David Coulthard Wins the British GP
Sunday April 23rd, 2000
Things did not look very good for Michael Schumacher and a whole lot better for Rubens Barrichello as the latter blasted into the lead at the start of the British Grand Prix from Heinz-Harald Frentzen and the two McLarens of David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen. Schumacher had slipped back to seventh place behind the two Williams BMWs of Jenson Button and Ralf Schumacher, after a bid to drive around the McLarens saw him get two wheels on the grass. He had to lift off on the wet grass and then move back across the track losing three places down to the first corner when Villeneuve pushed him down to eighth place.
As the leading group of half a dozen cars pulled away from the rest, Schumacher was unable to find a way past Villeneuve and was losing touch at the rate of a second per lap. Even if he was on a one-stop strategy, he had lost so much ground on the leading group that he would find it impossible to get back in the fight for the lead. "I was back in eighth place and wondering where all this was going to end," said Michael later.
The leading group seemed content to bid their time until the first round of pit stops to see which of the front runners were running a two or one-stop race strategy.
It was on lap 24 of the 60 laps race that we began to get the answers, Frentzen leaving second place and Ralf Schumacher sixth for the first of what was a two-stop race for them. Jenson Button also made his stop a lap behind his team-mate and lost fifth place to him, but it meant that the three cars now left running up front were now 20 seconds clear of their next closest rivals, Villeneuve and Schumacher.
Barrichello was driving a faultless race in the lead despite heavy pressure from the two McLarens - or almost faultless- the Brazilian running wide out of Becketts corner allowing Coulthard to make a bold move to take the lead from Barrichello until he also headed for the pits on lap 33.
Barrichello was back ahead briefly, but then it all went wrong for him on lap 35 when he spun just before the pits. He went straight to the pits for fresh tyres and fuel, but that's where he stayed due to a suspected hydraulic failure.
Both Hakkinen and Coulthard had also made their stops by this time, Schumacher taking the lead for a couple of laps before he finally made his stop on lap 38, having profited from the empty track behind him to pull back a few of the seconds lost behind Villeneuve.
His stop let Frentzen back into the lead with the two Williams also back up front, but with another stop to make before the end of the race, it was now clear that the race was between the two McLarens, Coulthard gaining a couple of seconds from his pit stop and then a whole lot more after Hakkinen got stuck behind Jenson Button until his second stop.
All Coulthard had to do was to get to the finish to take his second successive British GP win. It looked easy for him, but inside the cockpit he was a worried man. ?The car was missing gear changes. I thought, ?oh no, don't let it happen to me," but it all held together and it was OK," explained David, who took the flag with 1,5 seconds to spare over his fast closing team-mate who set fastest lap of the race in the chase.
Schumacher found himself a safe third after the second round of stops, especially when Frentzen dropped out of fourth place with a gear selection problem and Villeneuve also disappeared with similar troubles. " In the circumstances, I am delighted to have finished in third place," said Michael who keeps his Championship points lead by 20 over Coulthard who now moves up into second place.
Ralf Schumacher claimed fourth spot, his team-mate Button fifth after another strong drive. Villeneuve's late retirement let Trulli into the final point, 15 of the 22 starters making it to the flag.
PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS
British Grand Prix
Silverstone, England;
60 laps, 308.356 kms.
Weather: Dry, sunny.
Classified:
Pos Driver Team
1. Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes 1h 28:50.108
2. Hakkinen McLaren-Mercedes + 1.477
3. M.Schumacher Ferrari + 19.917
4. R.Schumacher Williams-BMW + 41.312
5. Button Williams-BMW + 57.759
6. Trulli Jordan-Mugen Honda + 1:19.273
7. Fisichella Benetton-Playlife + 1 Lap
8. Salo Sauber-Petronas + 1 Lap
9. Wurz Benetton-Playlife + 1 Lap
10. Alesi Prost-Peugeot + 1 Lap
11. Diniz Sauber-Petronas + 1 Lap
12. Herbert Jaguar-Cosworth + 1 Lap
13. Irvine Jaguar-Cosworth + 1 Lap
14. Gene Minardi-Fondmetal + 1 Lap
15. Mazzacane Minardi-Fondmetal + 1 Lap
16. Villeneuve BAR-Honda + 4 Laps *
17. Frentzen Jordan-Mugen Honda + 6 Laps *
* Retired with Gearbox problems
Fastest Lap: M.Hakkinen, 1:26.217 (214.663 km/h), lap 56
Not Classified/Retirements:
Driver Team On Lap Reason
Heidfeld Prost-Peugeot 51 oil pressure
Zonta BAR-Honda 36 spun off
Barrichello Ferrari 35 hydraulics
de la Rosa Arrows-Supertec 26 overheating
Verstappen Arrows-Supertec 20 engine electrics
Lap Leaders: Laps 01-30: Barrichello;
Laps 31-32: Coulthard;
Laps 33-35: Barrichello;
Laps 36-38: Schumacher;
Laps 39-41: Frentzen;
Laps 42-60: Coulthard.
World Championship Standing, Round 3:
Drivers: Constructors:
1. M.Schumacher 34 1. Ferrari 43
2. Coulthard 14 2. McLaren 26
3. Hakkinen 12 3. Williams-BMW 12
4. Barrichello 9 4. Jordan-Mugen Honda 8
= R.Schumacher 9 = Benetton-Playlife 8
6. Fisichella 8 6. BAR-Honda 6
7. Villeneuve 5 7. Sauber 1
8. Frentzen 4
= Trulli 4
10. Button 3
11. Zonta 1
= Salo 1
All timing unofficial