Content area
Full text
Michael Schumacher's closest challengers conceded defeat in the battle for the drivers' crown in Spain yesterday after the German enjoyed another Sunday afternoon stroll to victory.
The Grand Prix season may be only five races old but Schumacher's second successive crushing win and fourth victory of the campaign has given him a commanding advantage he is unlikely to relinquish, even with 12 races left.
Schumacher's domination was absolute on the Circuit de Catalunya as he triumphed by almost 36 seconds in his Ferrari from the Williams-BMW of Colombia's Juan Pablo Montoya, with Britain's David Coulthard third in his McLaren-Mercedes.
The 33-year-old leads the championship by 21 points from Montoya with his brother, Ralf, three points further back after a nightmare day in his Williams.
'Forget the drivers' championship - there is just no chance,' said former Ferrari driver Gerhard Berger, now motorsport director of BMW.
'I am a big fan of Michael and the success he has had is unbelievable. He does a fantastic job on the circuit but also off it, by motivating people and leading them.
'Ferrari just have a strong package. There is nothing secret in that, it is just an outcome of working very hard, having the right people and waiting 21 years to be back in this position.
'We have seen things change, but I think it's in the constructors' championship that we have an outside chance, but not a real chance.'
Schumacher said, after extending his all-time career record to 57 wins and moving nearer to a record-equalling fifth drivers' title, that Williams could be closer at the next race in Austria in two weeks' time.
'They can be very competitive there this year,' said Schumacher. 'There will be circuits which are more difficult for us.
'Maybe we have had two races for first position which have not been so interesting, but that has happened in the past as well.
'But our car is simply phenomenal and you have seen the potential of it on this circuit. It was just the perfect race for me.'
Schumacher won despite being forced to use the spare car after his F-2002 developed a hydraulics problem during warm-up.
And again, when Ferrari did suffer a reliability problem when it mattered, it befell...