Schumacher handed controversial win

Michael Schumacher scored a farcical victory in Austria today after Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello was ordered to move over for him just yards from the chequered flag.

The German’s lucky triumph ended his search for a victory on the A1-Ring at Zeltweg the only track on the current calendar where he had never won to extend his lead in the championship to 27 points.

But the victory by 0.1 second after Barrichello had been forced to submit to his team-mate in Austria for the second year in a row - will again do nothing for the image of the sport.

Even Schumacher - whose career record is now 58 wins - was embarrassed by the order and allowed Barrichello to take the victory podium as the crowd booed.

Colombia’s Juan Pablo Montoya was third with Williams-BMW team-mate Ralf Schumacher fourth in a race where Jordan’s Takiuma Sato miraculously escaped unhurt after being t-boned by Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld.

But there was some joy for Jordan as Giancarlo Fisichella finished fifth to score their first points of the campaign with David Coulthard sixth for McLaren.

Jenson Button was seventh for Renault while Allan McNish came home ninth in the Toyota, but Eddie Irvine retired his Jaguar Racing car.

Barrichello looked to have deservedly ended his 22-month victory drought just days after he agreed a new deal top stay at Ferrari until the end of 2004.

But the cynical team orders came on the final lap just 12 months after he reached his lowest ebb with the Italian team when he was ordered to move over to allow Schumacher to finish second in the race.

It would have been only the second victory of his 152-race career - the last was in Germany in July 2000 - but comes just two weeks before he reaches his 30th birthday.

The duo had cruised into a massive advantage before the safety car was deployed for the first time when Olivier Panis’s BAR spun on the home straight after his engine blew.

The car came out again when Heidfeld’s Sauber went out of control and slid backwards on the gravel for around 100 metres before smashing into Sato’s car, just missing Montoya in the process.

But despite being stretchered away and taken to the circuit’s medical centre in an ambulance he was unhurt.