By Pablo Elizalde, Spain
Atlas F1 News Editor
The British GP was all about Mika Hakkinen's return to winning form - and what a return it was! The Finn won the race in the most dominant fashion, finishing half a minute ahead of Michael Schumacher, who in turn couldn't have wished for a better opponent to finish ahead of himself, as he saw his only Championship contender drop out of the race during the first few laps. As always, Pablo Elizalde reviews the entire weekend's events
There was virtually no one in the Silverstone paddock who was not happy to see Mika Hakkinen winning his first Grand Prix nearly one year after his last victory at Spa in 2000.
Hakkinen's motivation and his ability to win a race again had been in doubt after a year which has seen him struggle to finish races, and the Finn's retirement was almost considered a sure thing at the end of 2001. However, the British Grand Prix last Sunday showed that Hakkinen is still a driver with a future in Formula One.
"I suppose that it's a fear for every Grand Prix driver who has won a Grand Prix that you think you're never going to win again," said the McLaren star after the race. Fortunately for him and for Formula One, Hakkinen has not forgotten how to win, and he demonstrated it with an uncontested first victory at Silverstone.
From start to finish, Hakkinen and McLaren did a flawless job. The former World Champion had no rivals, and in only one race he scored more points than he had in the combined previous ten events of his nightmare 2001 season. Finishing more than 30 seconds ahead of Michael Schumacher in the Ferrari was a deserved reward after a year full of sour disappointments.
Disappointing, in contrast, was David Coulthard's weekend, following the high expectations of racing at home, and for the fifth race in succession the Scot could only see his hopes of clinching his first World Championship vanish further more. Coulthard's retirement after only three laps, following an incident with Jarno Trulli in the Jordan, was another big blow for the Scot's title hopes, which now seem to require something no less than a miracle to become realistic.
If Coulthard wins the six remaining races, Schumacher doesn't need to finish higher than third in each race to win the title. You could notice that Coulthard has never won two races in a row in his Formula One career. You could also notice that Schumacher's gap - 37 points - is only ten points short of Coulthard's total tally - 47 points - in eleven of the seventeen races. But no matter how it's pictured at this point of the season, the six remaining races seem a mere formality for Schumacher and Ferrari.
As most of the teams expected before the race, Williams belonged this time to the rest of the field and were unable to fight for the win, though Juan Pablo Montoya was again impressive during the whole weekend. The Colombian got the better of teammate Ralf Schumacher, and not only led a race for the third time this year, but also overtook Michael Schumacher for the second time in one season, something not many drivers can claim to have done.
One can only dream of a world where there would be more top cars to accommodate the excellent breed of drivers we are witnessing this season, and it's somewhat disappointing to see that most of them are staying put at their mid-field outfits. The talents of Kimi Raikkonen, Nick Heidfeld or Fernando Alonso are making a lot of team owners drool as, especially the Sauber stars, demonstrated again at Silverstone that it's only engine power and lack of money which is limiting their amazing talent.
Qualifying
The hour-long battle at the qualifying for the British Grand Prix didn't look promising to start with - it took some 24 minutes before the first car showed up on track - but it turned out to be one of the most exciting battles so far this season, and though it was Michael Schumacher who again finished on the top spot, things were not easy for the Ferrari driver, who scored his 40th career pole and his first at Silverstone. In doing so, Schumacher had to beat a rejuvenated Mika Hakkinen, destroying the circuit's qualifying record of 1:21.598, lowering it by more than a second.
After the British rain had hit the two practice sessions on Saturday morning, the fear of holding the first wet qualifying of the year disappeared as quickly as the dark clouds, and although when the green lights went on there were still damp patches around Silverstone, it was only a matter of time before it dried up. And so, the thousands of spectators who crowded the grandstands were forced to wait for more than 24 minutes before Kimi Raikkonen became the first to jump onto the track.
