Michael Schumacher was gifted a controversial last-lap victory at the Austrian Grand Prix by Rubens Barrichello as Ferrari's domination of Formula One tightened. Schumacher, who had trailed his teammate throughout the entire weekend, was handed the win when the Brazilian was ordered to pull aside to let the four-time world champion through just before the chequered flag.

The controversial finish angered fans at the A1 ring, who booed and whistled the Ferraris as they came into the pits at the end of an incident-packed race. The victory saw Schumacher tighten his grip on the World Drivers Championship, extending his lead at the top to 27 points from Williams' Juan-Pablo Montoya, who finished Sunday's race third. Michael was unimpressed by the way the win was accomplished, taking no joy whatsoever from the victory.

"I take no joy from this victory. I enjoyed the race but not the last hundred metres. It was a team decision. Only at the end I was called on the radio and told Rubens would move over. I know the decision is not popular, but imagine if we had lost the championship by this number of points at the end of the season," Michael said. "The team would look stupid in that situation. Rubens did a superb job and he outpaced me all weekend. This is a challenging situation having him pushing me. I am sure he will win races this year. If the team had taken this decision in the last race with the title still open nobody would be saying anything about today's events."

Barrichello showed no inclination to do team-leader Schumacher any favours however, consistently lapping quicker than the German as the race became a personal duel. After 21 laps both Barrichello and Schumacher had surged more than 30 seconds clear of the remainder of the field. The Brazilian driver, who only has one victory to his name, appeared to be heading for victory as the remainder of the field squabbled for position - but then pulled over to let Schumacher through.

"I was asked to move over. It was a team decision and I have to respect it. I did as I was told even if I would have preferred not to have been asked to move over," Rubens said in his defense. "Today's event has not affected my determination. I feel I am going through a good time in my life and driving better than ever. I feel my time is coming and there is no point in complaining or arguing. As for the race, the team ran a fantastic strategy and everything, the car, engine and tyres worked very well. I was not pushing too hard and I was being careful, especially after the Safety Car period. I would like to dedicate the trophy to my wife as it is her birthday and of course to my mother as it is Mothers Day. I am looking forward to racing hard in Monaco, which is like a second home race for me."

"It was an action-packed race and thankfully both Heidfeld and Sato escaped serious injury in their accident. We witnessed Ferrari dominate from start to finish. Rubens drove an incredible race, rounding off a fantastic weekend. He was the moral victor today, which is why we sent his race engineer, Gabriele Delli Colli onto the podium," added Jean Todt. "Sometimes one has to take difficult decisions and today was one of those times. In the past we have lost the Drivers' Championship at the last race three times in a row and we know we are up against strong opposition. We therefore have to make the most of every situation. The extra points Michael picked up today could come in useful later in the season. The car and engine were fantastic and the Bridgestone tyres performed exceptionally well. We must work to maintain this performance level."