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| June 17, 2003 | Tuesday | Rabi-us-Sani 16, 1424 |
Schumacher Sr wins battle of brothers
MONTREAL, June 16: Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher won a battle of brothers on Sunday for a Canadian Grand Prix victory that powered him to the top of the Formula One championship for the first time this season.
With title leader Kimi Raikkonen starting from the pitlane after a nightmare in qualifying, the five times world champion seized the moment to record his sixth win at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit.
McLaren’s Raikkonen battled back to sixth place, salvaging precious points but not enough to prevent the German from powering three clear.
With the season now halfway over, Schumacher has 54 points to the Finn’s 51. Ferrari have 85 points to McLaren’s 76.
It was the 68th win of Schumacher’s career, fourth of the season and took his career points tally to 999 as he heads for his home grand prix at the Nuerburgring in two weeks’ time.
But it was no runaway victory with the first four cars separated by a mere 4.481 seconds at the finish.
“It was a very tricky and tight race,” said Schumacher, who ran behind the Williams of younger brother Ralf from the second lap until the initial pitstops and then had him in his mirrors for the rest of the afternoon.
Ralf was never close enough to find a way past his brother and had to make do with second place, 0.7 behind, in a reversal of the 2001 Canadian Grand Prix where he beat the Ferrari to the chequered flag.
“I’m a bit disappointed. We had the race pace,” said Ralf. “I can’t see where he took the gap. Maybe he was in a different race. In 2001 I won it like this, now it’s his turn.”
Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, winner of the last race in Monaco two weeks ago, was third for Williams after a costly spin on the second lap while in second place behind Ralf.
Spain’s Fernando Alonso was fourth, after leading briefly in his Renault, and Brazilian Rubens Barrichello was fifth, fighting back from 18th place after three laps when he pitted to replace a damaged front wing on his Ferrari.
Raikkonen’s sixth place was remarkable in the circumstances, with the Finn losing a tyre just before he pitted. Australian Mark Webber won two points for Jaguar with seventh place and France’s Olivier Panis was eighth for Toyota in a race with just nine cars running at the end.
Local hero Jacques Villeneuve retired from his home grand prix for the third year in a row.
The Canadian former world champion, racing on the 25th anniversary of his late father Gilles’s win for Ferrari at the circuit that now bears his name, retired in the pits on the 16th of 70 scheduled laps.
Result (Race distance: 70 laps, 305.270 kms):
1. Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari one hour 31 minutes 13.591 seconds (average speed 200.777 kph); 2. Ralf Schumacher (Germany) Williams 1:31:14.375; 3. Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia) Williams 1:31:14.946; 4. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Renault 1:31:18.072; 5. Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Ferrari 1:32:17.852; 6. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) McLaren 1:32:24.093; 7. Mark Webber (Australia) Jaguar l lap behind; 8. Olivier Panis (France) Toyota 1; 9. Jos Verstappen (Netherlands) Minardi 2; 10. Antonio Pizzonia (Brazil) Jaguar 66 laps completed; 11. Cristiano da Matta (Brazil) Toyota 64 laps completed.
Not classified (did not finish): Justin Wilson (Britain) Minardi 60 laps completed; Jenson Button (Britain) BAR 51; David Coulthard (Britain) McLaren 47; Nick Heidfeld (Germany) Sauber 47; Jarno Trulli (Italy) Renault 22; Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Jordan 20; Ralph Firman (Britain) Jordan 20; Jacques Villeneuve (Canada) BAR 14; Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Germany) Sauber 6.
Fastest lap: Alonso 1:16.040 on lap 53. Average speed 206.465 kph.—Reuters
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