Template:Short description Template:Use dmy Template:Infobox Grand Prix race report
The 2001 Japanese Grand Prix (formally the 2001 Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> was a Formula One motor race held before 150,000 spectators on 14 October 2001, at the Suzuka International Racing Course in Suzuka, Mie, Japan. It was the 17th and final round of the 2001 Formula One World Championship. Ferrari's Michael Schumacher won the 53-lap race from pole position. Williams driver Juan Pablo Montoya finished in second and McLaren's David Coulthard was third.
World Drivers' Champion Michael Schumacher qualified on pole position by setting the fastest lap time in the one-hour qualifying session. Montoya started from second, alongside Schumacher. The Ferrari driver held off Montoya's attack to take the lead on the first lap, losing it only during the race leaders' two pit stops. Schumacher won the race, with Montoya 3.1 seconds behind. Coulthard finished third, having been let past by McLaren teammate Mika Häkkinen in the final five laps of the Grand Prix.
Schumacher's victory was his ninth of the season, tying his own record from Template:F1 and Template:F1 and Nigel Mansell from Template:F1. As a consequence of the race, Schumacher finished the year with a season-record 123 points scored in the World Drivers' Championship, breaking Alain Prost's all-time record for most career points scored. Coulthard finished the season as the runner-up, 56 points behind Schumacher. Ferrari finished 77 points ahead of McLaren in the World Constructors' Championship.
BackgroundEdit
The 2001 Japanese Grand Prix was the 17th and final Formula One race of the 2001 Formula One World Championship, held on 14 October 2001, at the Template:Convert Suzuka International Racing Course in Suzuka, Mie, Japan.<ref name="ESPNMSportRace" /> Some news websites incorrectly reported that the event would be postponed due to the United States invasion of Afghanistan after the previous month's September 11 attacks in the United States but the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; Formula One's governing body) issued a statement refuting the reports.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Before the race, both the World Drivers' Championship and World Constructors' Championship were already won, with Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher having secured the World Drivers' Championship four races earlier in the Template:F1GP and Ferrari took the World Constructors' Championship at the same event, with McLaren too many points behind to be able to catch them.<ref name="points">Template:Cite book</ref> In the battle for the runner-up spot, McLaren's David Coulthard led Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello by seven points. To gain second place in the championship, Barrichello had to win the Grand Prix and Coulthard finish fifth or below.<ref name="BarrichelloAF1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="AutosportBarrichello">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Sauber were battling Jordan for fourth position in the World Constructors' Championship and were five points ahead, but an appeal against Jarno Trulli's disqualification from the preceding Template:F1GP would have reduced their advantage by two points if successful.<ref name="IndependentSauber">Template:Cite news</ref>
Following the United States Grand Prix on 30 September,<ref name="AF1MugelloT1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> between 2 October and 6, most teams evaluated car components, aerodynamic packages, racing setups and tyres at various European racing circuits at several European racetracks in preparation for the Japanese Grand Prix.<ref name="FIA5102001">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="AutosportMugelloT2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> British American Racing (BAR), Sauber and Jordan each tested for three days at Italy's Mugello Circuit,<ref name="FIA5102001" /><ref name="AutosportMugelloT2" /> while Benetton, Jaguar, McLaren and Williams were at Spain's Circuit de Catalunya for three days.<ref name="FIA5102001" /> Ferrari spent six days at the Italian Fiorano Circuit with test driver Luca Badoer and Michael Schumacher.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Arrows, Minardi and Prost teams did not test at the period, instead focussing on the development of their Template:F1 cars.<ref name="FIA5102001" />
