2000 Belgian Grand Prix
Template:Short description Template:Good article Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox Grand Prix race report The 2000 Belgian Grand Prix (formally, the LVIII Foster's Belgian Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 27 August 2000 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Francorchamps, Wallonia, Belgium with a crowd of 83,000 spectators. It was the 13th race of the 2000 Formula One World Championship, and the 58th Belgian Grand Prix. McLaren driver Mika Häkkinen won the 44-lap race from pole position - his last in Formula One. Michael Schumacher finished second in a Ferrari, and Williams driver Ralf Schumacher was third.
Häkkinen went into the event as the World Drivers' Championship leader with his team McLaren leading the World Constructors' Championship. The race began behind the safety car due to overnight rainfall making the track wet and reducing visibility. When the safety car returned to the pit lane Häkkinen built a significant lead over Jarno Trulli. As the track dried and other drivers made pit stops, Häkkinen maintained his lead until a lap-13 spin gave Michael Schumacher the lead for most of the remainder of the race. By the 34th lap Schumacher's tyres began to degrade; he drove off the racing line to cool them, which allowed Häkkinen to close the gap. On lap 41 Häkkinen overtook Michael Schumacher for the lead while lapping BAR driver Ricardo Zonta and maintaining the lead to win. Although Rubens Barrichello set the fastest lap time in the other Ferrari, he was hampered by a poor qualifying performance and retired with a fuel-pressure problem thirteen laps from the finish.
Häkkinen's victory extended his lead in the World Drivers' Championship to six points over Michael Schumacher, with Coulthard a further seven points behind. Barrichello's retirement dropped him to twenty-five points behind Häkkinen. In the World Constructors' Championship, McLaren extended their lead to eight points over Ferrari with four races remaining in the season.
BackgroundEdit
The 2000 Belgian Grand Prix was the 13th of 17 races in the 2000 Formula One World Championship and took place at the Template:Convert Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Francorchamps, Wallonia, Belgium on 27 August 2000.<ref name="CF1Overview" /><ref name=ESPNMS/> Sole tyre supplier Bridgestone brought the soft and medium dry compounds as well as the hard and soft wet-weather compounds to the event;<ref name=preview>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the intermediate had a curvy pattern and the full wet was designed for the track's common rainy conditions.<ref name=CooperAnalysis>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The wet-weather tyres were introduced for the race in response to prospective new tyre supplier Michelin beginning their tyre-development program during the year, resulting in Bridgestone increasing their development rate to research advances.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Following his victory at the Template:F1GP,<ref name="Goodman2000">Template:Cite book</ref> McLaren driver Mika Häkkinen led the World Drivers' Championship with 64 points, ahead of Ferrari's Michael Schumacher (62 points) and McLaren's David Coulthard (58). Schumacher's teammate Rubens Barrichello was fourth with 49 points, and Benetton's Giancarlo Fisichella was fifth with 18.<ref name=pointsprerace>Template:Cite book</ref> McLaren led the World Constructors' Championship with 112 points, one point ahead of second-placed Ferrari. Williams were third with 24 points, while Benetton (18 points) and Jordan (12) were fourth and fifth respectively.<ref name=pointsprerace/>
After the race in Hungary, five teams conducted mid-season testing at the Silverstone Circuit in England from 15 to 17 August to prepare for the Belgian Grand Prix.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":2" /> McLaren test driver Olivier Panis was fastest on the first day, ahead of Jordan's Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Williams test driver Bruno Junqueira's car had a water leak, resulting in repairs which limited his team's testing time.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Panis remained the fastest on the second day. Jos Verstappen's Arrows car had a sensor failure, limiting his team's testing time; the car's floor had to be removed to install a new sensor.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Panis was again fastest on the final day of testing.<ref name=":2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Ferrari opted to test the suspension and tyres of Michael Schumacher's car at the Fiorano Circuit. Schumacher later moved to the Mugello Circuit, with Barrichello conducting engine and setup tests, and Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer remained at Fiorano for development work on new car components. Prost opted to test at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza on 17–18 August with driver Jean Alesi. Benetton conducted a five-day, one-car test at the Danielson Circuit, with test driver Mark Webber on aerodynamic development for the first four days and Alexander Wurz concentrating on practice starts the last day.