....Schumacher resumes winning ways... Sato throws away certain podium position
Schumacher Takes Dominant Win - European GP
Sunday May 30th, 2004
By Will Gray
World Champion Michael Schumacher coasted back to winning ways as he dominated the European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring to take his sixth victory of the season ahead of Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello.
German Schumacher held off the challenge of the pack at the start of the race and was never troubled for the remainder of the 60-lap event as he eased to the 76th victory of his career in front of home fans.
It was a welcome return to the top step of the podium for Schumacher, who missed out on record sixth successive victory at the start of the season when he was shunted out of the Monaco Grand Prix seven days ago.
Barrichello completed Ferrari's fourth one-two finish of the campaign despite a coming together with Takuma Sato in the closing stages, an incident that cost the BAR-Honda driver his maiden podium.
Jenson Button benefitted from an engine failure for teammate Sato, minutes after the Barrichello incident, to earn third place and collect his fifth podium in six races.
Monaco Grand Prix winner Jarno Trulli continued his record of scoring points in every race with fourth ahead of teammate Fernando Alonso, while Sauber's Giancarlo Fisichella was an impressive sixth having started 18th on the grid.
Mark Webber collected two points for Jaguar with seventh place and Juan Pablo Montoya came home eighth for a solitary point for Williams-BMW after losing time following an opening lap accident.
McLaren pair Kimi Raikkonen and David Coulthard both suffered engine failures, while Ralf Schumacher retired in the gravel after an opening corner coming together with teammate Montoya.
Schumacher held off the advances of the quick-starting Fernando Alonso at the start before Kimi Raikkonen moved into second place behind the world champion at the opening corner. Alonso slotted into third ahead of Sato.
Williams teammates Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher collided at the opening turn and the German was sent spinning into the Toyota of Cristiano Da Matta as both retired. Montoya, the cause of the accident, pitted at the end of lap one for a new nose cone.
David Coulthard, starting at the back of the grid after an engine failure in qualifying, made up 11 places on the opening lap as he moved up to ninth, but his teammate Raikkonen held up the chasing pack as Schumacher raced away.
Schumacher pitted from the lead on lap nine before Raikkonen followed him into the pits the following lap. But the Finn's race ended soon afterwards when another engine failure left him with his head in his hands.
Coulthard completed another miserable day for McLaren when his Mercedes power unit failed mid-way through the race, before Schumacher pitted for the second time and emerged with his lead over teammate Barrichello intact.
Barrichello held onto second place when Sato was unable to get in front of the Ferrari after both made their second pit-stops, but the Japanese driver made a move at the first corner and the pair touched.
But Sato's ambitious move cost him dearly as he damaged his front wind in the incident as he struggled round to the pits and handed teammate Button third place. After pitting, Sato rejoined in sixth place only for his Honda engine to expire. |
