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To: who cares? who wrote (437)	6/7/2000 2:38:00 PM
From: Sir Auric Goldfinger	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 5758

2000 Monaco Grand Prix: Coulthard storms ahead By Vernon B. Sarne June 8, 2000 FOR THE FIRST this season, Michael Schumacher wasn't able to earn a single point, much less bring his Ferrari to the finish. As a result, McLaren's David Coulthard grabbed his second victory of the year at last Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix at Monte Carlo. The Scotsman became the first Brit to win the race since Jackie Stewart did it in 1973. But even more significantly, Coulthard has stormed past teammate Mika Hakkinen for second position in the drivers championship and has narrowed the gap between himself and Schumacher to a very manageable 12 points (34-46). McLaren likewise cut Ferrari's lead in the constructors battle to 5, 63-68. Schumacher started the 78-lap race at pole after a brilliant qualifying performance. The race, however, would be delayed twice--first by a mechanical problem suffered by Benetton's Alexander Wurz and second by the buildup at the Loews hairpin caused by a mild contact between Arrows' Jos Verstappen and Williams' Jenson Button. But even after these frustrating incidents, Schumacher was able to protect his position with a clean start and he went on to steadily increase his lead from the rest of the pack by a second a lap. The two McLarens couldn't give chase because Coulthard was stuck in third behind Jordan's Jarno Trulli, while Hakkinen was being held up by the second Jordan driver, Heinz-Harald Frentzen. The Circuit de Monaco is one of the most difficult tracks in all of Formula One to do an overtaking. For two-thirds of the race, it was Michael Schumacher's show all the way. On Lap 55, the unexpected happened. Perhaps paying for pushing his car to the extreme limits, Schumacher was bogged down by a suspension problem. He had to crawl nearly a full lap on three wheels before he got to the pit area, only to be told by the Ferrari team that his car was damaged beyond a fighting chance. Later, the German driver revealed that an exhaust pipe broke and cooked the left rear suspension. This is the first time Schumacher had to contend with a reliability problem. The only consolation for Ferrari was the fact that their second driver, Rubens Barrichello, was able to salvage second position to earn 6 points for the team. Benetton's Giancarlo Fisichella was the third podium finisher. Both of them benefited from the retirement of Jordan's Frentzen on Lap 70, who was running second to Coulthard at the time. Eddie Irvine won the first championship points for his Jaguar team with a strong 4th-place finish. Sauber's Mika Salo and McLaren's Hakkinen, respectively, were the last two drivers to win points. Michael Schumacher's younger brother, Ralf of Williams, got three stitches in the leg after hitting the barrier at the Sainte Devote corner. At least four other drivers brushed their cars against that very same barrier, prompting commentators to note that it was the most valuable advertising spot that day. The next race--Canadian GP in Montreal on June 18--gets even more exciting because this time, both McLaren drivers Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard are chasing not just Michael Schumacher but each other as well. Let's see how McLaren chief Ron Dennis plays his cards.