Michael Schumacher ended a five-race losing streak to power to victory in the
Italian Grand Prix at Monza on Sunday and extend his lead in the World
Championship.
The Ferrari driver beat Juan Pablo Montoya by 5.2 seconds to move three points
clear of his Williams rival with races in the United States and Japan left.
Brazil's Rubens Barrichello did team-mate Schumacher a favour by claiming
third spot and seeing off the challenge of McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen who dropped
seven points behind the five-time world champion.
Rookie Justin Wilson's hopes of pressing his claims to be retained by Jaguar
Racing next season suffered another blow when he retired after a handful of laps
with a gearbox problem.
Wilson, who had to be pushed off the grid after suffering the problem at the
start of the 53-lap contest, has yet to finish a race in three outings since his
move from Minardi.
McLaren's David Coulthard retired with just eight laps left when set for a
points finish while fellow Brit Jenson Button's impressive qualifying slot of
seventh meant for nothing as his BAR also failed to finish.
Spain's Marc Gene scored a career-best fifth spot for Williams in his first
race for almost three years after deputising for Ralf Schumacher who pulled out
still struggling with the effects of his massive crash in testing last week.
The 29-year-old, whose previous best was sixth for Minardi in 1999, helped the
team retain their lead in the manufacturers' championship though Ferrari are now
just four points behind.
Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve was sixth for BAR with Mark Webber
seventh for Jaguar while Fernando Alonso was eighth in the Renault despite
starting from last place and flying off Minardi's Jos Verstappen on the grid.
Schumacher's fifth victory of the season and first since Canada last June
could prove even more crucial because he will take a record sixth drivers' crown
on countback should he finish level on points at the end of the season.
The 34-year-old, whose Ferrari team were read the riot act by president Luca
di Montezemolo after he was lapped at the last race in Hungary, responded with
his 69th career win.
Schumacher, who started on pole, had to fend off a fierce attack on the
opening lap form Montoya as the two went through the second chicane side by
side.
Montoya got within 1.3secs off Schumacher with 14 laps left but his challenge
was over within two more laps as he dropped two seconds - crucially held up by
Frentzen at one stage - allowing Schumacher an easy victory in the end.
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