Schumacher triumphs in Australia
Sunday, 3 March 2002 12:20
Ferrari's Michael Schumacher has made a successful start in his bid to win a fifth drivers' championship after winning a dramatic Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne this morning. Only eight cars finished the race in Albert Park after the field was stripped bare after a multi-car collision on the first corner.
Schumacher avoided the pitfalls to register a 19-second victory over Juan Pablo Montoya of Williams, with Kimi Raikkonen grabbing third place on his McLaren debut. Jaguar's Eddie Irvine came home in fourth place with Mark Webber in a Minardi and Toyota's Mika Salo grabbing fifth and sixth respectively. Alex Yoong and Pedro De La Rosa were the other finishers.
The first corner collision claimed a total of eight cars, including Rubens Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher. The German's Williams car flipped over Barrichello's Ferrari as they jostled for the lead and while stewards decided to send the safety car out, no decision was made to restart the race.
David Coulthard then led early on but he dropped back the field with mechanical problems before his McLaren stalled on the circuit with brake problems after 33 laps. Schumacher eventually took control and with the extra pace of his Ferrari he was able to come home comfortably ahead of Montoya and Raikkonen.
Filed by Tom Grealis
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