Diving towards the McLaren pitwall, David Coulthard takes the chequered flag at the Austrian Grand Prix flag to launch himself back into the championship fight. He has 10 points in the bag and is, he thinks, six points closer to chief rival Michael Schumacher. A quick look in his rear-view mirror and that illusion is shattered.

A hundred metres from the finish line, Rubens Barrichello has slowed, almost to a standstill. Behind him Michael Schumacher swings out and darts across the finish line to take six points which keep Coulthard six points at bay in the championship.

After the choreographed finale, Schumacher was meek though unapologetic, admitting that it was a necessary evil. "I'm very happy that Rubens did pull over," he said. "You can see with Mika not finishing it's pretty clear McLaren will try and set up David for the championship. There is now very little chance for Mika. David's now in the championship and we need to concentrate."

Barrichello though was patently fuming. "I cannot open my heart on this subject at the moment, I'm sorry," he said. "I need to speak to the team and clarify things before I say anything."

Barrichello's on-track statement was clear enough, however. With Jean Todt on the radio to the Brazilian driver throughout the closing laps, Barrichello waited until the last possible moment before letting his team-mate by, within sight of the Ferrari pit box, under the accusing eyes of the main straight's grandstands. But despite his frustration, despite the accusations of un-sportsmanlike behaviour that will fly towards Maranello in the coming days, it was the only choice. Coulthard's victory re-establishes his threat and coupled with team-mate Mika Hakkinen's failure to get away from the grid, must surely now throw the weight of McLaren resources behind their number two driver. Schumacher admitted this was now his fear, saying that, while he felt he did not deserve his six points, team orders had been a necessity and that he would be surprised if such a policy did not become quickly apparent at McLaren.

"It's a different philosophy Ferrari have to McLaren - you just have to accept that," he said. "I think this sport involves a lot of things - money, pressure. And because of that what counts is the championship. As long as we don't work against the rules we are quite fair about this. There is nothing in the rules to say we shouldn't (race to team orders)."

Coulthard though was adamant that team orders have not been used at McLaren in the past and indicated that such a situation would continue. "I think if you look back at previous seasons, as late as Spa when I was behind Mika and Michael in the championship, I was still able to win," he said. "I think that should explain what normal rules in McLaren are."

Normality, though, does not now pertain. Hakkinen's challenge has expired.

Coulthard now has the momentum and yesterday that momentum forced Ferrari's hand. That, a chaotic start and a 16th-lap clash between then leader Juan Pablo Montoya and Schumacher.

As the Jordans of Heinz Harald Frentzen and Jarno Trulli, the McLaren of Hakkinen and the Sauber of Nick Heidfeld remained rooted to the grid, Schumacher too made a dreadful start, his launch control malfunction leaving him struggling to get away.

The second and third-placed Williams of Montoya and Ralf Schumacher had no such difficulties and blasted past to set up a Williams buffer at the front. When the younger Schumacher retired on lap nine with failed brakes, his brother closed on Montoya and began the joust that would define the race.

Schumacher feinted and darted through a handful of laps and then on lap 16 made the move he thought would earn him the lead. Montoya though had other ideas. As the pair thundered into turn one, Schumacher went wide, braked late and seemed to have the corner. Montoya, on an inside line and fighting his position, refused to give up, locking his right front and ploughing straight on and into the gravel. With nowhere to go Schumacher also went off as a tightly packed group of chasing car scrambled past. It was an incident that left Schumacher accusing the Colombian of deliberately trying to take him off by not giving up a lost corner and insisting that he would have words with the Williams man.

That left Schumacher sixth, ahead of the Colombian, but with a severe deficit to leader Barrichello. Coulthard, second after two-stopping Jos Verstappen pitted on lap 23, now had the advantage. Settling in behind Barrichello, the Scot leaned off his fuel consumption safe in the knowledge that as Schumacher pushed to climb back into the race and burned precious fuel, he could push well ahead of the German who would have to come in earlier than anticipated. The only question was, when would Barrichello pit and would Coulthard have the fuel in hand to get in and out ahead of him?

The answer came on lap 46. With Schumacher in and out a lap previously, the Ferrari mechanics stayed on the pitlane waiting for the leader. Barrichello dived in for a nine-second halt. Coulthard was home and dry. Rattling off four rapid laps, including the race's fastest, Coulthard came in on 50, gained a second on refuelling and rejoined in the lead.

From there it was only a matter of time before Barrichello's radio crackled into life and the order came through to pull over.

After Coulthard's bad luck in Barcelona, a slice of Colombia-inspired fortune served with side orders of driver commitment and strategic nous have thrust Coulthard back into serious, and for once, McLaren-backed contention. The discomfited look on Schumacher's face told you he knows it. The look of hurt and betrayal in Rubens Barrichello's eyes told you he knows it too.