MANAMA, April 4: World champion Michael Schumacher eased to victory in the inaugural Bahrain Grand Prix here on Sunday to preserve his 100 per cent start to the season with his third successive victory.

Schumacher led Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello off the front row of the grid and the pair were never troubled as they scored their perfect result in the first-ever Grand Prix race in the Middle East. Schumacher came home 1.3sec ahead of Barrichello to add to his wins in Australia and Malaysia this year as he recorded the 73rd win of his career.

BAR-Honda driver Jenson Button claimed his second successive podium after snatching third from Juan Pablo Montoya in the closing stages of the race to give him 15 championships points behind Barrichello's 21 points and Schumacher's perfect 30.

Montoya nursed his car home with brake problems but was left without points as car after car overtook him and left him in 13th place. Renault's Jarno Trulli was fourth ahead of BAR's Takuma Sato and Fernando Alonso, in the second Renault.

Ralf Schumacher completed a troubled race in seventh place after benefiting from Montoya's problems and the retirement of McLaren's David Coulthard late in the race, while Jaguar's Mark Webber took eighth.

McLaren driver Kimi Raikkonen's start to the season also went from bad to worse as he retired once again when his Mercedes engine failed after just seven laps.

The McLarens were two of only three cars to retire from the race, leaving the team with just four points from the opening three races. Minardi's Zsolt Baumgartner was the other to exit the race. Pole-sitter Schumacher made a good start and led team-mate Barrichello off the grid, with Montoya retaining third place.

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