Atlas F1 News Editor
Formula One paid tribute to the American nation with a display of patriotism and pride, in the largest sports event in the United States since the September 11th terrorist attacks. It was also one of the more interesting races of the 2001 season, ending with a popular and just win by Mika Hakkinen and heartbreaking retirements for Juan Pablo Montoya and Rubens Barrichello. Pablo Elizalde reviews the events of this dramatic weekend
On Sunday, the McLaren star was again his two-time World Champion self, and aided by the right tyre choice and by Juan Pablo Montoya's misfortunes, the Finn won a race which probably suggested that the 33 year-old has started enjoying next year's break from Formula One two races early. Hakkinen's form seemed to benefit from the announcement of his decision for 2002, and with that weight off his shoulders, the Finn enjoyed one of his best weekends of the year.
"Relaxed is the right word," Hakkinen said about how he felt after scoring his 20th Grand Prix win. "I was able to tell everybody what I planned to do in the future and I didn't have to select my words any more and what I was going to say. So I can now focus 100 percent on my driving and take everything out of these last two Grands Prix. And it was fantastic. I had a smile on my face..."
To win his second race of the 2001 season, Hakkinen had to overcome a penalty which sent him from second to fourth place on the grid and, running like clockwork to take full advantage of Ferrari's decision to opt for the harder compound of the Bridgestone tyres, which eventually proved to be the wrong way to go. That, added to the unreliability of the Williams and to Rubens Barrichello's bad luck, was enough for Hakkinen to remind the Formula One circus that the fire is still burning in him.
The Williams driver again showed no complexes at trying a daunting overtaking move over the Ferrari driver, who later admitted he "didn't know where Montoya was coming from." However, for the eleventh time in 2001, Montoya's hopes evaporated after a hydraulics problem hit his car on lap 37, again denying the Colombian what looked like a sure win. So is racing, but it would surely have been interesting to see where the Colombian would be in the World Championship standings, had the Williams been more reliable this year.
With a more reliable Ferrari, at least at Indianapolis, Rubens Barrichello would surely have been at least tied for second place in the WC with McLaren's David Coulthard, after one of the finest drives from the Brazilian, who with Ferrari's full attention, seemed to have raised his game slightly in the last two races. Barrichello, who recently became a father for the first time, entertained the 180,000 spectators by giving it all in order to catch Hakkinen in the final laps, but in a cruel blow, his Ferrari engine suffered an uncommon failure, forcing him to retire with only two laps to go.
Barrichello's retirement, added to Coulthard's third place on a weekend where the Scot was always overshadowed by Hakkinen, meant his McLaren rival has all but secured the runner-up spot in the Championship with only the Japanese Grand Prix remaining. With McLaren already out of Williams's reach in the Constructors' Championship, one of the few interesting points at Suzuka will be the battles for fourth to seventh places in the standings.
Heidfeld not only qualified right behind Coulthard, but also put the Scot under pressure in the initial part of the race, overtook Ralf Schumacher later on, and finished in the top six without second and seventh gears. Only time will tell if Ron Dennis picked the right Sauber driver to replace Hakkinen in 2002, but there's little doubt that Heidfeld is a man to watch.
Qualifying
In one of the closest qualifying sessions of the 2001 season, Michael Schumacher emerged as the winner of an exciting battle to score his tenth pole position of the year. This time, however, the Ferrari driver travelled back to not so old days as he had to hold off the challenge of Mika Hakkinen, who qualified in second place for the fourth time this season and for the first time since the British Grand Prix two and a half months ago.
Rubens Barrichello and David Coulthard, both fighting for second place in the Drivers' Championship against Ralf Schumacher, finished in a less than promising fifth and seventh place respectively, split by a brilliant Nick Heidfeld, who at the wheel of the Ferrari-powered Sauber continued with his impressive season despite failing to better in qualifying his time from free practice.
Brazilian Enrique Bernoldi and BAR's Jacques Villeneuve were the first men to jump onto the track, with the Canadian struggling with the his car to set a competitive time all weekend at the track where he finished fourth in 2000.
Montoya, the odds-on favourite before the race following his triumph at the Italian Grand Prix, was the first of the top drivers to set a time, 1:12.697, with Hakkinen immediately demoting the Colombian with a lap almost two tenths quicker. Teammate Coulthard was unable to follow the Finn's pace, having to settle for third with an oversteering McLaren.
