A couple of weeks ago, after scoring a superb victory against the odds and opposition clad with superior Michelin tyres, Michael Schumacher shrugged and said that at some circuits Michelin and Williams would have the advantage and at others Ferrari and Bridgestone would be on top.

Yesterday, at Imola in the San Marino Grand Prix, that assertion was proved - in spades. If illustration of Schumacher's dominance was required there was the sight, a handful of laps from the end, of marshals waving blue flags at sixth-placed McLaren pilot David Coulthard, ordering the Scot to get out of the way as Schumacher wanted to get through.

It had been that way all weekend, however. On Friday, in a practice session characterised by monsoon-like conditions, Schumacher, Ferrari and Bridgestone had washed away all opposition, relegating supposed weekend rivals Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya to ninth and 10th, some 2½ seconds adrift.

Even when Saturday dawned sunny and warm, and hope flared in the hearts of Williams that the weekend may suit their Michelin tyres, Schumacher, Ferrari and Bridgestone joined forced to dash those dreams. Schumacher's run to his 45th career pole, matched only by team-mate Rubens Barrichello, was emphatic.

As the lights went out Schumacher strolled towards the first corner at Tamburello yesterday while behind him bodyguard Barrichello attempted to apply the strong-arm by diving across the bows of Ralf Schumacher as the third-placed Williams man attempted to hang onto his brother's coat-tails.

As they barrelled into Tamburello Barrichello's tactics failed and the younger Schumacher sneaked through, took second place and set off after the world champion. Michael though was not for catching and after just 12 laps had opened a near 10-second gap over his younger brother. But that wasn't enough for Ferrari. On lap 32 they decided to jump Schumacher again.

Barrichello sailed into the pits for his second stop and with a lightning-quick fill and tyre refit they got the Brazilian out ahead of the Williams pilot. From there all Ralf could do was limp home in third place and 21 seconds ahead of his lacklustre team-mate Montoya.

"There are many reasons to be proud today," said the champion. "Last year we failed here and now we've given something back to the Tifosi. It was a special grand prix and I'm proud of the way it went."

A subdued Ralf Schumacher said that third was the best he could hope for. If Schumacher was feeling abused, Montoya was doubly aggrieved, not only being soundly beaten by Michael Schumacher but also having to suffer the ignominy of finishing behind his own team-mate.

McLaren, though, looked the biggest losers. Ron Dennis' team now looks like a fading don whose territory is about to subsumed into the patch of a stronger rival.

After Kimi Raikkonen had exited the race with sensor problem, Coulthard was left to fight for the honour of the Mercedes-powered team. But, again in the pits, he was the victim of a hit-and-run sting - Renault's Jenson Button left the pits in double-quick time on lap 41 and stole Coulthard's fifth place. Button is proving his critics wrong. Yesterday he again out-raced his team-mate Jarno Trulli, to take another points finish.

For the Irish it was another day to forget. Friday's rain had given Jordan hope of a profitable weekend after Giancarlo Fisichella took third in free practice but fine weather on Saturday had boosted their Michelin-shod rivals and left Takuma Sato and Fisichella floundering in 14th and 15th on the grid.

Sato went out after five laps yesterday with an electronics problem within the gearbox. And 14 laps later his team-mate drove his stricken car onto a grass verge, his EJ12 rendered useless by the same hydraulic-pressure problem that had wrecked his qualifying on Saturday. "We will have a post-mortem about it to get to the bottom of where our problems lie. We have a big hill to climb but we have to do it - and we will do it," said team boss Eddie Jordan.

For Eddie Irvine's Jaguar the hill is rapidly becoming a Mountain - he retired after 45 laps with a drive-shaft failure, the same problem that sidelined team-mate Pedro de la Rosa 15 laps earlier.