrari 10, 2. Williams 6, 3. McLaren 4, 4. Jaguar 3, 5. Minardi 2, 6. Toyota 1