The Ferrari drivers left their pits 23 minutes into the session, with Barrichello moving to the top of the timesheets with a time of 1:12.327, while Schumacher's first attempt was only good for a disappointing third place despite setting the best time in the third and final sector, benefitting the fact that Ferrari was the fastest car in straight line speed most of the weekend. The German was forced to use a different engine for qualifying following a problem during the final practice session, the new unit not being the same specification.
The McLaren drivers came back out again with 18 minutes remaining in the hour-long session, and in a blistering lap Hakkinen was able to move ahead of Schumacher, only two thousandths of a second quicker than the Ferrari driver. Ralf was up next, improving to third spot while Barrichello failed to follow suit in his first run, staying in fifth place.
Having watched Hakkinen bettering his time, Michael Schumacher jumped onto the track some five minutes later to complete his third attempt. The German again took full advantage of his car's power to put an end to the excitement with the fastest ever lap around the Indy circuit, 1:11.708, more than two tenths faster than Hakkinen. As he has done so often this season, Schumacher decided he had done the best he could, and did not come back out again.
"I didn't bother with the final run, because by then, I knew we had got the best set-up on the car and I had got the most I could out of it and out of myself," he explained after grabbing the 42nd pole position of his career. "You can never be sure that someone won't go quicker, but it turned out alright in the end."
Ralf was third, ahead of Montoya for the first time since the Hungarian Grand Prix, with Barrichello in fifth and Heidfeld completing the top six ahead of a disappointed Coulthard.
The Race
Mika Hakkinen's joy at being able to start from the front row was short-lived due to a silly mistake during the morning warm-up. The half-hour session was red-flagged due to the oil spilled by Juan Pablo Montoya's engine, which expired on the main straight. After the marshals cleaned the track, the session was restarted, but Hakkinen left the pitlane two seconds before the green light went on and was controversially penalised by losing his best time from qualifying, demoting him from second to fourth place on the grid. Not surprisingly, the Finn was less than happy.
So the race start took place with yet another all-Schumacher front row, but when the red lights went off, Montoya, as usual this year, was the best starter, sticking right behind Michael's rear wing. The German, however, was able to keep the Williams driver at bay and make it to the first corner in the lead, with Montoya second, Barrichello third, Ralf fourth and the McLaren drivers completing the top six, with Hakkinen in front of teammate David Coulthard.
A little further back, Kimi Raikkonen, starting from eleventh position, was the first man to retire after damaging his car in an incident with Jordan's Jarno Trulli and his own teammate Nick Heidfeld. The Finn had to come into the pits to change his front wing, but had to retire moments later with a damaged driveshaft.
Barrichello quickly began to put Montoya under pressure, benefitting from a lighter car, and eventually passing the Colombian around the outside of the first corner on lap 2, immediately setting his sight on his teammate Schumacher, who held a slight advantage in the lead. The Brazilian driver quickly got right behind Schumacher, and on lap 4, the German, driving a heavier car, allowed Barrichello to take the lead, and he immediately took off.
By lap 10, Barrichello was over five seconds ahead of the World Champion, with Montoya more than eight seconds behind. Hakkinen, still running in fifth place behind Ralf Schumacher, looked out of contention, at least for the win, while Coulthard was struggling to keep Heidfeld behind him.
Still the quickest man on the track and with Schumacher watching his back, Barrichello's first win of the season started to look more likely. Fourth-placed man Ralf Schumacher was the first driver to come into the pits on lap 23, somewhat a surprise considering his pace compared to Montoya, who was able to keep the German at bay despite going for a one-stop strategy. Ralf rejoined the race in ninth place after losing some three seconds due to a problem changing his rear left tyre.
With a gap of more than 12 seconds over his teammate, Barrichello pitted for the first time on lap 26, standing still for 8.6 seconds and coming back out right behind Coulthard. Up in front, Michael Schumacher was being pressured by Montoya, who had picked up the pace after some slow laps. The Colombian, who as usual was sliding around the circuit showing his amazing car control, did not wait much before attacking Schumacher and after sticking right under the Ferrari's rear wing, the rookie dived down the inside at the end of the straight on lap 33, completing a brilliant pass.
