Ferrari’s U turn after bumpy ride

Barrichello, who had suffered a nightmare first qualifying on Friday when he span out, said: “For me this is a fantastic feeling – people were talking after Friday’s crash but now they can shut up!” He added: “I love to be in a team like Ferrari that try to make things better. They talk about Michael (Schumacher) this and Michael that, but I never feel down.”

Silverstone’s managing director Peter Waller disclosed that an official investigation had been launched into the track protest.

He told ITV television that police had arrested a 56-year-old man and charged him with aggressive trespassing.

The protestor had been taken to Northampton police station.

F1 supremo Bernie EcClestone, quizzed about the incident, said: “It wasn’t necessary, the race was exciting enough without it.

“The security wasn’t good enough.”

Behind Schumacher meanwhile in fifth was David Coulthard, in a McLaren followed by Renault’s Jarno Trulli, Toyota’s Cristiano da Matta and Jenson Button, who had started at the back of the field, in a Bar-Honda.

Ralf Schumacher, in a Williams, had started in fourth place but never recovered from the protest and finished ninth.

But Barrichello’s stunning win, his first of the season and sixth of his career, will be overshadowed by the idiotic 11th lap protest which brought shame to the security operation here.

The man, dressed in kilt and sporran and with signs hanging around his neck, ran on to the track on the 11th lap at chapel corner. He strolled down the track as the cars took evasive action, was wrestled to the ground by stewards and led away. The safety car was called out for the second time and as most of the leading contenders took pit stops, Brazil’s Da Matta, who had stopped when the safety car had been summoned earlier, took his chance to lead a Grand Prix for the first time in his career.