Standings tighten up with 7 left

Michael Schumacher won the French Grand Prix to close the gap.
MAGNY COURS, France (AP) -- Michael Schumacher won the French Grand Prix on Sunday for a record eighth time.
He finished 10 seconds ahead of world champion Fernando Alonso. Felipe Massa, Schumacher's Ferrari teammate, was third.
The victory helps Schumacher close the gap on Alonso in the standings with seven races left. Alonso has 96 points and Schumacher has 79.
"We clearly have made up ground and it is far from being over," said Schumacher, who won his 88th career race.
The seven-time world champion became the first Formula One driver to win the same race eight times, and his win was a boost for a resurgent Ferrari. At the United States GP two weeks ago, Schumacher led a 1-2 finish for his team.
Toyota's Ralf Schumacher was fourth -- 27.2 seconds behind his brother -- and McLaren-Mercedes' Kimi Raikkonen came fifth in the 70-lap race.
Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella was sixth, followed by Pedro de la Rosa of Spain, McLaren-Mercedes's replacement for Juan Pablo Montoya, who has left for NASCAR.
Staying in front
Schumacher got away cleanly at the start and Massa did his best to stay ahead of Alonso.
Although Alonso made three attempts to pass, Massa held second.
"We had a great start, being first and second," Schumacher said. "It was an excellent situation to start the race."
The first indication of race strategy in the 70-lap race came at the end of the 16th when Massa pitted first, followed a lap later by Alonso, then by Schumacher on the 18th.
By 23 laps Schumacher was still ahead but with a bit of breathing room. He was 6.1 seconds ahead of Massa and 11 ahead of Alonso.
The second stint stretched things out even more.
After 50 laps, Schumacher was up by 20 over Massa and 30 ahead of Alonso. However, Alonso went in after 42, meaning he would be able to get to the end of the race without another stop.
"We figured the Ferraris were on a three stop," Alonso said. "We took a gamble and we believed in our consistency."
The Ferraris needed one more stop for fuel and tires. Alonso's Renault didn't and he was able to get by Massa, but trailed Schumacher by 15 seconds.
The next race is the German Grand Prix on July 30.
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