Giancarlo Fisichella claimed a dramatic 2nd place for Jordan Ford in today's Brazilian Grand Prix, the Italian driving superbly in atrocious conditions to finish just behind race winner Kimi Raikkonen's McLaren.  This was Jordan's 200th Grand Prix and the result has delighted the team, even though there were a few seconds during which they seemed to have actually claimed victory.

Fisichella was actually leading the race when an accident caused the event to be red-flagged, but he had only just overtaken Raikkonen and according to the rules the race result was backdated one lap.

For several agonising minutes everyone believe Fisichella had actually won the race, but when the result was declared it was Raikkonen who took the top step on the podium with the Jordan driver second.  Fernando Alonso was declared third, but the Spanish driver was unable to take to the podium having been injured when his Renault hit a wheel left in the middle of the track when Mark Webber crashed his Jaguar at high speed.  The impact caused a serious accident and although Alonso stepped from the car he was later stretchered away.

This outstanding result for Fisichella and Jordan Ford nets the team a valuable 8 Championship points, providing a major boost as the series prepares for to return to Europe for the San Marino Grand Prix in two weeks time.

The race was dramatic from the start, torrential rain causing the event to be started behind the Safety Car which circulated for six laps before allowing pole sitter Rubens Barrichello to lead the field towards the first corner.  But it was McLaren who took up the running, David Coulthard taking the lead from Barrichello.  Team mate Kimi Raikkonen was also in stong form at the start and the McLaren duo looked good for a podium finish throughout. 

Barrichello, however, came into his own as the track started to dry out during the second half of the race, his Bridgestone's working well.  However, he took the lead only to retire shortly after, a brutal disappointment on home soil.

The second Ferrari of Michael Schumacher was one of those involved in the many accidents and incidents which caused no fewer than 5 Safety Car sessions.  The World Champion's car speared off the track on lap 27 at Turn 3 three laps after Juan Pablo Montoya's Williams had done the same thing and been hit by Antonio Pizzonia's Jaguar a few seconds later.  Schumacher's Ferrari nearly hit the marshals working to retrieve the stranded Williams and Jaguar cars.  Jensen Button crashed heavily at the same place two laps later, his BAR going into the wall head-on, while the Minardis of Justin Wilson and Jos Verstappen also spun off the track due to the standing water at this corner.

Ralph Firman's race for Jordan Ford was going steadily after he started from the pit lane and joined team mate Giancarlo Fisichella in making a very early pit stop, but his race ended after 17 laps when the front right hand suspension of his car was seen to collapse, perhaps due to damage sustained in an earlier incident, and the Jordan smashed into the rear of Oliver Panis' Toyota taking them both off the track at Turn 1.  Firman was fortunate not to collect Fisichella's car, the Italian having to brake heavily to avoid being caught up in the incident.

Through all the incidents and safety car sessions Fisichella worked his way steadily through the field, gaining on the leaders as the track began to dry out and moving into 2nd when race leader David Coulthard pitted.  The Jordan Ford then harried the first placed McLaren of Kimi Raikkonen, Fisichella finally diving down the inside to take the lead and pulling away over the course of the next lap.  Mark Webber, meanwhile, crashed very heavily in his Jaguar on lap 55 at the left hand kink leading onto the pit straight, throwing debris across the track.  The Safety Car was called out but before the message could be transmitted other drivers had arrived at the accident and Fernando Alonso smashed his Renault straight into a wheel assembly causing an enormous accident to unfold.  The Spaniard was able to climb from the cockpit, limping badly and sitting at the side of the track.

This double-accident left so much debris on the track that the FIA's Race Director Charlie Whiting had no alternative other than to stop the race.  With Fisichella leading it seemed that Jordan had claimed its 4th Grand Prix victory on the occasion of its 200th race in Formula One, but the rules dictate that a red flag caused the results to be declared back-dated 2 laps to lap 53, hence the Italian had to settle for second.

A remarkable race, a tremendous result for Fisichella and Jordan Ford, and also for Formula One with Kimi Raikkonen scoring his second Grand Prix victory and Alonso his second podium.  David Coulthard will rue his final pit stop which caused him to finish fourth in front of Heinz-Harald Frentzen's Sauber, Jacques Villenueve's BAR and the Jaguar of Webber which was credited with finishing seventh.  The only other finishers were Jarno Trulli's Renault, picking up one point for eighth, Ralf Schumacher's Williams and Christiano da Matta's Toyota.