If Michael Schumacher's rivals thought he had been dominant during the first 13 races of the 2002 season, they were forced to think twice after witnessing his performance at Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix. At his favourite circuit, the Ferrari driver demonstrated his real self and, in a display of superiority, he crushed his rivals. Richard Barnes explains why Schumacher's performance was the hardest blow for his rivals

If Michael Schumacher was jaded and losing interest in Formula One racing, as ex-nemesis Damon Hill had suggested earlier in the season, the German World Champion certainly did a grand job of hiding it during Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. For much of the season, Schumacher has been doing just enough to win, relying on his main rivals' inconsistency and unreliability to gradually chisel their Championship hopes to dust.

It doesn't make for gripping F1 racing. The sport is supposed to be about the best drivers putting the top cars on the limit for lap after lap and, sadly, this season has seen little of the banzai Schumacher style that enthralled the world during his early years. Even when Schumacher arrived at Spa promising something special, there were natural fears that strengthening teammate Rubens Barrichello's precarious second-place in the WDC would be the focus of Ferrari's, and Schumacher's, weekend effort. For once, we were pleasantly surprised.

It was fitting that Schumacher should finally be unleashed at Spa. It was eleven years ago that the precocious 22 year-old made his debut at Spa, qualifying his Jordan four grid positions and three-quarters of a second ahead of teammate Andrea de Cesaris, already an 11-year veteran of GP racing. While de Cesaris never won during his 208-start career, he was no slouch either, holding the record for youngest-ever polesitter (22 years, 10 months and 4 days) for more than twelve seasons until Schumacher's current teammate, Rubens Barrichello, established a new benchmark in 1994 at - you guessed it - Spa-Francorchamps.

Schumacher's debut race wasn't quite as impressive as his qualifying had been, the German toasting his clutch and retiring right at the start. But, at Monza two weeks later and now in a Benetton, he once again outqualified his teammate - this time triple WDC Nelson Piquet. This time, Schumacher went on to finish, beating Piquet into fifth spot by around 11 seconds, and the seeds of the Schumacher legend were born.

In his eleven appearances at Spa, Schumacher has won six times, and has never finished the race lower than second. However, it hasn't always been a high point in the German's season. The ignominious disqualification for a worn ride-height plank in 1994 and the gut-wrenching loss to a superb Mika Hakkinen in 2000 were probably races that Schumacher would rather forget. Yet even those two disappointments pale in comparison to the rain-soaked 1998 debacle and the furious murder allegations levelled against McLaren's David Coulthard. Other than briefly taking out his frustrations on Damon Hill's steering wheel after the race-ending shunt at Monza 1995, it's the only time that Schumacher's aloof and ultra-professional facade has been breached.

Yet on Sunday, those were all distant memories. Spa in 2002 would be kind to Schumacher, even without its trademark showers that have occasionally helped him to victory. Of course, with Rory Byrne's flawless F2002 underneath him, Schumacher no longer needs rain, nor the advantage of Bridgestone's custom-made tyres, nor even the help of master strategist Ross Brawn in the pitlane. He might not have needed these advantages, but that wasn't going to stop him showcasing them. And what a clinic he put on.

As a contest, the race was over by La Source on lap 1. With a clear track ahead of him, Schumacher set hot sector after hot sector, reeling off 12 successively quicker fastest race laps in the first 15, before pitting. With the race effectively won, Schumacher settled back into his familiar car-preserving mode after the first stop, dropping around a second off his optimal times yet still outstripping the opposition by two seconds per lap. If the last half-dozen races had given Rubens Barrichello the illusion of parity with his team-leader, Spa provided a rude awakening.

That is typical of Spa, though. The old circuit, with its infamous Masta Kink, inspired awe, fear and a certain degree of loathing, even from the legendary Jim Clark. The modern-day Spa may have been stripped of some of its character. F1 cars no longer pass within feet of country-home porches at full throttle, but even the modern layout is refreshingly different from the twisty 75-second-lap stadium circuits that fill much of today's calendar.

It was a shame that Kimi Raikkonen's challenge failed to materialise, although it wasn't surprising. Raikkonen lacks both the machinery and the experience to mount a race-long challenge against Schumacher on his favourite circuit. Nevertheless, the young Finn would have hoped to keep Schumacher in his sights for at least the first dozen laps or so. As it turned out, Schumacher was out of sight by Malmedy on lap one, and Raikkonen's race went progressively downhill from there.

With Ralf Schumacher once again under-performing at Spa (surely his worst circuit after Monaco), that left McLaren's David Coulthard and Williams's Juan Pablo Montoya to squabble over the scraps from the Ferrari table. Third place is a mixed blessing these days. It might carry a reward of four Championship points, but it also puts the hapless victim alongside the victorious Ferrari duo for the post-race interviews, and trying to say something optimistic or upbeat after another display of crushing dominance from the Scuderia. On Sunday it was Montoya's turn and, like Ralf Schumacher two weeks ago in Hungary, the normally flamboyant Colombian was left muted and seemingly shell-shocked by the sheer magnitude of Ferrari's dominance.

Schumacher's demeanour in the post-race interview only heightened that perception of the gaping chasm between Ferrari and their pursuers. Without a drop of sweat to show for his efforts, and looking as if he was ready to go out and do it all again, the German does not provide any solace to his rivals. With the ten-wins-in-a-season barrier now breached, Schumacher's season statistics are taking on truly absurd proportions. With three races to go, he's only one point behind his record-setting 2001 points total of 123. With a first, second and third in the final three races, Schumacher will total as many WDC points (141) as Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost combined in 1989. Even with an extra GP in the season, and ten points for a win compared to nine in Senna's and Prost's time, it's a mind-boggling prospect.

Spa 2002 may not have provided a close and thrilling battle for the lead. On the contrary, most fans' attention seemed to be focused off-track, on the wheeling and dealing of an extended silly season. Still, it proved to be a memorable race for one reason - Michael Schumacher finally shook off the lethargy of a too-dominant season and drove like Michael Schumacher again.

Fans who have only started watching Formula One during the past few seasons may have been wondering why Schumacher generated such excitement during his early years in the sport. After watching the German's mesmerising first stint on Sunday, they should now understand more about the origins and validity of the Schumacher legend.