It was the 80th win of the German's career.

But he had a late scare when the deployment of the safety car 15 laps from the end, after Italian Jarno Trulli's Renault piled into the tyre wall at speed, offered the young Finn a glimmer of hope.

The six-times world champion, smooth and controlled as ever, quickly snuffed out the threat to take the chequered flag as Raikkonen finished 2.1 seconds behind.

"It took away the comfortable lead I had built up by that stage," said the German of the intervention. "The safety car was going very, very slowly around. It didn't look like he was putting any effort into his drive."

It was Schumacher's third success at Silverstone, the circuit where he broke his leg in 1999, as well as dominant Ferrari's third in a row there.

Raikkonen was second to revive McLaren with their first podium finish of the season, while Schumacher's Brazilian team mate Rubens Barrichello held off BAR's Jenson Button for third place.

"At least we got the second place," said Raikkonen, last season's overall runner-up, after his first podium since Japan last October.

"I got close but not close enough."

Schumacher has 100 points to Barrichello's 74. Button has 53. Ferrari lead the constructor's championship with 174 points to Renault's 79 with BAR on 67.

Barrichello, second in the championship and last year's British winner, remained the only driver to have scored points in every race this season.

Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya was fifth for Williams, disappointing again in their home race, while Italian Giancarlo Fisichella was a strong sixth for Sauber.

David Coulthard was seventh for McLaren with Australian Mark Webber taking the final point for Jaguar.

Trulli's crash was the spectacular moment of the race, the Italian walking away seemingly unhurt after his car was reduced to a steaming wreck.

The Renault snapped into the wall, spun rapidly and then flipped upside down into the gravel before coming to rest right way up with the barrier split and debris and a tyre in the middle of the track.

Schumacher had made his final stop by then and was fuelled to the finish but what had looked like a commanding lead evaporated as Raikkonen took advantage of the interruption to dive in for his final stop.

The Finn had made a remarkable start from pole position, leading Barrichello by 3.5 seconds after the first lap and staying in front to the first stop.

It soon became apparent however that Schumacher was running a heavier fuel load, making two stops to Raikkonen's three. The German took the lead as Raikkonen pitted and never looked back.

"I thought we had a very good strategy for the race but that it would play out so early -- after the very first pitstop -- was not the plan honestly," said the German.

"After that it was just controlling it. It was tight in a couple of areas but not too tight."