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GRAND
PRIX: Belgium : Routine & Records for
Schumacher
Spa Francorchamps, 2.9.01
Because the Championship had been won, some predicted this would be a boring GP. Others thought the fight for second in the Championship would produce its own tension, but no one really predicted this type of race.
It's an obvious statement that Michael Schumacher dominated the procedings. In qualifying, he was quickest in the wet but it was Williams' brilliant judgement at the end of the wet qualifying, as the track was beginning to dry, that put their cars out for two laps each on dry tyres to grab the front row. Schuey only got one lap in those conditions and ended up in third place - as it turned out this was not a major problem.
As clever as their Q. strategy was, so the Williams team then blew it at the start of the race. Montoya stalled on pole and ended up on the back of the grid, and then Ralf was left up on jacks as his team misjudged the time available to change his rear wing from wet to dry settings. At the third restart, following Burti's frightening accident, Schuey was left by himself at the front and simply disappeared........ By lap 8 he was 17 secs ahead and was just never headed, he turned in his record-breaking 52nd GP win and his 5th at Spa - all on the 10th anniversary of his first-ever GP in the Jordan. He will break a lot more records before he retires from the sport.
Rubens Barrichello's attempt at second in the World Championship received a knock when he could only manage a fifth place with his rival Coulthard second. He had difficulty in passing the quick starting Fisichella, then knocked his own nose cone off, and even had to give second-best to a more on-form Hakkinen before coming in to an unhappy fifth. He looked downbeat after the race but some of this was undoubtedly worry about his friend Burti whose condition after the accident was not yet known. Happily, he looks to be ok.
Lessons from this race? Not a lot we didn't know - Schuey is on top form, the Ferraris are quick and reliable, the Williams' will one day be a real threat, and Rubens will struggle to get that second Championship place. The next races will be very fascinating.
Jean Todt: “I am happy with this win which, coming after victory in the two championships, shows that our will to win is as strong as ever. Michael produced a perfect race, but it was more difficult for Rubens, who nevertheless put on a good show, managing to pick up two points, even after he had to change the front wing. This win is Michael’s 52nd, which is a new record. It is a great present to celebrate his ten years in Formula 1. The cars worked well and proved reliable on a tough track like this. Another cause for celebration is the fact this is the two hundredth Formula 1 victory for our partner Shell.”
Michael Schumacher: “Certainly the problems Williams had at the starts helped us, because I am not sure I would have beaten my brother off the grid. But we did not have to find out. I must say, I don’t know where Giancarlo came from. He must have had an amazing start. Then, because he was slower than me, I was able to build up a very big lead, have a clear race and I am delighted with the result. I pushed flat out until the second pit stop, because I was planning to build up enough of a lead to make an extra stop if we needed to. I made one mistake at Turn 15 when I lost concentration. I was playing with too many buttons on the steering wheel. I ran wide and almost hit the barrier. Now we go to Monza, where we will have reason to celebrate at home, whatever the result. But we want to do well there, which I think might be more difficult as the opposition will have a strong package for that type of track.”
Rubens Barrichello: “I am not exactly feeling great right now and it has nothing to do with the race, as I am referring to what happened to my friend Luciano. I did not make the best of starts the second time and Fisichella managed to pass me. That compromised my performance as he was also quicker than me in a straight line. Then, at my first stop, I lost two places. While fighting with Hakkinen, I hit the bollards at the Bus Stop and broke the front wing and so lost even more time at the second stop when it was changed. I also had a hard time with Alesi who was very quick on the straights. Luckily, at the end I was able to pick up two important points for the championship. Today, the balance of my car was not perfect.”
RACE RESULTS Belgian GP Spa Francorchamps, Belgium; 36 laps. Weather: cloudy, dry. Classified: Pos Driver Team Time 1. M. Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1h08:05.002 2. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes (B) + 0:10.098 3. Fisichella Benetton Renault (M) + 0:27.742 4. Hakkinen McLaren Mercedes (B) + 0:36.087 5. Barrichello Ferrari (B) + 0:54.521 6. Alesi Jordan Honda (B) + 0:59.684 7. R. Schumacher Williams BMW (M) + 0:59.684 8. Villeneuve BAR Honda (B) + 1:04.970 9. Frentzen Prost Acer (M) + 1 Lap 10. Verstappen Arrows (B) + 1 Lap 11. Panis BAR Honda (B) + 1 Lap 12. Bernoldi Arrows (B) + 1 Lap 13. Marques Minardi European (M) + 4 Laps World Championship Standing, Round 14: Drivers: Constructors: 1. M.Schumacher 104 1. Ferrari 152 2. Coulthard 57 2. McLaren 81 3 Barrichello 48 3. Williams 59 4. R. Schumacher 44 4. Sauber 20 5. Hakkinen 24 5. BAR 16 6. Montoya 15 =. Jordan 16 7. Villeneuve 11 7. Benetton 10 =. Heidfeld 11 8. Jaguar 5 9. Trulli 9 9. Prost 4 =. Raikkonen 9 10. Arrows 1 11. Fisichella 8 =. Minardi 1 12. Frentzen 6 13. Panis 5 =. Alesi 5 15. Irvine 4 16. Button 2 17. de la Rosa 1 =. Verstappen 1
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