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RACE RESULT
1 M Schumacher (Fer)
2 J Button (BAR)
3 F Alonso (Ren)
4 D Coulthard (McL)
5 JP Montoya (Wil)
6 M Webber (Jag)
7 A Pizzonia (Wil)
8 T Sato (BAR)
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World champion Michael Schumacher cruised to his 11th win in 12 races this season with a crushing victory for Ferrari at the German Grand Prix.
Schumacher finished ahead of BAR's Jenson Button, who stormed from 13th on the grid to grab second.
Button battled with Renault's Fernando Alonso, pushing the Spaniard into third ahead of McLaren's David Coulthard.
Schumacher led throughout, although McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen threatened briefly before crashing out on lap 14.
Ferrari missed out on clinching the constructors' title, however, as Rubens Barrichello finished outside the points.
It was Schumacher's third win at Hockenheim and his sixth Grand Prix win in a row.
The German also equalled his own record of 11 wins in a season and is now 36 points clear in the drivers' championship.
With Schumacher leaving the rest trailing after starting on pole, it was Button who proved the most dynamic force on the circuit.
Forced to start from 13th place on the grid because of an engine-change infringement in Friday's practice, he quickly set about making amends.
A superb duel with Alonso was the highlight of the race, with Button, despite having to drive one-handed on the straights because of a problem with his helmet strap, finally squeezing past.
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For me it was the best drive of my career
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Juan Pablo Montoya had been second on the grid but he was left at the start and his Williams struggled to make any impact thereafter, finishing fith.
Raikkonen had looked like he might challenge Schumacher before his rear wing suddenly flew off on lap 14 and his car was sent hurtling into a tyre barrier.
Schumacher admitted that he had been worried by Raikkonen's progress.
"It was a pretty tough race especially at the beginning when Kimi was putting on the pressure," said the German.
Coulthard also had problems when Barrichello ran into the back of him - and the Scot's McLaren picked up further damage from the debris after Raikkonen's crash.
But Coulthard still managed to finish fourth, his best result of the season.
New Williams driver Antonio Pizzonia made an impressive debut, finishing seventh.
But the new Toyota ran into problems, with Olivier Panis stalling on the grid and causing the start to be delayed.
He ended up starting from the pit lane and eventually finished 14th.
It was also a bad day for Jarno Trulli who had earlier announced that he is leaving Renault at the end of the season. The Italian came home 11th.
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