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For the third Grand Prix in a row Rubens Barrichello was outstanding in qualifying. He dominated the practice sessions and this time there was no way that Michael Schumacher could dislodge him from pole. Indeed, Ralf pushed himself up into second place in front of his brother. Also notable was the continuing form of the Sauber team, who started in fifth (Heidfeld) and seventh (Massa) positions alongside the two McLarens. Interestingly, the left row of the grid was a row of four Ferrari engines: Barrichello, Schumacher, Heidfeld and Massa. After the start the two Ferraris just disappeared into the distance. Obviously running a light fuel load, they were planning a two-stop strategy in this normally one-stop race but even so when, after just 16 laps, they had opened up a 26-second gap to third placed man, Ralf Schumacher, the race looked completely in the bag But the drama then commenced: the safety car episode on lap 24, when Panis spun his BAR on the main straight, could have spelt disaster for Ferraris' strategy but a brilliant piece of on-the-spot thinking brought both cars into the pits for their first refuelling stop. The race re-start and the second safety car phase following the Heidfeld/Sato accident were taken completely in Ferraris' stride and the two cars again romped away from the rest of the field, with Barrichello always holding a steady three to four second lead over Michael Schumacher. And so to the last lap. With Schumacher having a 21 point lead in the Championship over Pablo Montoya and with Rubens on only six points it seemed inconceivable that there could be any team orders. An incredulous world then watched as just yards before the finish Rubens slowed to let Michael take the win. The boos and whistles from the crowd reached a crescendo and Michael's gesture of giving the top podium spot and the winner's trophy to Rubens seemed to make the situation even worse. The subsequent outcry from the media and race fans was universal in its condemnation of such a blatant and seemingly unnecessary act. Both drivers put a brave face on it and Jean Todt did his best to explain the reasoning. "We lost the Championship at the last race in 1997, 1998 and 1999" he said. "So we just want to try and avoid that. I know some people are not happy." The FIA have also felt stung into action and have summoned Ferrari and its two drivers to appear before it on 26th June. Is F1 a sport, a business or what? The argument will rage probably all the way until the red lights go off at the next Grand Prix. Jean Todt: “ We witnessed Ferrari dominate from start to finish. Rubens drove an incredible race, rounding off a fantastic weekend. He was the moral victor today, which is why we sent his race engineer, Gabriele Delli Colli onto the podium. Sometimes one has to take difficult decisions and today was one of those times. In the past we have lost the Drivers’ Championship at the last race three times in a row and we know we are up against strong opposition. We therefore have to make the most of every situation. The extra points Michael picked up today could come in useful later in the season. The car and engine were fantastic and the Bridgestone tyres performed exceptionally well." Michael Schumacher: “I take no joy from this victory. I enjoyed the race but not the last hundred metres. It was a team decision. Only at the end I was called on the radio and told Rubens would move over. I know the decision is not popular, but imagine if we had lost the championship by this number of points at the end of the season. The team would look stupid in that situation. Rubens did a superb job and he outpaced me all weekend. This is a challenging situation having him pushing me. I am sure he will win races this year. If the team had taken this decision in the last race with the title still open nobody would be saying anything about today’s events. ” Rubens Barrichello: “I was asked to move over. It was a team decision and I have to respect it. I did as I was told even if I would have preferred not to have been asked to move over. Today’s event has not affected my determination. I feel I am going through a good time in my life and driving better than ever. I feel my time is coming and there is no point in complaining or arguing. As for the race, the team ran a fantastic strategy and everything, the car, engine and tyres worked very well. I was not pushing too hard and I was being careful, especially after the Safety Car period. I am looking forward to racing hard in Monaco, which is like a second home race for me.“
RACE RESULTS
Austrian GP
Spielberg, Austria
71 laps. Weather: Cloudy, Dry
Classified:
Pos Driver Team Time
1. M. Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1h33:51.562
2. Barrichello Ferrari (B) + 0:00.182
3. Montoya Williams (M) + 0:17.548
4. R. Schumacher Williams (M) + 0:18.266
5. Fisichella Jordan (B) + 0:49.783
6. Coulthard McLaren (M) + 0:50.490
7. Button Renault (M) + 0:51.047
8. Salo Toyota (M) + 1:00.805
9. McNish Toyota (M) + 1:09.718
10. Villeneuve BAR (B) + 1 Lap
11. Frentzen Arrows (B) + 2 Laps
12. Webber Minardi (M) + 2 Laps
World Championship Standing, Round 6:
Drivers: Constructors:
1. M.Schumacher 54 1. Ferrari 66
2. Montoya 27 2. Williams 50
3. R.Schumacher 23 3. McLaren 14
4. Barrichello 12 4. Renault 8
5. Coulthard 10 =4. Sauber 8
6. Button 8 6. Jaguar 3
7. Heidfeld 5 7. Minardi 2
8. Raikkonen 4 =7. Toyota 2
9. Irvine 3 =7. Jordan Honda 2
= 9. Massa 3 10. Arrows 1
11. Webber 2
=11. Salo 2
=11. Fisichella 2
14. Frentzen 1
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With four wins out of five this season the Ferrari team had every
expectation of doing well in Austria. The F2002 is proving too
much for the opposition, McLaren are dropping further down the field
and only Williams are putting up a modicum of resistance.
