2001 Belgian Grand Prix

 2001 Belgian Grand Prix

Racing data
14th of 17 races in the 2001 Formula 1 World Championship
Surname:	LIX Foster's Belgian Grand Prix
Date:	September 2, 2001
Place:	spa
Course:	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Length:	250.842 km in 36 laps of 6.968 km
Planned:	306.586 km in 44 laps of 6.968 km
Pole position
Driver:	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams-BMW
Time:	1: 52.072 min
Fastest lap
Driver:	Michael sSchumacher	Ferrari
Time:	1: 49.758 min (lap 3)
Podium
First:	Michael sSchumacher	Ferrari
Second:	David Coulthard	McLaren-Mercedes
Third:	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton Renault

The 2001 Belgian Grand Prix took place on September 2nd at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Spa and was the 14th race of the 2001 Formula 1 World Championship .

Reports

background

After the Hungarian Grand Prix , Michael Schumacher led the drivers' championship unassailable with 43 points ahead of David Coulthard and 48 points ahead of Rubens Barrichello . Ferrari led the constructors' championship with 68 points ahead of McLaren-Mercedes and with 81 points ahead of Williams-BMW .

With Michael Schumacher (four times), David Coulthard and Mika Häkkinen (once each), three former winners competed for this Grand Prix.

training

In the first free practice, Michael Schumacher set the fastest time ahead of Jarno Trulli and Rubens Barrichello . The training, which was divided into two sections, started in dry weather. Later it started to rain.

On Saturday the first part of the second free practice had to be canceled due to fog. The second section took place 45 minutes late. Juan Pablo Montoya set the fastest time ahead of Ralf Schumacher and Mika Häkkinen .

Qualifying

The track dried out during qualifying. The two Williams BMW drivers were the fastest here. Juan Pablo Montoya drove faster than Ralf Schumacher; the third fastest time was achieved by Michael Schumacher.

Jos Verstappen , Fernando Alonso , Enrique Bernoldi and Tarso Marques failed because of the 107 percent time . Because of the wetness, they were given permission to start.

Warm up

In the warm-up, Michael Schumacher set the fastest time ahead of Mika Häkkinen and Kimi Räikkönen .

run

First start

The pre-start to the introductory lap went smoothly for all drivers. Work was still going on on Alonso's car 15 seconds before the start, so he had to fear a penalty.

During the start-up procedure, the engines of Frentzens and Marques' cars died, which resulted in an aborted start. The race was then shortened by one lap and those responsible had to start from behind, which only changed Frentzen's position, as Marques was last anyway. At the second start of the warm-up lap, Juan Pablo Montoya stopped because his engine also died. After his mechanics got his car running again, he followed the field.

Second start

The second start went without any problems for everyone. Giancarlo Fisichella started well and was in fourth position after the first corner. On the straight to Eau Rouge , Häkkinen and Coulthard passed Jacques Villeneuve . There was also an overtaking maneuver at the front. Michael Schumacher passed his brother Ralf and took the lead. After the first lap, Michael Schumacher was in front of Ralf Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello, Giancarlo Fisichella, Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard.

While Michael Schumacher broke away from the field, Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard overtook Giancarlo Fisichella on the second lap. Barrichello meanwhile put pressure on Ralf Schumacher. Fernando Alonso retired with a gearbox failure, which made punishment unnecessary.

On lap five there was an accident between Eddie Irvine and Luciano Burti . In a quick left turn in front of the Blanchimont section , Burti tried to position himself to the left of Irvine. Irvine had overlooked him, however, and turned into the curve, so that Burti had to drive into the green strip next to the track. There was a collision between the two, with Burti losing his front wing. Both drivers lost control of their vehicles and drove into the lane. While the run-off zone slowed Irvine's car well, Burti drove almost unbraked and head-on into the tire wall. The safety car was sent out immediately to secure the scene of the accident. However, since the rescue work at Burti was continuing, the race management decided to abandon the race.

During the safety car phase, the car from Raikkonen rolled out so that it could not take part in the restart.

Third start

After Burti was taken to a nearby hospital and the route at the scene of the accident was restored, a new start procedure was initiated. The race was shortened to 36 laps already completed.

A curiosity arose at the start of the introductory round. Ralf Schumacher's mechanics were not able to change a rear wing element in time, so the vehicle remained jacked up. The consequence of this was that Schumacher had to start from behind. In addition to Schumacher, Enrique Bernoldi also worked, but he was able to leave quite quickly. Since he was already last, there were no problems.

Fisichella started well again, overtook Coulthard, Häkkinen and Barrichello and was in second position after the first corner. In the back of the field there was a collision between Montoya, Pedro de la Rosa and Nick Heidfeld . Heidfeld did not finish the first lap, de la Rosa managed to pit and finished his race there. Montoya was able to continue the race for the time being, but retired on the second lap due to an engine failure.

