2000 Belgian Grand Prix

The 2000 Belgian Grand Prix (formally, the LVIII Foster's Belgian Grand Prix ) was a Formula One motor race held on 27 August 2000 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps , Francorchamps , Wallonia , Belgium with a crowd of 83,000 spectators. It was the 13th race of the 2000 Formula One World Championship , and the 58th Belgian Grand Prix . McLaren driver Mika Häkkinen won the 44-lap race from pole position - his last in Formula One. Michael Schumacher finished second in a Ferrari , and Williams dri...

Häkkinen went into the event as the World Drivers' Championship leader with his team McLaren leading the World Constructors' Championship . The race began behind the safety car due to overnight rainfall making the track wet and reducing visibility. When the safety car returned to the pit lane Häkkinen built a significant lead over Jarno Trulli . As the track dried and other drivers made pit stops , Häkkinen maintained his lead until a lap-13 spin gave Michael Schumacher the lead for most of the ...

Häkkinen's victory extended his lead in the World Drivers' Championship to six championship points over Michael Schumacher, with Coulthard a further seven championship points behind. Barrichello's retirement from the Grand Prix dropped him to 25 championship points behind Häkkinen. In the World Constructors' Championship, McLaren extended their lead to eight championship points over Ferrari with four races remaining in the season.

Following his victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix , [ 7 ] McLaren driver Mika Häkkinen led the World Drivers' Championship with 64 championship points , ahead of Ferrari 's Michael Schumacher (62 championship points) and McLaren's David Coulthard (58). Schumacher's teammate Rubens Barrichello was fourth with 49 championship points, and Benetton 's Giancarlo Fisichella was fifth with 18. [ 8 ] McLaren led the World Constructors' Championship with 112 championship points, one championship point ah...

In September 1999 the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) released a provisional calendar for the 2000 season, dropping the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps from the Formula One World Championship due to Belgian tobacco-advertising laws which threatened to cancel the race; several teams had tobacco sponsorship. The FIA had the revived Dutch Grand Prix at the Circuit Zandvoort and the Portuguese Grand Prix at the Circuito do Estoril as alternatives if the Belgian Grand Prix was cancelled....

The event featured eleven teams (each represented by a different constructor ) and two drivers, with no changes from the season entry list. [ 17 ] Ferrari arrived at the circuit with a lighter, more-powerful version of its Tipo 049 V10 engine for Saturday's qualifying session, returning to the development power plant used at the Hungarian Grand Prix. They also had a bespoke revised low downforce aerodynamic package for the high-speed circuit. [ 18 ] [ 19 ] Williams brought new exhausts and an ex...

Ralf Schumacher secured sixth position after being caught in traffic during his final run, keeping the Williams driver from a quicker lap time. [ 25 ] Villeneuve, in seventh, reported oversteering, [ 38 ] and was upset he could not go through Eau Rouge corner at high speed. [ 7 ] Frentzen qualified eighth; his best lap time was disqualified after Coulthard blocked him at the Bus Stop chicane, which caused Frentzen to run onto the grass. [ 29 ] [ 38 ] He retaliated by slowing Coulthard into La So...

After spinning sideways because his left-rear wheel touched a damp white line, Fisichella struck the tyre barrier at Stavelot corner with enough force to launch him into the air. [ 7 ] [ 18 ] [ 42 ] He landed upside-down on the vehicle's roll-hoop ; [ 44 ] [ 45 ] the session was suspended for approximately 20 minutes while marshals cleared the track of debris and repaired the wall. [ 45 ] [ 46 ] Fisichella sustained a bruised left knee, [ 47 ] and had to start the race with his team's spare car ...

Häkkinen began to pull away from Trulli. [ 53 ] Attention switched to Button, [ 7 ] who tried to pass Trulli, who he felt was baulking him and noticed Michael Schumacher approaching him, [ 35 ] On the fourth lap Button slipstreamed Trulli on the approach to the Bus Stop chicane, [ 54 ] but he ran wide and left the inside open for Michael Schumacher to take third position. [ 44 ] On that lap, Alesi was the first driver to pit for dry tyres after informing his team over the radio of his intent to ...

As the dry line continued to appear on the circuit, [ 54 ] Alesi's dry tyre performance saw him lap quicker than the race leaders, encouraging other teams to bring their drivers into the pit lane for dry tyres. Michael and Ralf Schumacher were the first leaders to pit for dry tyres on lap six. [ 5 ] [ 18 ] Häkkinen made a pit stop from the lead on lap seven, followed by Button, and re-emerged ahead of Coulthard to retain the lead. [ 32 ] Coulthard was required to stay on the track on deteriorati...

By the beginning of lap 13, Michael Schumacher closed the gap from Häkkinen to about 4.6 seconds after setting four consecutive fastest laps. [ 53 ] Later in the lap, one of Häkkinen's wheels touched a damp kerb at Stavelot corner, sending him high-speed spinning sideways for hundreds of yards into the grass; [ 30 ] [ 55 ] Michael Schumacher took the lead, [ 32 ] as a result of Häkkinen's error, which cost the McLaren driver ten seconds. [ 5 ] Heidfeld was the race's third retirement when his ca...

By lap 21, Michael Schumacher had increased his lead over Häkkinen to eleven-and-a-half seconds. [ 53 ] Ralf Schumacher, ten seconds behind Häkkinen, led teammate Button by six seconds. [ 53 ] Michael Schumacher made a pit stop on that lap that took 11.1 seconds to complete and took on enough fuel to complete the race, emerging in third position. [ 5 ] [ 18 ] [ 32 ] On lap 23 Barrichello passed Herbert for ninth position, and during the next two laps Villeneuve and Ralf Schumacher made pit stops...

Häkkinen tried to pass Michael Schumacher on the inside for the lead on the 40th lap on the approach to Les Combes turn, [ 32 ] (after drafting behind him on the straightaway), Schumacher blocked him late in the manoevure to defend his position. [ 30 ] [ 58 ] The drivers made contact, with Häkkinen sustaining minor damage to his front wing from contact with Schumacher's right-rear wheel and being forced to slow. [ 58 ] [ 59 ] During the following lap, Häkkinen was quicker through Eau Rouge turn ...

The top three drivers appeared on the podium to collect their trophies and at a later press conference . [ 3 ] Häkkinen was delighted with his victory, saying: "This was an incredible win. It was a very difficult and unusual situation including my spin which of course was not planned. The kerbs here are very slippery and once you go over one there is not much you can do. I was lucky to keep going and I was able to chase Michael. But the car got better and better." [ 63 ] The driver added that he...

Ralf Schumacher said, "I'm more than happy; we have been strong here the whole weekend and my car behaved perfectly. I had a little moment of worry about six laps from the end when the throttle didn't seem to pick up properly and I thought the engine was going to stop, but it came back and all was well." [ 56 ] Schumacher added that his team was confident of remaining third in the Constructors' Championship; although he could not match Häkkinen's pace, he praised the team for his car's set-up. [...

Drivers who scored championship points are denoted in bold .

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