from F1-racing.net
Michael Schumacher took his eighth victory of the season and more importantly a fifth world drivers Championship in a controversial end to a thrilling French Grand Prix. His fifth title is the fastest ever achieved in the history of the sport.
The skies were overcast but air temperature still reached 24 degrees Centigrade for the start of the French Grand Prix. As the parade lap got underway Rubens Barrichello’s Ferrari was still up in the air, with the front jack preventing the Brazilian getting off the line. As the field passed him by, mechanics returned to the stricken Ferrari changing the steering wheel and eventually pushing the Brazilian back into the pit lane.
Meanwhile Juan Pablo Monotya got off the line cleanly and dived in front of Michael Schumacher with Kimi Räikkönen getting past Ralf Schumacher into third, David Coulthard fifth and Jenson Button sixth. Takuma Sato had contact with Olivier Panis and Pedro de la Rosa, all forced to drive through the gravel at the first corner.
Meanwhile Felipe Massa made one of the most blatant jump-starts ever seen to vault up to seventh, before being penalised by race stewards with a ten second drive-through penalty.
At the front Michael Schumacher swarmed all over the rear of Montoya’s BMW Williams as Rubens Barrichello eventually climbed from the cockpit of his Ferrari – his race ruined before he could even turn a wheel. Meanwhile Kimi Räikkönen was keeping good pace with the leading two, even challenging Montoya and Schumacher as the pair became embroiled in a battle for the lead.
As Felipe Massa served his drive-through penalty for jumping the start, the Brazilian fell foul of committing another infringement as he crossed the white line dividing the area where the track and pit exit merge. Massa had to serve another drive-through penalty – after an unimpressive British Grand Prix, the Brazilian has not had another strong race as Sauber will soon decide whether to take up an option to retain him for another two years.
Ten laps into the race just two seconds separated the top thee runners as the running order was maintained.
Ralf Schumacher pitted on lap 22 releasing David Coulthard who suddenly began to close in on the leading trio. Montoya pitted the next time around emerging in fourth, ahead of team mate Ralf Schumacher. Meanwhile Takuma Sato had a lame exit from the French Grand Prix, outbraking himself into Lycee, and slipping into the gravel, tapping the barriers. At the front however, Michael Schumacher was flying and screamed into the pits on lap 26 allowing Kimi Räikkönen to lead the race. Michael Schumacher emerged just a few metres ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya, as the McLaren duo, yet to pit, led the race.
Räikkönen pitted on lap 27 as Michael Schumacher was thrashing his way around the trap – the Finn rejoined the race just behind Montoya. David Coulthard was in next time around taking a generous dose of fuel, emerging in fifth behind Ralf Schumacher.
As Michael Schumacher streaked off into the distance, building a second a lap lead over his rivals stewards at race control were investigating an incident where the German clipped the end of the white line at the area where the pit exit and racetrack merge. The German was given a drive-through penalty for his misdemeanour.
Schumacher took his penalty on lap 34 emerging just behind Kimi Räikkönen, in third.
At half race distance just 3.5 seconds separated the top five drivers. Montoya pitted on lap 42 for his second and final scheduled pit stop. Ralf Schumacher pitted the next lap around but clipped the pit lane exit white line just like his brother did earlier in the race and was handed a drive-through penalty for his trouble.
Ferrari prepared to receive Michael Schuamcher in the pits at the end of lap 47 as Kimi Räikkönen led by half one second but the German carried on for an extra lap before stopping for his second stop on lap 48. Stationary for 8.8s Schumacher emerged in third behind Coulthard as his brother served his drive-through penalty.
Kimi Räikkönen stopped on the next lap for an 8.7s stop as Räikkönen emerged just ahead of Schumacher’s Ferrari.
Meanwhile David Coulthard pitted and rejoined in third, just behind Michael Schumacher but made the perilous mistake of crossing the white line at the pit exit only to be slapped with a drive-through penalty.
Coulthard dived into the pits on lap 58 to serve his penalty and emerged comfortably in third place as the BMW Williams of Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher faded back down the road holding fourth and fifth places.
There was drama five laps from the end of the race as Allan McNish spun at Adelaide distracting Kimi Räikkönen who braked too late, running wide at the corner. Yellow flags were out, but Räikkönen was off the normal racetrack as Schumacher muscled through to the lead of the French Grand Prix. Michael Schumacher went through to take his sixth French Grand Prix victory; his eighth win of the season; the sixty-first victory of his Formula One career.
Ecstatic Schumacher coasted around the track waving to the crowds as Kimi Räikkönen recorded his best ever race finish in second ahead of team mate David Coulthard as McLaren blew themselves right back into the thick of the action. A disappointing day for Williams saw Montoya and Ralf Schumacher fade to fourth and fifth with Jenson Button taking sixth place and another point for the Renault team which yesterday announced it would replace him with Fernando Alonso in 2003.
it was a great race with a lot of action and a lot of penalties!
in the end I think perhaps Raikkonene should have taken this one, but because of his mistake schumi won and took also his fifth world crown.
Interesting to see that Montoya doesn’t seem to find the right rhythm during the races as he does during qualifying.