Schumacher back in title race

Michael Schumacher swept back into the Formula One championship fight yesterday in a race marred by incident and tragedy.

The Ferrari number one, who has struggled badly in the last four races as defending champion Mika Hakkinen has staged a stunning revival, was virtually unchallenged from lights to flag but only after a series of accidents had removed almost half the field from contention and tragically caused the death of a trackside marshal, the fire safety officer hit by flying debris after Heinz-Harald Frentzen had collided at the second chicane with his team-mate and Ferrari number two Rubens Barrichello, a smash that also sucked in fourth-placed David Coulthard and moments later the following Pedro de la Rosa and Johnny Herbert.

While trackside marshals guided the shaken drivers from their mangled cars, on the other side of the barriers a medical team frantically tried to resuscitate the marshal who had suffered critical head and chest injuries after being struck by a wheel ripped from one of the wrecked race cars.

While the tragedy undoubtedly cast a pall over Schumacher's victory, a 41st win which puts him level with the late Ayrton Senna and second only to Alain Prost on the all-time victory list, the German, who wept openly during the post race press conference, admitted that it was both a thrill and a relief.

"I have no vocabulary for it. I am just happy. I am exhausted," he said before breaking down in tears. "It means a lot to me." he added later. "It is a massive relief certainly. Although I'm not at the front of the championship it's great. I'm two points behind but now we are back on the road for victories."

Schumacher, starting from pole, avoided all the carnage after getting a clean start and with the possible challenges of David Coulthard and Rubens Barrichello removed at the chicane, the German only had to contend with second-placed Hakkinen. But all through the weekend Schumacher had been quicker and yesterday was no exception as he quickly opened up a nine-second gap.

"I was in trouble from the start," said Hakkinen. "Because I did not have the balance I wanted to have on the car and that's why I was losing the lap times. Technically everything was running fine. I had no problems with that. It was just that the balance did not allow me to follow Michael at the speed he was doing."

Schumacher's win lifts him to within two points of Hakkinen in the race for the drivers' title with just three races left.

The remaining place in yesterday's podium was taken by Ralf Schumacher, the German further cementing Williams into third place in the constructors championship. Benetton's Alex Wurz came in fifth behind Jos Verstappen in the Arrows the contract-freed Austrian keeping Benetton third, seven points beyond the floundering Jordan.