Jack Christopherson's F1 career (1991-2004, 2010-????)

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 12 - 2000 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX - Hungaroring

QUALIFYING
David Coulthard took position at the tight and twisty Hungaroring, making his championship challenge look stronger and stronger. This has never been my strongest track, so i'm not too disappointed to be 8th fastest, even if Trulli was faster than me. Overtaking is notoriously difficult at this circuit, so a decent qualifying position was important.

1. Coulthard 1.19.918
2. Hakkinen 1.19.984
3. M.Schumacher 1.20.016

7. Trulli 1.20.892
8. Christopherson 1.21.168
9. Fisichella 1.21.102

22. Gene 1.23.272

107% time - 1.25.512

RACE
I made a good enough start, I didn't lose any positions, but didn't gain any either. However, I spun at the chicane on lap 1, and dropped down to 17th, even behind the very fast starting Marc Gene, who made 6 places in half a lap. Mika Hakkinen was the first retirement of the race, his championship challenge starting to look bleak, his race lasted just 17 laps. The other talking point from the early parts of the race was Villeneuve being far too aggressive, and taking both himself and Ralf Schumacher out of the race in the process and also becoming a clear favourite for 'Reject Of The Race'. It was two retirements in a row for me, after an engine failure put pay to any chances of points. Gearbox gremlins for Michael Schumacher cost him at least 2nd place, although he was also challenging Coulthard for the lead. Rubens Barrichello then inherited 2nd place, and was not challenged at all, a nice change for him after two races without points. After all the retirements, Jarno Trulli found himself in 3rd place, whilst Eddie Irvine and the two Arrows drivers were battling over 6th place. After Giancarlo Fisichella suffered an engine failure whilst in a tussle with Frentzen over 4th, that battle became for 5th place. Verstappen was holding onto 5th, and on lap 68, De La Rosa passed Irvine for the final point. David Coulthard took full advantage of all the chaos around him to take the chequered flag and extend his championship lead to 14 points with just 5 races to go. Could this finally be his year?

1. Coulthard 1hr 46m 05.456s
2. Barrichello +24.337s
3. Trulli +40.220s
4. Frentzen +49.312s
5. Verstappen +56.869s
6. De La Rosa +59.991s
7. Irvine +1m 01.025s
8. Wurz +1m 15.710s
9. Zonta +1 Lap
10. Herbert +1 Lap
11. Salo +1 Lap
12. Heidfeld +2 Laps
13. Alesi +2 Laps
14. Gene +3 Laps
15. Mazzacane +3 Laps

Fastest Lap: David Coulthard 1.22.034

REJECT OF THE RACE: Jacques Villeneuve - Optimistic passing attempt was only going to end one way

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
Coulthard 72
Hakkinen 58
M.Schumacher 54
Barrichello 42
Christopherson 16
Frentzen 13
Villeneuve 12
R.Schumacher 12
Trulli 9
Fisichella 8
Verstappen 4
Wurz 3
Salo 2
Zonta 2
De La Rosa 2
Irvine 1
Herbert 1
Diniz 1

Constructors Championship
McLaren 130
Ferrari 86
Jordan 25
Williams 25
BAR 14
Benetton 11
Arrows 6
Sauber 3
Jaguar 2
Prost 0
Minardi 0

[Julien]

Hakkinen has some really bad luck in this season...

[FullMetalJack]

Hakkinen has some really bad luck in this season...

I know, McLaren are clearly quickest at every race, but DC's getting the luck.

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 13 - 2000 BELGIAN GRAND PRIX - Spa-Francorchamps

PRE-RACE
Jaguar's Johnny Herbert announced that he will retire at the end of the season, no replacement for 2001 has been named yet. McLaren test driver Olivier Panis will be back in a race seat next year, signing a two year contract with the BAR team alongside Jacques Villeneuve. Alexander Wurz's seat is under threat, and it is unlikely that he will remain with the team for 2001.

QUALIFYING
It had rained before the qualifying session, so the track was still damp, and remained so for the whole hour. I struggled in these conditions, and barely outqualified the Minardis, it took until my final flying lap to beat them. Fisichella in the Benetton was more competitive than usual, recording the 6th fastest time. Barrichello outqualified Schumacher, something that had not been a regular occurrence, whilst Hakkinen was a lowly 4th.

1. Coulthard 1.50.924
2. Barrichello 1.51.031
3. M.Schumacher 1.51.071

8. Trulli 1.52.169

19. Alesi 1.53.379
20. Christopherson 1.53.525
21. Gene 1.55.171
22. Mazzacane 1.55.189

107% time - 1.58.689

RACE
Coulthard made the start he needed to, as he maintained the lead into turn 1. I made a good start, and was up to 15th by the end of the first lap, and 14th by La Source on Lap 2, passing Ricardo Zonta. On lap 11, Barrichello passed Coulthard going into La Source, and the two drivers were virtually side-by-side up to Eau Rouge, where Barrichello won out. Lap 12 saw the first retirement of the race, Johnny Herbert's Jaguar with a mechanical failure. On lap 20, Frentzen spun when trying to pass Irvine for 10th, he was in a blind spot, and I couldn't stop in time when I saw his car, and lost my front wing in the process. That was a very costly incident for me, whilst Frentzen retired on the spot. On lap 24, Coulthard retook the lead from Rubens Barrichello down the long straight into Les Combes, and he never looked back. On the same lap, Wurz ran wide and hit the barrier at turn 9, a disappointing weekend compared to teammate Fisichella, who was 6th at the time. Michael Schumacher took 2nd place from Barrichello 7 laps later, at La Source. Hakkinen was 4th but unable to do the same as Coulthard and Schumacher. Fisichella could not hold onto 6th place, as Jarno Trulli passed him for the final point 4 laps from the end. David Coulthard scored yet another win, and extended his championship lead to 21 points, with just 4 races remaining. Surely the championship is his now? The Ferrari drivers completed the podium, with Hakkinen 4th. Ralf Schumacher and Trulli rounded off the points positions, after a race long battle involving Fisichella and Villeneuve. At the bus stop chicane on the final lap, Irvine passed De La Rosa for 9th.

1. Coulthard 1hr 24m 36.477s
2. M.Schumacher +7.269s
3. Barrichello +11.561s
4. Hakkinen +13.189s
5. R.Schumacher +44.927s
6. Trulli +48.937s
7. Fisichella +50.1
8. Villeneuve +51.363s
9. Irvine +1m 33.638s
10. De La Rosa +1m 34.017s
11. Verstappen +1 Lap
12. Zonta +1 Lap
13. Christopherson +1 Lap
14. Diniz +1 Lap
15. Alesi +1 Lap
16. Mazzacane +2 Laps

Fastest Lap: David Coulthard - 1.51.289

REJECT OF THE RACE: Alexander Wurz - Did hopes of a 2001 drive no favours whatsoever

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
Coulthard 82
Hakkinen 61
M.Schumacher 60
Barrichello 46
Christopherson 16
R.Schumacher 14
Frentzen 13
Villeneuve 12
Trulli 10
Fisichella 8
Verstappen 4
Wurz 3
Salo 2
Zonta 2
De La Rosa 2
Irvine 1
Herbert 1
Diniz 1

Constructors Championship
McLaren 143
Ferrari 96
Williams 27
Jordan 26
BAR 14
Benetton 11
Arrows 6
Sauber 3
Jaguar 2
Prost 0
Minardi 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 14 - 2000 ITALIAN GRAND PRIX - Monza

QUALIFYING
In one way, qualifying was very strange, as with every team except one, drivers were very close together on the grid. That one team was Arrows, as Verstappen shined in 10th, whilst De La Rosa was down in a disappointing 18th. Other than that, the furthest two teammates were apart were at Williams, where Ralf Schumacher was 4 places, and less than a tenth ahead of Heinz-Harald Frentzen. McLaren had probably the biggest edge they've had over Ferrari all season, the Tifosi were disappointed with 3rd and 4th. I was 5th fastest, another half a second behind the Ferraris, whilst the surprise in 6th place was BAR's Ricardo Zonta. A rare occasion where he had the edge over Villeneuve. Marc Gene was over a second slower than teammate Gaston Mazzacane down at Minardi, the two drivers had usually been close throughout the season, so this would be a shock to the Spaniard's system.

1. Hakkinen 1.26.643
2. Coulthard 1.26.789
3. Barrichello 1.27.121
4. M.Schumacher 1.27.157
5. Christopherson 1.27.604
6. Zonta 1.27.746
7. R.Schumacher 1.27.803
8. Trulli 1.27.809

22. Gene 1.30.829

107% time - 1.32.708

RACE
Hakkinen kept the lead at the start, whilst I got a good drive out of the new first chicane and took fourth from Schumacher. After exiting Parabolica, Schumacher used my slipstream and forceful driving to retake 4th place. Fisichella made a bad start and in the early stages of the race, he was battling Gene and the Prosts. Schumacher was clearly pulling away from me, and within a few laps, he was barely within sight. I was at least pulling away from the chasing pack of Zonta, Ralf Schumacher, Villeneuve and Trulli. Jean Alesi suffered gearbox problems after 15 laps, and was closely followed by both Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli, Trulli missed his braking point going into the first turn on lap 17, Villleneuve being on the outside managed to avoid it. Lap 27, Barrichello passed Coulthard into the Variante della Roggia, and Coulthard couldn't respond. During the later stint of the race, Barrichello was slowly closing in on Hakkinen, and looked like he could take a popular victory. On lap 41, Fisichella retired from 16th place, out of 19 drivers who were still running, a dreadful performance at his home race. Barrichello got within just under two seconds of Hakkinen within the last few laps, but it wasn't enough, as Mika Hakkinen took the chequered flag, to try and keep his championship hopes alive, and reduce the deficit to his teammate to 15 points, an uphill struggle, but not impossible. Barrichello was second with Coulthard joining them on the podium. Schumacher was fourth, I took two more points to move Jordan back up to 3rd in the Constructors Championship, whilst Ricardo Zonta scored another point for BAR, easing rumours that he would be replaced for the final few races. McLaren's points here secured them the Constructors Championship, with a 52 point lead over Ferrari, with just a possible 48 points on offer.