Once the Sauber driver completed his first two-lap run, the rest of the field followed and the action was frantic until the very end. First of the front runners to show up were Hakkinen, Schumacher and David Coulthard - the Finn first to complete his flying lap with a time of 1:22.217. Coulthard followed but was unable to match his teammate's pace, stopping the clock a little more than a tenth of a second later than the Hakkinen. Schumacher, on the other hand, answered his rivals' attempts with a fantastic 1:21.458, already sending a clear warning of his intention to start Sunday's race at Silverstone on pole for the first time in his career.
Rubens Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher were already showing signs of being off the pace, the Ferrari driver setting the fourth quickest time almost a second behind his Ferrari teammate. Meanwhile, the low temperatures (24° Celsius) were not helping the Michelin-shod Williams, who were unable to get close to the top during the whole session. Ralf's first attempt, which consisted of two flying laps, left him a well-down sixth.
Ralf's teammate Juan Pablo Montoya was able to completed only two laps before he was forced to jump into the spare car. "On the first run I hit a kerb on the exit of Becketts and bent a pushrod, so had to get into the T-Car that was set up for Ralf," explained Montoya. "We did a run and made a couple of adjustments and it worked out quite well."
The top runners came back out for their second attempt with less than 20 minutes remaining, Coulthard immediately bolting into the lead with a 1:21.119 on a constantly improving track. The Scot's hopes of pole did not last long, though, and Hakkinen became the first driver to lap in the 1:20s, almost two tenths faster than his teammate. Schumacher was unable to match the Finn's pace this time around and had to settle for second fastest.
With little time to change anything, the cars returned to the track only a few minutes later, Hakkinen flying around the track to set a staggering 1:20.626, a time which seemed to be well outside everybody's reach. It was out of Coulthard's reach at least, who - after completing his third attempt - had to concede to his teammate and stay in second. Schumacher, however, was not ready to give up that easily, and when he crossed the line he stopped the clock on 1:20.447.
A problem with the circuit's timing system did not make things any easier for the drivers, who were not able to see their split times. "It was difficult because I was running completely blind, thanks to having no computer readout of the lap times," said Jordan's Jarno Trulli, who had jumped up into fourth place on his third run. "So I was completely blind and unable to know where I was losing [time] and where I was gaining."
The final moments of the session saw the usual rush down the pitlane, and the prospect of anyone improving their times with some 20 cars spread around the track seemed highly unlikely. And that was the case, with only Hakkinen able to slightly improve on his previous best, but not enough to beat Schumacher's pole time. "It has been a long time being this close to pole so I am very pleased," admitted Hakkinen, "mainly because the performance of the car was very good."
A relaxed Schumacher was happy with his advantage for Sunday's race and perhaps already thinking about staying out of trouble to get the necessary points to wrap the Championship up as soon as possible, the German hoped for a dry race despite his advantage in the wet. "I don't really mind what conditions we have," he said, "but I would prefer a dry race which is more consistent and safer, and I hope it is entertaining for the spectators."
Coulthard finished in third place, the Scot disappointed to miss the front row at his home race, where he was expecting to score his third win in a row. However, the biggest disappointment of the day was for the European Minardi team, which saw Brazilian Tarso Marques left out of the race after being unable to lap within 107 per cent of the pole time. Unlike Australia, where Marques also failed to reach the 107 per cent cut off, he was not allowed to race in Britain.
The Race
A dry warm up session and a cloudy but mostly blue sky saw the threat of showers disappear when the race began, and though this time there were no cars left stranded on the grid, the first incidents were just around the corner - Copse corner. Michael Schumacher made a good getaway and maintained his lead over Mika Hakkinen, who also got a clear start to keep his second place.
David Coulthard was not so lucky, however, and after a less than perfect start, the Scot was quickly threatened by Jarno Trulli and his Jordan. The Italian driver got alongside the Scot at the end of the straight and went on the inside of Copse, but Coulthard, who strangely seemed to be unaware that the Jordan was there, took the turn normally and contact was inevitable, which saw the Scot spin but quickly regaining control of his McLaren.