The press speculated whether Michael Schumacher would help his teammate Barrichello become the championship runner-up in Japan.<ref name="WillHe">Template:Cite news</ref> Michael Schumacher commented he was "only interested in winning" but added there was a small possibility Ferrari could help Barrichello finish second.<ref name="WillHe" /> Barrichello had been asked twice to aid Michael Schumacher this season and wanted to secure second in the standings without his teammate's assistance, saying, "After the team won the championship with Michael it has been proved that with a little bit of help and a little bit more attention I can do the job. But at the end of the day I have to win the race and David has to finish fifth or lower, so it's a hard task."<ref name="AutosportBarrichello" /> Coulthard stated that he came to Japan to win the Grand Prix and finish second in the championship.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
There were eleven two-driver teams, each representing a different constructor, with no changes to the entry list from the previous race.<ref name="MSportStatsOverview">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="AnnualMansell">Template:Cite book</ref> This was the final Grand Prix for Jordan's Jean Alesi and McLaren's two-time World Champion Mika Häkkinen.<ref name="BBCSportPreview">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was also the last Grand Prix for the Prost squad, who went bankrupt and closed down the following off-season,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and for the Benetton team as it was renamed as Renault in deference to the team's French owners for 2002.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Several teams used experimental solutions to Japan to guide the development of their 2002 vehicles.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name="AutosprintTech">Template:Cite journal</ref> Ferrari brought a lighter, more rigid F2001 chassis while McLaren introduced no particular innovations and Williams used a top-exit exhaust featured at the United States Grand Prix on both their racing cars.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name="ESPNMSportRace" /> Honda supplied BAR and Jordan with a new V10 engine specification while Cosworth did the same for Jaguar.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name="GuardianAlesiPace">Template:Cite news</ref> Renault provided Benetton with a new qualifying engine for the team's final race. Arrows installed the aerodynamic package used at the Template:F1GP on their A22 cars and Minardi installed new titanium gearboxes in both cars.<ref name="AnnualMansell" />
PracticeEdit
A total of four practice sessions preceded Sunday's race, two one-hour sessions on Friday and two 45-minute sessions on Saturday.<ref name="regulations">Template:Cite book</ref> The first practice session took place on Friday morning in sunny weather.<ref name="F1RacingFP1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Michael Schumacher posted the quickest lap time of 1:37.443 44 minutes in, 0.355 seconds ahead of Häkkinen.<ref name="SpeedvisionFridayPractice">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> They were ahead of Williams's Juan Pablo Montoya, Barrichello, Alesi, Coulthard, Montoya's teammate Ralf Schumacher, Prost's Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Jaguar's Pedro de la Rosa and Sauber's Nick Heidfeld.<ref name="AutosportFP1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Some drivers went off the track during the session.<ref name="AtlasF1FP1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> With one minute left,<ref name="SpeedvisionFridayPractice" /> Tomáš Enge lost control of his Prost car at an apex, going off the racing line and oversteering across the gravel trap at 130R corner.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name="AutosportFP1" /> He struck the tyre barrier at high speed, removing his two right-hand side wheels.<ref name="AtlasF1FP1" /> Enge complained of neck pain,<ref name="SpeedvisionFP2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> but exited the car unaided as practice was red-flagged.<ref name="F1RacingFP1" /> He did not participate in the second practice session.<ref name="Formula1RUReport">Template:Cite journal</ref>
