Coulthard finished fifth after being held up by the Arrows driver for almost half the 78-lap race having been forced to start from the back of the grid when his car stalled at the start of the formation lap.

The Scot had to watch Ferrari’s title rival Michael Schumacher claim the easiest of his five wins in the Mediterranean tax haven to move 12 points clear going to the race in Montreal on Sunday week.

Bernoldi’s blocking tactics in only the seventh race of his career angered the McLaren team, though boss Ron Dennis denied he had warned the 22-year-old he had the power to ruin his career.

‘‘I said nothing of that sort,’’ insisted Dennis of the claim. ‘‘I have no influence over his career at all. I just told him that in my opinion it was unsporting behaviour what he did.’’

Either way, Arrows chief Tom Walkinshaw was unhappy and said: ‘‘To say he will finish the career of a young driver in his first season in Formula One is outrageous.

‘‘It is wholly inappropriate for people of that stature to verbally abuse a kid like that.

‘‘Ron should focus on the fact that he had one car stall on the grid and another break down instead of having a go at someone who drove a good race in keeping the car off the wall in his first visit to Monaco.’’

Dennis claimed Arrows only ordered Bernoldi to block the championship hopeful to guarantee the team more television exposure as cameras captured Coulthard’s efforts to get past.

But Bernoldi insisted he had a pit-lane confrontation with Dennis and Norbert Haug, sporting boss of McLaren’s engine suppliers Mercedes.

‘‘Ron and Norbert came up to me after the race in the pit-lane,’’ said Bernoldi. ‘‘They were both very aggressive.

‘‘They told me if you continue to drive in that sort of way again, you are not going to be in F1 for very long. I was very scared, they were very aggressive.

‘‘I know David is pushing for a championship but if my team is telling me to push, that is what I do. I would have to slow down myself to let him past.

‘‘Really, if I had done anything wrong I would have got a stop and go penalty. That is the rules, but I didn’t.

‘‘I feel sorry for David. He is a nice guy and it is a shame that he started in pole position and then stalled, but that is racing.’’

Coulthard said: ‘‘He was only interested in the glory of racing me for 15th place. He was letting other people past, but every time I made a move he would cut across me.

‘‘I was afraid that if I took a dive he might cut across and we would both end up in the barriers.’’

But Coulthard, who still maintained his record of finishing in the points in every race, is now looking to regain his winning momentum.

‘‘I am very disappointed because I could have won the race though I am pleased to finish in the points,’’ he said.

‘‘There is still a long way to go in the championship and we will just have to hit back when we get to Montreal for the next race. I will be looking for a win there.’’

Coulthard, who has stalled twice in three races because of a problem with the launch control software, added: ‘‘We have got to get rid of these glitches at the start. The engine just cut out and it is very frustrating.’’

Schumacher won by less than half a second from team-mate Rubens Barrichello but could afford to ease up in the final laps knowing the Brazilian would not be challenging him.

The 32-year-old is now just one win away from equalling Ayrton Senna’s six wins in Formula One’s most famous race and three off matching Alain Prost’s all-time record of 51 wins.

Eddie Irvine scored Jaguar Racing’s first-ever podium and first points of the season with a fine third spot.

Jacques Villeneuve was fourth for BAR while Jean Alesi was sixth for Prost and Jenson Button seventh for Benetton.