Ralf Schumacher Ends Ferrari Monopoly

Ralf Schumacher has broken Ferrari's supremacy to lead Colombian teammate Juan Pablo Montoya to a Williams one-two celebration at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

The German, who was lucky to escape unhurt from a first corner crash in the season-opening Australian race two weeks ago, took the fourth win of his career after his older brother Michael and Montoya collided at the first corner.

Michael, who had started on pole position, finished third on Sunday, depriving British Renault driver Jenson Button of a podium finish on the last lap. Button was fourth, Germany's Nick Heidfeld fifth in a Sauber and his 20-year-old Brazilian teammate Felipe Massa followed in sixth place on a hot, humid day.

The result left Michael leading the standings with 14 points, ahead of Montoya on 12 and Ralf on 10. Williams lead the Constructors' Championship with 22 to Ferrari's 14.

"This was a wonderful day, everything went simply perfectly," said Ralf. "Of course I had a bit of luck and could take advantage of the first-corner incident."

The minor collision left Ferrari's four-times World Champion without a front wing. Montoya was penalised by the stewards for the incident, which sent the older Schumacher to the back of the field. But, after being forced to return to the pitlane, Montoya fought his way back to finish 39.7 seconds behind Ralf.

He then criticised race officials for what he deemed a harsh decision. "I think it was very unfair, I gave him room," Montoya said. "I think after what happened in the first race they went a bit extreme and I had to pay for it. The stewards didn't want everybody saying they should have done something and they didn't."

Harsh Call

Michael Schumacher agreed that it was a harsh call.

"To be honest, yes," he said. "I would think we have seen far more extreme situations where nothing has happened and today for a little touch something was done."

The Williams success marked the first time that a driver from any team other than Ferrari or McLaren had finished on the podium in Malaysia. Ferrari had won every Malaysian Grand Prix since the first in 1999 and Michael Schumacher, triumphant in 2000 and a rain-hit race last year, is the sole driver to start at Sepang in pole position.

But this time it did the German little good. He moved sharply across, as he so often does, to block Montoya at the start but the Colombian was ready for it and came alongside as the first turn loomed.

As they touched and ran wide, Schumacher's Brazilian teammate Rubens Barrichello slipped through. With only one victory to his name, it seemed as if Barrichello's hour might have come as he led for the first 21 laps before his pitstop.

Ralf took over for the next 10 before another round of pitstops and then Barrichello's hopes were cruelly destroyed when his engine gave out with 14 laps to go.

"I gave it my best shot," he said after failing to score points for the second race in a row.

McLaren, who qualified behind both the Ferraris and Williams, had a miserable afternoon with both their cars out of the race before the halfway mark. Briton David Coulthard, who was overall runner-up last season behind Michael Schumacher, is still searching for his first point of 2002 after slowing and retiring on lap 16 with an engine failure.

"It's been a terrible weekend, I'm really disappointed," said the Scot.

His young Finnish teammate Kimi Raikkonen, who ran second for a while as the first pitstops unfolded, cruised into the garage on lap 25 when his car's Mercedes engine belched a cloud of smoke. Jordan fared even worse, suffering the embarrassment of their cars colliding with only one lap completed.

Japan's Takuma Sato piled into the back of Italian Giancarlo Fisichella, forcing both to pitstop for a new front and rear wing respectively. Both rejoined the race but their hopes of points were gone. Malaysian Alex Yoong made history as the first Formula One driver from the home nation to race at Sepang but the Minardi man failed to finish.