Schumacher’s punishment left him at the back of the grid but he elected to start from the pit lane and had moved up to 18th by the end of lap one.

Williams’ Mark Webber briefly held second but dropped back thanks to a daring pass by McLaren driver Kimi Raikkonen, whose team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya was fourth.

Raikkonen was the fastest man on the track and he quickly put Alonso under severe pressure, while at the wrong end of the grid Jenson Button dropped even further off the pace.

The Honda driver started 13th but dropped down to 15th, well behind fifth-placed team-mate Rubens Barrichello. Williams’ Nico Rosberg enjoyed a fine start to vault up two places to sixth and he began pressurising Barrichello.

Schumacher’s charge was halted by Button in 15th, with the Ferrari driver finding his Honda rival a tougher nut to crack than the backmarkers behind him.

Schumacher finally bullied his way past the struggling Button on lap 20, darting down the inside while under braking for the chicane, as ahead of them Montoya pitted from fourth.

Raikkonen started the first wave of pit stops on lap 22 but when the top three had all pitted within three laps of each other, nothing had changed at the front with Raikkonen still glued to Alonso’s gearbox.

Barrichello’s dismal pace had allowed the top four to pull clear away, giving them a half minute cushion at the front.