No stopping Schumacher when he's on fire

Formula One Austrian Grand Prix Showing the coolest head for the most heated of moments, Michael Schumacher roared to victory in yesterday's Austrian Grand Prix, despite a refuelling fire that could have snuffed out the world champion's march back to title contention after back-to-back wins in Spain and San Marino.

But as the engine cover of the German's Ferrari F2003-GA was engulfed in flame during his first pit stop, Schumacher simply glanced in his mirrors and coolly regarded his pit crew as they dealt with the burning fuel erupting from the nozzle of the refuelling rig and splashing onto his car.

Flames quenched, the champion engaged first gear and tore his way back into the fight, despite enduring a 20-second halt in front of the Ferrari garage.

Having fallen from the lead to third, behind McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen and leader Juan Pablo Montoya, it looked like his race hopes had been dampened in the spray from the Ferrari extinguishers. But as Montoya's BMW engine expired and Schumacher devoured the four-second gap to Raikkonen, the only thing extinguished was the notion that anybody but Schumacher would win.

Another stop - this time perfectly executed, using a new fuel nozzle - and Schumacher retained his lead over closest title rival Raikkonen.

Thereafter the McLaren driver, struggling for power against the more fleet Ferrari, drifted away. The Finn was at least left with a consolation triumph over Ferrari number two Rubens Barrichello, as Raikkonen held off a strong challenge from the Brazilian in the last five laps to take eight points and maintain his lead of the drivers' championship.

Ominously, however, Schumacher's third win in a row puts the defending champion within two points of the young Finn. Early-season murmurs of Ferrari crises have been emphatically silenced. For McLaren, the scuderia's most realistic challenger, it appears to be a case of holding on until they can debut their new car in Montreal next month.

The suspicion that little would stop Schumacher's march to this, his 67th, career win should have nagged from the weekend's earliest moments. When he arrived in Spielberg last Thursday, Schumacher's enthusiasm for the race could barely be contained, and through Friday and Saturday the German blasted through the qualifying sessions to claim the second Austrian pole of his career, despite a second-corner moment which saw him slide wide and into the run-off area.

That error, on Saturday, should have handed the momentum to second-placed Raikkonen, but in the second sector Schumacher was untouchable, turning a momentary deficit into comprehensive superiority, an upper hand he moments later raised in triumph as he raced across the line to claim the pre-eminent spot on the grid.

And it was a similar tale in the race. Despite two abandoned starts, caused by the failure of Cristiano Da Matta's Toyota to move from his grid slot, Schumacher blasted toward the first turn at the third attempt at a start, and held his lead despite the attentions of Montoya, who had got the jump on Raikkonen.

An immediate safety car period, occasioned by the expiration of Jos Verstappen's Minardi on the pit straight, gave Montoya a chance, but as the pair resumed racing, Schumacher brushed aside the assault of the Williams driver in turn one and soon Montoya was a memory, the Colombian's challenge deleted by the four-second gap Schumacher easily carved.

With Montoya a fading second and Raikkonen and Barrichello conducting a private battle for third a couple of seconds further back, it looked a cold and clinical cruise to victory for Schumacher.

But then came the rain and with it Montoya. As Schumacher eased off on the slippery surface, Montoya stormed on, closing the deficit to just over a second. But it wasn't enough. The storm faded and, once again, so did Montoya.

Thecame Schumacher's disastrous first stop.

Barrichello had already suffered a fuel-rig failure, which cost him 10 seconds, but a second calamity at Ferrari? Surely not. But Schumacher came in, the flames erupted and Montoya blasted into the lead.

But it was all in vain. On lap 32 the Colombian's BMW blew, leaving the way clear for Raikkonen. But the Finn had already been eclipsed by Schumacher. Now, it was over. Schumacher tore away from the slower McLaren and towards an inevitable chequered flag.

With Raikkonen fending off Barrichello in the closing laps to keep a crucial second place, it was left to BAR's Jenson Button, in a well-won fourth, David Coulthard, Ralf Schumacher, Mark Webber and Jarno Trulli to mop up the remaining points.

For Jordan, the gloss of the Brazilian win and Ralph Firman's first championship point was worn away by a leaden Austrian performance. Despite respectable qualifying positions of ninth, for Giancarlo Fisichella, and 16th, for Firman, whose lap was compromised by a poor third sector, the race was a disappointment. Fisichella slipped away as he suffered poor grip and then exited with a fuel-system problem. Firman, despite competitive lap times against his team-mate, finished the race 11th.

"Not the best afternoon, actually it was quite a non-event for us," admitted Jordan's engineering boss, Gary Anderson. "We weren't quick enough really, and it was a challenge.

"Roll on Monaco - all the people we saw going off the edge of the track here at the A1-Ring won't be doing that there."

Austrian Grand Prix at the A1-Ring (69 laps)

1 M Schumacher (Ger) Ferrari One Hour 24 minutes 4.888 seconds 10 pts

2 K Raikkonen (Fin) McLaren at 3.362 8

3 R Barrichello (Bra) Ferrari at 3.951 6

4 J Button (Eng) BAR-Honda at 42.243 5

5 D Coulthard (Sco) McLaren at 59.740 4

6 R Schumacher (Ger) Williams at 1 lap 3

7 M Webber (Aus) Jaguar Racing at 1 lap 2

8 J Trulli (Ita) Renault at 1 lap 1

9 A Pizzonia (Bra) Jaguar Racing at 1 lap, 10 C da Matta (Bra) Toyota Racing at 1 lap, 11 R Firman (Ire) Jordan-Ford at 1 lap, 12 Jacques Villeneuve (Can) BAR-Honda at 1 lap, 13 Justin Wilson (Eng) Minardi at 2 laps.

Not Classified: G Fisichella (Ita) Jordan-Ford. Did Not Finish: (60 laps completed), N Heidfeld (Ger) Sauber DNF (46 laps), F Alonso (Spa) Renault DNF (44 laps), J-P Montoya (Col) Williams-BMW DNF (32 laps), O Panis (Fra) Toyota Racing DNF (6 laps), J Verstappen (Ned) Minardi DNF (0 laps), H-H Frentzen (Ger) Sauber DNF (0 laps). Fastest lap: M Schumacher 1:08.337 (Lap 41)

DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP

1 Raikkonen McLaren 40pts

2 M Schumacher Ferrari 3

3 Barrichello Ferrari 26

4 Alonso Renault 25

5 Coulthard McLaren Mercedes 23

6 R Schumacher Williams BMW 20

7 Montoya Williams BMW 15

8 Fisichella Jordan Cosworth 10

9 Trulli Renault 10, 10 Button Honda 8, 11 Frentzen Sauber 7, 12 Webber Jaguar 4, 13 Villeneuve BAR Honda 3, 14 de Matta Toyota 3, 15 Heidfeld Sauber Petronas 1, 16 Firman Jordan Cosworth 1

CONSTRUCTORS' CHAMPIONSHIP

1 Ferrari 64pts

2 McLaren Mercedes 63

3 Renault 35

4 Williams BMW 35

5 Jordan Cosworth 11

6 BAR Honda 11

7 Sauber Petronas 8

8 Jaguar 4

9 Toyota 3