1. Hakkinen 1hr 21m 06.677s
2. Barrichello +2.273s
3. Coulthard +9.836s
4. M.Schumacher +13.986s
5. Christopherson +30.383s
6. Zonta +47.177s
7. Villeneuve +51.193s
8. Verstappen +1 Lap
9. Wurz +1 Lap
10. Frentzen +1 Lap
11. Irvine +1 Lap
12. Salo +1 Lap
13. Diniz +1 Lap
14. De La Rosa +2 Laps
15. Herbert +2 Laps
16. Heidfeld +2 Laps
17. Gene +2 Laps
18. Mazzacane +3 Laps

Fastest Lap: Jack Christopherson - 1.28.029

REJECT OF THE RACE: Giancarlo Fisichella - Dropped to the back early and never recovered

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
Coulthard 86
Hakkinen 71
M.Schumacher 63
Barrichello 52
Christopherson 18
R.Schumacher 14
Frentzen 13
Villeneuve 12
Trulli 10
Fisichella 8
Verstappen 4
Wurz 3
Zonta 3
Salo 2
De La Rosa 2
Irvine 1
Herbert 1
Diniz 1

Constructors Championship
McLaren 157
Ferrari 105
Jordan 28
Williams 27
BAR 15
Benetton 11
Arrows 6
Sauber 3
Jaguar 2
Prost 0
Minardi 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 15 - 2000 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX - Indianapolis

PRE-RACE
Jaguar have been considering signing Luciano Burti for 2001, and are giving him two races at the end of the season. He will replace Johnny Herbert in Japan and Eddie Irvine in Malaysia. Sauber have also announced that both Mika Salo and Pedro Diniz will be leaving to be replaced by current Prost driver Nick Heidfeld, and Formula Renault driver Kimi Raikkonen.

It's great to be back in the United States, it's a very special place as far as my career goes, as I made my debut here, albeit in Phoenix. Hopefully a new circuit that none of us are familiar with will give my that first win of 2000.

QUALIFYING
The track was damp in the early parts of the session, so the early laps were set on intermediate tyres, although within just over 10 minutes, dry tyres were used by all drivers. Nothing out of the ordinary in qualifying though, although Hakkinen was languishing down in 7th before he delivered a final flying lap to take yet another pole position, this time by 0.007 seconds.

1. Hakkinen 1.14.507
2. Coulthard 1.14.514
3. M.Schumacher 1.14.561
4. Barrichello 1.14.620
5. Christopherson 1.14.864
6. R.Schumacher 1.15.165
7. Trulli 1.15.196

22. Gene 1.17.703

107% time - 1.19.722

RACE
I made a good start, and looked like I could pass both Ferraris into turn 1, but I had to settle for just Barrichello. 22 cars became 20 as soon as the lights went out, as neither Ralf Schumacher or Eddie Irvine got off the grid. An incident between Ricardo Zonta and Pedro Diniz, after Diniz hit the back of Zonta, seemingly through a lack of braking. Herbert and Alesi's path was blocked because of the incident. Herbert took a long time to pass through, and was stuck in last place as a result. Alesi and Herbert soon caught up though, as the Minardis were off the pace, as was the standard procedure. In the early stages of the race, Coulthard was threatening Hakkinen's lead, but Hakkinen was not conceding the lead, as it would all but end his championship chances. Pedro De La Rosa was embroiled in a lower midfield battle with Salo, Wurz and Heidfeld who was punching above the car's weight, before the Spaniard pulled off and retired. For once, I had the pace to keep up with the Ferraris and McLarens, and was able to withstand challenges from Barrichello. Frentzen was the sixth retirement of the race, an engine blow not really costing him any points, as he was some way off Villeneuve and Trulli who were fighting for sixth place. On lap 55, after trying for a few laps, I finally got a good enough slipstream to pass Schumacher into turn 1 for 3rd. Ferrari's day got worse, as on lap 59, Rubens Barrichello retired from 5th place. Once again, Ferrari's loss was Jordan's gain, as Trulli moved up to 6th. He spent the entire race chasing Villeneuve, but he couldn't take 5th from the Canadian. Mika Hakkinen took the chequered flag and led home a McLaren 1-2 at the Brickyard, whilst I scored my first podium since Austria. Villeneuve's two points were a just reward of a great drive, but BAR knew that 3rd or even 4th in the Constructors Championship was no longer a target for the team, but they were almost assured of beating Benetton to 5th. As far as the Drivers Championship is concerned, one has to ask themselves just one question. Has the fat lady sung? Not yet.

1. Hakkinen +1hr 38m 41.171s
2. Coulthard +5.447s
3. Christopherson +12.827s
4. M.Schumacher +16.078s
5. Villeneuve +46.504s
6. Trulli +49.792s
7. Fisichella +1 Lap
8. Verstappen +1 Lap
9. Salo +2 Laps
10. Wurz +2 Laps
11. Heidfeld +2 Laps
12. Herbert +3 Laps
13. Alesi +3 Laps
14. Gene +4 Laps
15. Mazzacane +4 Laps

Fastest Lap: Michael Schumacher - 1.15.044

REJECT OF THE RACE: Pedro Diniz - Left pedal means brake

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
Coulthard 92
Hakkinen 81
M.Schumacher 66
Barrichello 52
Christopherson 22
R.Schumacher 14
Villeneuve 14
Frentzen 13
Trulli 11
Fisichella 8
Verstappen 4
Wurz 3
Zonta 3
Salo 2
De La Rosa 2
Irvine 1
Herbert 1
Diniz 1

Constructors Championship
McLaren 173
Ferrari 108
Jordan 33
Williams 27
BAR 17
Benetton 11
Arrows 6
Sauber 3
Jaguar 2
Prost 0
Minardi 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 16 - 2000 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - Suzuka

PRE-RACE
As previously announced, Luciano Burti will make his Formula 1 debut for the Jaguar team this weekend in place of Johnny Herbert. The reason Herbert was replaced this week was so he could take part in the final race of his last Formula 1 season. Tarso Marques has been announced at Minardi, where he last drove in Formula 1, back in 1997. His teammate for 2001 has not been confirmed yet.

QUALIFYING
Ferrari took what was a rare pole position in 2000, as Michael Schumacher put in a great lap to snatch pole position from Mika Hakkinen. Coulthard was 3rd, and knew that he just had to beat his teammate to be world champion. Qualifying behind him wasn't the best way to do that. After the recent competitiveness, 9th place was somewhat disappointing at Honda's home race. Jacques Villeneuve was Honda's fastest driver, with 6th place on the grid. At one point, it looked like Ricardo Zonta would not get out on track at all, as he didn't go out until the last 10 minutes, and even then he could only manage 18th. Disappointing after one of the best races of his career was here last year, even if he was overshadowed by Villeneuve. Jaguar debutant Luciano Burti qualified 15th, only about a tenth and a half off Eddie Irvine's time.

1. M.Schumacher 1.38.189
2. Hakkinen 1.38.221
3. Coulthard 1.38.430

7. Trulli 1.39.219
8. Frentzen 1.39.445
9. Christopherson 1.39.506
10. Irvine 1.39.626

22. Gene 1.42.224

107% time - 1.45.062

RACE
I made a decent start, and got around the outside of Frentzen at turn 1. Nothing else eventful happened at the start, and it was a very clean getaway by all drivers, despite some first corner incidents happening at the start in the past. At the final chicane on lap 1, Coulthard passed Hakkinen after a better entry and exit of 130R. Could that decide the championship? On lap 5, I passed Trulli going into turn 1 to take 7th. Ricardo Zonta was the first retirement of the race, with gearbox troubles, putting an end to a disappointing weekend, seemingly through no fault of his own. Coulthard made a mistake out of Degner 2 on lap 14, and Hakkinen took advantage before even reaching the hairpin to retake second place. It was at that very corner on lap 22 that I crashed out of the race, after carrying too much speed in the corner and plowing into the barriers. Ralf Schumacher's Williams was the next retirement, with his engine blowing and costing him 5th place. He was in a battle with Villeneuve, but the Canadian then inherited 5th, and was unchallenged for the remainder of the race. Lack of mid-race pace cost Trulli the last point after Ralf Schumacher's retirement, and Frentzen reaped the benefits. Michael Schumacher took a victory for Ferrari, whilst Mika Hakkinen kept his championship hopes alive by reducing the gap to nine points. Barrichello was a solid and unspectacular fourth, Villeneuve fifth whist Heinz-Harald Frentzen took a point for Williams. Eddie Irvine finished 7th, just missing out on the points in his last race of 2000, whilst his teammate Luciano Burti finished 11th on his debut out of 16 finishers.