In the second Williams, Ralf was not enjoying the same success as his teammate, first making a mistake which allowed Heidfeld to take eighth place away from the German, and only three laps later losing his car under braking, effectively ending his race on the gravel. "The spin was my mistake," he admitted, "I lost the rear under braking for the corner. I had many great weekends and for me this was not so great."
Montoya stretched his lead to over two seconds over Schumacher before making his first and only stop on lap 35, rejoining the race behind Barrichello. But it was not to be Williams's day, and the Colombian rookie would retire with a hydraulics problems two laps later. Montoya, as always, remained philosophical. "It's a bit disappointing because I could have got a win here and it would have been my second win in a row," he said. "It didn't happen but we still have the last race."
Hakkinen took advantage of the Mercedes engine's low fuel consumption to delay his stop until lap 46, maintaining his advantage over Schumacher, with Barrichello trying to enhance his gap in order to be able to pit and retain the lead. The Brazilian did his best before coming into the pits on lap 49, with a gap of over 22 seconds over Hakkinen. It was not enough, and when the Ferrari exited the pitlane, the McLaren driver was already taking the first corner some six seconds ahead.
Initially it looked as though Barrichello would not be able to run fast enough to catch Hakkinen, but quickly the Brazilian began to lap around half a second faster than the Finn. With ten laps to go, the Ferrari was less then three seconds behind the McLaren, and the race looked set for a thrilling finale. However, with six laps remaining, Barrichello's engine began blowing smoke and his race looked over. Barrichello did his best to keep going and at least score some points, but with two laps remaining the engine gave up, putting a cruel end to the Ferrari driver's race.
The new father was bitterly disappointed by his race's ending, but still was a happy man having raised his game in the past two races. "I'm a happy person," he said. "Being a happy person, I'm a happy driver. Being a happy driver, I'm a faster driver. I feel sad about it but what can I do? I will be back in Brazil soon seeing my son in a couple of hours."
Barrichello's retirement left Hakkinen on his own, cruising quietly for the remaining laps to score his second win of the season and the 20th of his Formula One career. Following his unprecedented penalty after the warm-up, the Finn believed justice was being done. "That was definitely one of the highlights of the season," he said. "This Grand Prix is definitely one of my most important victories. I rate Monaco, Silverstone and Indianapolis as ones everyone wants to win, something special. I am never going to forget this, it's great."
Schumacher, who admitted he was happy to see his rival winning after a very hard season, finished in second place before admitting his team have chosen the wrong tyres. "I don't think our tyre choice was right, because we didn't have the consistency we expected. That might be because the temperatures were different on Friday when we made the choice."
However, Trulli's streak of bad luck continued, being disqualified from his position after the stewards discovered his skid block was 1.5 millimeters too short, promoting Irvine to fourth, Heidfeld to fifth and Alesi to sixth place.
But not even that controversy overshadowed Mika Hakkinen's brilliant win, only one race before he begins his theoretical one-year break. An overjoyed Hakkinen enjoyed every moment of his victory lap and the podium celebrations, perhaps knowing that it could be the last time he gets that feeling before, as he expressed, it's "hasta la vista" - see you around, folks.
Before the cars go out for their final recognition laps it is announced that Mika Hakkinen will start from fourth on the grid. This is the result of an infraction in the morning warm-up which cause the stewards to cancel Hakkinen's best qualifying time. His second best lap is only good enough for fourth place on the grid and so Ralf Schumacher moves up to second on the grid, with Juan Pablo Montoya third.
Lap 1: At the start Juan Pablo Montoya makes the best start and tries to find a way to pass Michael Schumacher but the Ferrari driver moves across and blocks the move which means that Montoya is unable to overtake at the first corner. Behind the two men Barrichello takes third place from Ralf Schumacher with Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard completing the top six. Jarno Trulli is next ahead of Nick Heidfeld, Kimi Raikkonen and the two Benettons (Giancarlo Fisichella getting the better of Jenson Button). At the end of the lap Schumacher is 0.8 seconds ahead of Montoya. At the tail of the field Tomas Enge is left behind on the grid but gets away in last place.