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In September 1999 the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) released a provisional calendar for the 2000 season, dropping the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps from the Formula One World Championship due to Belgian tobacco-advertising laws which threatened to cancel the race; several teams had tobacco sponsorship. The FIA had the revived Dutch Grand Prix at the Circuit Zandvoort and the Portuguese Grand Prix at the Circuito do Estoril as alternatives if the Belgian Grand Prix was cancelled.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The dispute was resolved when the Belgian government exempted the race from the advertising law, and it was reinstated at the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Paris on 6 October.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The event featured eleven teams (each represented by a different constructor) and two drivers, with no changes from the season entry list.<ref name="entrants">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Ferrari arrived at the circuit with a lighter, more-powerful version of its Tipo 049 V10 engine for Saturday's qualifying session, returning to the development power plant used at the Hungarian Grand Prix. They also had a bespoke revised low downforce aerodynamic package for the high-speed circuit.<ref name="F12000SeasonBook">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Williams brought new exhausts and an extractor profile, while the other teams only introduced minor car refinements.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
PracticeEdit
There were four practice sessions preceding Sunday's race, two one-hour sessions Friday and two 45-minute sessions on Saturday.<ref name="regulations">Template:Cite book</ref> Conditions were dry for the Friday morning and afternoon practice sessions.<ref name=fridaypractice>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A dense layer of dust was gradually cleared from the track.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Coulthard set the first session's fastest time with a lap of 1 minute, 53.398 seconds, eight-tenths of a second quicker than Michael Schumacher. Häkkinen had the third-fastest time, with Jarno Trulli for Jordan, Barrichello and BAR's Jacques Villeneuve in the next three positions. The two Benetton drivers were seventh and eighth (with Wurz ahead of Fisichella), and the Williams cars of Ralf Schumacher and Button completed the top ten. Alesi's Prost had a fuel-pressure problem which prevented him from completing a timed lap, and he was the slowest overall.<ref name=fridaypractice/> Button almost hit the tyre wall at La Source and avoided losing control of the rear of his car under braking for the Bus Stop chicane.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Ferrari limited their running during the session to limit their tyre usage.<ref name="Goodman2000" />
In the second practice session, due to a slow rear puncture Coulthard's first-session lap was still the fastest; Häkkinen had the second-fastest time. Jaguar driver Johnny Herbert changed his car's balance, improving its performance and finishing third-fastest. Villeneuve moved into fourth after changes to his car's setup; Michael Schumacher slipped to fifth, and Wurz finished sixth. Verstappen was seventh-fastest, ahead of Fisichella, Barrichello and Trulli in positions eight through ten.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The weather remained dry for the Saturday-morning practice sessions.<ref name=fiasaturday>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Häkkinen set the fastest lap of the third session at 1 minute, 51.043 seconds, quicker than his best on Friday and ahead of Frentzen, Trulli and Ralf Schumacher. Coulthard, who had an engine problem early in the session, was fifth-fastest (ahead of Button and Michael Schumacher). Alesi, Villeneuve and Sauber driver Nick Heidfeld rounded out the top ten.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> During the final practice session Häkkinen could not improve his time, although he remained the fastest. Button, much happier with his car's handling, set the second-fastest time. The Jordan drivers were third and fourth, with Trulli ahead of Frentzen. Ralf Schumacher and Coulthard completed the top six. Of the slower drivers, Marc Gené's Minardi car shed its engine cover but he was able to return to his garage.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
QualifyingEdit