1. M.Schumacher 1hr 33m 07.855s
2. Hakkinen +9.306s
3. Coulthard +12.395s
4. Barrichello +28.574s
5. Villeneuve +57.202s
6. Frentzen +1 Lap
7. Irvine +1 Lap
8. Trulli +1 Lap
9. Fisichella +1 Lap
10. De La Rosa +1 Lap
11. Burti +2 Laps
12. Alesi +2 Laps
13. Heidfeld +2 Laps
14. Diniz +2 Laps
15. Salo +2 Laps
16. Mazzacane +4 Laps

Fastest Lap: Mika Hakkinen 1.39.760

REJECT OF THE RACE: Jordan - Unimpressive race on Honda's home turf

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
Coulthard 96
Hakkinen 87
M.Schumacher 76
Barrichello 55
Christopherson 22
Villeneuve 16
R.Schumacher 14
Frentzen 14
Trulli 11
Fisichella 8
Verstappen 4
Wurz 3
Zonta 3
Salo 2
De La Rosa 2
Irvine 1
Herbert 1
Diniz 1

Constructors Championship
McLaren 183
Ferrari 121
Jordan 33
Williams 28
BAR 19
Benetton 11
Arrows 6
Sauber 3
Jaguar 2
Prost 0
Minardi 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 17 - 2000 MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX - Sepang

QUALIFYING
Here it is, my last Grand Prix with the Buzzin Hornets before my move to Arrows. I find this circuit quite tricky, difficult to judge some of the braking points so I wasn't expecting to challenge the Ferraris and McLarens. Turns out my prediction was accurate. McLaren and Ferrari seemed to have a bigger gap over Jordan, BAR and Williams than they usually did this year. I could only manage 8th, 3 tenths slower than Trulli who lined up 7th. Luciano Burti put in a good effort to qualify 11th, outqualifying Johnny Herbert in his last ever race. Herbert was only 14th on the grid. Hakkinen was faster than Coulthard, but if the Scot held position, or even dropped a couple of positions, he would still be World Champion. Minardi's times were well inside the 107% time, meaning that the 107% rule had not been used all season.

1. Hakkinen 1.39.197
2. Coulthard 1.39.212
3. M.Schumacher 1.39.282

7. Trulli 1.40.329
8. Christopherson 1.40.616
9. Frentzen 1.40.647

22. Mazzacane 1.43.408

107% time - 1.46.141

RACE
The track was damp, but with no sign of more rain. Some drivers went for dries, like myself, whilst some went for inters. Rubens Barrichello was the only of the top four drivers to start on inters. Both McLarens went for the same tyre choice, whilst the fans in attendance and those watching at home were hoping for different strategies for the two drivers, to potentially make the championship decider more interesting. Hakkinen held position at the start, whilst both Williams drivers gained ground at the start, Ralf Schumacher up to 4th whilst Frentzen moved up to 6th by the end of the first sequence of turns. By the end of lap 1, Marc Gene was up to a superb 14th despite no first lap retirements or even damaged cars. Inters seemed like the better option short term, but that wouldn't explain Barrichello losing out at the start to Ralf Schumacher. I made a mistake when attempting to pass Villeneuve for 7th at the start of lap 2, and dropped to 11th. Drivers started to pit for dries, but as they did, skies started to turn grey. The order, despite being temporary was Hakkinen, Coulthard, M.Schumacher, Fisichella, Burti and myself. The rain didn't come straight away. On lap 25, I attempted to pass Burti for 5th, but outbraked myself again. Two laps later, I was successful in my passing attempt, and then set my sights on Fisichella's 4th place. Diniz who was 7th started to drop back a bit, and Burti was looking like he could score a point in only his second race. The first retirement of the race was on lap 28, and it was Jacques Villeneuve. A low-key ending to what was an encouraging season for the Canadian. The threat of rain was gone, as by lap 32, the skies turned blue again. Rubens Barrichello was down in 10th, and still had a chance to end the season with a points finish, as he wasn't far behind Verstappen and Wurz who were fighting for 8th place. On lap 35, I passed Fisichella for 4th place. Fisichella dropped further back, when on lap 47, he lost 5th place to Burti, with Barrichello reeling them in. In the end, Hakkinen took yet another win, and done all he could, but it wasn't enough to prevent teammate David Coulthard from winning his first World Championship and finishing the season with a second place. Michael Schumacher completed the podium. I was fourth, after pulling away from the likes of Fisichella/Burti. Luciano Burti finished 5th and scored two very vital world championship points, as they moved Jaguar up to 8th in the Constructors Championship. It took him two races to outscore the two regular drivers. Giancarlo Fisichella scored a point to cap off what was a very disappointing season for Benetton. Although it was only for 9th place, in their excellent battle, Verstappen took 9th place from Wurz on the final corner, and just finished ahead of him.

1. Hakkinen 1hr 43m 54.583s
2. Coulthard +2.127s
3. M.Schumacher +3.024s
4. Christopherson +29.217s
5. Burti +35.727s
6. Fisichella +36.063s
7. Barrichello +38.463s
8. Diniz +40.623s
9. Verstappen +53.974s
10. Wurz +54.096s
11. Trulli +1 Lap
12. De La Rosa +1 Lap
13. Herbert +1 Lap
14. Salo +2 Laps
15. Heidfeld +2 Laps
16. Zonta +3 Laps
17. Gene +4 Laps

Fastest Lap: Mika Hakkinen - 1.42.076

REJECT OF THE RACE: Williams - Started with promise, ended with double DNF

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
David Coulthard 102
Mika Hakkinen 97
Michael Schumacher 80
Rubens Barrichello 55
Jack Christopherson 25
Jacques Villeneuve 16
Heinz-Harald Frentzen 14 (Best result: 3rd - Next best result: 4th x 2)
Ralf Schumacher 14 (Best result: 3rd - Next best result: 4th x 1)
Jarno Trulli 11
Giancarlo Fisichella 9
Jos Verstappen 4
Alexander Wurz 3 (Best result: 4th)
Ricardo Zonta 3 (Best result: 6th)
Mika Salo 2 (Best result: 5th - Next best result: 8th)
Luciano Burti 2 (Best result: 5th - Next best result: 11th)
Pedro De La Rosa 2 (Best result: 6th)
Eddie Irvine 1 (Best result: 6th - Next best result: 7th)
Pedro Diniz 1 (Best result: 6th - Next best result: 8th)
Johnny Herbert 1 (Best result: 6th - Next best result: 10th)
Nick Heidfeld 0 (Best result: 8th - Next best result: 11th)
Jean Alesi 0 (Best result: 8th - Next best result: 12th)
Marc Gene 0 (Best result: 10th)
Gaston Mazzacane 0 (Best result: 14th)

Constructors Championship
McLaren Mercedes 199
Ferrari 125
Jordan Mugen Honda 36
Williams BMW 28
BAR Honda 19
Benetton Playlife 12
Arrows Supertec 6
Jaguar Cosworth 4
Sauber Petronas 3
Prost Peugeot 0 (Best result: 8th)
Minardi Fondmetal 0 (Best result: 10th)

[FullMetalJack]

Driver Rankings
1. David Coulthard 9.0
2. Mika Hakkinen 8.5
3. Jacques Villeneuve 8.0
4. Michael Schumacher 7.5
5. Ralf Schumacher 7.0
6. Jos Verstappen 6.5
7. Jack Christopherson 6.5
8. Jarno Trulli 6.5
9. Rubens Barrichello 6.5
10. Giancarlo Fisichella 6.0
11. Pedro De La Rosa 6.0
12. Eddie Irvine 6.0
13. Heinz-Harald Frentzen 5.5
14. Mika Salo 5.5
15. Nick Heidfeld 5.0
16. Jean Alesi 5.0
17. Johnny Herbert 5.0
18. Ricardo Zonta 5.0
19. Gaston Mazzacane 5.0
20. Pedro Diniz 4.5
21. Marc Gene 4.5
22. Alexander Wurz 3.0
N/A Luciano Burti

Constructor Rankings
1. McLaren Mercedes 9.5
2. BAR Honda 8.0
3. Ferrari 7.0
4. Williams BMW 7.0
5. Arrows Supertec 7.0
6. Jordan Mugen Honda 6.0
7. Sauber Petronas 5.0
8. Jaguar 4.5
9. Minardi Fondmetal 3.5
10. Benetton Playlife 3.0
11. Prost Peugeot 3.0

REJECT OF THE YEAR

3RD - Alexander Wurz
Where did it go wrong for Alex? A few years back at Sauber and the early days of Benetton, this tall Austrian showed a lot of promise, and the possibility to be a big time player for years to come. Unfortunately, his career stalled as Benetton slid down the grid, and at the age of 26, his career in Formula 1 could well be over. The better drivers on the grid punch above their machinery's weight when it's uncompetitive, the way Giancarlo Fisichella did and consistently threatened the points, even if he rarely scored them. To add insult to injury, if you were to take away the Monaco result, where Benetton capitalised the attrition better than any other teams, Wurz points tally for 2000 would have been a big fat 0. He has taken a McLaren test drive for 2001, his best chance is to do what Olivier Panis did and impress in that role enough to secure another drive like Panis did.

2ND - Benetton
1995 with Michael Schumacher winning his second consecutive World Championship somewhat comfortably must seem so long ago now. Somewhere along the line, they just fell back from their rivals, and their place as one of the 'big four' has been usurped by Jordan. 12 points would have been a poor season for their standards at the best of times, but 9 of those points were scored at Monaco, and if you take those points away, they would have dropped to 8th place in the Constructors Championship, behind both Arrows and Jaguar. Verstappen's move to the team will not be a step up from Arrows if things continue. In other seasons, their performances would probably warrant the gold medal on the Reject of the Year podium.

1ST - Prost
The team formerly known as Ligier endured a difficult 1999 season with few highlights, but if they knew 2000 would go the way it did, they'd have took another 1999 in a heartbeat. The highlights were two 8th place finishes, one at Monaco for Jean Alesi when he survived the attrition, the other being at Germany for Nick Heidfeld in one of his home races, where a solid drive in difficult conditions got him noticed by Sauber. The end result, a former World Champion failing to score points two years in a row because of severely substandard machinery. Whilst Nick Heidfeld has moved to Sauber, which will probably only be a small move up the grid, Jean Alesi has decided to slug it out with the team for another season. Surely things will improve next year, they just have to.

