2001 Canadian Grand Prix
edit| 2001 Canadian Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 7 of 18 in the 2001 Formula One World Championship | |||
 | |||
| Race details | |||
| Date | May 27, 2001 | ||
| Official name | XLIV Grand Prix du Canada | ||
| Location | Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada | ||
| Course | Street circuit | ||
| Course length | 4.361 km (2.71 miles) | ||
| Distance | 70 laps, 305.27 km (189.7 miles) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Ferrari | ||
| Time | 1:16.243 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
 Rubens Barrichello | Ferrari | |
| Time | 1:17.119 on lap 49 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Ferrari | ||
| Second | Williams-BMW | ||
| Third | McLaren-Mercedes | ||
Qualifying
editPractice suggested that qualifying would be a battle between the two Ferraris of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello and McLaren's Mika Häkkinen. It was and the Ferraris locked out the front row, with Schumacher on pole ahead of Barrichello and Häkkinen. Championship leader Ralf Schumacher had to be satisfied with fourth ahead of Williams teammate Juan Pablo Montoya and David Coulthard. Ricardo Zonta did a wonderful job to qualify in seventh after replacing Heinz-Harald Frentzen who was ill. Jarno Trulli, who was assured the No. 1 spot at Jordan due to Frentzen's illness was an unhappy eighth.
Race
editMichael Schumacher got off all right from pole position but Rubens Barrichello was swamped by Ralf Schumacher and Mika Häkkinen in the race to the first corner. However, Ralf and Hakkinen touched, and Häkkinen was pushed to the gravel and dropped down to 12th while behind, Jarno Trulli got by Ricardo Zonta. Schumacher led Ralf, Barrichello, Montoya, Coulthard, Trulli, Zonta and Jenson Button. Schumacher pulled away from Ralf at the rate of half a second a lap. However, once Barrichello got past Ralf at the first chicane on lap 6, the gap stabilized at 2.5 seconds. It did not change during the first round of stops either but there was action behind, Coulthard getting by Montoya and Zonta retiring when his suspension failed.
After the stops, Schumacher and Barrichello continued to exchange fastest laps, with the gap never below 2.4s nor above 2.6s. This was by now a boring race with no action behind, until at the end of lap 49, with the gap at 2.529 seconds, the left rear wheel fell off Schumacher's car. It bounced off a wall and nearly hit Barrichello. Schumacher went round to the pits and parked his car into the garage. The final bit of action was when Häkkinen, back up to seventh challenged Olivier Panis for sixth at the hairpin. There was contact and Panis spun off. Häkkinen took sixth but by the time Panis rejoined, a superb Jos Verstappen was seventh. Barrichello took an important victory ahead of Ralf, Coulthard, Montoya, Trulli, Häkkinen, Verstappen and Panis.
Classification
edit
Notes
edit- Lap Leaders: Michael Schumacher 47 (1-22, 24-47, 49), Rubens Barrichello 23 (23, 48, 50-70)
- Heinz-Harald Frentzen was ill and was thus replaced by Ricardo Zonta for this race.
- Ralf Schumacher and Mika Häkkinen touched into the first corner, pushing Häkkinen onto the grass. When he rejoined, Häkkinen found himself in 12th.
- On lap 49, a wheel fell off race leader Michael Schumacher's car and narrowly missed Rubens Barrichello's car which was 2.5 seconds behind in second. Schumacher retired and so Barrichello went on to win.
- Mika Häkkinen tried to pass Olivier Panis on lap 62, and they touched, forcing Panis into a spin. Häkkinen took sixth, and by the time Panis rejoined, the sensational Jos Verstappen was up to seventh.
Standings after Grand Prix
editDrivers
- 1. Ralf Schumacher - 56
- 2. David Coulthard - 41
- 3. Rubens Barrichello - 31
- 4. Juan Pablo Montoya - 31
- 5. Michael Schumacher - 23
- 6. Mika Häkkinen - 19
- 7. Heinz-Harald Frentzen - 16
- 8. Jarno Trulli - 13
Constructors