M.Schumacher Wins Action-Packed British GP

World Champion Michael Schumacher claimed his 60th career victory in Sunday's British Grand Prix as his Ferrari team kept their cool in changing conditions to score their fourth 1-2 finish of an impressive season.

The German secured the perfect victory to continue his hopes of being able to secure a fifth World Championship crown, which could now happen as early as the next race, in France, in two weekends' time.

But as Schumacher was smooth, Barrichello proved a battler as he fought his way through from the back of the grid after stalling on the formation lap to prove just how dominant the Ferrari is.

Pole sitter Juan Pablo Montoya, of Williams-BMW at least managed to finish the race for the first time in four races, but his team were outclassed by Ferrari in the overcast and rainy conditions as he came home to claim the final podium spot.

It was a great day for local team British American Racing, whose drivers Jacques Villeneuve and Olivier Panis both scored their first points of the season with fourth and fifth places, while Nick Heidfeld of Sauber claimed the final point.

The start was made easier for Montoya as fellow front-row man Barrichello was forced to drop to the back of the grid after stalling as the cars set off for the parade lap.

Montoya made it off the line and into the lead with ease and while most of the top positions remained fixed, Button soared from 12th position to claim 7th as the field headed into Copse corner.

But it was a disastrous start for Button's fellow Brit Allan McNish, who failed to even get to the first corner of his first home Grand Prix as his Toyota stopped on the grid and refused to engage any gears once it was pushed back to the pits.

Brazilian Massa also had opening lap trouble as he spun his Sauber at the first corner, but his countryman Barrichello was already on a flier and by lap three, when Raikkonen passed Ralf Schumacher for third, the Ferrari driver was up to 12th place.

By lap nine, Barrichello, despite starting from the back, was just ten seconds off the lead as he proved just how dominant the Ferrari machine is in the cooler conditions.

Australian Mark Webber's race was over on lap ten, when he spun his Minardi into the gravel at Copse to end a dismal weekend for the team which had seen second driver, Malaysian Alex Yoong, fail to qualify.

On lap 12, the rain began to fall, and all of the lead cars except Coulthard's McLaren shot into the pits to change to intermediate tyres.

Coulthard's persistence would not pay off, and the lead pair of Montoya and Schumacher were able to pit and still come out ahead of him as he slid his McLaren around the wet track. He gave up on his gamble on lap 15, when he pitted for rain tyres.

One lap later, the lead changed hands when Montoya went wide coming out of the Vale complex and Schumacher neatly cruised past as the pair headed into Club corner.

By now, Barrichello had moved his way through the field and up to third place, and he was rapidly closing in on second-placed Montoya as places in the lower half of the top ten shifted regularly.

Button was rapidly moving down the field as German Heinz Harald Frentzen battled through to a position just outside the points. At the front Barrichello made it Ferrari's first and second when he shot past Montoya exiting Woodcote on lap 19.

All Frentzen's hard work proved to came to nothing when his Arrows car failed on the 21st lap, and with teammate Enrique Bernoldi also going out of the race on half distance, it was the end of a tough weekend for Arrows in which their biggest victory was simply getting into the race.

Coulthard, now racing in a lowly 10th place, took another gamble on the weather on lap 23 when he came in for another tyre change but that did not work either and after another spin, coming out of Bridge on lap 27, he pitted again.

The Ferraris were now comfortably out in front, but Barrichello spun on lap 32 and both cars stopped one lap later for another tyre change. The order remained the same and with a drying track, there looked little opportunity for anyone to challenge.

Raikkonen went out on lap 46, but Montoya pushed hard and managed to pass Barrichello for second on lap 41, but after the pair battled closely for lap after lap, the Ferrari man moved back up the order with a clear but aggressive passing move into Copse corner.

Schumacher cruised to the line as Barrichello proved his ability by setting a new lap record for the circuit in the closing laps, while behind the lead three, British American Racing performed a solid job to get their cars home.

Jaguar's difficult day ended with Irvine spinning out and de la Rosa finishing in last place despite the introduction of their newly-modified car.

PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS The British Grand Prix Silverstone, Northamptonshire; 60 laps; 308.356; Weather: Partly wet. Classified: Pos Driver Team-Engine Tyres Time 1. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1h 31:45.015 2. Barrichello Ferrari (B) + 14.578 3. Montoya Williams BMW (M) + 31.600 4. Villeneuve BAR Honda (B) + 1 Lap 5. Panis BAR Honda (B) + 1 Lap 6. Heidfeld Sauber Petronas (B) + 1 Lap 7. Fisichella Jordan Honda (B) + 1 Lap 8. R.Schumacher Williams BMW (M) + 1 Lap 9. Massa Sauber Petronas (B) + 1 Lap 10. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes (M) + 2 Laps 11. de la Rosa Jaguar Cosworth (M) + 2 Laps Fastest Lap: Barrichello, 1:23.083, lap 58 Not Classified/Retirements: Driver Team On Lap Button Renault (M) 55 Sato Jordan Honda (B) 51 Raikkonen McLaren Mercedes (M) 45 Trulli Renault (M) 30 Bernoldi Arrows Cosworth (B) 29 Irvine Jaguar Cosworth (M) 24 Frentzen Arrows Cosworth (B) 21 Salo Toyota (M) 16 Webber Minardi Asiatech (M) 10 McNish Toyota (M) 1 World Championship Standing, Round 10: Drivers: Constructors: 1. M.Schumacher 86 1. Ferrari 118 2. Barrichello 32 2. Williams-BMW 61 3. Montoya 31 3. McLaren-Mercedes 37 4. R.Schumacher 30 4. Renault 14 5. Coulthard 26 5. Sauber-Petronas 10 6. Raikkonen 11 6. Jordan-Honda 6 7. Button 10 7. BAR 5 8. Fisichella 6 8. Jaguar-Cosworth 3 9. Heidfeld 6 = Toyota 2 10. Trulli 4 = Arrows 2 = Massa 4 = Minardi-Asiatech 2 12. Irvine 3 13. Villeneuve 3 14. Webber 2 = Salo 2 = Frentzen 2 = Panis 2 All timing unofficial