Barrichello wins inaugural Chinese GP

Rubens Barrichello won the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix for Ferrari today as world champion team mate Michael Schumacher was …

Rubens Barrichello won the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix for Ferrari today as world champion team mate Michael Schumacher was lapped for the first time in more than a year.

Jenson Button was second for BAR, ahead of McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen.

It was Barrichello's second win in a row and ninth of a career spent largely in Schumacher's shadow.

The Brazilian's race, from pole position to chequered flag before 160,000 spectators, could not have been more of a contrast to Schumacher's unhappy afternoon.

READ MORE

The German, his unprecedented seventh title won last month, finished 12th.

After spinning out in the worst qualifying performance of his career yesterday and starting from the pitlane, the winner of 12 of the season's first 13 races banged wheels with Jaguar's Christian Klien on lap 12.

A spin three laps later pushed him back from 11th to 12th place and his frustration was compounded by a puncture 20 laps from the end.

Spain's Fernando Alonso was fourth for Renault, ahead of Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya for Williams and Japan's Takuma Sato sixth for BAR.

Sauber filled the final two scoring positions with Italian Giancarlo Fisichella seventh and Brazilian Felipe Massa eighth.

Two races remain this season. Ferrari have already won the constructors' championship.