Ralf Schumacher scored back-to-back victories for the first time in his career by taking the chequered flag in the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours to maintain his mid-season championship surge.

The 28-year-old German followed up last Sunday's triumph on home soil in the European Grand Prix to win convincingly by almost 14 seconds from team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya and spearhead a second one-two in succession for the resurgent Williams-BMW team.

Ferrari's Michael Schumacher was well beaten into third place on the track where he clinched his record-equalling fifth world title last year.

Schumacher faces a much tougher task this season but today still extended his lead in the drivers' championship by a single point to eight over McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen, who finished fourth.

But his advantage over his younger brother is now just 11 points after 10 of the season's 16 races.

Britain's David Coulthard finished fifth in the other McLaren-Mercedes after a dramatic third and final pit-stop in the 70-lap race when he dragged his refueller to the ground as he pulled away.

Australia's Mark Webber finished sixth for Jaguar for the second race running while Rubens Barrichello was seventh for Ferrari despite slumping to last after spinning at the end of the first lap. Olivier Panis picked up the final point with eighth for Toyota.

Minardi's Justin Wilson was 14th with Ralph Firman 15th for Jordan while a frustrating weekend for Jenson Button predictably ended early when he parked up his BAR-Honda car.

Schumacher junior led from start to finish and his near-faultless performance brought him the sixth victory of his 110-race career while his team are now just two points behind Ferrari in the battle for the manufacturers' championship.

It has been a memorable week for the Salzburg-based racer who celebrated his birthday just a day after his European Grand Prix victory last weekend.

The older Schumacher could do nothing to prevent another Williams clean sweep and he spent much of the race behind the two-year-old McLaren cars.

But the 34-year-old moved from fifth to third in the final round of pit-stops with 18 laps left to increase his narrow championship lead heading into the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in two weeks' time.

Schumacher junior said: "I was able to disappear before the first stop but then Juan was able to get closer, maybe we got the pressures wrong on the tyres.

"If the two of us keep working like this we can keep winning but there are circuits where it will be quite tough for us."

Montoya added: "My first stint wasn't very good though towards the end it got a bit better and I could get close, but I had a problem with my final stop.

"There was something wrong with the wheel nut or something. All the advantage I had gained I lost and all I needed was an extra second so I just backed off at the end."

Schumacher senior said: "Kimi out-accelerated me and I even had to fight with Coulthard who got close to me.

"The only opportunity was knowing they (McLaren) stopped early the first two stops which meant the last stop they did was for a lot of fuel. That is what got me the advantage over them.

"You always look for better but looking at the weekend's pace overall that was all we could do."