Meanwhile, Schumacher quickly pulled away from Fisichella, who was holding the drivers behind him. Since refueling was forbidden between the interruption of the race and the restart, the first phase of the pit stops began very early. Mika Häkkinen and Jean Alesi were the first to pit on lap five. After Michael Schumacher pitted for his stop, Fisichella briefly led the race on lap eleven before he also had to pit.

After the stops, Michael Schumacher continued to lead ahead of Giancarlo Fisichella, David Coulthard, Mika Häkkinen and Rubens Barrichello.

On lap 17, Barrichello lost his front wing. In the last chicane he hit a rubber lane boundary. He finished the lap without a front wing and pitted. One lap later, Jenson Button also drove against this limit and also knocked off the front wing. Unlike Barrichello's, the wing jammed under the vehicle, so that Button slipped into the guardrail and had to end his race.

After all the pilots were in the pits a second time, Michael Schumacher continued to lead by a large margin over Giancarlo Fisichella and David Coulthard. Coulthard was faster than Fisichella at this point and put him under pressure. With nine laps to go, Coulthard overtook Fisichella on the straight to Eau Rouge and secured second place.

After 1: 08: 05.002 hours, Michael Schumacher crossed the finish line as the winner, followed by David Coulthard, Giancarlo Fisichella, Mika Häkkinen, Rubens Barrichello and Jean Alesi .

Registration list

team	No.	driver	chassis	engine	tires
Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro	01	Michael sSchumacher	Ferrari F2001	Ferrari 3.0 V10	B.
	02	Rubens Barrichello
West McLaren Mercedes	03	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren MP4-16	Mercedes-Benz 3.0 V10	B.
	04th	David Coulthard
BMW WilliamsF1 Team	05	Ralf Schumacher	Williams FW23	BMW 3.0 V10	M.
	06th	Juan Pablo Montoya
Mild Seven Benetton Renault	07th	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton B201	Renault 3.0 V10	M.
	08th	Jenson Button
Lucky Strike BAR Honda	09	Olivier Panis	BAR 003	Honda 3.0 V10	B.
	10	Jacques Villeneuve
B&H Jordan Honda	11	Jarno Trulli	Jordan EJ11	Honda 3.0 V10	B.
	12	Jean Alesi
Orange Arrows Asiatech	14th	Jos Verstappen	Arrows A22	Asiatech 3.0 V10	B.
	15th	Enrique Bernoldi
Red Bull Sauber Petronas	16	Nick Heidfeld	Clean C20	Petronas 3.0 V10	B.
	17th	Kimi Raikkonen
Jaguar Racing	18th	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar R2	Ford Cosworth 3.0 V10	M.
	19th	Pedro de la Rosa
European Minardi F1	20th	Tarso Marques	Minardi PS01	European 3.0 V10	M.
	21st	Fernando Alonso
Cheers to Acer	22nd	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Cheers AP04	Acer 3.0 V10	M.
	23	Luciano Burti

Classifications

Qualifying

Item	driver	constructor	time	begin
01	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams-BMW	1: 52.072	01
02	Ralf Schumacher	Williams-BMW	1: 52.959	02
03	Michael sSchumacher	Ferrari	1: 54.685	03
04th	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Cheers-Acer	1: 55.233	04th
05	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1: 56.116	05
06th	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR Honda	1: 57.038	06th
07th	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren-Mercedes	1: 57.043	07th
08th	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton Renault	1: 57.668	08th
09	David Coulthard	McLaren-Mercedes	1: 58.008	09
10	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar Cosworth	1: 58.519	10
11	Olivier Panis	BAR Honda	1: 58.519	11
12	Kimi Raikkonen	Clean Petronas	1: 59.050	12
13	Jean Alesi	Jordan Honda	1: 59.128	13
14th	Nick Heidfeld	Clean Petronas	1: 59.302	14th
15th	Jenson Button	Benetton Renault	1: 59.587	15th
16	Jarno Trulli	Jordan Honda	1: 59.647	16
17th	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar Cosworth	1: 59.689	17th
18th	Luciano Burti	Cheers-Acer	1: 59.900	18th
107 percent time : 1: 59.917 min (based on the best time of 1: 52.072 min)
DNQ	Jos Verstappen	Arrows-Asiatech	2: 02.039	19th
DNQ	Fernando Alonso	Minardi-European	2: 02.594	20th
DNQ	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows-Asiatech	2: 03.048	21st
DNQ	Tarso Marques	Minardi-European	2: 04.204	22nd

Remarks

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} This driver failed due to the 107 percent time , but was subsequently admitted to the race because the qualifying took place under wet conditions.