Lap 3: Barrichello overtakes Montoya with a good pass on the outside of the Williams at Turn One. The move suggests that the Ferrari has a much lighter fuel load than the Williams. Further back in the field Button passes Trulli for eighth place while Jean Alesi overtakes Eddie Irvine to move to 11th. Raikkonen rejoins but retires with a broken driveshaft.
Lap 4: Barrichello moves up on to Michael Schumacher's tail and the two cars pull quickly away from the Williams-BMWs.
Lap 5: Michael Schumacher moves over and lets Barrichello through into the lead, the Ferrari strategy being to give Barrichello the win to ensure his second place in the World Championship.
Lap 6: Barrichello sets the fastest lap of the race as he begins to build a lead. At the end of the lap he is 1.8 seconds clear of his team mate. Montoya is third but 3.3 seconds behind Michael Schumacher. Ralf Schumacher is behind Montoya with the top six completed by Hakkinen and Coulthard.
Lap 10: Barrichello's lead is up to 5.2 seconds. The order of the top six is unchanged but Trulli is able to take eighth place back from Button.
Lap 13: Barrichello's lead increases to 7.4 seconds but the main action is in the midfield where Jean Alesi grabs 10th place from Fisichella.
Lap 21: The order has been unchanged for several laps but at the tail of the field Heinz-Harald Frentzen moves ahead of Olivier Panis to take 14th place.
Lap 24: Barrichello's lead is up to 13 seconds as Ralf Schumacher becomes the first man to stop, dropping from fourth place to ninth.
Lap 26: At the tail of the field Alex Yoong pits for tyres.
Lap 27: Michael Schumacher takes the lead when Barrichello goes into the pits but Montoya is right on his tail. The McLarens move up to third and fourth and Barrichello rejoins in fifth. Sixth-placed Heidfeld stops and falls back to ninth position.
Lap 34: Montoya gets ahead of Michael Schumacher with a neat pass at the first corner. Also making progress is Heidfeld who overtakes Ralf Schumacher for eighth place.
Lap 35: Montoya has built up a lead of 2.3 seconds in two laps. In the midfield the first of the cars on one-stop strategies begin to stop with Button coming into the pits. There is a problem and he drops from 10th to 19th. At the back of the field Fernando Alonso also stops.
Lap 37: Ralf Schumacher spins off into a sandtrap and retires. Seventh-placed Alesi is the next to stop and he rejoins in 12th position, Also stopping are Enrique Bernoldi and Enge. The Brazilian rejoins back in 16th with Enge 18th.
Lap 38: Both Minardis pit, Alonso retiring with a mechanical problem. Yoong rejoins.
Lap 39: Montoya retires with a suspected gearbox problem, ending Williams's hopes of success. Michael Schumacher pits and Hakkinen goes into the lead with Coulthard second and Barrichello third. Schumacher rejoins fourth. Fifth-placed Trulli pits and is overtaken by Fisichella, Heidfeld, Eddie Irvine and Heinz-Harald Frentzen.
Lap 41: Fisichella stops, dropping from sixth to 13th. This puts Heidfeld into sixth place.
Lap 42: Frentzen stops and drops back to 13th.
Lap 43: Coulthard pits and drops back from second to fourth. Further back Villeneuve and Pedro de la Rosa collide at the end of the back straight while fighting for 11th place. Both men rejoin but Villeneuve goes into the pits at the end of the lap but is instructed to drive through without stopping as the BAR team is expecting Panis to pit.
Lap 45: Verstappen retires with mechanical trouble.
Lap 46: Hakkinen stops and so Barrichello goes into the lead again. Mika rejoins in second place ahead of Michael Schumacher. In the midfield de la Rosa passes Fisichella to take ninth place. Further back Button passes Frentzen for 11th position.
Lap 48: Heidfeld stops for the second time and drops from fifth to seventh.
Lap 50: Barrichello comes in for his second stop but he cannot get out of the pits in time to keep the lead. Hakkinen goes ahead again. Rubens rejoins in second place ahead of Michael Schumacher with Coulthard fourth and Irvine fifth, although the Jaguar driver has still to stop for fuel and tyres. Also stopping is de la Rosa who drops from 10th place to 13th.