The weather remained sunny for the afternoon's second session.<ref name="F1RacingFP2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On a light fuel load,<ref name="GuardianAlesiPace" /> Alesi set the day's fastest lap time of 1:35.454, 0.523 seconds faster than the second-placed Montoya. De La Rosa, Häkkinen, Frentzen, Jaguar's Eddie Irvine, Coulthard, Michael Schumacher, Ralf Schumacher and Barrichello followed in the top ten.<ref name="AtlasF1FP2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Halfway through the session,<ref name="Formula1RUReport" /><ref name="F1RacingFP2" /> Heidfeld was on his first quick lap on a new set of soft Bridgestone tyres when he lost control of his vehicle's front into the final right-hand corner in the S-Curve section and spun backwards into the inside tyre barrier at Template:Convert.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name="AtlasF1FP2" /><ref name="HeidfeldBlame">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His car stopped in the circuit's centre,<ref name="AutosportFP2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and he suffered a minor headache and debris was littered across the track.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name="GuardianAlesiPace" /><ref name="SpeedvisionFP2" /> Heidfeld was transported to the medical centre,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and practice was stopped for ten minutes.<ref name="SpeedvisionFP2" /> Late in the session, Coulthard spun into the turn two gravel trap;<ref name="AutosportFP2" /> his right-front brake assembly caught fire in the pit lane when a stretch of trap tape that had not been entirely ripped from a duct became entangled in the brake cooling duct and was ignited by the brake's heat.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name="Formula1RUReport" /><ref name="AlesiOwnScriptFarewell">Template:Cite news</ref>
The third practice session was held on Saturday morning in sunny conditions.<ref name="AutosportFP3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="F1RacingFP3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Michael Schumacher was the first driver to lap under 1:35 all weekend, and he was also the fastest, lapping at 1:34.711 with eight minutes left.<ref name="AutosportFP3" /> He was 0.332 seconds faster than Häkkinen, who was followed by Barrichello, Coulthard, the Williams combination of Ralf Schumacher and Montoya, Sauber's Kimi Räikkönen, Trulli, Benetton's Jenson Button and Frentzen in third to tenth.<ref name="SpeedvisionSatPractice">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> With three minutes left in the final session, Ralf Schumacher set the first sub-1:34 lap in Suzuka history, at 1:33.969. He outpaced teammate Montoya, Coulthard, Michael Schumacher, Button, Trulli, Heidfeld, Häkkinen, Barrichello, and BAR's Jacques Villeneuve in the next nine positions.<ref name="SpeedvisionSatPractice" /><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 positions determined by the drivers' fastest laps. The 107% rule was in force during this session, forcing each driver to stay within 107% of the quickest lap time in order to qualify for the race.<ref name="regulations" /> Michael Schumacher improved his lap time in three of his four runs,<ref name="AutosportQualifying">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and clinched his 11th pole position of the season and the 43rd of his career with a time of 1:32.484 on a new set of tyres.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name="BBCSportQualifying">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He broke Gerhard Berger's all-time lap record on the circuit, set in 1991.<ref name="SpeedvisionQualifying">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Montoya had a minor car balance issue on a low fuel load than Michael Schumacher, although he was faster in the track's faster sectors.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name="SaturdayQuotes">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was seven-tenths of a second behind in second,<ref name="BBCSportQualifying" /> having been unable to improve on his final run.<ref name="AutosportQualifying" /> Ralf Schumacher was 0.111 seconds slower than his teammate in third,<ref name="SpeedvisionQualifying" /> but he was pleased that no one was blocking him to the end of qualifying.<ref name="SaturdayNotes">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Barrichello was unable to eliminate the understeer in his Ferrari, preventing him from lapping faster, and qualified fourth.<ref name="SaturdayQuotes" /><ref name="SaturdayNotes" /> Häkkinen, fifth, had his car's ride height and tyre pressures adjusted but his understeer persisted.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name="SaturdayNotes" /> Giancarlo Fisichella took sixth after Renault's new engine was fitted in his Benetton car.<ref name="SaturdayQuotes" /><ref name="SaturdayNotes" /> Coulthard qualified in seventh.<ref name="BBCSportQualifying" /> Trulli, eighth, was hampered somewhat by slower cars in the second sector during his quickest lap.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name="SaturdayNotes" /> Button achieved his best qualifying result of the season in ninth,<ref name="AutosportQualifying" /><ref name="BBCSportQualifying" /> citing excess oversteer on his team's setup.<ref name="SaturdayQuotes" /><ref name="SaturdayNotes" /> Heidfeld took 10th, having encountered slower cars on his final run and lost downforce.<ref name="AnnualMansell" />