[FullMetalJack]

2001 SEASON PREVIEW
Despite their impressive 2000 showing, testing times suggest that McLaren may not have it all their way in 2001, and Ferrari could be as strong as ever. Michael Schumacher will be hoping to finally win a fourth World Championship, something that has eluded him since 1997. Behind McLaren and Ferrari, Williams clearly looks like the strongest challengers, and Ralf Schumacher could well score his first win this year. The Honda powered Jordan and BAR outfits will be challenging for regular points again, the addition of Olivier Panis to the Brackley based outfit could move BAR up to 4th. One of the worries of the year is that Benetton may slip even further down the grid, and they will be more dependent on Giancarlo Fisichella than ever, whilst Jos Verstappen will be wondering if Benetton is really a step up from Arrows. Free Asiatech engines is the price that Arrows have to pay to secure former World Champion Jack Christopherson. Sauber have been quiet in the off-season, and they will desperately be hoping to move back up the grid after two difficult seasons, they could surprise. Luciano Burti was extremely impressive for Jaguar, but his hopes of getting a full time drive depended on whether or not Jaguar could get Pedro De La Rosa, which they did. Burti has to settle for a Prost drive for the second half of the season, and his home race in Brazil. Gaston Mazzacane has secured a place in F1 again due to PSN money. At Minardi, Magnum bring much needed sponsorship that could well have saved the team, on the condition that Alex Yoong is given a test driver role, and a race seat at the Malaysian Grand Prix, but points for them is highly unlikely.

2001 DRIVER LINE-UP

McLaren Mercedes
1. David Coulthard
2. Mika Hakkinen

Ferrari
3. Michael Schumacher
4. Rubens Barrichello

Jordan Honda
5. Heinz-Harald Frentzen
6. Jarno Trulli

Williams BMW
7. Ralf Schumacher
8. Jenson Button

BAR Honda
9. Jacques Villeneuve
10. Olivier Panis

Benetton Renault
11. Giancarlo Fisichella
12. Jos Verstappen

Arrows Asiatech
14. Jack Christopherson
15. Enrique Bernoldi

Jaguar Cosworth
16. Eddie Irvine
17. Pedro De La Rosa

Sauber Petronas
18. Nick Heidfeld
19. Kimi Raikkonen

Prost Acer
20. Jean Alesi
21. Gaston Mazzacane/Luciano Burti

Minardi European
22. Tarso Marques
23. Fernando Alonso


REJECTS IN 2001
Arrows' Asiatech engine
Gaston Mazzacane and Luciano Burti sharing the Prost drive
Enrique Bernoldi
Alex Yoong's one off drive
Sauber's white nose
The ongoing debate over whether or not Kimi Raikkonen is ready for F1
Benetton

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 1 - 2001 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX - Melbourne

PRE-RACE
Before the season, the details of my contract was revealed. It was a conditional two-year contract. What this meant was that I was allowed to enter talks with Williams for 2002 if Arrows were not at least 6th in the Constructors Championship after the European Grand Prix, otherwise I would be spending 2002 at Arrows.

QUALIFYING
It rained during the early part of the hour, but the forecast suggested that it would dry towards the latter part of the hour. That being said, I decided to set a time on inters, in case it doesn't get better. The skies turned blue about 20 minutes in, and the track was drying, with provisional pole position being traded by several drivers. For both myself, and the Arrows team in general, qualifying was a disaster. I could only manage 20th place, after failing to string a lap together, then putting the car into the wall on my last attempt. Other than Bernoldi, who was one place below me, the debutants were all very impressive. Jenson Button put his Williams on the front row, less than a tenth slower than Michael Schumacher. Kimi Raikkonen qualified 8th for Sauber, a team who looked impressive overall, as Nick Heidfeld qualified a career best 11th. Fernando Alonso was 19th in the Minardi.

1. M.Schumacher 1.30.414
2. Button 1.30.489
3. Hakkinen 1.30.677

19. Alonso 1.32.794
20. Christopherson 1.33.197
21. Bernoldi 1.33.446
22. Marques 1.35.123

107% time - 1.36.743

As the conditions were mixed, the 107% time is only there for reference

RACE
I made a decent start, and was up to 17th by turn 3, partly thanks to Alesi making a poor start after starting 14th. Marques lost his front wing after hitting the back of Bernoldi's Arrows. Marques then retired from the race. I was in a battle for 14th with Trulli, De La Rosa, Panis and Alesi. On lap 2, Panis ran wide at turn 12 and I capitalised on it. The early stages of the race were very uneventful, but Button was hot on Schumacher's heels. On lap 20, Trulli was overambitious trying to repass De La Rosa, and spun, collecting Panis in the process. Trulli and Panis retired, but De La Rosa got away scot free. This allowed me to move up to 15th. In the middle of the race, Schumacher started to slowly pull away from Button, and looked comfortable at the front. McLaren were having a very low-key race, and were running a quiet 3rd and 4th. Jacques Villeneuve was the only driver who was challenging the top 3 teams, as for the first 30 laps or so, he had a slim chance of points, but he couldn't keep up with Ralf Schumacher and Barrichello. Lap 43, Fisichella's Renault engine in the back of the Benetton went up in smoke, and retired from 13th place. I couldn't do much, as the Arrows simply didn't have the pace with the gutless Asiatech engine. Michael Schumacher took what was a fairly standard win of his, leading start to finish and recording the fastest lap. Jenson Button scored an excellent second on his debut, with Mika Hakkinen completing the podium. David Coulthard's championship defence began badly, with only fourth, whilst Ralf Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello rounded off the points. Jacques Villeneuve was the only other driver on the lead lap.

1. M.Schumacher 1hr 34m 54.897s
2. Button +11.161s
3. Hakkinen +24.876s
4. Coulthard +29.498s
5. R.Schumacher +46.938s
6. Barrichello +49.206s
7. Villeneuve +1m 12.645s
8. Irvine +1 Lap
9. Raikkonen +1 Lap
10. Frentzen +1 Lap
11. Heidfeld +1 Lap
12. Verstappen +1 Lap
13. Christopherson +2 Laps
14. Alesi +2 Laps
15. Mazzacane +3 Laps
16. Bernoldi +3 Laps
17. Alonso +3 Laps

Fastest Lap: Michael Schumacher - 1.31.749

REJECT OF THE RACE: Jarno Trulli - Slow and erratic

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
M.Schumacher 10
Button 6
Hakkinen 4
Coulthard 3
R.Schumacher 2
Barrichello 1

Constructors Championship
Ferrari 11
Williams 8
McLaren 7
BAR 0
Jaguar 0
Sauber 0
Jordan 0
Benetton 0
Arrows 0
Prost 0
Minardi 0

[andrew]

Why pick Arrows?

[FullMetalJack]

Why pick Arrows?

I wanted a challenge with a lower-midfield team for a season.

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 2 - 2001 MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX - Sepang

PRE-RACE
As part of the sponsorship deal with Magnum, Minardi have put Alex Yoong in the car for his home race. Tarso Marques will make way, after Fernando Alonso impressed on his debut.

QUALIFYING
Qualifying was a drastic improvement on the last race, as I was somewhat competitive. I spent the session experimenting with low and high downforce setups, debating whether or not I wanted more speed on the long straights, or grip on the tricky corners. The low downforce setup was more effective, as it got me 9th, splitting the two Saubers. To the surprise of nobody, Alex Yoong was slowest, by almost two seconds as well, and made it in by less than a second. Alonso starred again in 18th. It was another struggle for Benetton, Verstappen in 13th, with Fisichella down in 16th.

1. M.Schumacher 1.40.642
2. Hakkinen 1.40.735
3. Coulthard 1.40.833

8. Raikkonen 1.41.487
9. Christopherson 1.41.601
10. Heidfeld 1.41.690

21. Bernoldi 1.44.890
22. Yoong 1.46.745

107% time - 1.47.687

RACE
The track was slightly damp, but there was no rain on forecast. Everyone opted for dry tyres at the start. I was up to 8th before turn 1 by virtue of a really bad start by Raikkonen. Hakkinen took the lead from Schumacher thanks to having the inside line at the first corner. Both Heidfeld and Irvine began to carve their way through the field, whilst Barrichello dropped back from 4th on the grid. Bernoldi outbraked himself and hit Trulli at turn 1. The order then was Hakkinen, M.Schumacher, Button, R.Schumacher, Irvine, Coulthard, Villeneuve, Heidfeld, Christopherson and Barrichello. Michael Schumacher retook the lead at turn 9. On lap 2, Button hit Hakkinen and Ralf Schumacher was caught up in it too. This allowed some drivers to take advantage and pick their way through the traffic. Fernando Alonso found himself up to 8th in his Minardi. Eddie Irvine suddenly found himself in 2nd place, whilst I was 6th, still ahead of Barrichello. Barrichello passed me on lap 5, and was on the hunt for Heidfeld's 5th place. Irvine was slowing Coulthard down, and allowing Schumacher to open up a huge lead, whilst Villeneuve was looking for a podium finish. Heidfeld may have been passed by Barrichello, but he continued to hound the experienced Brazilian, and chased hard for the position back. On lap 17, Gaston Mazzacane retired with electrical problems befalling his Prost. David Coulthard eventually took second place, and Irvine's task was to try and keep Villeneuve at bay to score Jaguar's first podium. Heidfeld continued to hound Barrichello, but never got 5th place back. Pedro De La Rosa's quiet race ended on lap 39 with an engine failure. I couldn't keep up with Heidfeld, and was trying to just hold onto 7th from Frentzen in the Jordan. Michael Schumacher eventually drove to a very easy victory after the chaos in the opening laps, to make it two victories from two races, with defending champion David Coulthard taking second place. Eddie Irvine drove a solid race to take Jaguar's first podium finish, holding off Jacques Villeneuve's BAR. Barrichello was 5th, whilst Nick Heidfeld scored the first point of his career. Alonso finished down in 12th, but beat both Benettons. Alex Yoong finished 15th and last on his debut, 3 laps down.

