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| Schuey put it on pole, but only just. |
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| He looked relaxed all weekend, here with Corinna. |
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| At the start Schumacher tries to squeeze Hakkinen into submission but it didn't work. |
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| Barrichello started and finished fourth and took no part in the proceedings at the front. |
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| The weight of expectation finally lifted, they celebrate their first World Championship together. |
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| Jean Todt and the crew begin to unwind after their spectactular result. |
GRAND
PRIX : Suzuka : Schumacher Campioni del Mondo! It seems incomprehensible that it was 21 years since the greatest name
in Formula One racing had last won the Driver's Championship. Many of
the tifosi sitting in front of their TV screens must also have wondered
whether Ferrari could once again snatch defeat from the jaws of victory
and hand the Championship to the forces of darkness - known as McLaren.
With an eight point lead and just two races remaining all Schumacher
had to do was finish two points ahead of Hakkinen at Suzuka for the
Championship to be his.
Qualifying focused entirely on the two main protagonists and Schumacher
gained pole by just 0.009 seconds, an important psychological advantage,
and the 10-metre stagger of the grid would also be useful in heading
off the fast-starting Finn.
Many winced as, at the start, Schumacher shot across to block Hakkinen
but the latter used the pit exit lane to assert himself at the front.
It makes one wonder whether, if he spent more time starting in a straight
line, Schumacher would actually come out ahead of Hakkinen.
Whatever, the McLaren and the Ferrari then had a fierce battle and
were never more than 2.5 seconds apart.
But this was a race decided in the pits. Hakkinen made his first pit
stop on lap 22, Schumacher a lap later. This gave Ferrari the luxury
of watching Hakkinen's stop and tailoring their tactics accordingly.
With nothing to choose in performance between the two cars, Brawn opted
to put 10kg more fuel into Schumacher's car, allowing him to do two
more laps than the Finn. It proved decisive.
When Hakkinen stopped for a second time on lap 37, Schumacher was able
to push hard and gain a five-second advantage on a track that was becoming
slippery with light rain, before pulling into the pits himself. He rejoined
in the lead and drove away to win his first championship since 1995.
After the race, Schumacher paid tribute to Brawn's role in the success.
"Ross Brawn is the master", he said. "There is a whole team and it's
somehow unfair to put him ahead of the others. But in the end he is
the one who makes the right decisions and he made Ferrari world champions.
Having missed out on the title for the last four years, Brawn said
that he was struggling to come to terms with the fact that he and Schumacher
had finally got the job done.
"It was a great race", said Brawn. "Going through two-thirds of the
race not knowing whether you are going to do it, or not, increases the
reward when it comes good. The interesting thing is that before the
race, Michael and I were debating how many laps to do at the start (before
taking a pit stop). It was anything from 21 to 23. We almost compromised
on 22 but in the end we went for 23, which was crucial, because it was
one lap more than McLaren and it allowed us to see what they did in
their pit stop and decide to go a little bit longer.
Ferrari's joy could be doubled in two weeks time at the final race
of the season in Malaysia. With the driver's title secure, the constructors'
title has yet to be settled.
After yesterday's race, Ferrari lead McLaren by 13 points, so just
three points in Malaysia will set the seal on a historic double for
the Italian giant and convince its fans that the prancing horse really
is back on top.
Jean Todt: "This is a joyous moment. This result was our objective
from the start of the year, as it has also been in the past. I am happy
and feel honoured to work with such a fantastic team and an exceptional
driver like Michael. I am also very happy for the 550 people of the
Gestione Sportiva who have worked intensively over the years to reach
this goal. With all the attention focussed on Michael today, we must
not forget the great contribution of Rubens Barrichello and Luca Badoer
to the result. I thank President Montezemolo for having put the means
at our disposal to achieve this result. Now we still need three points
to win the Constructors' Championship again and that will be our target
in two weeks time in Malaysia. Today's win came after an exciting fight
with a worthy opponent. Hakkinen is a great driver and a champion, both
as a man and as a professional. The race? After the start, Michael managed
to make up ground on a track which was a bit slippery because of the
light rain. At the second stop, we managed to get Michael out on the
track ahead of Hakkinen, also making the most of the new set of tyres
we had saved from yesterday's qualifying."
