Coulthard: I can still win it

'I explained over the radio what the problem was and they checked through the spare car to try to identify just what was wrong.

'My car was pulling to the left and the front suspension seemed to drop on that side which caused me to have blisters on my backside. I knew from the start that it was not going to be good. The question was whether I could drive on with the problem that we had with the suspension.

'When you are looking to challenge for the world title, it's about scoring points even on a bad day and that's why I continued, despite losing ground on the Schumachers.

'But eventually the water temperature went up, the engine overheated and I was forced to retire.' But Coulthard refused to criticise the team.

He said:'The reliability of my car generally has been very good this year, so I cannot have too many complaints.

'The important thing is to put this behind us and concentrate on the races to come.'

Coulthard's team-mate, Mika Hakkinen, finished third. It was the first podium finish of a disappointing season for the Finn. Michael Schumacher, who had won four times previously in Canada, has 58 points against the 40 of Coulthard, but even he refuses to take his situation for granted.

The champion said: 'Although I'm pleased to have such a big lead, I realise that there is tremendous competition to come from McLaren, and there is also my brother to consider from now on. Ralf drove a tremendous race today and the Williams-BMW team has to be regarded very seriously indeed.'