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GRAND
PRIX: United States : Barrichello's Disappointment
Indianapolis, 30.9.01
They all finally turned up for this Grand Prix after the soul-searching that had been going on since the events of September 11. There were two clear views: one was that the event should go ahead as some kind of positive gesture towards the troubled American public, but the other view was based on more pragmatic issues - namely that if there were further military actions and flight disruptions then the entire F1 circus could be stranded in the US and unable to reach the season finalé in Japan.
The Ferraris were back with their sponsors' logos and red noses, although each car carried a small "Stars & Stripes" on their turning vanes. Michael Schumacher looked to be in better spirits than at the Monza race and the team was clearly focused in helping Rubens Barrichello snatch the second championship place from David Coulthard. The team's spare car was set up for Rubens throughout the weekend..
Qualifying saw a much-improved McLaren team almost snatch pole position with Hakkinen but in the end Michael just took it by a smidgen, with the two Williams' of Ralf and Montoya next, ahead of Barrichello, whilst Coulthard languished down in seventh place. For a race-morning pit lane transgression Hakkinen then lost his front row position and in an illogical punishment was put back to fourth place. He was furious.
The only possible race strategy for Rubens was a lightening start, a very low fuel load and to attempt to sprint away from Coulthard. This seemed to work and by lap 4 he moved into the lead from Michael and began to pull away. With both Williams' retiring Rubens was left in a straight fight with the two McLarens, who were one-stopping.
The final laps were terrific. After Rubens' second pit stop on lap 50 out of 72, he was just five seconds behind the leading Hakkinen and slowly catching him. On lap 68, however, the first puffs of smoke began to appear out of the Ferrari engine and it lasted just three more laps before seizing solid and putting him out of the race. Hakkinen was therefore left to an untroubled win, with Coulthard taking home valuable Championship points in third position.
And what about Michael Schumacher? He led away at the start but easily let Rubens through into the lead and it looked suspiciously as if he even let Montoya past in order to drift back towards Coulthard and assist Rubens, who was having to make one more stop than the McLaren. At times Michael looked to be just cruising along in support of his team-mate. In the end Rubens' engine failure put all these plans to nought and Michael finished in second place.
At the final race in Japan Barrichello must win, with Coulthard lower than fourth, in order to achieve the second Championship place. It's possible but it looks a tall order.
Jean Todt: “I am really disappointed for Rubens, who had driven a great race. He had adopted an aggressive strategy and made a very good start and then some great passing moves. Unfortunately, his engine developed a problem a few laps from the end. Rubens tried to keep going, but with just two laps to go, he had to retire. It’s a shame, because today’s was our first engine failure in a race this season. Michael was on a one stop strategy and was passed when Hakkinen made his stop seven laps later. With one race remaining this season, the top three places in the Constructors’ classification are now decided, while the fight is still on for second place in the Drivers.’ However, Rubens’ retirement today makes it difficult for him to catch up with Coulthard.”
Michael Schumacher: ”It was a pretty straightforward race with few exciting moments for me, apart from the one with Montoya. I don’t really know where he came from, because he was a long way behind when I left Turn 11. Then I saw in my mirrors that he was right with me. I tried to make life difficult for him, but at that stage, our tyres were near the end of their life and not as good as theirs. I also had a bit of traffic before my pit stop. I don’t think our tyre choice was right, because we didn’t have the consistency we expected. That might be because the temperatures were different on Friday when we made the choice. When we look at the car, we might find other reasons why we did not have a winning car today. I was happy to let Rubens through, as he was on two stops. I am happy with second, because I was fortunate to get it. I am happy for Mika, because he won it fair and square, but I am disappointed for Rubens naturally.”
Rubens Barrichello: “Since Michael won the championship, I had four races at my disposal to win a grand prix, with the full support of the team. At Spa, things did not go well, while in Monza it looked possible until my pit stop problem. Here also, things were looking good until the engine problem. In the final part of the race, I was gaining around half a second a lap on Hakkinen, when I felt something was not right with the engine. It was a real shame, given that I had to stop, losing even the position I was in. These things happen! Michael and I had different strategies, even if there was not much difference between them. Starting from pole, he did not face the prospect of having to overtake, whereas I had to move up the order. "
RACE RESULTS United States GP Indianapolis, USA 73 laps. Weather: Warm, Dry. Classified: Pos Driver Team Time 1. Hakkinen McLaren Mercedes (B) 1h32:42.840 2. M. Schumacher Ferrari (B) + 0:11.046 3. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes (M) + 0:12.043 4. Irvine Jaguar Cosworth (M) + 0:12.434 5. Heidfeld Sauber Petronas (B) + 1:12.996 6. Alesi Jordan Honda (B) + 1 Lap 7. Fisichella Benetton (B) + 1 Lap 8. Button Benetton (B) + 1 Lap 9. Frentzen Prost (M) + 1 Lap 10. Panis BAR Honda (B) + 1 Lap 11. de la Rosa Jaguar Cosworth (M) + 1 Lap 12. Bernoldi Arrows (B) + 1 Lap 13. Enge Prost (M) + 1 Lap 14. Barrichello Ferrari (B) + 2 Laps World Championship Standing, Round 16: Drivers: Constructors: 1. M.Schumacher 113 1. Ferrari 167 2. Coulthard 61 2. McLaren 95 3 Barrichello 54 3. Williams 73 4. R.Schumacher 48 4. Sauber 22 5. Hakkinen 34 5. BAR 17 6. Montoya 25 =. Jordan 17 7. Heidfeld 13 7. Jaguar 10 8. Villeneuve 12 =. Benetton 10 9. Trulli 9 9. Prost 4 =. Raikkonen 9 10. Arrows 1 11. Fisichella 8 =. Minardi 1 12. Irvine 7 13. Frentzen 6 =. Alesi 6 15. Panis 5 16. de la Rosa 3 17. Button 2 18. Verstappen 1
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