Michael Schumacher after winning the British Grand Prix in Silverstone on Sunday

Silverstone: Michael Schumacher held off a late challenge from McLaren’s resurgent Kimi Raikkonen to win the British Grand Prix for Ferrari Sunday and celebrate his 10th victory in 11 races.

It was the 80th win of the German’s career.

But he had a late scare when the deployment of the safety car 15 laps from the end, after Italian Jarno Trulli’s Renault piled into the tyre wall at speed, offered the young Finn a glimmer of hope.

The six-time world champion, smooth and controlled as ever, quickly snuffed out the threat to take the chequered flag as Raikkonen finished 2.1 seconds behind.

“It took away the comfortable lead I had built up by that stage,” said the German of the intervention. “The safety car was going very, very slowly around. It didn’t look like he was putting any effort into his drive.”

It was Schumacher’s third success at Silverstone, the circuit where he broke his leg in 1999, as well as dominant Ferrari’s third in a row there.

Raikkonen was second to revive McLaren with their first podium finish of the season, while Schumacher’s Brazilian team mate Rubens Barrichello held off BAR’s British hopeful Jenson Button for third place.

Schumacher has 100 points to Barrichello’s 74. Button has 53. Ferrari lead the constructors’ championship with 174 points to Renault’s 79 with BAR on 67.

Barrichello, second in the championship and last year’s British winner, remained the only driver to have scored points in every race this season.

Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya was fifth for Williams, disappointing again in their home race, while Italian Giancarlo Fisichella was a strong sixth for Sauber. Briton David Coulthard was seventh for McLaren with Australian Mark Webber taking the final point for Jaguar.

THE STANDINGS

Drivers (top-10): 1. Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari 100 points; 2. Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Ferrari (74); 3. Jenson Button (Britain) BAR (53); 4. Jarno Trulli (Italy) Renault (46); 5. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Renault (33); 6. Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia) Williams (29); 7. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) McLaren (18); 8 (tie). Takuma Sato (Japan) BAR (14); 8 (tie). David Coulthard (Britain) McLaren (14); 10. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Sauber (13).

Constructors (top 10): 1. Ferrari 174 points; 2. Renault 79; 3. BAR 67; 4. Williams 41; 5. McLaren 32; 6. Sauber 18; 7. Toyota 8; 8. Jordan 5; 9. Jaguar 4; 10. Minardi 1.