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| July 31, 2006 | Monday | Rajab 4, 1427 |
Schumacher win leaves title race wide open
HOCKENHEIM, July 30: Ferrari's Michael Schumacher blasted the Formula One title race wide open on Sunday with a commanding one-two victory in his home German Grand Prix.
While the 37-year-old celebrated the 89th victory of his incredible career, serenaded by air-horns and his jubilant army of red-shirted fans, Renault's world champion Fernando Alonso limped home fifth.
The Spaniard's overall lead was slashed from 17 points to 11, leaving his championship hopes on a knife-edge with six races remaining and barely time to breathe before the next clash in Hungary in a week's time.
Renault's lead over Ferrari was cut to 10 points in the constructors' championship.
In what could be his final race appearance in Germany, with his manager Willi Weber advising him to retire if he wins the title, Schumacher took the lead after 10 laps when McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen pitted.
The rest was straightforward. Schumacher's third win in a row, and fifth of the season, was one of his most important on what the seven-times champion could only describe as a “superb weekend”.
On a blazingly hot afternoon, Schumacher and Brazilian team mate Felipe Massa were in a race of their own as they anchored the team's second one-two finish in three starts and tyre partner Bridgestone's 100th grand prix success.
They crossed the line in close formation, just 0.7 seconds apart, with Schumacher becoming the first driver to win the German Grand Prix four times.
Race classification:
1. Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari 1:27:51.693; 2. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari +00:00.720; 3. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) McLaren 00:13.206; 4. Jenson Button (Britain) Honda 00:18.898; 5. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Renault 00:23.707; 6. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Renault 00:24.814; 7. Jarno Trulli (Italy) Toyota 00:26.544; 8. Christian Klien (Austria) RedBull-Ferrari 00:48.131; 9. Ralf Schumacher (Germany) Toyota 01:00.351; 10. Vitantonio Liuzzi (Italy) Toro Rosso – Cosworth 1 lap; 11. David Coulthard (Britain) RedBull-Ferrari 1 lap; 12. Scott Speed (US) Toro Rosso-Cosworth 1 lap; 13. Christijan Albers (Netherlands) MF1-Toyota 1 lap; 14. Tiago Monteiro (Portugal) MF1-Toyota 2 laps.
Fastest Lap: Michael Schumacher, 1:16.357, lap 17.—Reuters
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