In a race characterised by one passing manoeuvre, intriguing pit stop strategies and mechanical failures amongst the leaders, the McLarens of Coulthard and Hakkinen took an easy 1-2 at the British Grand Prix.

Things did not look very good for Michael Schumacher but 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 until the onset of mechanical problems allowed Coulthard to make a 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.

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 all he had to do was to get to the finish to take his second successive British GP - 1½ secs ahead of Hakkinen.

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.

Jean Todt: "Above all, I am disappointed for Rubens who was having a great race. Much of the outcome was decided at the start, especially for Michael. He made a good start but got hemmed in on the first lap. We had planned for a one stop race and it proved to be the right choice. After a great start which saw him lead, Rubens suffered a high pressure hydraulic system problem which forced him to retire. After spending 33 laps behind a slower car, Michael managed to finish third and pick up valuable points for the championship. We know that in the current situation we are trading points with another team and every opportunity missed gives our main competitors an advantage. Now we have to discover what caused the problem on Rubens' car and we will concentrate on not letting any more points slip from our grasp."

Michael Schumacher: "I had a good start, but there were cars everywhere around me! I considered going up the grass but given all the rain we have had, I decided against it. I had a good fight with Ralf for the first two corners, which I enjoyed. Then I got almost alongside him at Bridge and I decided to back off as I did not want to crash with my brother. I thought my chance would come later, but it did not. I spent much of the race in eighth place and I was wondering if I was fighting for nothing. But if you don't give up then you can get somewhere. I was stuck behind Villeneuve, because with roughly the same amount of fuel and with him having good speed, it was impossible to pass. But thanks to a good car I was able to catch the others. So, at the end of the day I am very happy to have finished third."

Rubens Barrichello: "I am very sad, because I had the opportunity of taking my first grand prix win. Around five or six laps before I retired I started to feel there was something wrong with the car. Then I began to have problems with the clutch and the throttle. That is why Coulthard managed to pass me. I spun because of the erratic behaviour of the engine, which almost died on the entry into the corner, before the power suddenly came in again. I decided to pit, but there was nothing to be done. It was a problem with the high pressure hydraulic circuit, similar to the one in Brazil, but for a different reason."

RACE RESULTS

British Grand Prix
Silverstone
60 laps, 308.356 kms.
Weather: Dry, sunny

Fastest Lap: M.Hakkinen, 1:26.217, lap 60

Acknowledgement - Race data by Atlas F1, Pix by F1-Online

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