Lap 52: Irvine is the last man to stop and he drops from fifth place to seventh, falling behind Trulli and Heidfeld.
Lap 55: The order has now stabilised with Hakkinen ahead of Barrichello, Schumacher and Coulthard. There is then a big gap back to Trulli. Behind the Jordan Irvine is able to pass Heidfeld to grab sixth position.
Lap 70: Barrichello's engine is getting worse and worse and he is overtaken by Michael Schumacher.
Lap 71: Coulthard passes Barrichello for third place.
Lap 72: Barrichello pulls off to retire. This promotes Trulli to fourth, Irvine to fifth and Heidfeld to sixth.
Lap 73: Hakkinen wins an impressive victory with Michael Schumacher second and David Coulthard third.
Following last Sunday's United States Grand Prix, Formula One fans will have a hard time understanding the reasons behind Mika Hakkinen's decision to take a sabbatical in 2002. After his performance at Indianapolis, many people may be wondering if the Finn hasn't rushed his decision, since it was clear that the two-time Champion still enjoys competing at the top as if he was a 22-year old rookie.
Whether it was down to lack of motivation, to the countless problems he has suffered during the year, or to the sometimes uncompetitive McLaren Mercedes, many Formula One observers agreed that this season's Mika Hakkinen was not the same driver who last year executed one of the best overtaking manoeuvres over Michael Schumacher at the Belgian Grand Prix, and definitely not the same driver who battled for almost every pole position over some three seasons.
However, despite the end result, Hakkinen didn't look like a victory contender for much of the race and, once more, everything looked set for Montoya to score his second consecutive win after making yet another great start, and yet another sensational pass over Michael Schumacher.
Apart from Jaguar continuing with their point-scoring streak thanks to Eddie Irvine's performance, the highlight of the race behind the top teams was Nick Heidfeld. Again helping his Sauber team consolidate their position as "best of the rest", an impressive Heidfeld finished once more in the points after outpacing teammate Kimi Raikkonen all weekend. Perhaps the German is paying the price of having the 21-year old Finn as his partner, but being only 24 he must be wondering what it takes for a top team to look his way.
The rejuvenated Finn, as well as Williams drivers Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya, looked capable of claiming the top spot for most of the session, until the elder Schumacher completed his final run around Indianapolis to place himself out of his rivals' reach. The long straight of the historic track was not enough for the powerful BMW to make up for the slow infield section, and Ralf and Montoya had to settle for third and fourth places, a somewhat disappointing result for the Colombian, who had scored three poles in the last four races.
Hakkinen and Coulthard were the first men to go for their second attempt halfway through the session, and while the Scot was capable of improving from fifth to third, the Finn did not even complete his flying lap as he "knew the time would not be quick enough." Only five minutes later, both the Schumacher brothers and Barrichello completed their second run, with Ralf first jumping to the top of the times before Michael became the first man to get into the 1:11s. Barrichello had to be content with third ahead of Montoya, who was sliding all over the track trying to improve his previous best.
Only Hakkinen and Barrichello completed their final attempts, in vain though, as the top runner capable of improving in the dying moments was Heidfeld. The yellow flags being waved following Tomas Enge's crash didn't help Hakkinen's cause, but the Finn was happy anyway. "I'm really pleased to have been able to fight for pole position," he said. "It was so close and I enjoyed it. To be on the front row is great, and I will go flat out tomorrow."
