World champion Michael Schumacher sensationally won the Spanish Grand Prix today when the clutch onleader Mika Hakkinen's McLaren "exploded" on the final lap.
Hakkinen, 40 seconds ahead of Schumacher's Ferrari, appeared set to claim his fourth successive Spanish Grand Prix victory when his car suddenlyslowed to a crawl.
He tried to keep going but smoke began pouring out of the back of the McLaren and Germany's Schumacher, who had suffered serious problemswith his third set of tyres, swept past the Finn to claim his third victory of the season.
Hakkinen hitched a ride back to the pits sitting on his team mate's car, his championship still stalled at four points after five races. A Mercedesspokesman said the clutch on Hakkinen's car had "exploded".
"It was our lucky day today," Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn said. "Until you get over the line is is not finished. I couldn't believe it but youtake it when it comes."
Colombia's Juan Pablo Montoya was second in a Williams, claiming the first points of his grand prix career.
BAR's Jacques Villeneuve of Canada was third with Italy's Jarno Trulli, in a Jordan, in fourth. Germany's Nick Heidfeld in a Sauber was sixth.
Schumacher leads the drivers' championship with 36 points. McLaren's David Coulthard, who finished fifth, is second on 28 after recoveringsuperbly from a disastrous start to the day.
Britain's Coulthard stalled on the grid at the beginning of the warm-up lap and was forced to start the race at the back of the 22-car grid.
Coulthard then collided with Arrows' Enrique Bernoldi and was forced into the pits on the first lap for a change of nose cone. In morning practiceCoulthard's engine had spewed smoked but the pit crew did not believe it had been damaged.
Ralf Schumacher, who won his first grand prix at Imola two weeks ago, slid out of the race when running fourth on lap 21 and unchallenged. Heappeared to get the braking all wrong entering a corner and pirouetted into a gravel trap.
"The strange this was ... I touched the brakes and all of a sudden the rear came out. I wouldn't say you should usually spin in that position,"Schumacher said.
Jordan’s Heinz-Harald Frentzen went out of the race early after a collision with Pedro de la Rosa’s Jaguar.Eddie Irvine in the other Jaguar also retired with a mechanical failure.
Reuters