Ferrari’s Rubens Barrichello made history on Sunday as the first winner of a Formula One Grand Prix in China. While the Brazilian celebrated before a sellout 160,000-strong crowd, his world champion team mate Michael Schumacher was lapped in the first race he has finished without scoring a point for five years.Briton Jenson Button was second for BAR, 1.035 seconds behind Barrichello, with McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen third after challenging strongly in the first half. It was Barrichello’s second win in a row, and ninth of a career spent largely in Schumacher’s shadow, and gave China a winner in red as the gleaming $325 million Shanghai circuit made its grand prix debut.“I had a very good start and I was amazed by the grip on the first lap. I was feeling good the whole way through,” said the Brazilian, second place in the championship now assured behind Schumacher who won his seventh title last month. Schumacher has 136 points, Barrichello 108 and Button 79.Spain’s Fernando Alonso was fourth for Renault, ahead of Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya for Williams and Japan’s Takuma Sato in sixth for BAR after starting 18th.Sauber filled the final two scoring positions with Italian Giancarlo Fisichella seventh and Brazilian Felipe Massa eighth. “It was really nice. Towards the end, because I had an eight-second gap, I didn’t push that much,” said Barrichello, who drenched the elegantly suited Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo with champagne on the podium before pouring the remainder over his own head.His race from pole position to chequered flag stood out in marked contrast to Schumacher’s unhappy afternoon. The German finished 12th and was lapped for the first time since the Hungarian Grand Prix of August 2003. (Reuters)
