Schu’s title hopes back on track
Ferrari dominated the race and allowed Schumacher to cruise to his third victory of the season, winning by 7.9 seconds from his teammate Felipe Massa.
The result ended Fernando Alonso’s run of four consecutive victories, slashing his championship lead to 19 points in the process.
The Renault driver could only manage fifth place — his first finish off the podium since Hungary last July.
However, Alonso’s teammate Giancarlo Fisichella proved Renault had podium pace by taking third, denying Jarno Trulli a rostrum after a remarkable performance.
The Toyota driver started from the pit lane but weaved his way through carnage on lap one to creep up the field and score his best result of the season.
Toyota would’ve had more points if it hadn’t been for Ralf Schumacher’s late retirement, which lifted Alonso up a place and restricted the damage to Renault’s title lead, which stands at 26.
Ralf Schumacher’s late heartbreak gave Honda reason to smile by promoting Rubens Barrichello into sixth place, as the team scored for the first time since May.
David Coulthard was seventh for Red Bull after a quiet race, while Vitantonio Liuzzi scored Scuderia Toro Rosso’s first Formula One point.
Jenson Button’s hopes of his first points finish since Monaco ended within a few hundred yards of the start when he was caught in a massive pile up.
McLaren driver Juan Pablo Montoya started the shunt when he hit the back of teammate Kimi Raikkonen, prompting a frightening chain reaction.
Button was nudged into Nick Heidfeld as the cars bumped together, firing the BMW-Sauber driver into a series of rolls from which he was fortunate to escape unscathed.
Eight cars were eliminated when the dust settled — including both McLaren and home hero Scott Speed, who was a helpless victim of the chaos ahead of him.
Massa led from the start but the safety car was brought out for six laps, with vehicles littering the track.
The Ferrari pair scampered away from the rest of the field when racing resumed.
Fisichella lead the pack by lap 15, after Alonso allowed him past.
The world champion was out of sorts and soon found himself chased by a gaggle of cars, with Barrichello putting on the pressure.
Jacques Villeneuve was seventh in the pack, until his BMW-Sauber engine expired in a cloud of smoke on lap 24, leaving the 1995 Indianapolis 500 winner to trudge back to the pits.
Massa’s lead lasted until his first pitstop on lap 30 — one lap later than teammate Schumacher, who snuck ahead of the pack.
With a clear track ahead, Schumacher stretched his legs and comfortably pulled clear, while Alonso’s problems continued.
Alonso eventually dropped to sixth position after his final pitstop on lap 56, when he fell behind the Toyota pair of Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher.
However, only one Toyota finished after Schumacher retired 10 laps from the end, leaving him to watch his brother Michael wrap up his 87th career win.
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