Sunday March 12th, 2000

By Timothy Collings

Michael Schumacher won the Australian Grand Prix at the 10th attempt on Sunday when he led his new Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello home in a convincing one-two triumph.

The 31-year-old German double world champion had never won the Australian race before but, with a little luck and some impressive assistance from his Brazilian team mate and the Ferrari pit-crew, he finally did so in style.

His best previous finish in Australia was second place twice in 1992 and 1997.

But Schumacher had no trouble after both McLarens, driven by champion Finn Mika Hakkinen and Briton David Coulthard were forced to retire in the early stages.

The McLarens suffered pneumatic valve pressure failures after leading from the start for the first 11 laps when Coulthard, running second behind Hakkinen, retired.

Hakkinen dropped out after 18 laps. "Obviously, I am very disappointed to leave Australia without any points," said the Finn, who is chasing a third successive title. "But I was happy with the car until we had our technical failure."

Their double retirement left the way open for Schumacher's younger brother Ralf, in a Williams, to finish third ahead of 1997 champion Jacques Villeneuve.

The Canadian delivered the BAR team's first points by finishing fourth ahead of Italian Giancarlo Fisichella in a Benetton and Finland's Mika Salo in a Sauber.

"This was the fifth time we have tried to win here in Australia," said Schumacher, referring to Melbourne's Albert Park circuit where in previous years he has struggled.

"I wanted to be competitive at the start of the season and the first time I sat in this car, I knew I could be.

No Need to Push

"I am delighted. I knew I could fight for the championship right from the start with this car, the F1-2000, and even though we did not qualify so well yesterday, I was not worried.

"I thought Mika could celebrate a pole -- and I would celebrate a win. And that is how it has worked out."

Schumacher's win was his 36th victory in his 129th Grand Prix and helped deliver Ferrari's first one-two since last year's controversial and spectacular triumph in Malaysia.

That result was cancelled on technical grounds but reinstated after appeal in Paris. This win increased Ferrari's total to a new record of 126 victories and it was their 47th one-two in world championship history.

"Towards the end I had no need to push," said Schumacher who came home comfortably with his one-stop strategy after Barrichello, on a two-stop race, had briefly led him in the closing laps before he made his second stop.

"I let Rubens pass as he had to make a second stop and he was fighting for second place.

"I am looking forward to the rest of the season as I am sure we have a very competitive and reliable car and we know what we want to do to develop it.

"It would have been interesting if those two other guys (the McLaren men) had not retired because I was looking forward to seeing how we raced against them in the final laps."

Barrichello impressed all the way.

He recovered from a mediocre start -- Schumacher also started poorly and had to block fellow-German Heinz-Harald Frentzen in a Jordan -- to stay on the pace in the first outing by a Brazilian for Ferrari.

"I was stuck behind Frentzen," he said. "It is difficult to overtake here and he held me up, so the team decided to switch me from a one-stop strategy to two stops to get me ahead. It was a brilliant idea and it worked, even if Frentzen retired."

The Jordan driver, and his team-mate Italian Jarno Trulli, was among 12 non-finishers out of 22 starters in a race of attrition which saw McLaren, Jaguar and Jordan teams -- all expected to do well -- fail to have a car finish.

Williams new boy Briton Jenson Button, 20, was also among the non-finishers, but after a stirring and sensible performance which saw him run as high as sixth before his car's BMW engine failed 11 laps from the end.

"It would have been nice to get a point," he said.

"I wanted to do my best for myself and the team and I think I achieved that at least."