Ferrari fined - but not for 'fix'

An FIA statement said: " Schumacher took the trophy for first place from the Austrian Chancellor, did not acknowledge him, handed the trophy to Rubens Barrichello and then took the second place trophy from the Austrian Deputy Chancellor."

Half the fine was suspended for one year but will become payable should a similar offence occur within 12 months.

Some commentators had expected a points deduction for Schumacher or even a ban after the Austrian result was widely condemned.

The statement said the FIA "deplored the manner in which team orders were given and executed.

"Nevertheless it is impossible to sanction the two drivers, because they were both contractually bound to execute orders given by the team."

The FIA also recognised the "longstanding and traditional right of a team to decree the finishing order of its drivers".

The German driver is well on course for the drivers' title with a 46-point lead in the championship after winning six of this season's nine races, with two second places and one third. No other driver has managed to win two grands prix.

The world champion's second place in Sunday's European Grand Prix, behind Barrichello, took his tally to 76 points from a possible 90.

His nearest rival, brother Ralf at Williams, has just 30 points with eight races remaining. Ferrari have 102 points to the 57 of Williams.

Team orders were seen again on Sunday, but with an ironic twist in Barrichello's favour.

This time it was effectively an order to Schumacher not to try and overtake.

"After the second pit stop the team said drive home the race - that was the order to both of us to just drive a safe race and drive it home," said Schumacher.

Earlier, Ferrari had presented the Austrian decision as a reflection of their own paranoia, the feeling that the championship could still be lost through misfortune and that Schumacher needed every point.

By allowing the German, who was right on Barrichello's tail on Sunday for the closing laps, to stay second in Germany, Ferrari came across as far more confident that the title was won and that the dropped four points would not be crucial. Cynics could always argue that, with today's hearing looming, they were never going to antagonise the authorities with another blatant act.

Both drivers had smooth pit stops, coming and going in almost identical times, and Barrichello felt he was fighting on equal terms.

Schumacher said a month had made a considerable difference to Ferrari's thinking, adding: "I think the points situation was quite a different one here than it was in Austria because nobody sort of knew how the season would develop and we are obviously in a much more comfortable situation now."

At a post-race news conference he was asked if the championship was in the bag.

He replied: "We go step by step closer to it but until it is the case there is no point thinking too much about it.

"People have sometimes certain ideas but I think that in Austria we were simply not arrogant enough to think that it is so easy to win this championship."