During Saturday's one-hour qualifying session, each driver was limited to twelve laps, with the starting order determined by their fastest laps. The 107% rule was in force during this session, requiring each driver to remain within 107% of the quickest lap time in order to qualify for the race.<ref name="regulations" /> The session was held in clear, sunny weather.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="F1NQuali">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Häkkinen was unhindered by slower traffic,<ref name="Stroud07">Template:Cite book</ref> clinched his fifth pole position of the season and the 26th of his career with a time of 1 minute, 50.646 seconds;<ref name="bbcquali">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="review" /> although he was optimistic about his race prospects, he was concerned about the start.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Häkkinen was joined on the grid's front row by Trulli, who equalled his best qualifying performance of the season (at the Template:F1GP).<ref name="bbcquali" /> Trulli was also optimistic about his chances because of the Jordan team's strong record at the circuit.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Button's car had a new qualifying engine installed in the rear, which was the same as his teammate's.<ref name="Goodman2000" /> Despite a power steering issue, he chose to fine-tune his setup and qualify third, his highest qualifying place of the season.<ref name="Button02">Template:Cite book</ref> He said he was happy with his starting position.<ref name="JonesBUT2009">Template:Cite book</ref> Michael Schumacher, whose fastest lap had been hampered by traffic and a yellow flag for an incident,<ref name="Goodman2000" /> secured fourth, nine-tenths of a second behind Häkkinen, setting a lap which demoted Häkkinen's teammate Coulthard into fifth.<ref name="fiasaturday" /> Coulthard, who had problems with grip, believed that he could have lapped faster due to slower cars impeding his final two runs and a requirement to slow for the Bus Stop chicane following an incident.<ref name=SaturdayQuotes>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Ralf Schumacher secured sixth position after being caught in traffic during his final run, keeping the Williams driver from a quicker lap time.<ref name="fiasaturday" /> Villeneuve, in seventh, reported oversteering,<ref name="qualiatlasf1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and was upset he could not go through Eau Rouge corner at high speed.<ref name="Goodman2000" /> Frentzen qualified eighth; his best lap time was disqualified after Coulthard blocked him at the Bus Stop chicane, which caused Frentzen to run onto the grass.<ref name="F1NQuali" /><ref name="qualiatlasf1" /> He retaliated by slowing Coulthard into La Source corner at the start of his following lap.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Herbert and Barrichello were ninth and tenth;<ref name="F12000SeasonBook" /> Barrichello spun at the chicane during his third run after locking his brakes.<ref name="qualiatlasf1" /> Fisichella, eleventh, missed the top ten by three-tenths of a second on his only quick qualifying run.<ref name="qualiatlasf1" /> Herbert's teammate, Eddie Irvine, qualified twelfth with tyre-grip problems. He was ahead of Zonta in the slower of the two BARs (which lost a half-second through Eau Rouge),<ref name="qualiatlasf1" /> Heidfeld in the faster Prost, Sauber's Pedro Diniz and Arrows driver Pedro de la Rosa.<ref name="bbcquali" /> Alesi qualified 17th, despite spinning at the Bus Stop chicane and triggering a yellow flag,<ref name="fiasaturday" /> preventing several drivers from lapping quicker.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Salo qualified 18th due to car issues caused by a lack of grip,<ref name="SaturdayQuotes" /> ahead of Wurz (who suffered engine troubles, causing smoke to billow from it on the entry to the Bus Stop chicane on his outlap, and shared the spare Benetton monocoque with Fisichella).<ref name="Goodman2000" /><ref name="fiasaturday" /><ref name="F1NQuali" /> Verstappen, after a braking error at La Source, and the two Minardi drivers of Gené and Mazzacane qualified at the back of the grid, in positions 20 to 22.<ref name="SaturdayQuotes" /><ref name="qualiatlasf1" />
Qualifying classificationEdit
Warm-upEdit
The drivers took the track at 09:30 Central European Summer Time (UTC+2) for a 30-minute warm-up<ref name="regulations"/> in wet weather, with lap times 13 seconds slower than the previous days' practice and qualifying sessions.<ref name="Stroud07" /> Heavy rain fell early in the morning from 5:00 am and it increased incrementally before stopping;<ref name=F1RuReport>Template:Cite journal</ref> a rising mist formed low on the track by dawn.<ref name=Stroud07/> Drivers used full-wet tyres on the slippery track, then intermediate rain tyres when it began drying.<ref name="Goodman2000" /><ref name=F1RuReport/> Häkkinen set the fastest lap time of the session at 2:03.392. Michael Schumacher was the second-fastest driver; Button was third, two-thousands of a second slower than Schumacher. Barrichello was fourth and Coulthard completed the five fastest drivers.<ref name=SpeedWarmUp>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
