Villeneuve Makes His Point plus Three Points for Sauber

"The fight with Michael was one of the best of my career," explained an exuberant Fernando. "I knew he was at least a second a lap

"The fight with Michael was one of the best of my career," explained an exuberant Fernando. (Photo: Auto Sport Press)

quicker, but I had to look after the engine and tires. I did everything I could."

Doing everything he could included an unusual tactic. "My only chance was to brake really hard into the slow corners," he explained. "I was braking more than I needed in order to slow Michael down, and then relying on the car's good traction to stop him from attacking on the next straight."

Schumacher showed that he truly is the sport's emissary when he recognized Fernando's achievement. "I knew I was faster but there was nothing I could do," he said. "I saw I could catch the Renault under acceleration, but I didn't have enough to actually get past. Fernando didn't make any mistakes, and he deserves the win."

The speed of the German's Italian car will go far to quell any talk that the Scuderia's run of consecutive championships is under threat.

"We will get back to being at

Schumacher showed that he truly is the sport's emissary when he recognized Fernando's achievement. (Photo: Auto Sport Press)

the top," he stated. "The race at Imola has given us courage and hope for the upcoming races."

Appearing more like a victor than a runner up, Schumacher continued, "Even I was surprised at how fast I was able to overtake Jenson. If I had been able to get past him sooner I might have had an even better chance of winning. Also, the three second gap from Alonso could have been made up if I had started higher up the grid. This all means that our car was fantastic. All the talk related to the performance of our tires should, without a doubt, end here. We are very well set for the next race. I enjoyed the battle with Alonso very much and I can't wait for the next challenge."