Alesi finished 11th in his final Formula One qualifying session, despite working with race engineer David Brown to unsuccessfully narrow the gap on teammate Trulli.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name="SaturdayQuotes" /> Räikkönen learnt his car was Template:Convert overweight anda an understeer on his last run slowed him through the Esses, leaving him in 12th.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name="SaturdayNotes" /> Irvine trailed his teammate De La Rosa by half a second in engine power but qualified ahead of him in 13th.<ref name="BBCSportQualifying" /><ref name="SaturdayQuotes" /> Villenueve, 14th, was pleased with his car's balance and made setup tweaks that did not produce the predicted results.<ref name="SaturdayNotes" /> Frentzen's first run placed him 15th, and he was unable to lap quicker due to understeer on the soft Michelin tyres. De La Rosa took 16th, with his best lap coming on his third attempt, after failing to find a suitable balance for his car's tyres.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name="SaturdayQuotes" /> BAR's Olivier Panis reported that his car felt slightly better en route to 17th.<ref name="SaturdayNotes" /> Fernando Alonso extracted additional performance from his Minardi car and improved on each lap to qualify 18th.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name="SpeedvisionQualifying" /> Enge drove the spare Prost AP04 car following his accident the day before, setting his fastest lap on his first run before being stopped by modifications and finishing 19th.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name="SaturdayNotes" /> The Arrows duo of Enrique Bernoldi and Jos Verstappen qualified 20th and 21st, respectively.<ref name="SpeedvisionQualifying" /> Bernoldi had slower cars on his fastest lap, but Verstappen drove a car lacking in pace but had decent handling.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /> Minardi's Alex Yoong completed the starting order in 22nd,<ref name="SpeedvisionQualifying" /> expressing disappointment over not improving greatly on each of his runs and traffic possibly stopping him from lapping faster during his third run.<ref name="AnnualMansell" />
Qualifying classificationEdit
Warm-upEdit
On race morning, teams had a half-hour warm-up session to fine-tune their cars for the event in sunny weather.<ref name="F1RacingWarmUp">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="SpeedvisionWarmUp">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Michael Schumacher was the fastest driver in the session, with a lap time of 1:36.231. Coulthard was 0.454 seconds slower in second position.<ref name="AtlasF1WarmUp">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Heidfeld set a lap late on to go third-fastest.<ref name="AutosportWarmUp">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Trulli, Alesi, Häkkinen, Barrichello, Frentzen, Räikkönen and De La Rosa in the highest-placed Michelin-shod car occupied positions four to ten.<ref name="AtlasF1WarmUp" /><ref name="AutosportWarmUp" /> During the session, no incidents occurred,<ref name="SpeedvisionWarmUp" /> and some drivers drove their team's spare cars, with the majority of Michelin-shod cars having their tyres scrubbed.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
RaceEdit
The race began at 14:30 local time and drew 150,000 spectators.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name="F1LiveCOMRace" /> The weather was fine and dry,<ref name="ITVLapByLap" /> with the air temperature Template:Convert and the track temperature was between Template:Convert.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name=F1COMRaceLive>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Yoong started from the pit lane in Alonso's spare Minardi car when his crew identified an electrical problem with his race car's gearbox.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name="F1LiveCOMRace">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}
