Schumacher brings up century of points, Wins at a stroll
Pakistan Times Sports Desk

SILVERSTONE (England): Six-time world champion Michael Schumacher dominated the British Grand Prix to move one win away from equalling his record number of victories in a season and bring up a century of points for the campaign.

Schumacher, who started fourth on the grid, moved to the front after the first round of pitstops and enjoyed a Sunday stroll in the English countryside to secure his 10th win of from this season’s 11 races and the 80th of his career.

“I am amazed how the race went,” Schumacher beamed Sunday.

“That the strategy would pay off so early was not the plan but the car was going so well that I could close the gap so quickly on Kimi and then I was able to control it.

“It is unbelievable what has happened this year but it pays back all the hard work done in the factory.

“We have never held off as in a way we took it a little bit too easy last season and because everyone felt the pain from last term, everyone has kept pushing. The hunger is still there.”

The race looked set to be turned on its head when Italian Jarno Trulli crashed - he went to the medical centre for a precautionary check-up - and brought the safety car out with 19 laps remaining but Schumacher eased away after the re-start and cruised to the finish.

Schumacher was not too impressed by the safety car driver.

“He didn’t seem to put too much effort into his driving and it left our tyres still cold when he left the track,” he said.

Schumacher’s victory - his second at Silverstone in three years - came thanks to a two-stop strategy that bettered the three-stop tactics of most of his rivals as Ferrari played their cars right yet again.

Finn Kimi Raikkonen pushed hard from start to finish but the pace of the recently introduced new McLaren machine was never a match for the all-conquering Ferraris and he had to be content with second place.

“The traffic cost me valuable time but that is racing and I am pleased to get my first podium since last year’s Japanese Grand Prix,” said the Finn.

“It is a good result after the really difficult start to the season.”

Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, last year’s Silverstone winner, had to settle for third after starting from second on the grid and he dropped a further four points back in the chase of world championship leader Schumacher.●