"I was ahead of Jarno and I thought I could hold the front line," explained Coulthard. "Two into one does not go and I was in the lead so I think he should have backed off." But as usual in these incidents Trulli's version was completely different: "I gave him as much space as I could have in the inside. I tried to get out of the way but there was no where to go. I don't know if he saw me. He may have closed the door."
As it was, Trulli was out of the race and Coulthard continued with a damaged rear suspension which would make him lose control of his car on lap 3, ending his race and probably his Championship hopes.
So Schumacher led from Hakkinen, who was already putting the German under intense pressure, and from Juan Pablo Montoya, who has earned the right to be considered the best starter of the year, moving from eighth to third place, in front of Rubens Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher.
Hakkinen, clearly on a two-stop strategy, was all over the back of Schumacher's Ferrari, which on lap four went a bit wide at Copse and allowed the Finn to take the lead. The McLaren took off right away, lapping close to two seconds quicker than the Ferrari. By lap 10, Hakkinen's advantage over Schumacher - who already knew Coulthard was out - was a massive 13.4 seconds and the German was now receiving the attention of Montoya, whose Michelin tyres were beginning to perform at their peak.
After running a few laps behind Schumacher, Montoya saw the opportunity coming out of Woodcote and with a perfect manoeuvre overtook the German at the end of the straight. It was the second time this season the Colombian had passed his rival. Ironically, Montoya's teammate Ralf, winner of two races already this season, has been unable to emulate the feat.
By lap 20 and despite being on a two-stop strategy, Hakkinen seemed to be out of everybody's reach, more than 25 seconds in front of Montoya. A lap later, the McLaren driver dived into the pits for his first stop, conceding the lead to Montoya before he himself made his first stop on lap 25, rejoining behind Ralf, who was unable to move ahead of a slower Barrichello.
"I didn't let Juan Pablo past because I knew I was on the same strategy as Barrichello, so I was confident I could pass him," admitted Ralf after he disobeyed Williams's request to let Montoya through. However, for the second time in two races, the German ignored team orders, costing valuable time for the Colombian.
Even with a heavy fuel load, Hakkinen was still flying around the track while Schumacher, who was not happy with his car's setup, was constantly losing ground to the Finn, the gap being 16 seconds by lap 35. "I had some problems, especially at the entry to Copse corner, where I got sideways a couple of times," said Schumacher. "The car was not well balanced and I could not get the maximum out of it."
As usual this year, the real racing was further back, with the battle between Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen being one certainly worth watching. After a couple of failed attempts, the Jordan driver had to settle behind the Sauber, who gained a place on lap 36 when Ralf retired with an engine problem.
Meanwhile, Montoya was still stuck behind Barrichello, his chances of catching Schumacher now all but gone. The Colombian pitted on lap 41 and was finally able to run in clean air, but it was already too late. To make matters worse, Barrichello, who came into the pits for the first time with only 18 laps remaining, rejoined the race ahead of the Williams driver.
With more than 20 seconds between both Hakkinen and Schumacher, the Finn continued to push as if haunted, edging away from his rival lap by lap. Schumacher, on the other hand, seemed happy to settle for six points and with Barrichello more than 30 seconds behind, the German took it easy and cruised to the end.
Immediately after winning for the 19th time in his Formula One career, Hakkinen was again his old self when explaining why he kept pushing during the final laps. "What I was planning to do," Hakkinen joked, "was to make a big enough gap so that when I came down I would park the car and have a cup of tea and then come back."
For Schumacher, second place behind Hakkinen must have tasted like a win, although the German was quick to deny it. "Whatever the Championship situation, I want to continue winning races," he said, after moving 37 points clear of Coulthard. Barrichello recovered well from a poor qualifying result to finish in third, ahead of Montoya and a sensational Kimi Raikkonen, who continued to show that the future is his. Heidfeld got the final point, meaning four Ferrari engines finished in the top six.
But the day belonged to Mika Hakkinen, and the delight around the paddock was palpable. "It feels so good, after all the troubles I have had this year, to win," Hakkinen concluded. "It is special for me to win here, too, at Silverstone, because I drive for an English team and I have won in front of an English crowd. I hope there will be more wins before the end of the season." If he continues to drive the way he did at Silverstone, there is little doubt there will be more.