After spinning sideways because his left-rear wheel touched a damp white line, Fisichella struck the tyre barrier at Stavelot corner with enough force to launch him into the air.<ref name="Goodman2000" /><ref name="F12000SeasonBook" /><ref name=F1RuReport/> He landed upside-down on the vehicle's roll-hoop;<ref name="gpcomrace">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="AutosportWU">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the session was suspended for approximately 20 minutes while marshals cleared the track of debris and repaired the wall.<ref name="AutosportWU" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Fisichella sustained a bruised left knee,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and had to start the race with his team's spare car.<ref name="gpcomrace" /> Villeneuve damaged his car's rear in a crash against the tyre barrier at Les Fagnes turn later in the session, but was able to continue.<ref name="SpeedWarmUp" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
RaceEdit
The 44 lap Template:Convert race,<ref name="CF1Overview" /> commenced before 83,000 spectators at 14:00 local time, with air and track temperatures at Template:Convert;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> clouds, but no rain, were predicted for the race.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The rain had stopped approximately an hour before the race began,<ref name="F12000SeasonBook" /> but there was standing water on the track,<ref name=Stroud07/> causing heavy spray and poor visibility, the race would begin behind the safety car after consultation between the drivers and FIA race director Charlie Whiting on the track's state.;<ref name=review>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> all cars except Pedro Diniz' had wet tyres. The intermediate and full wet tyres were reported to be suitable for short stints, thus the normal wet or grooved tyres were the tyre selection for the event. Every driver had a car setup with compromises made for wet-weather conditions and additions to downforce as well as setup changes for dry weather racing.<ref name=CooperAnalysis/>
Instead of a two-by-two standing start, the race began with an American-style single file rolling start with no formation lap.<ref name=CooperAnalysis/><ref name="Button02" /> During the safety car period, Diniz spun off; he was passed by Pedro de la Rosa,<ref name="gpcomrace" /> who received a ten-second stop-go penalty which he served on lap 13.<ref name="review" /> The safety car entered the pit lane after one lap,<ref name="F12000SeasonBook" /> and the cars were allowed to overtake after crossing the start-finish line. Häkkinen maintained his lead going into the first corner, followed by Trulli, Button, Michael Schumacher and Coulthard. Barrichello overtook Herbert for ninth place at the first turn. At the end of the first racing lap, Diniz dropped to the rear of the field. De la Rosa lost 16th position on lap three after running wide at turn 18, losing two places to Alesi and Verstappen.<ref name="review" />
Häkkinen began to pull away from Trulli.<ref name="lapchart" /> Attention switched to Button,<ref name="Goodman2000" /> who tried to pass Trulli, who he felt was baulking him and noticed Michael Schumacher approaching him,<ref name="Button02" /> On the fourth lap Button slipstreamed Trulli on the approach to the Bus Stop chicane,<ref name="F1NRace">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> but he ran wide and left the inside open for Michael Schumacher to take third position.<ref name="gpcomrace" /> On that lap, Alesi was the first driver to pit for dry tyres after informing his team over the radio of his intent to do so when the track began to dry.<ref name="Goodman2000" /><ref name="review" /> By the beginning of the fifth lap Häkkinen increased his lead over Trulli to 9.1 seconds, ahead of Michael Schumacher, Button and Coulthard.<ref name="lapchart" /> Schumacher then took second place from Trulli at La Source.<ref name="gpcomrace" /> Button was anxious to recover from his error and attempted to follow Schumacher down the inside at the same corner, but Button and Trulli collided.<ref name="Button02" /><ref name="JonesBUT2009" /> Trulli was sent into a spin,<ref name="JonesBUT2009" /> becoming the first retirement of the race after he stalled the engine.<ref name="F1RuReport" /> Button lost two positions to Coulthard and Ralf Schumacher into the Eau Rouge corner and he spent the next three laps inspecting his car for damage.<ref name="Button02" /> He sustained front wing and minor steering damage.<ref name="ReutersReport">Template:Cite news</ref>
