I could not have expected this in normal circumstances

I could not have expected this in normal circumstances.”It was the 26th victory of Schumacher’s Formula One career, making him outright fifth in the all-time list of winners. Only Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell and Jackie Stewart are above him. Given that he is 28, he will surely move further up the order and may eventually top it A third championship patently beckons this season. Heinz-Harald Frentzen was fourth and Villeneuve sixth, behind the consistently excellent Johnny Herbert’s Sauber-Petronas.The passionate embrace of the Ferrari faithful awaits Schumacher on Sunday week but in racing terms this has become his spiritual home, a domain he commands with imperious conviction. He announced his arrival as the outstanding talent of his generation here, in 1991, registered his maiden grand prix success a year later, came second in 1993, was first across the line in 1994 only to be disqualified and has won the three since.Yesterday he resumed his familiar pose at the top of the rostrum, “emptied my mind and just enjoyed it. His fourth victory in six seasons here has lifted him 12 points clear of Jacques Villeneuve, his only realistic challenger for the championship and principal casualty of the capricious conditions.
Schumacher delayed taking his place on the grid as long as possible and watched torrential rain spear down on to the track. He opted for a car with wet-dry settings and intermediate tyres, gambling the downpour would be brief Not for the first time, his hunch was right.

By the time the rain passed over it was too late for anyone to change tyres.”When I was sitting on the grid and the rain stopped, and I saw the sun, I started smiling,” he said. “I knew then that I would win.”The first three laps were controlled by the safety car, and within two laps of the contest proper Schumacher was controlling the race. At one stage he led by more than a minute, and at the end was still 26 seconds ahead of Giancarlo Fisichella’s Jordan-Peugeot. Mika Hakkinen, newly retained by McLaren-Mercedes, completed the podium line-up.Williams-Renault, committed to dry settings and full wet tyres, were left floundering in the decisive early stages and reduced to a desperate scramble for points in the closing laps. The heavens opened just long enough here yesterday to provide Michael Schumacher with the scenario he can exploit like no other driver. Schumacher’s incomparable racing brain and car control took care of the rest.

Mark Philippoussis may find some each-way supporters at 20-1, but he has yet to make significant progress in a Grand Slam this year.Even the most fervent of patriots, meanwhile, will hesitate before throwing money away on Britain’s two challengers. Tim Henman is rated a less likely winner than Greg Rusedski, but at 50-1 and 40-1 respectively, a place in the last 16 appears the most that either can hope for.Once again, it seems that Pete Sampras is too short to back but too good to oppose.With betting on the women’s singles yet to appear due to doubts about the fitness of Martina Hingis, this is another tournament which must pass without a bet.US OPEN TENNIS (Hills): 4-5 P Sampras 8-1 M Chang 9-1 Y Kafelnikov 14-1 G Ivanisevic 16-1 T Muster 20-1 M Philippoussis 25-1 C Moya, R Krajicek, S Brugeura 33-1 J Bjorkmann, M Rios, T Enqvist, P Rafter 40- 1 A Agassi, A Corretja, G Rusedski. The German duly annihilated the rest to confirm his pre-eminence at Formula One’s most revered circuit. That, he knew even before the start of the Belgian Grand Prix, would be a formality. 50-1 A Costa, F Mantilla, J Courier, J Stoltenberg,P Korda, T Henman 66-1 C Pioline, M Larsson 80-1 T Martin, T Woodbridge. 100-1 A Berasetagui, A Medvedev, A O’Brien, B Steven, C Woodruff, D Wheaton, J Stark, K Novak, M Rosset, M Woodforde, S Draper, T Haas..