Schumacher Gives F2003-GA Debut Win in Spain

Michael Schumacher gave the new Ferrari F2003-GA a winning debut in Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix after a thrilling race between him and local youngster Fernando Alonso.

In glorious sunshine the World Champion German put in a cool performance to disappoint the record sell-out crowd as he held off the challenge of Renault's Alonso to prevent a first ever victory in Barcelona.

Schumacher, in his 183rd Grand Prix and driving his new F2003-GA car in competitive action for the first time, was pushed all the way by the 21-year-old Alonso, taking part in only his 21st race. But it was the experienced Ferrari man, still getting over his mother Elisabeth's recent death, who backed up his victory in the old F2002 car with another win â€" his third in succession in Barcelona â€" in the new machine.

Alonso finished just 5.7 seconds behind Schumacher but Rubens Barrichello, in the second new Ferrari, was surprisingly off the pace of the lead two and finished well behind in third. Finn Kimi Raikkonen failed to travel more than 16 yards after crashing his McLaren-Mercedes into the stationary Jaguar of Antonio Pizzonia at the start but still leads the World Championship ahead of Schumacher.

McLaren teammate David Coulthard also had a disastrous day after crashing out when he collided with Briton Jenson Button following a first-lap collision with Italian Renault driver Jarno Trulli. Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, in a Williams-BMW, finished a distant fourth with his German teammate Ralf Schumacher fifth ahead of Toyota's Cristiano da Matta, of Brazil.

Australian Mark Webber scored his first points for Jaguar with seventh place and Briton Ralph Firman claimed his first ever World Championship point after a fine performance to finish eighth. Schumacher and Barrichello made a slow start and Alonso shot through the middle but failed to keep the place as the two Ferraris fought out the first corner amongst themselves.

Barrichello came off worse when he went wide and behind them Coulthard appeared to be unsighted as he clattered into the Renault of Trulli to put the unfortunate Italian out of the race. On the grid, under-fire Antonio Pizzonia failed to get away and his Jaguar was hit in the back by championship leader Raikkonen after Briton Justin Wilson just managed to avoid the stationary car.

Coulthard pitted to change his tyres at the end of the first lap as the safety car came out while the carnage on the startline and Raikkonen's stricken McLaren was cleared. At the end of lap five the safety car came in and Schumacher got the jump on his rivals and built up a lead as Barrichello dropped back into the clutches of Alonso.

Schumacher led by 3.2 seconds from Barrichello after 12 laps with Alonso third, the Williams pair of Ralf Schumacher and Montoya fourth and fifth, Jenson Button sixth, da Matta seventh and Wilson in eighth in the Minardi.

Jacques Villeneuve dropped out of the race on lap 14 to become the fourth retirement after Raikkonen, Pizzonia and Trulli and then Coulthard dropped out on lap 18 when he clashed with Button and spun into the gravel trap.

One lap before Coulthard's accident Alonso had pitted, stopping for 7.2 seconds, and race leader Schumacher pitted for 7.6 seconds at the end of lap 19 on the same lap as Button came in for a new nosecone after his collision.

New race leader Barrichello stopped at the end of lap 20 and stopped for seven seconds but he dropped behind Alonso after the Spaniard put in some high speed laps, with Schumacher back in the lead. Schumacher pitted at the end of lap 35 for a second time after holding the lead comfortably from Alonso and his stop of 6.9 seconds brought him out right behind his younger brother Ralf.

But the elder brother soon got past as he pushed hard to put in some fast laps as new leader Alonso made the most of a clear track before pitting for 5.8 seconds on lap 37. Alonso dropped behind Ralf Schumacher after his stop but he got past on lap 41 after the German made a mistake and careered off the track over the gravel trap, narrowly missing the barriers.

Schumacher came into the pits the following lap and his team checked over his car but sent him out again and he re-joined in sixth behind leader Schumacher, Alonso, Barrichello, Montoya and da Matta. German Heinz Harald Frentzen retired his Sauber on lap 43, Frenchman Olivier Panis parked his Toyota in the garage one lap later and Italian Giancarlo Fisichella retired with a blown engine in his Jordan Ford at the end of lap 45.

On the following lap, Montoya passed teammate Schumacher with a thrilling move to take fifth place while at the front Alonso gained two seconds on Schumacher in two laps. Schumacher handed the lead over to Alonso again when he pitted at the end of lap 48 and he was stationary for 6.9 seconds as his Ferrari team performed a smooth stop under pressure.

Alonso, throwing the car into the corners as he tried to up the pace before his stop, pitted at the end of the following lap and he was stationary for just 6.6 seconds but his team could not get him out in front of Schumacher.

Schumacher was able to keep a stable six-second gap after the final pit stops as he and Alonso pulled further away from Barrichello but there was nothing the Spaniard could do to claim a popular victory.

PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS The Spanish Grand Prix Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona; 65 laps; 307.324km; Weather: Hot and dry. Classified: Pos Driver Team-Engine Tyres Time 1. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1h33:46.933 2. Alonso Renault (M) + 5.717 3. Barrichello Ferrari (B) + 18.001 4. Montoya Williams BMW (M) + 1:02.022 5. R.Schumacher Williams BMW (M) + 1 lap 6. da Matta Toyota (M) + 1 lap 7. Webber Jaguar Cosworth (M) + 1 lap 8. Firman Jordan Ford (B) + 2 laps 9. Button BAR Honda (B) + 2 laps 10. Heidfeld Sauber Petronas (B) + 2 laps 11. Wilson Minardi Cosworth (B) + 2 laps 12. Verstappen Minardi Cosworth (B) + 3 laps Fastest Lap: Barrichello, 1:20.143, lap 52 Not Classified/Retirements: Driver Team On Lap Fisichella Jordan Ford (B) 44 Panis Toyota (M) 42 Frentzen Sauber Petronas (B) 39 Coulthard McLaren Mercedes (M) 17 Villeneuve BAR Honda (B) 13 Trulli Renault (M) 1 Pizzonia Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1 Raikkonen McLaren Mercedes (M) 1 World Championship Standing, Round 5: Drivers: Constructors: 1. Raikkonen 32 1. McLaren-Mercedes 51 2. M.Schumacher 28 2. Ferrari 48 3. Alonso 25 3. Renault 34 4. Barrichello 20 4. Williams-BMW 32 5. Coulthard 19 5. Jordan-Ford 11 6. R.Schumacher 17 6. Sauber 8 7. Montoya 15 7. BAR-Honda 6 8. Fisichella 10 8. Toyota 3 9. Trulli 9 9. Jaguar-Cosworth 2 10. Frentzen 7 11. Villeneuve 3 = Button 3 = da Matta 3 14. Webber 2 15. Heidfeld 1 = Firman 1 All timing unofficial