Lap 1: At the start of the race Michael Schumacher takes the lead with Mika Hakkinen behind him. In the first corner third-placed David Coulthard is hit from behind by Jarno Trulli. Both men spin, Trulli into the sandtrap on the outside of the corner and Coulthard on the inside. David rejoins at the back of the field. Further back the two BARs nearly collide and Olivier Panis goes off into the sandtrap. This means that the fast-starting Juan Pablo Montoya takes third place ahead of Rubens Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher (up from 10th on the grid) and Kimi Raikkonen and Nick Heidfeld. Heinz-Harald Frentzen ends the first lap in eighth, having dropped three places. In the midfield Jean Alesi makes a good start to jump from 14th to ninth while Jos Verstappen leaps from 17th to 11th in his Arrows. At the end of the first lap Hakkinen is two-tenths ahead of Schumacher. The pair are 1.9secs clear of Montoya.
Lap 2: Schumacher manages to add another tenth of a second to his lead.
Lap 3: Mika Hakkinen sets the fastest lap of the race and the gap closes to just one tenth. At the back of the field Coulthard suffers a problem with his rear suspension, probably as a result of his brush with Trulli, and spins off at Priory.
Lap 4: Hakkinen remains on Schumacher's tail. Further back in the field Verstappen passes both Villeneuve and Alesi to take ninth position. At the back of the field Fisichella goes off and bounces over a sandtrap, rejoining behind Fernando Alonso's Minardi.
Lap 5: At Copse Corner Hakkinen is able to get ahead of Michael Schumacher to take the lead and he quickly begins to pull away, indicating that he is carrying a lighter fuel load than his rival.
Lap 6: As Hakkinen starts to build his lead, Luciano Burti retires with an engine failure.
Lap 10: Hakkinen's lead has grown to nearly 12 seconds while Michael Schumacher begins to come under pressure from third-placed Montoya.
Lap 11: Villeneuve passes Alesi at Stowe Corner to take 10th place.
Lap 15: Hakkinen's lead is up to 20 seconds while Schumacher is under serious threat from Montoya. Barrichello is a steady fourth ahead of Ralf Schumacher who is under threat from Raikkonen's Sauber.
Lap 18: Montoya passes Michael Schumacher to take second place as they go into the first corner.
Lap 20: Raikkonen is the first man to pit, dropping from sixth place down to 10th.
Lap 21: The leader Hakkinen pits, indicating that he is on a two-stop strategy. He rejoins just behind Montoya. Also pitting is sixth-placed Heidfeld, who drops to 10th place.
Lap 22: As Hakkinen pressures Montoya for the lead, seventh-placed Verstappen stops early and drops down the order to 13th place. Jenson Button also stops, falling from 13th to 17th.
Lap 23: At the tail of the field Enrique Bernoldi and Fernando Alonso both pitted and fell behind Button at the tail of the field.
Lap 24: Sixth-placed Frentzen stops and falls behind Villeneuve and the two Saubers.
Lap 25: Montoya comes into the pits, allowing Hakkinen to go back into the lead. Montoya rejoins in fourth place, just behind the battling Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher. Behind them Villeneuve is under pressure from Raikkonen and Heidfeld.
Lap 27: Hakkinen sets a second consecutive fastest lap to increase his lead over Schumacher to 10 seconds. It is clear further back that Montoya is being held up by Barrichello and Schumacher R.
Lap 30: In the midfield the first of the one-stop runners pits: Jean Alesi dropping from 10th place to 13th. At the same time Eddie Irvine stops but retains his 12th position.
Lap 32: Villeneuve comes into the pits and drops from sixth position to 11th.
Lap 34: The Williams team shows Ralf Schumacher the "Switch" sign, suggesting that it would like the German to let Montoya ahead. Further back ninth-placed Pedro de la Rosa is the next man to stop and he rejoins in 12th place.