{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Bernoldi stalled on the dummy grid and could not restart his car, thus he was pushed into a gap into the pit lane, where he began.<ref name="Formula1RUReport" /><ref name="ITVLapByLap" /><ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /> When the red lights went out to signal the start of the race,<ref name="CrashRaceReport">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Michael Schumacher veered to the right to the inside line, blocking the fast-starting Montoya, to keep the race lead into the opening corner.<ref name="AtlasF1Review">Template:Cite journal</ref> Ralf Schumacher briefly challenged his teammate but remained in third position.<ref name="AtlasF1Review" /><ref name="GPCOMRace">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Fisichella made a fast start due to his car's powerful launch control system, passing Häkkinen for fifth.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /> Barrichello had a small fuel load since Ferrari had put him on a three-stop strategy to try to move to the front of the field.<ref name="ITVLapByLap" /><ref name="AutosportRaceAnalysis">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He overtook Ralf Schumacher on the inside for third into the left-hand 130R turn.<ref name="F1RacingRace">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="IndependentReport">Template:Cite news</ref>
Michael Schumacher had a 3.6-second lead over Montoya after the first lap.<ref name="AutosportRaceAnalysis" /> The two drivers were in turn followed by Barrichello, Ralf Schumacher, Fisichella and Häkkinen.<ref name="ITVLapByLap" /> Michael Schumacher began to pull away from the rest of the field,<ref name="SpeedvisionRace">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> because he was on a new set of tyres and not affected by aerodynamic turbulence, whilst Montoya began the race on a set of scrubbed tyres that required longer to operate in comparison to the Bridgestones.<ref name="AutosportRaceAnalysis" /><ref name="FTJamesAllenReport2">Template:Cite news</ref> On lap two, Barrichello overtook Montoya on the inside on the approach to the chicane for second place, avoiding contact with the Williams driver by placing two wheels off the circuit.<ref name="ITVLapByLap" /><ref name="AtlasF1Review" /> However, Montoya had greater speed coming out of the chicane on the following lap, allowing him to slipstream by Barrichello and retake second at the end of the start-finish straight into the first corner.<ref name="AtlasF1Review" /><ref name="F1RacingRace" /> During the same lap, Fisichella lost control of his car leaving the Denger Curve corner, spinning 180 degrees.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name="ITVLapByLap" /><ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /> He was able to continue driving,<ref name="F1LiveCOMRace" /> but dropped from fifth to 12th.<ref name="AtlasF1Review" /> Frentzen had an unplanned pit stop on lap four to replace a dislodged nose cone after swerving to avoid colliding with De La Rosa at the chicane to finish lap two.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name="F1LiveCOMRace" /> Panis overtook Alonso for 17th on the same lap.<ref name="AtlasF1Review" />
On lap six, Räikkönen, in ninth, suffered a left-rear suspension failure due to a bump at the exit of the Dunlop Curve.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name="CrashRaceReport" /> His car immediately went into a high-speed spin. Alesi was battling Räikkönen for position and steered to the outside. However, he collided with the right-rear of the Sauber car at Template:Convert as they slid off to the outside of the track.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name="AtlasF1Review" /><ref name="FTJamesAllenReport2" /> Both men struck the barriers,<ref name="AtlasF1Review" /> littering debris and wheels on the track and one avoided hitting another driver.<ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /><ref name="SpeedvisionRace" /> Räikkönen's nose cone grazed Alesi's helmet.<ref name="DTAlesi">Template:Cite news</ref> Approaching cars had to take evasive measures to avoid the detached wheels,<ref name="SpeedvisionRace" /> but officials did not use the safety car to close the field after determining that debris had not encroached onto the track.<ref name="IndependentReport" /> Räikkönen complained of head and neck pains and was transported to the medical centre.<ref name="F1LiveCOMRace" /><ref name="CrashRaceReport" /> Meanwhile, Fisichella passed Irvine for ninth as they passed through the accident scene.<ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /><ref name="AtlasF1Review" /> Michael Schumacher slid on the grass on lap nine after missing his braking point for the final chicane.<ref name="ITVLapByLap" /><ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /> He was able to remain the race leader.<ref name="F1LiveCOMRace" /> Montoya began to stabilise the deficit on Michael Schumacher from lap ten, as his Michelin tyres appeared to perform better as they wore down.<ref name="F1LiveCOMRace" /><ref name="CrashRaceReport" /><ref name="AutosportRaceAnalysis" />
