Championship Battle Intensifies

Rubens Barrichello's unexpected triumph in Sunday's dramatic German Grand Prix has ensured another tight world championship showdown.

The Brazilian's victory from 18th on the grid not only kept Ferrari teammate Michael Schumacher at the head of the standings but also lifted Barrichello himself into contention, should the German slip again.

Barrichello, nominally Ferrari's number two driver with a brief to support Schumacher's crusade for the Italian outfit's first drivers' crown in 21 years, was only 10 points behind after his maiden victory in treacherous wet-and-dry conditions.

And after five races in which Schumacher failed to finish four, Barrichello may yet play a major part in what could become a four-way scrap for the crown between Ferrari and McLaren.

Schumacher leads with 56 points, two ahead of McLaren duo David Coulthard and defending champion Mika Hakkinen. Barrichello, who has amassed 30 points in the last five races against the 10 by Schumacher for winning in Canada, now has 46.

"I don't want to think or talk about the title at all," said Barrichello before returning to his home in Cambridge, England, to celebrate with his wife Silvana.

Long Time

"This win is enough for me for now. It has been such a long time coming. For me, it is just great to be with Ferrari and to work with Ferrari, too. People talk about the number one and the number two drivers, but that doesn't matter to me at all.

"They just give me the car and I hope it goes well. In this race, in the end, it worked out perfectly. I am very at home with Ferrari. The team is a big team, like a big family and as everyone knows I love being a family person."

Barrichello's performance and victory were significant for him and the championship because they signalled his ability to take races by the scruff of the neck and deliver when Schumacher is unable to run.

Ferrari had the advantage on Sunday of being able to concentrate on just one car and driver, following Schumacher's first corner exit after a collision with Italian Giancarlo Fisichella's Benetton.

By contrast, McLaren had to plan pit-stop strategy in the testing conditions for two.

A protester, who ran on to the circuit and danced in front of the cars as they rocketed towards him at speeds reaching 350 kph -- prompting the appearance of the safety car -- also complicated the race.

Problem

"When the first safety car came out we had a problem because Ferrari only had to concentrate on one car and we had the prospect of bringing two cars in and queuing them for fuel and tyres, or letting one car stay out," explained McLaren managing director Martin Whitmarsh.

"When we let David (Coulthard) go out for one more lap, it cost him places on the track and ultimately that handicapped his race."

Whitmarsh also admitted to another setback when McLaren switched to wet weather tyres when a thunderstorm soaked about half the track in the closing 10 laps and a big accident involving Jean Alesi's Prost -- which lost two wheels -- and Brazilian Pedro Diniz's Sauber caused the safety car to come out again.

"If it had started to rain heavily, we'd have beaten Barrichello," he said. "But we took a more conservative approach while he risked staying out on dry weather tyres. Sometimes you makes those judgments and we regret that."

Ferrari sporting director Jean Todt said: "This race was almost unreal. All the decisions regarding Rubens' strategy proved to be the winning ones and I am extremely happy with his first win, all the more so because of the way in which it was achieved."

With six races remaining, another tense battle is in prospect between Ferrari and McLaren, whose relationship has been strained after a row over Schumacher's aggressive driving and allegations by the British team that the Italians attempted to have both their cars disqualified following the Austrian Grand Prix.

"In the end, I am glad to have finished with four points on a day when Michael (Schumacher) failed to score. I have closed the gap and, obviously, it is going to be very close," said third-placed Coulthard. "We know what to expect."