As the dry line continued to appear on the circuit,<ref name="F1NRace" /> Alesi's dry tyre performance saw him lap quicker than the race leaders, encouraging other teams to bring their drivers into the pit lane for dry tyres. Michael and Ralf Schumacher were the first leaders to pit for dry tyres on lap six.<ref name=CooperAnalysis/><ref name="F12000SeasonBook" /> Häkkinen made a pit stop from the lead on lap seven, followed by Button, and re-emerged ahead of Coulthard to retain the lead.<ref name="review" /> Coulthard was required to stay on the track on deteriorating wet-weather tyres while his team tended to Häkkinen.<ref name="CooperAnalysis" /><ref name="Goodman2000" /> He made his pit stop on the eighth lap, re-emerging in ninth position.<ref name="F12000SeasonBook" /><ref name="review" /> All drivers made pit stops by the end of lap nine. The race order at the time was Häkkinen, Michael Schumacher, Ralf Schumacher, Alesi, Button, and Villeneuve.<ref name="lapchart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> During that lap Barrichello overtook Frentzen for seventh, whilst Verstappen and Fisichella collided after Verstappen tried to pass the slowing Benetton at the Bus Stop chicane.<ref name="review" /> Verstappen sustained damage to his front wing, and Fisichella later retired with an electrical problem caused by a loss of power.<ref name="gpcomrace" /><ref name="atlasf1quotes">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
By the beginning of lap 13, Michael Schumacher closed the gap from Häkkinen to about 4.6 seconds after setting four consecutive fastest laps.<ref name="lapchart" /> Later in the lap, one of Häkkinen's wheels touched a damp kerb at Stavelot corner, sending him high-speed spinning sideways for hundreds of yards into the grass;<ref name="Stroud07" /><ref name="ReutersReport" /> Michael Schumacher took the lead,<ref name="review" /> as a result of Häkkinen's error, which cost the McLaren driver ten seconds.<ref name=CooperAnalysis/> Heidfeld was the race's third retirement when his car developed an engine failure caused by a broken gearbox that affected the common oil circuit.<ref name="gpcomrace" /><ref name="atlasf1quotes" /> Alesi, the first front-runner to make a scheduled pit stop on lap 18, rejoined in tenth. During the next two laps Salo passed Irvine for twelfth, whilst Barrichello made a pit stop from sixth position and came out in eleventh.<ref name="review" />
By lap 21, Michael Schumacher had increased his lead over Häkkinen to eleven-and-a-half seconds.<ref name="lapchart" /> Ralf Schumacher, ten seconds behind Häkkinen, led teammate Button by six seconds.<ref name="lapchart" /> Michael Schumacher made a pit stop on that lap that took 11.1 seconds to complete and took on enough fuel to complete the race, emerging in third position.<ref name=CooperAnalysis/><ref name="F12000SeasonBook" /><ref name="review" /> On lap 23 Barrichello passed Herbert for ninth position, and during the next two laps Villeneuve and Ralf Schumacher made pit stops. Button made a pit stop from fourth position on lap 26.<ref name="review" /> Häkkinen entered the pit lane one lap later after holding five more laps of fuel than Michael Schumacher and an adjustment to his car made it faster;<ref name=CooperAnalysis/><ref name="F12000SeasonBook" /> Häkkinen was told by his team (on pit boards) to speed up to gain on Michael Schumacher, who had a heavier fuel load.<ref name="f1comrace">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Button dropped to eighth position, and Häkkinen came out behind Michael Schumacher. Frentzen and Coulthard made their pit stops together on lap 28, with Coulthard emerging ahead of Frentzen. On that lap, Barrichello passed Alesi for sixth position.<ref name="review" />
Barrichello, setting the race's fastest lap (1 minute, 53.803 seconds on lap 30),<ref name="lapchart" /> had consecutive fastest laps before making his second pit stop on lap 31. However, his car's fuel pressure dropped which caused him to run out of fuel and he was pushed by marshals into the pit lane.<ref name="gpcomrace" /> Barrichello and Alesi (who had a similar problem caused by a fractured fuel system) retired, and Button inherited fourth place.<ref name="review" /><ref name="gpcomrace" /> Salo was the final scheduled driver to make a pit stop, on lap 33.<ref name="lapchart" /> At the end of lap 34, after all scheduled pit stops, the running order was Michael Schumacher, Häkkinen, Ralf Schumacher, Button, Coulthard, and Frentzen.<ref name="lapchart" /> During that lap Michael Schumacher's soft compound tyres began to degrade on the drying track,<ref name="F12000SeasonBook" /> and he ran off the racing line to cool them by driving through water;<ref name="review" /><ref name="gpcomrace" /> Häkkinen gradually closed the gap,<ref name="lapchart" /> due to his McLaren having a straightline speed advantage on the straights.<ref name="F1RuReport" /> He began duelling Michael Schumacher for the race lead as the track had become completely dry.<ref name="ReutersReport" /> Coulthard, fifth, passed Button on the outside entering Les Combes corner for fourth on lap 37.<ref name="F1NRace" />