Fisichella overtook his teammate Button for eighth on lap 12.<ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /><ref name="AtlasF1Review" /> Barrichello was unable to pass Montoya, thus the plan for Michael Schumacher's to allow him past was abandoned.<ref name="AutosportRaceAnalysis" /> On lap 16, he entered the pit lane for the first of three scheduled stops.<ref name="ITVLapByLap" /><ref name="F1LiveCOMRace" /> Barrichello's stop lasted 7.2 seconds and fell from third to eighth,<ref name="SpeedvisionRace" /> just behind the duel between Trulli and Fisichella.<ref name="ITVLapByLap" /> He passed Fisichella for seventh at the chicane as both Fisichella and Trulli entered the pit lane on lap 17.<ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /><ref name="GPCOMRace" /> Michael Schumacher entered the pit lane after the next lap ended to make the first of two scheduled pit stops. The stop lasted 8.8 seconds and he rejoined the circuit in fourth, behind Häkkinen.<ref name="ITVLapByLap" /> Montoya took the race lead and held it for three laps before making his first pit stop on lap 21, dropping him to fifth, ahead of Barrichello but behind Coulthard. This put his teammate Ralf Schumacher in front until his own pit stop two laps later.<ref name="F1LiveCOMRace" /> Häkkinen took the lead on lap 24, but his pit stop returned Michael Schumacher to the lead.<ref name="AtlasF1Review" /> He had held off Michael Schumacher for the previous five laps, during which Schumacher was unable to use his new tyres correctly, losing more than a second per lap.<ref name="AutosportRaceAnalysis" />
Irvine retired in the pit lane on lap 25 when the two Intertechnique fuel rig power sources failed, preventing Jaguar from inserting fuel into his car.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name="Formula1RUReport" /><ref name="SpeedvisionRace" /> During a battle with Barrichello,<ref name="AutosportRaceAnalysis" /> the FIA stewards placed Ralf Schumacher under investigation for repeatedly cutting the final chicane and gaining an advantage;<ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /><ref name="GPCOMRace" /> the stewards had previously notified the Williams team of the infringement by email.<ref name="AtlasF1Review" /><ref name="GPCOMRace" /> He was assessed a ten-second stop-and-go penalty on lap 28,<ref name="F1RacingRace" /> serving it two laps later.<ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /> At the same time, Barrichello made his second pit stop.<ref name="AtlasF1Review" /> As both drivers exited the pit lane, Barrichello's engine either died or his pit lane speed limiter activated, taking Ralf Schumacher by surprise and passing him.<ref name="AtlasF1Review" /><ref name="SpeedvisionRace" /> Ralf Schumacher crossed to the right over the white line separating the pit lane from the race circuit.<ref name="CrashRaceReport" /><ref name="SpeedvisionRace" /> The FIA stewards decided not to penalise Ralf Schumacher, deeming him to have not anticipated Barrichello going slowly.<ref name="AtlasF1Review" />
On lap 32, Barrichello overtook Ralf Schumacher for fifth place on the inside into the last chicane.<ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /><ref name="AtlasF1Review" /><ref name="SpeedvisionRace" /> Ralf Schumacher cut the chicane for the third time to stay ahead of Barrichello and avoid a collision, retaking the position.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /> Barrichello managed to slipstream by Ralf Schumacher on the inside at the end of the start-finish straight.<ref name="ITVLapByLap" /><ref name="AtlasF1Review" /> Ralf Schumacher was not penalised for cutting the chicane on that occasion.<ref name="SpeedvisionRace" /> Michael Schumacher became the first of the leading drivers to make a second pit stop on lap 36. The stop lasted nine seconds and fell to third, behind Häkkinen.<ref name="ITVLapByLap" /> This returned Montoya to the race lead, but he was hampered by slower vehicles, preventing him from extracting the necessary pace to keep the lead. Both he and Häkkinen entered the pit lane for their second pit stops on lap 38.<ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /><ref name="F1LiveCOMRace" /> Michael Schumacher thus returned to first place,<ref name="AtlasF1Review" /> as Coulthard made his final pit stop on the 40th lap.<ref name="ITVLapByLap" /> Barrichello was the final front runner to enter the pit lane for a second pit stop two laps later.<ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /> He rejoined in fifth, ahead of Ralf Schumacher but behind Coulthard.<ref name="F1LiveCOMRace" />
