Formula 1: Schumacher secures Interlagos win

Michael Schumacher survived another controversial collision with Juan Pablo Montoya to win the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Schumacher triumphed by just half a second after fending off a sustained attack from his brother Ralf.

That was despite a second successive first-lap shunt with Montoya in Sao Paulo.

David Coulthard finished a distant third in his McLaren to complete his first race of the season, with Renault's Jenson Button fourth for the second successive race.

Montoya snatched fifth place despite being last at the end of the first lap, as Renault's Jarno Trulli and McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen retired in the later stages of the 71-lap race. Toyota's Mika Salo was sixth.

Schumacher made a blistering start, forcing pole winner Montoya to cut across him at the first corner.

But the Colombian could not hold the line and as he drifted wide his rival took him on the inside, his greater momentum in the Ferrari proving too much as Montoya desperately tried to fend him off.

Montoya's hopes of challenging for the victory were ended moments later when at the end of the straight he hit the rear of Schumacher's car, sending his front wing flying in the smouldering Sao Paulo air and littering the track with debris.

He was forced into a pit-stop at the end of the first lap, as Schumacher had been following their first corner shunt in Malaysia two weeks ago.Schumacher hared off into the lead, though the noise level went up another decibel as Rubens Barrichello - undoubtedly on a lighter fuel load - began slicing his way through the field from eighth place.

Barrichello, who was born just a stone's throw from the track, shot past his Ferrari team-mate to take the lead in the year old car.

Within three laps Brazilian joy had turned to despair as Barrichello's F-2001, which had proved so reliable as it powered Schumacher to a fourth world title, suddenly developed a fault.

Schumacher took advantage of his team-mate's misfortune to build up an advantage of around 7.5secs at the midway point of the race before finally making his stop for fresh tyres and fuel on lap 39.

Trulli was by then over 50secs back in third place in his Renault and coming under a threat from last year's winner Coulthard, who had earlier slipped past the Renault of fellow Brit Button.

Schumacher junior, who won the last race in Kuala Lumpur, paid his visit to the Williams pit area five laps later but crucially emerged in second place behind his brother.

But he quickly began carving huge chunks of out his deficit to the reigning champion and at one stage was just 0.6secs adrift. Catching his brother is one thing, overtaking is another, and the younger sibling had to settle for second.

Eddie Irvine just missed out on a points finish with seventh place for Jaguar Racing, but Allan McNish saw his first F1 race in Brazil end as he spun out in his Toyota Racing car.

Schumacher now leads the championship by eight points from his younger brother heading into the first European race of the campaign - the San Marino Grand Prix in Imola in two weeks - with Montoya two points further adrift.