1. M.Schumacher 1hr 38m 15.379s
2. Coulthard +37.771s
3. Irvine +45.807s
4. Villeneuve +48.054s
5. Barrichello +53.811s
6. Heidfeld +56.134s
7. Christopherson +1m 03.318s
8. Frentzen +1m 06.651s
9. Raikkonen +1m 13.882s
10. Panis +1m 19.477s
11. Alesi +1 Lap
12. Alonso +2 Laps
13. Verstappen +2 Laps
14. Fisichella +2 Laps
15. Yoong +3 Laps

Fastest Lap: Michael Schumacher - 1.42.407

REJECT OF THE RACE: Benetton - Both drivers beaten by Alonso's Minardi

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
M.Schumacher 20
Coulthard 9
Button 6
Irvine 4
Hakkinen 4
Villeneuve 3
Barrichello 3
R.Schumacher 2
Heidfeld 1

Constructors Championship
Ferrari 23
McLaren 13
Williams 8
Jaguar 4
BAR 3
Sauber 1
Arrows 0
Jordan 0
Prost 0
Benetton 0
Minardi 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 3 - 2001 BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX - Interlagos

PRE-RACE
Tarso Marques is back in the Minardi car, after vacating his seat to Alex Yoong for his home Grand Prix. Luciano Burti will drive the second Prost alongside Jean Alesi for his home race, a one off drive until he gets the car back at the French Grand Prix.

QUALIFYING
Qualifying went well, as I was once again inside the top 10, and I just lost out to 8th placed Kimi Raikkonen by a thousandth of a second. I think i'm starting to get the hang of how to drive the Arrows. Jordan were once again uncompetitive, with the two drivers 12th and 16th. Enrique Bernoldi qualified 18th in the second Arrows, whilst Burti was 20th in the second Prost. Minardi unsurprisingly struggled, as has been the standard procedure for a few years now.

1. M.Schumacher 1.14.282
2. Barrichello 1.14.343
3. Hakkinen 1.14.438

8. Raikkonen 1.15.002
9. Christopherson 1.15.003
10. Heidfeld 1.15.119

18. Bernoldi 1.16.201

22. Marques 1.18.897

107% time - 1.19.482

RACE
Similar conditions to Malaysia at the start, as the track was damp, but some drivers decided to opt for intermediate tyres. I was not one of those drivers. The best starters were Button and Frentzen, Frentzen jumped from 12th to 7th whilst Button took the lead from 4th. Button was on inters whilst Frentzen was on dries, so neither tyre seemed to give an advantage. I maintained 9th at the start, as I lost a position to Frentzen, but jumped ahead of Raikkonen. On lap 2, I passed Jacques Villeneuve around the outside of turn 1 for 8th place, maybe the dry tyre was starting to become an advantage. Button soon lost the lead to Schumacher, who took the lead. After a few laps, drivers started to pit for dry tyres, as it became the clear choice, and I moved up to 6th. Heidfeld was indirectly helping me, as he was holding up Irvine and Alesi, Heidfeld was behind Raikkonen, so Raikkonen got to pit first and Heidfeld had to wait another lap. Eddie Irvine and Nick Heidfeld tangled, in what was probably more Heidfeld's fault than Irvine's. Mika Hakkinen was the third retirement of the race, an engine failure really not helping any chance of a third World Championship. I found myself challenging Frentzen for 5th, but not really gaining ground on him, whilst Jean Alesi found himself in 7th place, hoping to score Prost's first points since 1999, and his first points since 1998. Lap 34, and the fourth retirement was Kimi Raikkonen, making it a double retirement for the Sauber team. On lap 47, Coulthard passed Barrichello for 2nd place, with Ralf Schumacher in the hunt for that position too. 10 laps from the end, I caught Frentzen and made a passing attempt, but locked my brakes and ran wide, giving Frentzen the position back. Fortunately, I had enough of a gap to Alesi so I wasn't too worried about losing 6th to him. Michael Schumacher kept a decent gap to Coulthard, and won the Brazilian Grand Prix to maintain a perfect start to the 2001 season. The clear message to Barrichello, Ralf, Button, Coulthard and Hakkinen is 'Catch me if you can'. Coulthard beat Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher to second, Frentzen and I scored the first points of the season for Jordan and Arrows respectively. Alesi was close, but not close enough for Prost.

1. M.Schumacher 1hr 35m 1.285s
2. Coulthard +9.630s
3. Barrichello +12.347s
4. R.Schumacher +12.640s
5. Frentzen +39.647s
6. Christopherson +42.163s
7. Alesi +49.533s
8. Verstappen +54.690s
9. Panis +57.583s
10. Fisichella +1m 10.181s
11. De La Rosa +1 Lap
12. Burti +2 Laps
13. Bernoldi +2 Laps
14. Alonso +3 Laps
15. Marques +4 Laps

Fastest Lap: David Coulthard - 1.15.457

REJECT OF THE RACE: Sauber - Double DNF undoes promising pace

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
M.Schumacher 30
Coulthard 15
Barrichello 7
Button 6
R.Schumacher 5
Irvine 4
Hakkinen 4
Villeneuve 3
Frentzen 2
Christopherson 1
Heidfeld 1

Constructors Championship
Ferrari 37
McLaren 19
Williams 11
Jaguar 4
BAR 3
Jordan 2
Arrows 1
Sauber 1
Prost 0
Benetton 0
Minardi 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 4 - 2001 SAN MARINO GRAND PRIX - Imola

QUALIFYING
Williams were the quickest team around Imola on Saturday, first time for a while, as Ralf Schumacher just beat his brother to pole position. Jenson Button was a single thousandth quicker than Mika Hakkinen, beating him to third on the grid. Olivier Panis had the beating of Jacques Villeneuve at BAR, Panis was a superb 7th, whilst Villeneuve struggled in 15th. I was 13th, and was hoping to continue a point scoring streak at this circuit dating back to 1995. Sauber were once again competitive, with both cars in the top 10. Things aren't getting any better for Benetton either, as Fisichella and Verstappen were 17th and 18th.

1. R.Schumacher 1.25.627
2. M.Schumacher 1.25.653
3. Button 1.25.860

12. Trulli 1.26.668
13. Christopherson 1.27.135
14. Alesi 1.27.269

19. Bernoldi 1.28.159

22. Marques 1.29.345

107% time - 1.31.621

RACE
Could Ralf Schumacher take advantage of pole position and score his first win? Ralf Schumacher got a decent start and held onto the lead, whilst slightly further back, Barrichello dropped to 7th place as Panis made a good start. Heidfeld stalled at the start, and never got off the line. I made a somewhat bad start and lost out to Alesi, but thanks to Heidfeld's troubles, I held onto 13th position. On lap 2, Irvine was far to aggressive, and an overly optimistic passing attempt at Tamburello saw both him and Barrichello out immediately. Irvine surely lost some of his popularity with the Tifosi with that move. The main battle during the early stages of the race was between myself and Alesi, although I could not catch him. I made a mistake on lap 19 at Tosa, and lost 11th position to De La Rosa, looking to get his first finish of the season, although points were unlikely for the Spaniard. Michael Schumacher was looking to take his 4th win of the season, but his younger brother was not making it easy for him. Button was not too far behind, and ready to pounce should either Schumacher brother make a mistake. Jacques Villeneuve retired from a lowly 13th, after battling the Benettons during the race, a strange reversal in fortunes between him and teammate Panis. On lap 35, Frentzen spun off at the Variante Alta whilst running 8th. Trulli was running just behind him and eventually caught up with Raikkonen, and passing him for 7th through the Villeneuve chicane on lap 49. He was also looking for his first finish of the season, and that was what he'd have to settle for barring more retirements ahead of him, as Panis was nearly 20 seconds up the road from him. For the fourth time in four races, Schumacher took the chequered flag, but this time it was Ralf Schumacher winning, and giving the BMW engine its first F1 victory since the 1986 Mexican Grand Prix, almost 15 years ago. Jenson Button finished third, whilst McLaren were a disappointing 4th and 5th, and almost non-existent all race. Olivier Panis kickstarted his season with his first World Championship point with BAR.

1. R.Schumacher 1hr 33m 38.854s
2. M.Schumacher +5.383s
3. Button +12.847s
4. Hakkinen +34.704s
5. Coulthard +39.653s
6. Panis +1m 03.458s
7. Trulli +1m 16.496s
8. Raikkonen +1m 19.893s
9. Alesi +1 Lap
10. De La Rosa +1 Lap
11. Christopherson +1 Lap
12. Fisichella +1 Lap
13. Verstappen +1 Lap
14. Bernoldi +2 Laps
15. Marques +2 Laps
16. Alonso +2 Laps

Fastest Lap: Jenson Button - 1.27.249

REJECT OF THE RACE: Jacques Villeneuve - Roles at BAR reversed

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
M.Schumacher 36
Coulthard 17
R.Schumacher 15
Button 10
Barrichello 7
Hakkinen 7
Irvine 4
Villeneuve 3
Frentzen 2
Christopherson 1
Heidfeld 1
Panis 1

Constructors Championship
Ferrari 43
Williams 25
McLaren 24
Jaguar 4
BAR 4
Jordan 2
Arrows 1
Sauber 1
Prost 0
Benetton 0
Minardi 0

[cart00]

Your career is very interesting. I wonder what's next? Keep it up.

[FullMetalJack]

Your career is very interesting. I wonder what's next? Keep it up.

Williams again if Arrows are not at least 6th in the Constructors Championship after Nurburgring. Similar to the deal Mark Webber had with Jaguar in 2004.

Don't expect this career to go on for several years though, I already decided when i'm calling it a day. You'll find out in due time.

[andrew]

Your career is very interesting. I wonder what's next? Keep it up.

Williams again if Arrows are not at least 6th in the Constructors Championship after Nurburgring. Similar to the deal Mark Webber had with Jaguar in 2004.

Don't expect this career to go on for several years though, I already decided when i'm calling it a day. You'll find out in due time.

Im guessing 2003, hopefully if you are with Williams next year you can get back to winning ways!

