Schumacher celebrates 50th victory

Ferrari's Michael Schumacher celebrated the 50th win of his Formula One career at the French Grand Prix on Sunday and made younger brother Ralf settle for second best.

Ralf, who started on pole in a Williams for the first time in his career after his 26th birthday on Saturday, led from the start, but the race on a baking hot afternoon in central France was won and lost in the pits.

World champion Michael was faster in and out and his solid victory, 10.3 seconds ahead of his brother, was his sixth in 10 races this season and his fifth at Magny-Cours.

The German has only once failed to finish in the top two places in 2001.

Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, in the other Ferrari, was third ahead of Briton David Coulthard -- still Schumacher's nearest championship rival -- in a McLaren.

"Our pit stop strategy worked well, and my second stop was really good and I was flying," Schumacher said.

"It was the perfect result to have 1-2 with Ralf and to have Rubens third -- it's obviously a good day for Ferrari." Italian Jarno Trulli was fifth for Jordan and German Nick Heidfeld picked up the last point in a Sauber.

Schumacher's win also left the triple world title winner just one victory short of Frenchman Alain Prost's all-time record of 51 wins and looking certain to overtake that mark long before the end of the season.

COMPLETE CONTROL

The 10 points ensured the older Schumacher was in complete control of the championship, with a lead of 31 points over his nearest rival Briton David Coulthard.

Schumacher has 78 points, Coulthard 47. Ferrari are comfortably ahead in the constructors' title race on 108 points.

Coulthard, who started on the second row of the grid, laboured on a ferociously hot afternoon when nothing went right for the Mercedes-powered team.

The Scot's Finnish team mate Mika Hakkinen, the two times world champion whose season has been little short of disastrous, failed to start after being left stranded on the grid at the start of the pre-race formation lap.

That failure, one of many suffered by McLaren this season, killed off what little hopes he had of being a championship contender since the Finn was left a massive 69 points adrift of Schumacher with only 70 remaining to be won.

One of the many pitstops brought more problems for Coulthard, with the Scot picking up a 10 second stop/go penalty for speeding in the pit lane.

"I'm not sure if I gained the penalty on the way in or on the way out of the pit lane but it was disappointing and cost me dear," Coulthard told ITV Sport.

But the McLaren driver was not ready to throw in the towel for the world championship.

"All we can do is wait till the end of the season and then review the situation -- it's always feasible that Michael doesn't finish a few races so the championship isn't over yet."

Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya also led the race in the second Williams during the pitstops but pulled over and retired 20 laps from the finish.