Michael Schumacher: "It's difficult to find the words to say
how it feels. It is similar to Monza, but don't expect me to cry. I
felt an outbreak of emotion as I crossed the line. The conditions were
difficult today and the season has had its ups and downs. It was great
to finish with a win after a fight to the last corner, thanks to Mika.
We have been working for this for five years and three times we got
close. This is simply outstanding and special because it is with Ferrari
and means much more to me than my other titles. Imagine what is happening
in Italy right now. It must be fantastic. As for the start, Mika was
very quick and there was nothing I could do. We made some adjustments
at the first stop and they helped. Then we saw Mika going in for his
second stop and I still had two laps to go. That was the crucial time,
but I had some traffic and a Benetton had spun and was moving backwards
in front of me as I came into the pits. I did not think I had done enough.
But as I went down the pit lane, Ross Brawn was saying „it's looking
good, it's looking good." Then he said „it's looking bloody good!" It
was the most amazing moment of my racing career. Towards the end when
I was out in front I was being careful not to go off and hoping nothing
would break. We will have to improvise our celebration as I told everyone
not to plan anything as I felt it would be unlucky."
Rubens Barrichello: "I am happy to be here and to be part of
such a special moment. I am happy for the team but the happiest man
in the world right now must be Michael. I feel that with all the work
I have done at the races and in testing and in collaborating with the
engineers, I have contributed my part to this great day for Ferrari.
Now I will concentrate on helping the team to win the Constructors'
Championship in Malaysia. The start was the crucial moment of my race.
I got away well, but then Coulthard blocked me which allowed the others
to get past and so I lost precious places. Then traffic made my life
difficult. When I had a clear road ahead of me, I was able to push harder
but not enough to get to the podium."
Japan, 08.10.00
RACE RESULTS The Japanese Grand Prix Suzuka, Japan; 53 laps, 310.596 kms; Weather: Dry, some rain. Classified: Pos Driver Team 1. M.Schumacher Ferrari 1H29:53.435 2. Hakkinen McLaren Mercedes + 1.837 3. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes + 1:09.914 4. Barrichello Ferrari + 1:19.190 5. Button Williams BMW + 1:25.694 6. Villeneuve BAR Honda 1 Lap 7. Herbert Jaguar Cosworth 1 Lap 8. Irvine Jaguar Cosworth 1 Lap 9. Zonta BAR Honda 1 Lap 10. Salo Sauber Petronas 1 Lap 11. Diniz Sauber Petronas 1 Lap 12. de la Rosa Arrows Supertec 1 Lap 13. Trulli Jordan Mugen-Honda 1 Lap 14. Fisichella Benetton Playlife 1 Lap 15. Mazzacane Minardi Fondmetal 2 Laps Fastest Lap: M.Hakkinen, 1:39.189 (212.830km/h), lap 26 Not Classified/Retirements: Driver Team On Lap Reason Gene Minardi Fondmetal 46 engine R.Schumacher Williams BMW 41 spun off Heidfeld Prost Peugeot 41 rear suspension Wurz Benetton Playlife 37 spun off Frentzen Jordan Mugen-Honda 29 hydraulics Alesi Prost Peugeot 19 engine Verstappen Arrows Supertec 9 gearbox World Championship Standing, Round 16: Drivers: Constructors: 1. M. Schumacher 98 WC 1. Ferrari 156 2. Hakkinen 86 2. McLaren 143 3. Coulthard 67 3. Williams-BMW 36 4. Barrichello 58 4. Benetton-Playlife 20 5. R.Schumacher 24 5. BAR-Honda 18 6. Fisichella 18 6. Jordan-Mugen Honda 17 7. Villeneuve 15 7. Arrows 7 8. Button 12 8. Sauber 6 9. Frentzen 11 9. Jaguar 3 10. Trulli 6 = Salo 6 12. Verstappen 5 13. Irvine 3 = Zonta 3 15. de la Rosa 2 = Wurz 2
Acknowledgement: Race data by Atlas F1.
Pictures by Allsport.
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