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 5 - 2001 SPANISH GRAND PRIX - Barcelona

QUALIFYING
The worst qualifying session of my career, dead last on the grid. I set an early banker lap time before going at full speed. The first real flying lap resulted in a crash at the last corner, although I wasn't particularly quick, as it was essentially a second warm up lap. Fortunately, I was still within the 107% time, but only just. At one point, Jenson Button looked like he was going to take his first ever pole position, but a late flying lap from Michael Schumacher gave him his fourth pole position of the season. Sauber locked out row 4, Nick Heidfeld only a tenth slower than Barrichello, with Raikkonen a few tenths back.

1. M.Schumacher 1.22.299
2. Button 1.22.323
3. Hakkinen 1.22.541

18. Bernoldi 1.25.163

21. Marques 1.25.708
22. Christopherson 1.27.762

107% time - 1.28.060

The car was all over the place, even if I hadn't crashed, I would probably have ended up on row 9 or 10. I'm lucky to be even racing today, so i'm hoping for some sort of miracle tomorrow.

RACE
That miracle may happen, as the rain in Spain did not stay mainly on the plane come race day, and the best chance of the polesitter not going on to win the race. Raikkonen made a good start and was up to 6th by turn 1, with Coulthard dropping out of the points positions. Alonso underestimated the amount of water on track, and waited too late to brake, taking both him and Bernoldi out of the race. A disappointing debut home race for the young Spaniard. Barrichello was making ground in the early laps, and was second by lap 4, and chasing teammate Schumacher. Button retired on lap 10 after spinning off from 3rd place, with Hakkinen soon following suit. On lap 15, Raikkonen passed Ralf Schumacher for 3rd place. I had worked my way up the field slightly, and made it a lot more difficult to pass Mazzacane than it should have been. The retirements were frequent, as Villeneuve was the fifth retirement of the race on lap 23, and on lap 24, Irvine followed suit with an engine failure. Lap 26 saw Nick Heidfeld retire with electrical problems from 6th place. This promoted Trulli into the points. At the halfway stage, the order was M.Schumacher, Barrichello, Raikkonen, R.Schumacher, Coulthard, Trulli, Alesi, Frentzen, Verstappen and Panis. On lap 35, Alesi caught Trulli and passed him for 6th, and set to score his first world championship point in over two years. On lap 41, my race ended, at the same corner as my qualifying session ended, spinning off this time rather than running wide. Schumacher finally crumbled under pressure from Barrichello, and very opportunistic driving saw Raikkonen take both of them, and the Finnish rookie was leading the Spanish Grand Prix. Alesi worked his way past Coulthard on track on lap 44, and after the pitstops, past Ralf Schumacher too. Kimi Raikkonen pulled off one of the greatest upsets in the history of Formula One, and won the Spanish Grand Prix ahead of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello. Jean Alesi scored a fantastic 4th place finish, whilst Ralf Schumacher and David Coulthard scored the minor points. The two Jordans looked like they could score points at one point, but that never materialised.

1. Raikkonen 1hr 46m 48.191s
2. M.Schumacher +7.095s
3. Barrichello +7.211s
4. Alesi +28.082s
5. R.Schumacher +43.597s
6. Coulthard +45.868s
7. Trulli +1m 15.821s
8. Frentzen +1m 34.392s
9. Panis +1 Lap
10. De La Rosa +1 Lap
11. Fisichella +2 Laps
12. Mazzacane +3 Laps
13. Marques +4 Laps

Fastest Lap: Rubens Barrichello - 1.37.793

REJECT OF THE RACE: Jack Christopherson - Two crashes. One corner. Zero points.

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
M.Schumacher 42
Coulthard 18
R.Schumacher 17
Barrichello 11
Button 10
Raikkonen 10
Hakkinen 7
Irvine 4
Alesi 3
Villeneuve 3
Frentzen 2
Christopherson 1
Heidfeld 1
Panis 1

Constructors Championship
Ferrari 53
Williams 27
McLaren 25
Sauber 11
Jaguar 4
BAR 4
Prost 3
Jordan 2
Arrows 1
Benetton 0
Minardi 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 6 - 2001 AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX - A1 Ring

QUALIFYING
Despite being only about 1.4 seconds off pole position, my lap was only good enough for 15th on the grid. A sign of how close the entire F1 grid was. Jenson Button had that ever so slight edge to take his first ever pole position in Formula 1. The BMW engine's power proving to be an advantage, with Ralf Schumacher only a tenth behind in third place. Twelve drivers were within a second from pole, although Heidfeld in 12th was four tenths quicker than Verstappen in 13th. Minardi were still off the pace, but due to the length of the lap, the drivers were only about three seconds off Button's pace.

1. Button 1.12.532
2. M.Schumacher 1.12.543
3. R.Schumacher 1.12.653

15. Christopherson 1.13.999

19. Bernoldi 1.14.670

22. Marques 1.15.825

107% time - 1.17.609

RACE
Dark clouds surrounded the sky in Austria, and rain was on the forecast, but the question was when? The timing can change the outcome of the race dramatically. At the start, Barrichello caused a lot of carnage at turn 1 after turning in too early and clipping the barrier. Trulli, Alonso and De La Rosa immedately retired as well, whilst Marques lost his front wing too. I benefitted from this, as I picked my way through the traffic and was up to 7th. I couldn't keep up with Villeneuve in 6th, so I needed to hope that one of the drivers ahead of me had mechanical issues. I needn't have bothered, as Tarso Marques failed to move out of the way and the difference in speed caused a bad accident, and Kimi Raikkonen was also collected in the incident. A big change in fortunes for the young Finn, after his shock win last time out. Seven retirements within the opening laps. Jenson Button lost the lead to Michael Schumacher on lap 17, after a textbook slipstream from the former champion combined with Button failing to close the door on him resulted in a fairly straightforward pass for the lead. Experience played a big part in that lead change. Unfortunately for Jenson Button, on lap 29, his engine gave way and cost him 2nd place. Eddie Irvine moved into a points paying position, that could have been me in the points, although Irvine was ever so slightly quicker than me. Things went from bad to worse for Williams, as Ralf Schumacher lost the inherited 2nd place to Mika Hakkinen. On lap 49, the other major overtake of the race happened, where David Coulthard passed Ralf Schumacher for 3rd place at turn 3, solidifying McLaren's most competitive weekend so far. The race died down in the closing stages, as did the lingering threat of rain. The only incident late on was Fisichella retiring from the race from 10th place. Michael Schumacher took his fourth win of the season, with McLaren completing the podium. Ralf Schumacher's fourth place signified unfulfilled promise from Williams. Jacques Villeneuve drove to a very anonymous 5th, whilst the final point was claimed by Eddie Irvine.

1. M.Schumacher 1hr 33m 37.370s
2. Hakkinen +11.157s
3. Coulthard +14.373s
4. R.Schumacher +20.889s
5. Villeneuve +34.255s
6. Irvine +58.378s
7. Alesi +1 Lap
8. Frentzen +1 Lap
9. Heidfeld +1 Lap
10. Panis +1 Lap
11. Verstappen +2 Laps
12. Bernoldi +3 Laps
13. Mazzacane +3 Laps

Fastest Lap: Michael Schumacher - 1.13.764

REJECT OF THE RACE: Tarso Marques - Failed to notice blue flags

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
M.Schumacher 52
Coulthard 22
R.Schumacher 17
Hakkinen 13
Barrichello 11
Button 10
Raikkonen 10
Irvine 5
Villeneuve 5
Alesi 3
Frentzen 2
Christopherson 1
Heidfeld 1
Panis 1

Constructors Championship
Ferrari 63
McLaren 35
Williams 30
Sauber 11
BAR 6
Jaguar 5
Prost 3
Jordan 2
Arrows 1
Benetton 0
Minardi 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 7 - 2001 MONACO GRAND PRIX - Monte Carlo

QUALIFYING
The extremely tight streets of The Principality provided a very entertaining qualifying with a lot of surprise results. Jenson Button took a very surprise pole position in his BMW powered Williams, whilst his fellow rookie Kimi Raikkonen qualified 3rd. Hakkinen was down in 10th whilst last year's winner Rubens Barrichello was a dismal 12th. Gaston Mazzacane, Fernando Alonso, Enrique Bernoldi and Tarso Marques qualified in their best ever positions. Mazzacane 13th, ahead of teammate Alesi. Alonso 14th, Bernoldi 17th and Marques 18th. Verstappen, De La Rosa and Trulli only set one flying lap each, and it showed, as the track had less rubber on it, whilst Eddie Irvine failed to set a single time in the session, therefore not being permitted to enter the race. Fisichella showed promise for the so far pointless Benetton, putting his car 6th on the grid. The only team not to produce noticable results for good or bad reasons was BAR, as they were firmly midfield. My qualifying went well too, as I put the car 8th on the grid, despite the car having a tendency to slide out of the corners.