Pos Driver Team Time
1. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1:11.708 210.454 km/h
2. R.Schumacher Williams BMW (M) 1:11.986 + 0.278
3. Montoya Williams BMW (M) 1:12.252 + 0.544
4. Hakkinen McLaren Mercedes (B) 1:12.309 + 0.601 *
5. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 1:12.327 + 0.619
6. Heidfeld Sauber Petronas (B) 1:12.434 + 0.726
7. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes (B) 1:12.500 + 0.792
8. Trulli Jordan Honda (B) 1:12.605 + 0.897
9. Alesi Jordan Honda (B) 1:12.607 + 0.899
10. Button Benetton Renault (M) 1:12.805 + 1.097
11. Raikkonen Sauber Petronas (B) 1:12.881 + 1.173
12. Fisichella Benetton Renault (M) 1:12.942 + 1.234
13. Panis BAR Honda (B) 1:13.122 + 1.414
14. Irvine Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:13.189 + 1.481
15. Frentzen Prost Acer (M) 1:13.281 + 1.573
16. de la Rosa Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:13.679 + 1.971
17. Alonso Minardi European (M) 1:13.991 + 2.283
18. Villeneuve BAR Honda (B) 1:14.012 + 2.304
19. Bernoldi Arrows Asiatech (B) 1:14.129 + 2.421
20. Verstappen Arrows Asiatech (B) 1:14.138 + 2.430
21. Enge Prost Acer (M) 1:14.185 + 2.477
22. Yoong Minardi European (M) 1:15.247 + 3.539
(* Hakkinen's best time of 1:11.945 was stripped as penalty)
"I was pissed off," admitted Hakkinen after the race. "I was really upset. In reality of course there is no excuse, but after all there were five cars lined up and it was impossible to see the light. Rules are rules but you have to use common sense."
While Barrichello, seeking his first win since the German Grand Prix last year, continued setting the race's pace, the only action on track was provided by the Jordan drivers, and especially by Jean Alesi, who made his way past the two Benettons in a bid to move closer to the points in his 200th Grand Prix.
Montoya's retirement, added to Michael Schumacher's pitstop on lap 37, allowed Hakkinen to grab the lead for the first time in the race. With Schumacher not being able to lap as quick as he would have wanted, and Barrichello still to make his second stop, Hakkinen's chances looked stronger by the minute. Coulthard, who was running some four seconds behind his teammate, pitted on lap 43, returning to the track behind Schumacher.
Coulthard finished in third place, which allowed him to move seven points clear of Barrichello in the standings, while Trulli finally returned to the points with fourth place ahead of Eddie Irvine with the rejuvenated Jaguar. The final point went to Heidfeld.
Race Results (Pending Jordan Appeal)
CLASSIFIED
Pos Driver Team Time
1. Hakkinen McLaren Mercedes (B) 1h 32:42.840
2. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) + 11.046
3. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes (B) + 12.043
4. Irvine Jaguar Cosworth (M) + 1:12.434
5. Heidfeld Sauber Petronas (B) + 1:12.996
6. Alesi Jordan Honda (B) + 1 Lap
7. Fisichella Benetton Renault (M) + 1 Lap
8. Button Benetton Renault (M) + 1 Lap
9. Frentzen Prost Acer (M) + 1 Lap
10. Panis BAR Honda (B) + 1 Lap
11. de la Rosa Jaguar Cosworth (M) + 1 Lap
12. Bernoldi Arrows Asiatech (B) + 1 Lap
13. Enge Prost Acer (M) + 1 Lap
14. Barrichello Ferrari (B) + 2 Laps
Fastest Lap: Montoya, 1:14.448, lap 35
NOT CLASSIFIED / RETIREMENTS
Villeneuve BAR Honda (B) 46
Verstappen Arrows Asiatech (B) 45
Montoya Williams BMW (M) 39
Yoong Minardi European (M) 39
R.Schumacher Williams BMW (M) 37
Alonso Minardi European (M) 37
Raikkonen Sauber Petronas (B) 3
Trulli Jordan-Honda (B) DQ *
(* disqualified from fourth)
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDING, ROUND 16:
Drivers: Constructors:
1. M.Schumacher 113 WC 1. Ferrari 167 CC
2. Coulthard 61 2. McLaren 95
3. Barrichello 54 3. Williams 73
4. R.Schumacher 48 4. Sauber 22
5. Hakkinen 34 5. Jordan 17
6. Montoya 25 =. BAR 17
7. Heidfeld 13 7. Jaguar 10
8. Villeneuve 12 =. Benetton 10
9. Trulli 9 9. Prost 4
=. Raikkonen 9 10. Arrows 1
11. Fisichella 8
12. Irvine 7
13. Frentzen 6
=. Alesi 6
15. Panis 5
16. De la Rosa 3
17. Button 2
18. Verstappen 1
Pos Driver Team Lap Time
1. Montoya Williams-BMW (M) 35 1:14.448