Lap 35: Ralf Schumacher pits, allowing Montoya to attack Barrichello. Ralf drops from fourth place to sixth. In the midfield De la Rosa pits again, having had a problem with his refuelling stop.
Lap 37: Ralf Schumacher pulls off and retires.
Lap 39: Both Hakkinen and Michael Schumacher pit. Hakkinen remains in the lead but Schumacher drops behind Barrichello and Montoya. At the back of the field Button and Alonso both pit.
Lap 40: Raikkonen comes in for his second stop which lets Heidfeld and Frentzen get ahead. At the tail of the field Alonso loses a wheel and has to pit for repairs. He rejoins at the back of the field.
Lap 41: Montoya, Heidfeld and Frentzen all pit. Also stopping is seventh placed Verstappen, who drops down to 10th place.
Lap 42: Barrichello stops for his one and only pit stop. He is bale to hold on to his third place ahead of Montoya and the two Saubers. At the back of the field Bernoldi and Fisichella both stop for a second time. The two are side-by-side as they exit the pits, Bernoldi eventually backing off as Fisichella has the right of way.
Lap 45: In the midfield Irvine stops for his second stop but holds on to his ninth place.
Lap 60: Mika Hakkinen wins his 19th Grand Prix victory and his first for nearly a year. Michael Schumacher is second with Barrichello third. Montoya is a disappointed fourth while there is celebration at Sauber as both Raikkonen and Heidfeld collect points for the Swiss team.
Pos. Driver Team Times
1. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1:20.447 230.060 km/h
2. Hakkinen McLaren Mercedes (B) 1:20.529 + 0.082
3. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes (B) 1:20.927 + 0.480
4. Trulli Jordan Honda (B) 1:20.930 + 0.483
5. Frentzen Jordan Honda (B) 1:21.217 + 0.770
6. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 1:21.715 + 1.268
7. Raikkonen Sauber Petronas (B) 1:22.023 + 1.576
8. Montoya Williams BMW (M) 1:22.219 + 1.772
9. Heidfeld Sauber Petronas (B) 1:22.223 + 1.776
10. R.Schumacher Williams BMW (M) 1:22.283 + 1.836
11. Panis BAR Honda (B) 1:22.316 + 1.869
12. Villeneuve BAR Honda (B) 1:22.916 + 2.469
13. de la Rosa Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:23.273 + 2.826
14. Alesi Prost Acer (M) 1:23.392 + 2.945
15. Irvine Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:23.439 + 2.992
16. Burti Prost Acer (M) 1:23.735 + 3.288
17. Verstappen Arrows Asiatech (B) 1:24.067 + 3.620
18. Button Benetton Renault (M) 1:24.123 + 3.676
19. Fisichella Benetton Renault (M) 1:24.275 + 3.828
20. Bernoldi Arrows Asiatech (B) 1:24.606 + 4.159
21. Alonso Minardi European (M) 1:24.792 + 4.345
22. Marques Minardi European (M) 1:26.506 + 6.059 *
* Outside the 107%
CLASSIFIED
Pos Driver Team Time
1. Hakkinen McLaren Mercedes (B) 1h 25:33.770
2. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) + 33.646
3. Barrichello Ferrari (B) + 59.280
4. Montoya Williams BMW (M) + 1:08.772
5. Raikkonen Sauber Petronas (B) + 1 Lap
6. Heidfeld Sauber Petronas (B) + 1 Lap
7. Frentzen Jordan Honda (B) + 1 Lap
8. Villeneuve BAR honda (B) + 1 Lap
9. Irvine Jaguar Cosworth (M) + 1 Lap
10. Verstappen Arrows Asiatech (B) + 2 Laps
11. Alesi Prost Acer (M) + 2 Laps
12. de la Rosa Jaguar Cosworth (M) + 2 Laps
13. Fisichella Benetton Renault (M) + 2 Laps
14. Bernoldi Arrows Asiatech (B) + 2 Laps
15. Button Benetton Renault (M) + 2 Laps
16. Alonso Minardi European (M) + 3 Laps