Häkkinen tried to pass Michael Schumacher on the inside for the lead on the 40th lap on the approach to Les Combes turn,<ref name="review" /> (after drafting behind him on the straightaway), Schumacher blocked him late in the manoevure to defend his position.<ref name=Stroud07/><ref name=Hamilton2020>Template:Cite book</ref> The drivers made contact, with Häkkinen sustaining minor damage to his front wing from contact with Schumacher's right-rear wheel and being forced to slow.<ref name=Hamilton2020/><ref name=overtake>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> During the following lap, Häkkinen was quicker through Eau Rouge turn and drew closer to Michael Schumacher.<ref name=CooperAnalysis/> While they were lapping Zonta's slower car who was on the centre of the circuit, Häkkinen steered right onto a damp patch to pass Schumacher for the lead after Schumacher turned left believing there was insufficient space on the right.<ref name="review" /><ref name="Hamilton2020" /> Zonta had slowed to allow Schumacher through and Häkkinen turned left with the extra momentum gained from the slipstream from both Schumacher and Zonta's cars to be ahead into the right-hand Les Combes corner at Template:Convert.<ref name=CooperAnalysis/><ref name="F12000SeasonBook" />
Häkkinen kept the lead for the rest of the race,<ref name="lapchart" /> crossing the finish line on lap 44 for his fourth victory of the season and his 18th in Formula One in a time of 1'28:14.494—an average speed of Template:Convert.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Michael Schumacher finished second, 1.1 seconds behind Häkkinen. Ralf Schumacher was third but became worried about a possible engine failure in the final six laps (a throttle fault nearly forced him to retire).<ref name="ReutersReport" /> Coulthard finished fourth after being on the track longer than teammate Häkkinen before his pit stop for dry tyres.<ref name=CooperAnalysis/> Button followed in fifth and Frentzen completed the points scorers in sixth. Villeneuve (who reported race-long handling issues), Herbert, Salo, Irvine and Diniz filled the next five positions.<ref name=ReutersReport/> Zonta, Wurz, Gené and Verstappen finished a lap behind the leader, and de la Rosa and Mazzacane were the final finishers.<ref name="results">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 17 of the 22 starters finished the Grand Prix.<ref name=ReutersReport/>
After the raceEdit
The top three drivers appeared on the podium to collect their trophies and at a later press conference.<ref name="regulations" /> Häkkinen was delighted with his victory, saying: "This was an incredible win. It was a very difficult and unusual situation including my spin which of course was not planned. The kerbs here are very slippery and once you go over one there is not much you can do. I was lucky to keep going and I was able to chase Michael. But the car got better and better."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The driver added that he wanted to review his overtaking manoeuvre to see if Michael Schumacher performed an illegal move.<ref name=gpafterrace>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Schumacher said that despite improvements to his car, he was unable to match Häkkinen's overall pace.<ref name=atlasf1quotes/> He added that he experienced no problems running off-line to cool his tyres, and was happy to run behind slower cars for straight-line speed assistance during the race's closing stages.<ref name=atlasf1quotes/><ref name=gpafterrace/>
Ralf Schumacher said, "I'm more than happy; we have been strong here the whole weekend and my car behaved perfectly. I had a little moment of worry about six laps from the end when the throttle didn't seem to pick up properly and I thought the engine was going to stop, but it came back and all was well."<ref name=atlasf1quotes/> Schumacher added that his team was confident of remaining third in the Constructors' Championship; although he could not match Häkkinen's pace, he praised the team for his car's set-up.<ref name=gpafterrace/> Coulthard was disappointed with his fourth-place finish, and thought his team's decision to call him into the pit lane after his competitors put him at a disadvantage; however, he remained confident about his championship chances.<ref name=gpafterrace/> Button was also disappointed to finish fifth, stating: "It was a bad race for me, if not the worst. The car was working well at the start, but when I tried to pass Jarno I went in a bit late."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Trulli refused to criticise Button after the race, believing that Button made a mistake.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Fisichella and Verstappen felt similarly about their lap-nine collision, with Fisichella saying that he "felt sorry" for Verstappen and describing his weekend as "disastrous".<ref name=gpafterrace/> Verstappen said that he struggled with his car's balance, which resulted in oversteer. He was "happy to go home" because "it's not been a good weekend".<ref name=atlasf1quotes/> Frentzen said that although he was happy to score points, he had hoped for a better finish.<ref name=gpafterrace/>