2. Hakkinen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 45 1:14.481 + 0.033
3. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 47 1:14.629 + 0.181
4. Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (B) 39 1:14.641 + 0.193
5. M.Schumacher Williams-BMW (M) 22 1:14.706 + 0.258
6. R.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 32 1:14.841 + 0.393
7. Irvine Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 58 1:15.139 + 0.691
8. Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas (B) 29 1:15.169 + 0.721
9. Trulli Jordan-Honda (B) 63 1:15.199 + 0.751
10. Button Benetton-Renault (M) 71 1:15.252 + 0.804
11. Frentzen Prost-Acer (M) 38 1:15.296 + 0.848
12. Fisichella Benetton-Renault (M) 40 1:15.457 + 1.009
13. Alesi Jordan-Honda (B) 67 1:15.659 + 1.211
14. de la Rosa Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 68 1:15.758 + 1.310
15. Panis BAR-Honda (B) 67 1:15.919 + 1.471
16. Bernoldi Arrows-Asiatech (B) 68 1:16.068 + 1.620
17. Enge Prost-Acer (M) 71 1:16.155 + 1.707
18. Verstappen Arrows-Asiatech (B) 35 1:16.342 + 1.894
19. Villeneuve BAR-Honda (B) 40 1:16.680 + 2.232
20. Alonso Minardi-European (M) 30 1:16.694 + 2.246
21. Yoong Minardi-European (M) 25 1:17.079 + 2.631
22. Raikkonen Sauber-Petronas (B) 2 1:51.518 + 37.070
Pos Driver Team Time Lap
1. Villeneuve BAR-Honda (B) 13.083 43
2. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 22.214 50
3. Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas (B) 22.423 48
4. Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas (B) 22.457 27
5. Irvine Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 22.560 52
6. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 22.874 27
7. Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (B) 23.067 43
8. Hakkinen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 23.350 45
9. Fisichella Benetton-Renault (M) 24.460 41
10. Villeneuve BAR-Honda (B) 24.738 44
11. Yoong Minardi-European (M) 25.011 26
12. Frentzen Prost-Acer (M) 25.112 42
13. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 25.569 39
14. Verstappen Arrows-Asiatech (B) 25.916 36
15. Trulli Jordan-Honda (B) 25.918 39
16. Panis BAR-Honda (B) 26.324 44
18. Alesi Jordan-Honda (B) 26.611 37
17. Button Benetton-Renault (M) 26.662 35
19. R.Schumacher Williams-BMW (M) 26.975 24
20. Enge Prost-Acer (M) 27.132 37
21. Montoya Williams-BMW (M) 27.484 36
22. Bernoldi Arrows-Asiatech (B) 27.648 37
23. de la Rosa Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 28.429 50
24. Raikkonen Sauber-Petronas (B) 30.837 2
25. Yoong Minardi-European (M) 58.200 38
The United States Grand Prix, Lap by Lap
Lap 2: The order at the front is unchanged but at the first corner the two Saubers and Trulli try to go side by side into the first corner. Raikkonen comes off worst with his front wing being ripped off. He has to pit for repairs and drops to the tail of the field. Heidfeld emerges ahead of Trulli. Further back Button overtakes Fisichella to take ninth place.
Lap 14: Alesi overtakes Button to move to ninth.
Lap 36: Montoya comes into the pits and Michael Schumacher takes the lead again. Hakkinen and Coulthard move to second and third places with Barrichello fourth. Montoya is fifth. In the midfield Ralf Schumacher grabs eighth place off Heidfeld. Jos Verstappen also stops, dropping from 13th place to 20th.
Lap 44: Olivier Panis, running eighth, stops and drops back to 12th. Villeneuve pits again for repairs. He retires soon afterwards.
Lap 67: Barrichello has tried to close the gap to Hakkinen which is down from 6.1 seconds to 2.9, but the Brazilian's engine then begins to smoke.
Please Contact Us for permission to republish this or any other material from Atlas F1.
 Email to Friend
Review QuickLink:
Qualifying Results
Volume 7, Issue 40 October 3rd 2001 Articles
Breakfast at Minardi
Phil Hill: Made in America - Part II
US GP Review
The US GP Review
Reflections from Indianapolis
McLaren's Sabbatical Year
The Last Hurrah
Columns
Qualifying Differentials
The F1 Insider
Season Strokes
The Weekly Grapevine
> Homepage |
; void('');){kind=link}