1. Button 1.22.489
2. M.Schumacher 1.22.607
3. Raikkonen 1.22.879

7. Coulthard 1.23.771
8. Christopherson 1.23.879
9. Villeneuve 1.23.900

17. Bernoldi 1.25.307

21. Trulli - 1.25.934

107% time - 1.28.263

DNQ Irvine - No Time

RACE
Michael Schumacher made a great start and took the lead, for a few seconds at least. Schumacher turned in on Button and spun into the wall, causing all sorts of chaos. Button got away scot free. Jacques Villeneuve emerged from this with a superb race lead after not being caught up, with Coulthard in 2nd. Williams didn't stop there, as Ralf Schumacher tried an ambitious move on Mika Hakkinen going into the Nouvelle chicane and both drivers were wiped out. By the end of the first lap, the order Villeneuve, Coulthard, Button, Trulli, Christopherson, Fisichella, Raikkonen, Mazzacane, Barrichello and De La Rosa. Jarno Trulli has what is probably a record of passing 17 cars on the opening lap at Monaco. Both Schumachers and Hakkinen were out already, and the fourth retirement followed soon after. Nick Heidfeld clipped a wall going into a corner and spun, losing a rear wheel in the process. Button retired on lap 13 with hydraulics issues, the next was Mazzacane, spinnning off from a remarkable 7th. Not much overtaking, as it was about keeping out of the wall, something David Coulthard failed to do. I then found myself in third on lap 29, although I required a front wing change, demoting me just outside the points, but still in the race. Giancarlo Fisichella was on for a podium halfway through the race, but he binned his Benetton, and with a Minardi still in the race, was there a possibility of Benetton dropping to dead last in the Constructors Championship? Not necessary, as Jos Verstappen was still in the race. The sole survivor of the big teams was Rubens Barrichello, but he was a long way behind Jacques Villeneuve, who was leading in commanding fashion. Fernando Alonso kept out of trouble throughout the bulk of the race, and when there were just 11 drivers left, he found himself 7th, ahead of Verstappen, Panis, Bernoldi and Frentzen. If he was to stay ahead of Verstappen, then Minardi would move above Benetton in the Constructors Championship on countback. The top six with just a handful of laps left were Villeneuve, Barrichello, Trulli, De La Rosa, Christopherson and Alesi. On lap 64, bad drive out of Casino Square provided an opportunistic Alesi to take 5th, although two laps later, I was just as opportunistic going into Nouvelle Chicane. This was allowing De La Rosa to pull away, who was enduring a miserable season, but was close to a career best result, he just had to keep it on the road. Minardi's hopes of points were in tatters, as Alonso braked too late into Ste Devote on lap 66 and lost his front wing. Alesi's engine gave way on lap 67, promoting Verstappen into 6th, and leaving Minardi to ponder what might have been. Another engine failure two laps later, although Frentzen was never likely to score points. Nine drivers were left in the race. Jacques Villeneuve cruised to what was a shock victory, even though he had clearly demonstrated the ability to win. Barrichello was second, with Trulli's first points of the season being a podium. De La Rosa was also hoping that his career best 4th would kickstart his season. Fifth place was a good result, but not enough to move up from 9th in the Constructors Championship. Jos Verstappen scored Benetton's first point of the season.

1. Villeneuve 1hr 52m 47.561s
2. Barrichello +39.462s
3. Trulli +1m 13.929s
4. De La Rosa +1 Lap
5. Christopherson +1 Lap
6. Verstappen +2 Laps
7. Alonso +2 Laps
8. Panis +3 Laps
9. Bernoldi +3 Laps

Fastest Lap: Jacques Villeneuve - 1.23.277

REJECT OF THE RACE: Williams - Two crashes on the opening lap

POST-RACE SELECTED DRIVER QUOTES

What a special day for me, first Grand Prix win for myself and the team coming at Monaco of all places. All this after we were probably the only team not to make any sort of headlines during qualifying. I was always confident that we would score points provided we could keep the car on the road. We now move up to 4th in the Constructors Championship, which was what we were hoping to achieve at the start of the season, and maybe challenge Williams, although that looks to be out of the question now.

What a difference a day makes! Qualifying was not fun, as I could not string a lap together. Obviously today wasn't as great as last year, as I won here, but it was a good recovery drive that gives Ferrari an even larger gap at the top of the Constructors Championship. Now to push on and win a few races myself this season.

Not everyone overtakes 17 cars in one lap at Monaco do they? There is no better place to score a podium, it's special wherever you go, but here along with my home races of Imola and Monza are just another kind of special. I was expecting something to go wrong within the closing laps, as I haven't enjoyed much luck this season. Maybe now that will change.

I'm glad to finally be back in the points, it just hasn't been my season so far, but this may be the turning point. Qualifying was tough, but maybe it was a blessing in disguise, as it kept me away from the carnage in the early laps. I'm hoping this convinces Jaguar to consider keeping me for 2002, as I am more than happy to pledge my foreseeable future to them if they want.

We were unfortunate in the sense that most of the teams we are fighting scored points, and we consequently didn't move up the pecking order. It was a difficult race, but battling over fifth position with Alesi was incredible fun, it's good to see a driver of his calibre in a car capable of scoring points again, I was quietly disappointed, but relieved when he retired, as it meant my fifth place was safer. Jacques Villeneuve was outstanding today, a lot of us knew he was capable of winning races, including Frank Williams, as I only just beat him to the Williams seat in 1996. Credit to Alonso as well, punching well above Minardi's weight yet again. Canada's a stronger track for me, but I don't know if it is for the car, we'll have to wait and see.

I think as was the case with Jarno and Pedro, we avoided a lot of the early chaos being the three drivers at the back. It was only ever going to be up from there, and for once, fortune shined on our team. Will this be the result to kickstart our season? Who knows?

You don't get many opportunities when driving for a small team like Minardi, everyone in the team knows that. This was a huge missed opportunity for me, and I feel I really let the team down, as I was in a battle for 5th position, keeping up with two former World Champions at one point. It's a shame I made that mistake, as it may prove to be extremely costly come the end of the season. I only hope I get another chance like that in the future.

As you would expect, i'm disappointed. That being said, I can take encouragement from the fact that Prost was competitive yet again, a huge turnaround from last year, and I have to praise everyone within the team for doing a superb job. Merci.

I can't place too much blame on Jenson, as I did turn in on him. A 50-50 incident. I think the only positive way to describe my race was that I made a great start. We've been outstanding this season, and we need to continue that at Canada.

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
M.Schumacher 52
Coulthard 22
R.Schumacher 17
Barrichello 17
Villeneuve 15
Hakkinen 13
Button 10
Raikkonen 10
Irvine 5
Trulli 4
Alesi 3
De La Rosa 3
Christopherson 3
Frentzen 2
Heidfeld 1
Panis 1
Verstappen 1

Constructors Championship
Ferrari 69
McLaren 35
Williams 30
BAR 16
Sauber 11
Jaguar 8
Jordan 6
Prost 3
Arrows 3
Benetton 1
Minardi 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 8 - 2001 CANADIAN GRAND PRIX - Montreal

PRE-RACE
The biggest news story of the year so far, Mika Hakkinen has announced his retirement from Formula 1 at the end of the 2001 season. His replacement at McLaren will not be announced for some time yet.

QUALIFYING
Defending World Champion David Coulthard put his McLaren on pole position. A sign of progress or false hope? Only time will tell. Ralf was the quicker Schumacher brother, putting his car on the front row. My qualifying was pretty average, with a fairly average 13th spot.

1. Coulthard 1.17.771
2. R.Schumacher 1.17.847
3. M.Schumacher 1.17.886

12. Raikkonen 1.18.768
13. Christopherson 1.19.070
14. Panis 1.19.115

19. Bernoldi 1.19.893

22. Marques 1.21.067

107% time - 1.23.215

RACE
Coulthard kept his lead at the start, but Jenson Button was the fastest starter, and took second place from slow starting Ralf Schumacher, who dropped to fourth. Two separate incidents in the midfield took place, Raikkonen went for a gap that wasn't there and spun Villeneuve and himself into retirement, whilst Panis was collected by Jos Verstappen. Both BARs were out by turn 1, as was Raikkonen, but Verstappen was able to continue after a front wing change. I was up to 11th, chasing the Jordans, although that was over within a matter of moments, as I let the rear end of the car slide on the exit of turn 9 on lap 2, and lost a rear wheel. Four retirements with almost the whole race still to run. On lap 4, Frentzen passed Irvine for 8th in what was a four way battle for 7th between Heidfeld, Frentzen, Irvine and Trulli. Electronic gremlins put an end to Button's race on lap 19, after a couple of relatively slow laps, giving Coulthard a small advantage over the other contenders for the race win. McLaren were looking quick, and Hakkinen passed Ralf Schumacher for third into the hairpin on lap 31, and was hoping to chase and catch Ralf's older brother. Meanwhile, further back, Verstappen eventually retired, the Renault engine gave way, ending what was a poor weekend for the Dutchman. Rubens Barrichello was not having a particularly lucky season, gearbox problems ensured that his unlucky season would continue, after retiring from what was a comfortable 5th place. Nick Heidfeld was another driver who had been unlucky in 2001, but he was up to 5th place in his Sauber, holding off Irvine and the two Jordans. The second half of the race was fairly uneventful and quite processional, with the only notable event was Mazzacane retiring his Prost with about 20 laps to the finish. David Coulthard was not having quite the championship defence he was hoping for, but he finally took his first win of the season and became the fifth driver in 2001 to win, as well as making McLaren the fifth team to do so. Michael Schumacher's season continued, although his lead at the summit of the drivers championship was cut to 26 points. Hakkinen in third signified improvement from McLaren. Ralf Schumacher flattered to deceive in qualifying. Nick Heidfeld finally had some luck and brought home two points for Sauber to move closer to BAR, whilst Jordan also showed signs of improvement, with Frentzen claiming the final point with a good drive to sixth.

1. Coulthard 1hr 38m 36.301s
2. M.Schumacher +5.177s
3. Hakkinen +12.442s
4. R.Schumacher +18.167s
5. Heidfeld +50.229s
6. Frentzen +55.792s
7. Irvine +58.195s
8. Trulli +1m 02.201s
9. De La Rosa +1 Lap
10. Fisichella +1 Lap
11. Alesi +1 Lap
12. Bernoldi +2 Laps
13. Alonso +3 Laps
14. Marques +3 Laps

Fastest Lap: Michael Schumacher - 1.19.428

REJECT OF THE RACE: BAR - Double DNF at turn 1

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
M.Schumacher 58
Coulthard 32
R.Schumacher 20
Barrichello 17
Hakkinen 17
Villeneuve 15
Button 10
Raikkonen 10
Irvine 5
Trulli 4
Alesi 3
De La Rosa 3
Heidfeld 3
Christopherson 3
Frentzen 3
Panis 1
Verstappen 1

Constructors Championship
Ferrari 75
McLaren 49
Williams 30
BAR 16
Sauber 13
Jaguar 8
Jordan 7
Prost 3
Arrows 3
Benetton 1
Minardi 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 9 - 2001 EUROPEAN GRAND PRIX - Nurburgring

PRE-RACE
As agreed in the terms of the contract, this will be Gaston Mazzacane's last race in Prost's second car, with Luciano Burti replacing him afterwards, and possibly for 2002. Arrows would need at least 6 points to move up to that all important 6th in the Constructors Championship to keep Jack Christopherson for 2002. Should that not happen, then the 1997 World Champion would trigger the clause on his contract and return to Williams in 2002, with rookie Jenson Button the more likely to make way, knowing that there was always a possibility of his Williams drive being a one-year deal. But with the impression he's made in his debut season, he should have no trouble finding a seat for 2002.