After all of the leading drivers had completed their second pit stops, Michael Schumacher led Montoya, Häkkinen, Coulthard, Barrichello, and Ralf Schumacher.<ref name="SpeedvisionRace" /> Enge retired from the race in the Prost garage with a brake issue on lap 46.<ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /><ref name="GPCOMRace" /> Another retirement occurred when De La Rosa parked his car, which lacked downforce and had an oil leak, after 45 laps.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name="Formula1RUReport" /> Fisichella was in seventh when he lost fourth gear and slowed on track on lap 48. He entered the pit lane, marking the Grand Prix's final retirement.<ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /><ref name="GPCOMRace" /> That promoted Fisichella's teammate Button into seventh.<ref name="CrashRaceReport" /> On lap 49,<ref name="F1LiveCOMRace" /> while on the start-finish straight,<ref name="ITVLapByLap" /> Häkkinen pulled over and let his teammate Coulthard past into third position.<ref name="AtlasF1Review" /> Häkkinen wanted to repay Coulthard for assisting him to win the 1997 European Grand Prix and the 1998 Australian Grand Prix.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name="GuardianRaceReport">Template:Cite news</ref> On lap 50,<ref name="F1LiveCOMRace" /> Villeneuve lost ninth to Heidfeld after losing control of his car at the final chicane.<ref name="F1COMRaceLive" />
Montoya pushed hard and closed on Michael Schumacher, but the former held on for the rest of the race to win his ninth race of the season and 53rd overall.<ref name="F1RacingRace" /><ref name="SchumacherAnalysis">Template:Cite news</ref> He equalled his own record of the most wins in a single season in Template:F1 with Benetton, Template:F1 with Ferrari and Nigel Mansell with Williams in Template:F1.<ref name="SchumacherAnalysis" /> Montoya came in second, 3.1 seconds behind, while Coulthard finished third. Häkkinen was fourth, with Barrichello fifth and Ralf Schumacher completing the points-paying positions in sixth. Button took seventh with Trulli eighth.<ref name="SpeedvisionRace" /> Heidfeld took ninth after losing downforce and Villeneuve was tenth. Alonso finished 11th because cars ahead of him retired. Frentzen was 12th with Panis 13th after chassis adjustments slowed him.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /> Bernoldi and Verstappen of Arrows finished 14th and 15th, respectively, after serving ten-second stop-and-go penalties and experiencing power steering failures.<ref name="GPCOMRace" /> Yoong took 16th, registering his first Formula One finish;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was in pain since his seat position had given him a back cramp.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref name="GPCOMRace" /> Despite retiring, Fisichella was the final classified finisher.<ref name="AtlasF1Review" />
Post-raceEdit
The top three drivers appeared on the podium to collect their trophies and spoke to the media at the press conference held afterwards.<ref name="regulations" /> Michael Schumacher agreed that winning the Grand Prix was the conclusion "to the perfect Formula One season", adding, "Obviously, we've had maybe two races which have been a little bit difficult for us, Monza and Indianapolis, now we're back to normality and that's a great end and a great result for the championship we have achieved, to finish off the season for the team, for everyone."<ref name="PressConference">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Montoya thought it was "a good race" to its conclusion and commented on the Michelin tyres, "The car was good, but while the tyres come in, we lose so much time, as we saw with Michael. When he was on new tyres and I was on scrubbed tyres, while the tyres take five or six laps to come in, there's just no competition."<ref name="PressConference" /> Coulthard said that finishing second in the championship was the best possible result for him, adding, "It's nice to finish the season, as Michael said, on the podium. To win would have been fantastic but I've never been that good around Suzuka, so it isn't a bad result."<ref name="PressConference" />
Alesi's crash with Räikkönen on lap six prevented him from being the first driver since Richie Ginther in Template:F1 to finish every race of the season.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He commented that he was "so relieved that I did not hurt him as he spun right in front of me and there was no way I could avoid him. It is sad to finish my career this way, but that is motor racing and I have to accept this situation."<ref name="DTAlesi" /> Räikkönen said he was unsure as to what caused the crash but called it "a pretty big shunt and I have a bit of a head and neck ache, but otherwise I'm fine."<ref name="BBCAlesiSad">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Eddie Jordan, Jordan team principal, said he sympathised with Alesi but noticed the driver was philosophical about the crash.