Fastest Lap: Hakkinen, 1:23.405, lap 34
NOT CLASSIFIED / RETIREMENTS
R.Schumacher Williams BMW (M) 37
Burti Prost Acer (M) 7
Coulthard Mclaren Mercedes (B) 3
Trulli Jordan Honda (B) 1
Panis Bar Honda (B) 1
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDING, ROUND 11:
Drivers: Constructors:
1. M.Schumacher 84 1. Ferrari 118
2. Coulthard 47 2. McLaren 66
3. Barrichello 34 3. Williams 46
4. R.Schumacher 31 4. Sauber 19
5. Hakkinen 19 5. Jordan 15
6. Montoya 15 6. BAR 12
7. Heidfeld 10 7. Jaguar 5
8. Trulli 9 8. Prost 3
= Raikkonen 9 9. Benetton 1
10. Villeneuve 7 = Arrows 1
11. Frentzen 6
12. Panis 5
13. Irvine 4
14. Alesi 3
15. Fisichella 1
= Verstappen 1
= de la Rosa 1
Pos Driver Team Lap Time
1. Hakkinen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 34 1:23.405
2. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 42 1:23.928 + 0.523
3. Montoya Williams-BMW (M) 23 1:24.437 + 1.032
4. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 44 1:24.445 + 1.040
5. Irvine Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 59 1:24.544 + 1.139
6. Raikkonen Sauber-Petronas (B) 34 1:24.563 + 1.158
7. Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas (B) 46 1:24.765 + 1.360
8. Frentzen Jordan-Honda (B) 23 1:25.029 + 1.624
9. R.Schumacher Williams-BMW (M) 33 1:25.188 + 1.783
10. de la Rosa Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 33 1:25.739 + 2.334
11. Villeneuve BAR-Honda (B) 27 1:25.809 + 2.404
12. Verstappen Arrows-Asiatech (B) 40 1:26.394 + 2.989
13. Alesi Prost-Acer (M) 29 1:26.497 + 3.092
14. Bernoldi Arrows-Asiatech (B) 25 1:26.695 + 3.290
15. Fisichella Benetton-Renault (M) 41 1:26.798 + 3.393
16. Button Benetton-Renault (M) 24 1:26.963 + 3.558
17. Alonso Minardi-European (M) 30 1:27.091 + 3.686
18. Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (B) 2 1:28.908 + 5.503
19. Burti Prost-Acer (M) 40 1:29.252 + 5.847
Pos Driver Team Time Lap
1. Irvine Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 30.7 30
2. de la Rosa Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 30.8 34
3. Irvine Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 30.8 45
4. Hakkinen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 31.2 21
5. Fisichella Benetton-Renault (M) 31.6 42
6. Fisichella Benetton-Renault (M) 31.8 24
7. Bernoldi Arrows-Asiatech (B) 32.3 42
8. Verstappen Arrows-Asiatech (B) 32.4 41
9. Frentzen Jordan-Honda (B) 32.4 41
10. Hakkinen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 32.5 39
11. Montoya Williams-BMW (M) 32.5 25
12. Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas (B) 32.6 21
13. Button Benetton-Renault (M) 32.6 22
14. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 32.6 39
15. Button Benetton-Renault (M) 32.7 39
16. Raikkonen Sauber-Petronas (B) 32.7 40
17. Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas (B) 32.8 41
18. Alonso Minardi-European (M) 32.9 23
19. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 33.0 42
20. Verstappen Arrows-Asiatech (B) 33.1 22
21. Bernoldi Arrows-Asiatech (B) 33.3 23
22. Frentzen Jordan-Honda (B) 34.0 24
23. Raikkonen Sauber-Petronas (B) 34.1 20
24. de la Rosa Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 34.9 35
25. Montoya Williams-BMW (M) 35.0 41
26. Alesi Prost-Acer (M) 35.5 30
27. Villeneuve BAR-Honda (B) 36.4 32
28. R.Schumacher Williams-BMW (M) 36.9 35
29. Alonso Minardi-European (M) 51.8 39
The British Grand Prix, Lap by Lap