run

Item	driver	constructor	Round	Stops	time	begin	Fastest lap
01	Michael sSchumacher	Ferrari	36	2	1: 08: 05.002	03	1: 49.758 ( 03rd)
02	David Coulthard	McLaren-Mercedes	36	2	+ 10.098	09	1: 51.608 (31st)
03	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton Renault	36	2	+ 27.742	08th	1: 51.725 (10.)
04th	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren-Mercedes	36	2	+ 36.087	07th	1: 51.741 ( 09.)
05	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	36	2	+ 54.521	05	1: 51.776 (20.)
06th	Jean Alesi	Jordan Honda	36	2	+ 59.684	13	1: 51.996 ( 05.)
07th	Ralf Schumacher	Williams-BMW	36	2	+ 59.986	02	1: 51.058 (21.)
08th	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR Honda	36	2	+1: 04.970	06th	1: 52.372 (11.)
09	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Cheers-Acer	35	1	+ 1 lap	04th	1: 54.051 (15.)
10	Jos Verstappen	Arrows-Asiatech	35	2	+ 1 lap	19th	1: 54.095 ( 04th)
11	Olivier Panis	BAR Honda	35	3	+ 1 lap	11	1: 52.533 (24.)
12	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows-Asiatech	35	2	+ 1 lap	21st	1: 55.196 ( 04th)
13	Tarso Marques	Minardi-European	32	4th	+ 4 rounds	22nd	1: 56.484 ( 08th)
-	Jarno Trulli	Jordan Honda	31	2	DNF	16	1: 51.828 ( 04th)
-	Jenson Button	Benetton Renault	17th	1	DNF	15th	1: 53.409 (17.)
-	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams-BMW	01	0	DNF	01	2: 05.821 ( 01st)
-	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar Cosworth	01	0	DNF	10	3: 49.381 ( 01st)
-	Nick Heidfeld	Clean Petronas	00	0	DNF	14th	-
-	Kimi Raikkonen	Clean Petronas	00	0	DNF	12	-
-	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar Cosworth	00	0	DNF	17th	-
-	Luciano Burti	Cheers-Acer	00	0	DNF	18th	-
-	Fernando Alonso	Minardi-European	00	0	DNF	20th	-

World Cup stands after the race

The first six of the race got 10, 6, 4, 3, 2 and 1 point (s) respectively.

Driver ranking

Item driver constructor Points 01  Michael sSchumacher Ferrari 104 02  David Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes 57 03  Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 48 04th  Ralf Schumacher Williams-BMW 44 05  Mika Hakkinen McLaren-Mercedes 24 06th  Juan Pablo Montoya Williams-BMW 15th 07th  Jacques Villeneuve BAR Honda 11 08th  Nick Heidfeld Clean Petronas 11 09  Kimi Raikkonen Clean Petronas 9 10  Jarno Trulli Jordan Honda 9 11  Giancarlo Fisichella Benetton Renault 8th 12  Heinz-Harald Frentzen Jordan-Honda / Prost-Acer 6th

Item driver constructor Points 13  Olivier Panis BAR Honda 5 14th  Jean Alesi Cheers-Acer / Jordan-Honda 5 15th  Eddie Irvine Jaguar Cosworth 4th 16  Jenson Button Benetton Renault 2 17th  Jos Verstappen Arrows-Asiatech 1 18th  Pedro de la Rosa Jaguar Cosworth 1 19th  Ricardo Zonta Jordan Honda 0 20th  Luciano Burti Jaguar-Cosworth / Prost-Acer 0 21st  Enrique Bernoldi Arrows-Asiatech 0 22nd  Tarso Marques Minardi-European 0 23  Fernando Alonso Minardi-European 0 24  Gastón Mazzacane Cheers-Acer 0

Constructors' championship

Item constructor Points 01  Ferrari 152 02  McLaren-Mercedes 81 03  Williams-BMW 59 04th  Clean Petronas 20th 05  BAR Honda 16 06th  Jordan Honda 16

Item constructor Points 07th  Benetton Renault 10 08th  Jaguar Cosworth 5 09  Cheers-Acer 4th 10  Arrows-Asiatech 1 11  Minardi-European 0

Individual evidence

1. ↑ World Championship stand before the race. World Cup stand after the Hungarian Grand Prix. Motorsport-Total.com, accessed April 5, 2013 . 
2. ↑ Belgian Grand Prix 2001. Spa-Francorchamps - 1st free practice. (No longer available online.) Motorsportarchiv.de, archived from the original on December 6, 2013 ; Retrieved April 10, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
3. ↑ Belgian Grand Prix 2001. Spa-Francorchamps - 2nd free practice. (No longer available online.) Motorsportarchiv.de, formerly in the original ; Retrieved April 10, 2013 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.    
4. ↑ Belgian Grand Prix 2001. Spa-Francorchamps - Qualifying. (No longer available online.) Motorsportarchiv.de, archived from the original on December 26, 2015 ; Retrieved April 10, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
5. ↑ Belgian Grand Prix 2001. Spa-Francorchamps - Warm up. (No longer available online.) Motorsportarchiv.de, archived from the original on December 19, 2015 ; Retrieved April 10, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
6. ↑ Burti's horror crash overshadows Schumacher's record victory. Motorsport-Total.com, accessed April 10, 2013 . 
7. ^ Disappointing performance by BMW-Williams. Motorsport-Total.com, accessed April 10, 2013 . 

Web links

• Weekend statistics at Motorsport-Total.com