MONTREAL -- Michael Schumacher's latest victory apparently wasn't popular with many of the people in the crowd at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

The German driver was roundly booed as he rode around the 2.747-mile, 13-turn road course in a convertible during pre-race ceremonies. There were also boos, although mostly drowned out by cheers, after Schumacher drove to victory in Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix.

Schumacher and his Ferrari team drew heavy criticism in May when teammate Rubens Barrichello, apparently on his way to an easy victory in Austria, braked and allowed the four-time world champion to win the race.

Although there is no specific rule against team orders in Formula One, the governing FIA will hold a hearing on the matter in Paris on June 26.

"I think they were just making a sport out of it," Schumacher said of the negative fan reaction. "We have our supporters and our enemies. It's always been like this."

Schumacher reacted to the booing and catcalls by smiling, waving and blowing kisses toward the grandstands.

"When you see the people who do it and you give them a smile or kiss them, they actually start to laugh," he explained. "I don't think they are too serious."

As for the idea that Ferrari might use team orders again to ensure adding points toward a championship, Schumacher startled some people with his answer.

"I think we have reacted in the proper way to tell our fans, which are very important to us, that we will not do that again, for them," he said.

Home troubles
Fans of home-grown Jacques Villeneuve groaned in anguish when his BAR-Honda stopped on the track named after his late father after just nine of 70 laps.

He was scored last in the 22-car field.

An engine problem ended the former F1 champion's day and continued his string of unhappy memories at his hometown race.

Since finishing second to Damon Hill in his Canadian GP debut in 1996, Villeneuve has been 10th and 15th and failed to finish four other times.

His BAR-Honda teammate, Olivier Panis, fared a little better Sunday, finishing a lap behind the winner in eighth place. After eight of 17 races, BAR remains the only team without a point.

Comeback
Ron Dennis, managing director for Team McLaren, said Sunday he has had "two longish" meetings with retired Mika Hakkinen about the possibility of the Finn returning to the driver's seat.

The 33-year-old Hakkinen, a two-time world champion, retired at the end of the 2001 season but said he might only take one year off.

Fellow Finn Kimi Raikkonen took his place as David Coulthard's teammate and is currently seventh in points after a good rookie season with the Sauber team. The veteran Coulthard is fourth in the points and has a victory this season.

"I've had two longish meeting with Mika to discuss it," Dennis said, referring to Hakkinen's possible return. "Nothing was decided, but there are some clauses in the contract on timing of this decision that I will not go into now.

"People ask me how you get three into two," he said. "I don't know how that would happen but, with the caliber of these drivers, it's a nice problem to have."

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