Schuey moves closer to fourth title

The German emerged from a litany of problems to improve his position in the World Championship chase by the end of the day.

He suffered gear selection problems at the start, survived a 100mph impact from Luciano Burti's Prost and then rushed around to make the re-start only to retire with fuel feed problems after 23 laps.

Despite being stranded at the first chicane, he couldn't help but grin when title rival David Coulthard joined him on the sidelines as his McLaren-Mercedes crawled to a halt with smoke pouring out of the engine cover.

"This is the best thing that could have happened if I did not win the race," said Schumacher. "It is not over yet but I will try to do it as soon as possible."

The German has a 37 point lead with only 50 points up for grabs, and that means Coulthard has to win four of the last five races to have any chance.

"I was not expecting to win but it would have been nice to have scored six points," he added. "Neither of the McLarens finished and my brother has once again closed the gap on them. I am obviously very happy for Ralf. This is our home race and it is great to see him winning here.

"It was a race with many ups and downs but at the end it was a bit crazy. Seeing Ralf and Rubens at the front was very nice though."

Schumacher's mechanical failure was not his only problem during the 45-lap race. The German was involved in the horrific accident at the start when he had gear selection problems and Burti was launched off the back of his car.

"I could see him in my mirrors but couldn't move out of the way," he admitted. "It was a difficult situation but it could have been a lot worse. I don't know what the problem is yet, but suddenly I didn't have any more power.

"The gearbox did not change the gears. I could not do anything. I was stuck in the road and everyone was flying past me."