<ref name="BBCSportQualifying" /> According to journalist David Tremayne of The Independent, the accident involving Alesi and Räikkönen prompted questions about the effectiveness of wheel tethers in the event of a car crash.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Häkkinen commented on his final race, "I want to thank everybody who I have worked with for the past nine years for all the effort they put into making my career so successful. I'm happy that David finished on the podium, and I must admit that by letting him past I wanted to give him something back for the occasions in the past when he has helped me."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> McLaren team principal Ron Dennis felt Häkkinen had much personal discipline and was hard-working to become a Grand Prix winner.<ref name="HakkinenReuters">Template:Cite news</ref> Coulthard confessed that he would probably not fully appreciate Häkkinen as a teammate if that was no longer the case. However, he noted that Häkkinen had been his benchmark for measuring how well he performed, and he was unhappy that his teammate was going before he got the chance to beat him.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Ferrari honoured their 2001 season achievements in front of Ferrari fans at the Monza Circuit on 21 October.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Following their duel during the race, Barrichello stated that he regarded Ralf Schumacher as "a bad loser," adding that he was ahead of the Williams driver at the final chicane and thought it unjust that he went straight.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn acknowledged to taking a big risk by planning a three-stop strategy for Barrichello, believing he would be delayed behind the Williams cars, "The only way he was going to finish second in the Championship was to win the race so we chose an extreme strategy."<ref name="BrawnAutosport">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Nevertheless, Ferrari sporting director Jean Todt praised Barrichello's performance in Japan, saying, "I wish to thank Rubens for the great contribution he has made to the team. He has finished third in the drivers' championship at the end of a faultless year."<ref name="BrawnAutosport" />
Michael Schumacher finished the season with a season-record 123 points in the World Drivers' Championship, and the 10 points he gained for winning the Grand Prix helped him break Alain Prost's all-time record for most career points scored.<ref name="SpeedvisionRace" /><ref name="SchumacherAnalysis" /> Coulthard's third-place finish put him second in the championship with 65 points, with Barrichello third with 56.<ref name="points" /> Ferrari won the World Constructors' Championship by 77 points over McLaren while Williams finished third.<ref name="points" /> With BAR and Jordan not scoring any points, Sauber secured fourth place, their best-ever finish.<ref name="AnnualMansell" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Race classificationEdit
Drivers who scored championship points are denoted in bold.
- Notes
- <templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>^1{{#if:| }} – Enrique Bernoldi and Alex Yoong started the race from the pit lane.<ref name="ITVLapByLap">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Championship standings after the raceEdit
Template:Col-start Template:Col-2
- Drivers' Championship standings
+/– | Template:Tooltip | Driver | Points | |
---|---|---|---|---|
File:1rightarrow blue.svg | 1 | Template:Flagicon Michael Schumacher* | 123 | |
File:1rightarrow blue.svg | 2 | Template:Flagicon David Coulthard | 65 | |
File:1rightarrow blue.svg | 3 | Template:Flagicon Rubens Barrichello | 56 | |
File:1rightarrow blue.svg | 4 | Template:Flagicon Ralf Schumacher | 49 | |
File:1rightarrow blue.svg | 5 | Template:Flagicon Mika Häkkinen | 37 | |
Sources:<ref name=points/><ref name="Championship">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
- Constructors' Championship standings
+/– | Template:Tooltip | Constructor | Points |
---|---|---|---|
File:1rightarrow blue.svg | 1 | Template:Flagicon Ferrari* | 179 |
File:1rightarrow blue.svg | 2 | Template:Flagicon McLaren-Mercedes | 102 |
File:1rightarrow blue.svg | 3 | Template:Flagicon Williams-BMW | 80 |
File:1rightarrow blue.svg | 4 | Template:Flagicon Sauber-Petronas | 21 |
File:1rightarrow blue.svg | 5 | Template:Flagicon Jordan-Honda | 19 |
Sources:<ref name=points/><ref name="Championship"/> |
- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
- Bold text and an asterisk indicates the 2001 World Champions.
ReferencesEdit
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