Ralf Scores Brilliant Second Win in Canada

Germany's Ralf Schumacher won a battle of the brothers in Canada on Sunday to give Williams their second victory of the Formula One season. World champion Michael Schumacher, who had started on pole position and was chasing his fifth win in Montreal, had to settle for second to extend his championship lead to 18 points after a nightmare afternoon for title rival David Coulthard.

McLaren's Coulthard retired 13 laps from the end of the 69-lap race with a blown engine and has 40 points compared to Schumacher's 58. The Briton had scored points in each of the previous seven races. It was the first time in Grand Prix history that brothers had finished one-two in a race and the two embraced in the pits.

"Ralf's clearly getting better and better and our car's good with the BMW engines - it was a superb performance," said team boss Frank Williams.

Finland's Mika Hakkinen, two times world champion, was third in a McLaren - his first podium position this year which doubled his points total for the season. Kimi Raikkonen in a Sauber was fourth and France's Jean Alesi fifth in a Prost on the eve of his 37th birthday.

Pedro de la Rosa of Spain scored his first points for Jaguar by finishing sixth. It was Ralf's second career win, his first being at the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola in Italy in April. That was Williams' first success since 1997.

Scrapped

Ralf and older brother Michael had scrapped wheel to wheel for much of the race run in bright sunshine before Ralf decisively took the lead on lap 46 as Michael had his pit stop. The Williams driver, who started alongside Michael on the front row, broke the lap record before pitting himself and coming out clearly in the lead.

But Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, who had been involved in a scuffle and acrimonious exchange with local favourite Jacques Villeneuve on Friday night, crashed out. The Formula One rookie lost control coming out of L'Epingle corner on the approach to the Casino straight, ploughing into the barriers.

"I don't really know what happened," said Montoya. The incident also ended the race of Ferrari's Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, who had spun early in the race and dropped from third to 14th place before climbing back through the field.

He had been challenging Montoya for 10th place and swerved across the track to avoid the Colombian, smashing into the barrier on the other side. Villeneuve fared no better, pulling over on lap 35 while 10th. He got out of his BAR and walked back to the pits.

"Something happened and the car wasn't driving any more," said the Canadian former world champion, who described the weekend as the worst of his racing career. Jaguar's Eddie Irvine and German Nick Heidfeld in the Sauber were early casualties, going out on the second lap in a collision that Heidfeld blamed on the Briton.

"He tried to overtake me but went into my back," said the German, who has been shunted out early in the last two races. Benetton team mates Giancarlo Fisichella and Jenson Button endured another nightmare afternoon, with the Italian going into the back of his young British team mate on lap one.

That ended Fisichella's race while Button had to suffer a 10 second stop/go penalty for jumping the start.

PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS The Canadian Grand Prix Circuit Gilles Villeneuve; Montreal; 69 laps; Weather: Dry, sunny. Classified: Pos Driver Team-Engine Time 1. R.Schumacher Williams BMW (M) 1H34:31.522 2. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) + 0:20.200 3. Hakkinen Mclaren Mercedes (B) + 0:40.600 4. Raikkonen Sauber Petronas (B) + 1:08.100 5. Alesi Prost Acer (M) + 1:10.400 6. de la Rosa Jaguar Cosworth (M) + 1 Lap 7. Zonta Jordan Honda (B) + 1 Lap 8. Burti Prost Acer (M) + 1 Lap 9. Marques Minardi European (M) + 3 Laps 10. Verstappen Arrows Asiatech (B) + 4 Laps 11. Trulli Jordan Honda (B) + 6 Laps Fastest Lap: R.Schumaccher, 1:17.205, lap 50 Not Classified/Retirements: Driver Team On Lap Coulthard McLaren Mercedes (B) 54 Panis BAR Honda (B) 39 Villeneuve BAR Honda (B) 34 Bernoldi Arrows Asiatech (B) 24 Barrichello Ferrari (B) 19 Montoya Williams BMW (M) 19 Button Benetton Renault (M) 17 Alonso Minardi European (M) 5 Heidfeld Sauber Petronas (B) 2 Irvine Jaguar Cosworth (M) 2 Fisichella Benetton Renault (M) 1 World Championship Standing, Round 8: Drivers: Constructors: 1. M.Schumacher 58 1. Ferrari 82 2. Coulthard 40 2. McLaren 48 3 Barrichello 24 3. Williams 28 4. R.Schumacher 22 4. Sauber 15 5. Heidfeld 8 5. Jordan 13 = Hakkinen 8 6. BAR 12 7. Raikkonen 7 7. Jaguar 5 = Trulli 7 8. Prost 3 = Villeneuve 7 9. Benetton 1 10. Montoya 6 = Arrows 1 = Frentzen 6 12. Panis 5 13. Irvine 4 14. Alesi 3 15. Fisichella 1 = Verstappen 1 = de la Rosa 1 All timing unofficial