2001 Japanese Grand Prix

The 2001 Japanese Grand Prix (formally the 2001 Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix ) [ 5 ] was a Formula One motor race held before 150,000 spectators on 14 October 2001, at the Suzuka Circuit 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 ...

Schumacher's victory was his ninth of the season, tying his own record from 1995 and 2000 and Nigel Mansell from 1992 . 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 .

Following the United States Grand Prix on 30 September, [ 12 ] 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. [ 13 ] [ 14 ] British American Racing (BAR), Sauber and Jordan each tested for three days at Italy's Mugello Circuit , [ 13 ] [ 14 ] while Benetton , Jaguar , McLaren and Williams were at Spain's Circuit de Catalunya f...

The press speculated whether Michael Schumacher would help his teammate Barrichello become the championship runner-up in Japan. [ 18 ] Michael Schumacher commented he was "only interested in winning" but added there was a small possibility Ferrari could help Barrichello finish second. [ 18 ] 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 Michae...

There were eleven two-driver teams, each representing a different constructor , with no changes to the entry list from the previous race . [ 20 ] [ 21 ] This was the final Grand Prix for Jordan's Jean Alesi and McLaren's two-time World Champion Mika Häkkinen . [ 22 ] It was also the last Grand Prix for the Prost squad, who went bankrupt and closed down the following off-season, [ 23 ] and for the Benetton team as it was renamed as Renault in deference to the team's French owners for 2002. [ 24 ]...

The weather remained sunny for the afternoon's second session. [ 34 ] On a light fuel load, [ 26 ] 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. [ 35 ] Halfway through the session, [ 33 ] [ 34 ] Heidfeld was on his first quick lap on a new set of soft Bridgestone tyres when he lost control of his v...

Michael Schumacher had a 3.6-second lead over Montoya after the first lap. [ 61 ] The two drivers were in turn followed by Barrichello, Ralf Schumacher, Fisichella and Häkkinen. [ 56 ] Michael Schumacher began to pull away from the rest of the field, [ 64 ] 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. [ 61 ] [ 65 ] On lap two, Barrichell...

On lap six, Räikkönen, in ninth, suffered a left-rear suspension failure due to a bump at the exit of the Dunlop Curve. [ 21 ] [ 58 ] 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 125 mph (201 km/h) as they slid off to the outside of the track. [ 21 ] [ 59 ] [ 65 ] Both men struck the barriers, [ 59 ] littering debris and wheels on the track and one avoided hitti...

Fisichella overtook his teammate Button for eighth on lap 12. [ 57 ] [ 59 ] Barrichello was unable to pass Montoya, thus the plan for Michael Schumacher to let him past was abandoned. [ 61 ] On lap 16, he entered the pit lane for the first of three scheduled stops. [ 56 ] [ 55 ] Barrichello's stop lasted 7.2 seconds and fell from third to eighth, [ 64 ] just behind the duel between Trulli and Fisichella. [ 56 ] He passed Fisichella for seventh at the chicane as both Fisichella and Trulli entered...

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. [ 21 ] [ 33 ] [ 64 ] During a battle with Barrichello, [ 61 ] the FIA stewards placed Ralf Schumacher under investigation for repeatedly cutting the final chicane and gaining an advantage; [ 57 ] [ 60 ] the stewards had previously notified the Williams team of the infringement by email. [ 59 ] [ 60 ] He was assessed a ten-second stop-and-go penal...

On lap 32, Barrichello overtook Ralf Schumacher for fifth place on the inside into the last chicane. [ 57 ] [ 59 ] [ 64 ] Ralf Schumacher cut the chicane for the third time to stay ahead of Barrichello and avoid a collision, retaking the position. [ 21 ] [ 57 ] Barrichello managed to slipstream by Ralf Schumacher on the inside at the end of the start-finish straight. [ 56 ] [ 59 ] Ralf Schumacher was not penalised for cutting the chicane on that occasion. [ 64 ] Michael Schumacher became the fir...

The top three drivers appeared on the podium to collect their trophies and spoke to the media at the press conference held afterwards. [ 27 ] 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 seas...

Alesi's crash with Räikkönen on lap six prevented him from being the first driver since Richie Ginther in 1964 to finish every race of the season. [ 71 ] 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." [ 66 ] Räikkönen said he was unsure as to what caused the crash but called it "a pretty big shunt and I have ...

Ferrari honoured their 2001 season achievements in front of Ferrari fans at the Monza Circuit on 21 October. [ 77 ] 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. [ 78 ] Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn acknowledged to taking a big risk by planning a three-stop strategy for Barrichello, believing he would be delayed be...

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. [ 64 ] [ 68 ] Coulthard's third-place finish put him second in the championship with 65 points, with Barrichello third with 56. [ 8 ] Ferrari won the World Constructors' Championship by 77 points over McLaren while Williams finished third. [ 8 ] With BAR and ...

Drivers who scored championship points are denoted in bold .

34°50′35″N 136°32′26″E  /  34.84306°N 136.54056°E  / 34.84306; 136.54056