The media focused on Häkkinen overtaking Michael Schumacher for the lead on lap 41. After the race, Häkkinen went to Schumacher in parc fermé and told him not to make such a manoeuvre with at high speed that he deemed "a life and death situation" and not to make a move like that again.<ref name="overtake" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Zonta later said that although he was unaware of Häkkinen's presence, he saw Schumacher in his mirrors.<ref name="Goodman2000" /><ref name=overtake/> Schumacher would go on to be complimentary of the manoeuvre.<ref name="Goodman2000" /> Derick Allsop of The Independent described the impact the move might have on Häkkinen's career, commenting: "Perhaps, he [Mika Häkkinen] will be recognised as a driver worthy of a place in the pantheon of the sport's heroes."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> McLaren team principal Ron Dennis said: "His overtaking manoeuvre I'm sure will go down as one of the greatest in Formula One history."<ref name=atlasf1quotes/> In February 2001, Häkkinen's move was chosen by more than 60 Formula One historians as the MasterCard Priceless Moment of the 2000 F1 season.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The use of a safety car to start the race had a mixed response within the sport. Coulthard agreed with the FIA's decision, saying: "I know there will be a debate over it but the fact is I was asked beforehand and I said that, based on the previous years we've had here, the safest thing is to have a safety-car start."<ref name=safetycarf1/> He added that although the safety-car start eliminated overtaking, it also prevented a major accident.<ref name=safetycarf1/> Ralf Schumacher also agreed with the decision to start under safety-car conditions.<ref name=gpafterrace/> ITV-F1 commentator and former driver Martin Brundle felt that the track was not wet enough for a safety car.<ref name=safetycarf1>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Journalist Nigel Roebuck said that the length of time under safety-car conditions was inadequate, and raised the possibility of abandoning standing starts.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Whiting consulted Coulthard, the drivers' representative, before making his decision.<ref name=review/>
After the race, Häkkinen remained in the World Drivers' Championship lead with 74 points. Michael Schumacher was second with 68 points, seven points ahead of Coulthard and nineteen ahead of Barrichello. Ralf Schumacher passed Fisichella for fifth place with 20 points, and Frentzen moved ahead of teammate Trulli and Salo.<ref name=review/> In the World Constructors' Championship, McLaren maintained their lead with 125 points and Ferrari remained in second with 117 points. Williams increased their lead over Benetton to twelve points, and Jordan remained fifth with 13 points.<ref name=review/> Given Häkkinen's increased lead, Michael Schumacher acknowledged that his team lacked speed against McLaren in the season's four remaining races but remained confident of winning the world championship.<ref name=review/>
Race classificationEdit
Drivers who scored championship points are denoted in bold.
Championship standings after the raceEdit
Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2
- Drivers' Championship standings
| +/– | Template:Tooltip | Driver | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:1rightarrow blue.svg | 1 | Template:Flagicon Mika Häkkinen | 74 | |
| File:1rightarrow blue.svg | 2 | Template:Flagicon Michael Schumacher | 68 | |
| File:1rightarrow blue.svg | 3 | Template:Flagicon David Coulthard | 61 | |
| File:1rightarrow blue.svg | 4 | Template:Flagicon Rubens Barrichello | 49 | |
| File:1uparrow green.svg 1 | 5 | Template:Flagicon Ralf Schumacher | 20 | |
| Sources:<ref name=pointsprerace/><ref name="champ">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |||
- Constructors' Championship standings<ref name=review/>
| +/– | Template:Tooltip | Constructor | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| File:1rightarrow blue.svg | 1 | Template:Flagicon McLaren-Mercedes | 125 |
| File:1rightarrow blue.svg | 2 | Template:Flagicon Ferrari | 117 |
| File:1rightarrow blue.svg | 3 | Template:Flagicon Williams-BMW | 30 |
| File:1rightarrow blue.svg | 4 | Template:Flagicon Benetton-Playlife | 18 |
| File:1rightarrow blue.svg | 5 | Template:Flagicon Jordan-Mugen-Honda | 13 |
| Sources:<ref name=pointsprerace/><ref name="champ"/> | |||
- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
ReferencesEdit
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