Button third as Ferraris scoop top places

Ferrari scored their fourth one-two of the 2004 season in the European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring on Sunday - with British driver Jenson Button settling for third place.

By the first corner, Michael Schumacher was on his way to record his 76th win of his career. Schumi's trademark swerve helped to see him through the first corner and fend off the anticipated challenge of Jarno Trulli's fast-starting Renault.

As it transpired it was Takuma Sato in the BAR-Honda, whose determined lunge inside squeezed out Trulli, and saw him take up position immediately astern of Schumacher's Ferrari.

But the drama at the first corner was not yet finished as Ralf Schumacher was at the centre of yet another incident, though this time the blame fell squarely on teammate Juan Pablo Montoya who outbraked his Williams-BMW on cold tyres and slapped Ralf into a spin. Ralf in turn took Cristiano de Matta's Toyota off the circuit.

A sparring session in the fourth corner between Tulli and Sato led to Sato slipping to seventh and Kimi Raikkonen taking his McLaren into second place. With the Finn in second, Schumacher had a 2.4 second lead after the first lap.

The German was, as usual, in a different race setting lap times of around 1:29.00 secs to the Kimi's 1:32.00 secs. But by lap 10, the Finn's McLaren Mercedes engine packed up in a dramatic blow out.

Teammate David Coulthard's McLaren lasted until the shakedown period of the second pit-stops when the field were coming to order in the last run of the afternoon. But not before the Scot had slowed Button's challenge in a BAR that in clear air proved to be sparklingly fast.

However, Rubens Barrichello who pitted with 22 laps to go emerged ahead of Button - a feat that Sato was later to regret as there was a coming together in the first corner as Sato with a faster car lunged down the inside and promptly lost his front wing. Two laps later, after a new nose cone, Sato's misery was complete when the Honda engine expired.

Podium standings: First - M. Schumacher (Ferrari) 1h 32' 35.101"; Second - R. Barrichello (Ferrari) +0' 17.989"; Third - J. Button (BAR) +0' 22.533".

(SP)