Schumacher masters Monaco

Schumacher began on pole after Coulthard stalled

By BBC Sport Online's Andrew Benson in Monaco

Michael Schumacher has led home an easy one-two win for Ferrari in the Monaco Grand Prix after McLaren-Mercedes self-combusted.

Pole position man David Coulthard stalled on the warm-up lap, the third time in as many races that a McLaren has had problems with its electronic start system.

  Final positions

1. M Schumacher (Ger) Ferrari

2. R Barrichello (Bra) Ferrari

3. E Irvine (GB)
Jaguar

4. J Villeneuve (Can)
BAR

5. D Coulthard (GB) McLaren

6. J Alesi (Fra)
Prost

That gave Schumacher, second on the grid, a clear run into the first corner and he never looked back.

His team-mate Rubens Barrichello was second.

Coulthard recovered to fifth place, behind Jacques Villeneuve's BAR and ahead of Jean Alesi's Prost.

Schumacher's win extended his championship lead over Coulthard to 10 points after seven of the 17 races.

Schumacher initially came under attack from Coulthard's team-mate Mika Hakkinen.

They fought what promised to develop into a fascinating battle for supremacy with the Ferrari for the first 13 laps of the race.

  World Drivers' Championship

1. M Schumacher
52

2. D Coulthard
40

3. R Barrichello
24

Schumacher at first looked like he was getting away - he built a 2.6-second lead by lap five.

But from lap six Hakkinen began to reel him in, and from then on it was nip and tuck, with the gap just over a second, until lap 13.

Then, the Finn suddenly slowed coming out of the tunnel.

Rubens Barrichello, who was being slowly dropped by the leaders, passed him going into the chicane, and Hakkinen lost another place to Ralf Schumacher on lap 14.

Hakkinen pitted at the end of the lap and rejoined in 16th place, 18 seconds behind. But he was back in again at the end of lap 16 and this time it was terminal.

Initial indications were that it was a suspension problem.

Irvine drove a great race

From that moment on, the excitement was gone from the race.

Michael Schumacher had no problems at all, and he could cruise to his fifth victory at Monaco, only one short of Ayrton Senna's all-time record.

Schumacher said: "I honestly don't feel that emotional. It is always nice and special to win Monte Carlo, but it was quite a straightforward win.

"I have always loved it here. It is a very tough circuit, even when the race is quite easy.

"I have always found it easy to find a good set-up here, but still you need a little bit of luck to win so many times here."

Schumacher even had time to enquire about the fortunes of other drivers in the race, he said.

The Monaco track caused a lot of problems for the drivers

He was only coaxed out of his reverie briefly when Coulthard set a new fastest lap on lap 46, having finally got clear of the Arrows of Enrique Bernoldi, which had held the Scot up almost from the start.

Schumacher responded with his own fastest lap on lap 49, and he lowered it to 1m19.770s the next time around.

That established a new lap record for Monaco, breaking the mark set by Hakkinen last year, which was 1m21.571s.

Coulthard lowered the record to 1m19.617s on lap 68.

Irvine was delighted with his result.

"It's fantastic to get a podium," he said, "especially here, and to have two Ferraris and a Jag on the podium is what F1 is all about to an extent.

"We've been quick here all weekend - let's hope we can carry that through to Canada."

Fisichella did not have the best of times

The Scot had an embarrassing afternoon. He failed to make any impression in the race while stuck behind Bernoldi, and he only passed the Brazilian on lap 44 when the Arrows came in for fuel and tyres.

Coulthard moved up the field as those in front of him stopped - McLaren stretched their fuel load to lap 66 before his own pit stop.

He rejoined in sixth place but was promoted to fifth by Alesi's late stop for tyres on lap 70.

Ralf Schumacher had been heading for third place but his Williams retired on lap 58 due to hydraulic failure.

Mechanical problems ruined what might have been a great weekend for Giancarlo Fisichella and Benetton.

The Italian qualified a brilliant 10th for the struggling Renault-owned team, and was running right behind Villeneuve.

But he twice clouted the wall at the first corner, Sainte Devote, as he struggled to control his malfunctioning car.

The first time he managed to continue. The second crash put the car out of the race.

His team-mate, Jenson Button, finished just out of the points in seventh place