David Coulthard scored one of the best victories of his career in Monaco today to end a 12-month victory drought in thrilling fashion.
The 31-year-old McLaren-Mercedes driver triumphed by just one second from Ferrari's Michael Schumacher to wreck the German's bid for to equal Ayrton Senna's record of six wins in Monte Carlo.
Ralf Schumacher finished well-back in third for Williams-BMW with Italy's Jarno Trulli (Renault) and Giancarlo Fisichella (Jordan) fourth and fifth with Germany's Heinz-Harald Frentzen sixth for Arrows.
Eddie Irvine was ninth for Jaguar Racing, Jenson Button crashed his Renault into the BAR of Olivier Panis while Allan McNish's Monaco bow ended when his Toyota hit a guard rail.
Coulthard led from start to finish in the gruelling 78-lap race in the Mediterranean sunshine to claim his first win in 18 races stretching back to Austria on May 13 last year. It was also the 12th of his career.
The Scot's second victory in the world's most prestigious and demanding race in the space of three years banished the bitter memories of last season when he stalled on pole after his launch control failed.
Coulthard, who started second, had to fend off a fierce challenge from Colombia's Juan Pablo Montoya after taking the lead from the pole sitting Williams-BMW driver in the battle for the first corner.
Then the Monaco-based racer had to keep Schumacher at bay for the final 27 laps after Montoya's race ended with a blown engine.
But Schumacher's second place was enough to extend his lead in the drivers' championship to 33 points over Montoya and his brother Ralf with 10 races left.
But the four-time world champion still faces the threat of losing points or being banned following the Ferrari fix in Austria when he appears before the World Council of world governing body, FIA, in Paris next month.
There was no cynical manipulation of the result today, just another thrilling street fight in which Coulthard thoroughly deserved to come out on top after a difficult start to the season.
Coulthard is now fourth in the drivers' standings but still 40 points adrift of Schumacher, who has moved ever closer to a record-equalling fifth world title.
Ferrari's lead in the manufacturers' championship is now 18 points over Williams.
PA