I suppose if I was to change team, there would be less pressure on me to deliver performances like i'm expected to at Williams, and driving for a midfield team would certainly give me the chance to develop as a driver, so I can deliver at the top level. I'm still young, so I like to think I have all the time in the world.

Of course if a second place is on the cards, i'm going to take it, even if it stops me from returning to Williams. I'm sure a lot of cynics are thinking differently, but even if the team change happens, I am fully committed to Arrows for as long as I am contracted to them, that's why I joined the team in the first place. I saw potential in the team.

QUALIFYING
Mika Hakkinen's first flying lap was ruined by Nick Heidfeld blocking him in sector 3, although the Finn set a lap that was faster than the previous one in the first two sectors, so Heidfeld was let off the hook. Michael Schumacher took yet another pole position, with the Williams of Jenson Button yet again being his closest challengers. Ralf Schumacher almost tipped the car over on his last qualifying lap, taking too much kerb at the final chicane. The fastest of the midfield drivers was Olivier Panis, just a few hundredths separating him from Raikkonen, Frentzen and Villeneuve, all of whom were only a couple of tenths off Ralf Schumacher in third. The Asiatech engine did me no favours at all, and I was a lowly 17th on the grid. As expected, Minardi occupied the back row.

1. M.Schumacher 1.17.646
2. Button 1.17.691
3. R.Schumacher 1.18.008

16. Fisichella 1.19.222
17. Christopherson 1.19.794
18. De La Rosa 1.19.871

20. Bernoldi 1.20.052

22. Marques 1.20.991

107% time - 1.23.081

RACE
Rain hit the track, forcing everyone to start the race on intermediate tyres. The best start was made by Verstappen who picked his way through traffic. Other than that, the only change at the top was Panis taking 6th from Hakkinen. On the second lap, I passed Jarno Trulli for 15th, who had struggled all weekend in his Jordan. The track soon dried up, and I was the first to change to dries. Hakkinen was slowing, an internal issue confined him to retirement, the first of the race. Gaston Mazzacane's last race for Prost ended badly, hydraulic failure on lap 9. On lap 14, Pedro De La Rosa hit the back of Enrique Bernoldi, losing his front wing and having to do almost a whole lap without it. A poor stop from BAR cost Panis, as he rejoined behind Verstappen's Benetton. Bernoldi got away scot free. It became evident that I changed tyres too soon, as it dropped me down to 17th, behind Alonso's Minardi. Benetton had the potential to score more points here, as Jos Verstappen was running as high as 5th, but with the task of fending off Ralf Schumacher and Olivier Panis. Ralf unsurprisingly passed him eventually, whilst Panis was also closing in. It was rare in 2001 to see Panis have the edge over Villeneuve, but this weekend he clearly did, good momentum heading into his home race next time out. Panis passed Verstappen on lap 44, it took a long time though, and he lost any realistic chance of 5th, save for any mechanical issues from any of the drivers ahead of him. That did not happen. Towards the end of the race, Rubens Barrichello was really challenging David Coulthard for the final podium position, but Coulthard was having none of it. Michael Schumacher looked like he'd face a challenge to win the European Grand Prix, but Jenson Button fell back in the later stages and had to settle for second. Schumacher extended his championship lead to 32 points, a very healthy lead going into the halfway stage of the season. Coulthard barely held onto the podium, beating Barrichello by just a quarter of a second. Ralf Schumacher was fifth, whilst Olivier Panis was sixth and only scored his second point of the season. Will this start his change of luck? Only time will tell.

1. M.Schumacher 1hr 37m 31.799s
2. Button +16.842s
3. Coulthard +30.555s
4. Barrichello +30.804s
5. R.Schumacher +44.949s
6. Panis +56.347s
7. Verstappen +1m 11.451s
8. Villeneuve +1 Lap
9. Heidfeld +1 Lap
10. Alesi +1 Lap
11. Frentzen +1 Lap
12. Fisichella +1 Lap
13. Irvine +2 Laps
14. Christopherson +2 Laps
15. Bernoldi +3 Laps
16. Alonso +3 Laps
17. Marques +3 Laps

Fastest lap: Rubens Barrichello - 1.23.070

REJECT OF THE RACE: Pedro De La Rosa - Half-hearted passing attempt only notable incident

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
M.Schumacher 68
Coulthard 36
R.Schumacher 22
Barrichello 20
Hakkinen 17
Button 16
Villeneuve 15
Raikkonen 10
Irvine 5
Trulli 4
Alesi 3
De La Rosa 3
Heidfeld 3
Christopherson 3
Frentzen 3
Panis 2
Verstappen 1

Constructors Championship
Ferrari 88
McLaren 53
Williams 38
BAR 17
Sauber 13
Jaguar 8
Jordan 7
Prost 3
Arrows 3
Benetton 1
Minardi 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 10 - 2001 FRENCH GRAND PRIX - Magny Cours

PRE-RACE
Prost have announced that the pre-arranged driver switch mid-season is effective immediately, with Luciano Burti taking over from Gaston Mazzacane on a permanent basis, with the incentive of a permanent seat for 2002 spurring Burti on. Christopherson is closing in on a deal to seal his return to Williams for 2002, with negotiations still ongoing at this stage.

We are close to agreeing the details of the contract, and all should be finalised within the next few weeks. I'm planning to stay with Williams for the rest of my career, making this my final career move.

We appreciate the effort that Jack has made to try and propel us further up the grid, and it's a shame that it hasn't worked out so far. Hopefully things will at least change later on in the season. In an unusual way, this benefits us from a financial perspective, as Red Bull have been threatening to withdraw sponsorship early if Bernoldi is not given a serious chance of staying on for a second season. We were looking for another driver for next year anyway, but Christopherson's eventual departure means we are seriously considering keeping Bernoldi on for 2002.

QUALIFYING
Once again, qualifying was underwhelming, especially considering I had scored points in six of the nine times i've raced here. 15th was not the sort of position I was hoping for, as I anticipated breaking into the top 10. Only four thousandths quicker than Heidfeld, but I was only a couple of hundredths off Fisichella too. Alonso was unusually slow in the Minardi, almost 1.2 seconds slower than Marques. The Spaniard was usually the faster driver but this weekend he was only three quarters of a second off DNQ territory.

1. M.Schumacher 1.16.248
2. Hakkinen 1.16.443
3. Button 1.16.462

14. Fisichella 1.17.691
15. Christopherson 1.17.719
16. Heidfeld 1.17.723

20. Bernoldi 1.19.489

22. Alonso 1.20.853

107% time - 1.21.585

RACE
It was a seemingly beautiful day in France, seemingly because rain was expected later on in the race. But for now it was dry. Coulthard gained a position at the start, moving up from 5th to 4th, whilst the best start was from Kimi Raikkonen. Kimi gained three places from 10th, and saw himself 7th after just a few corners. On lap 3, Hakkinen passed Schumacher for the lead at the Adelaide hairpin. Could this be the turning point in what has been a difficult season. Lap 7 saw the first retirement of the race, the gearbox of Heinz-Harald Fretzen's Jordan letting him down. After about 25 laps, it started to rain so I made an early stop for intermediate tyres. Hakkinen had a mechanical issue and retired from the lead on lap 27, his misfortune continuing. The rain quickly fell, and drivers struggled on the track, even top guys such as Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher were struggling in these conditions on their way to change tyres. Irvine suffered a gearbox failure similar to Frentzen, and became the third retirement of the race. After all the drivers made their stops, drivers who chose to stop earlier reaped the benefits. Michael Schumacher and Jenson Button were first to pit out of the frontrunners, and as a result, they were 1st and 2nd. Giancarlo Fisichella found himself 3rd for Benetton, in a completely unexpected result, could he keep his car on the road and finally score points? My very early change left me in 6th place, but being chased down by Coulthard. Intermediate tyres seemed to be a mistake, as everyone else had changed onto full wets. It was a mistake, as on lap 35, I spun off and smashed the rear of the car into several pieces. On lap 41, Fisichella lost 3rd place to Olivier Panis, and remained there for the rest of the afternoon. Coulthard had no pace and a mistake cost him any chance of 5th place whilst chasing down Raikkonen. Villeneuve spun off from 7th place on lap 53, although he was too far behind Coulthard to threaten him. After a difficult race for all of the drivers, it was Michael Schumacher who once again emerged victorious, and chalked up yet another win to extend his championship lead to 41 points, with just 70 left on offer. Schumacher can claim the championship as early as Hockenheim if things go his way, and who would bet against that with the form he's in? Button finished 2nd, albeit 35 seconds off Schumacher whilst Panis scored a podium to continue BAR's excellent season. Fisichella scored his first points of the season to move Benetton up to 8th in the Constructors Championship, whilst Raikkonen and Coulthard rounded off the points.

1. M.Schumacher 1hr 54m 44.376s
2. Button +35.531s
3. Panis +39.543s
4. Fisichella +56.097s
5. Raikkonen +1m 20.332s
6. Coulthard +1 Lap
7. Trulli +1 Lap
8. Alesi +1 Lap
9. De La Rosa +2 Laps
10. Verstappen +2 Laps
11. Bernoldi +3 Laps
12. Burti +3 Laps
13. Marques +4 Laps

Fastest Lap: Mika Hakkinen - 1.19.

REJECT OF THE RACE: Jack Christopherson - Risky tyre gamble didn't pay off