Race
A total of 11 teams (each representing a different constructors ) fielded two drivers each for the Grand Prix. There were two driver changes for the race. Having been in one of the Prost cars since the first race of the year in Australia , Jean Alesi completed negotiations for the release of his contract with the French constructor and joined the Jordan team for the rest of the season. Alesi's Prost AP04 was driven by Heinz-Harald Frentzen —whom Jordan sacked before the preceding Ge... Several teams made modifications to their cars to maximise slow speed grip and traction and setup for the Hungaroring's high-speed chicanes . Minardi introduced a revised chassis for both of its race and test PS01s , which comprised a new titanium gearbox and rear suspension geometry, tested by Andrea Piccini at the Fiorano Circuit . McLaren mounted a secondary wing to the tail of the MP4/16 's engine cover above its gearbox and Williams did the same as it installed cooling bodywork... Michael Schumacher made a brisk start to maintain his pole position advantage. Coulthard in second made a slow getaway on the dirty side of the track, providing less grip, and Barrichello overtook him on his left into turn one. Barrichello then veered across to protect his teammate from a challenge by Coulthard. In the middle of the pack, Irvine attempted to pass Fisichella on the left; he lost control of the rear of his car on some dirt and got b... Meanwhile, Michael Schumacher was conserving his tyre usage because he felt going faster would become more important as the race progressed. Trulli in fifth slowed Häkkinen, Heidfeld, Montoya and Heidfeld from the eighth lap as Hakkinen attempted an unsuccessful overtake on Trulli. On lap nine, Burti became the Grand Prix's second retirement after he spun into a gravel trap at turn 14 on heavily blistered tyres reducing grip. Alesi overtook de la Rosa at turn t... On the 29th lap, Trulli entered the pit lane for his first pit stop. He emerged in 12th after a refuelling rig was lodged in his car for five extra seconds. Ralf Schumacher entered the pit lane on the following lap and he remained in fourth place. Barrichello stayed on the track until at the end of lap 31 to delay Coulthard in second before entering the pit lane for a 9.1 second pit stop to take on 91 L (20 imp gal; 24 US gal) of fuel. The tactic did not work as Coulthard's pit stop... Barrichello made his second pit stop on the next lap, and he rejoined in third, behind his teammate Michael Schumacher. Coulthard led laps 53 and 54 and it appeared he would retain second since the deficit between him and Barrichello was 22.6 seconds. During his second pit stop, the car's refuelling rig was jammed for two seconds. Coulthard emerged in third, behind Barrichello. On that lap, Trulli pulled off to the side of the track to retire with an hydraulic failure. [ 40 ... I love you, I love you! I don't have the right words for you at the moment. This is simply amazing. We all love it. It is so lovely to work with you guys. I love you all. I love you all. The top three drivers appeared on the podium to collect their trophies and spoke to the media in a later press conference. Michael Schumacher called his fourth World Drivers' Championship and his record-equalling 51st career victory "a great achievement" and said comparisons of his three other titles and equalling Juan Manuel Fangio's five titles were unimportant, "I think we want to enjoy this and each one is different and each victory feels different. It's always something special, to wi... Michael Schumacher received praise for his fourth World Drivers' Championship and it was headline news in Germany and Italy. He was officially congratulated by Gerhard Schröder , the chancellor of Germany , who wrote a letter to Schumacher saying that his driving ability brought excitement to the sport and wished him well for the 2002 season . Gianni Agnelli , the head of the FIAT Group , said he was overjoyed with the result, and the president of Ferrari Luca di Mont... Drivers who scored championship points are denoted in bold .
Practice
Michael Schumacher repeated his morning form in the afternoon session with the day's fastest lap of 1 minute, 16.651 seconds. Barrichello in second closed to within 0.083 seconds of his teammate and Häkkinen third. Ralf Schumacher was fourth-fastest, ahead of Jaguar's Eddie Irvine , Alesi, Giancarlo Fisichella of Benetton, Heidfeld, Panis and Coulthard in fifth to tenth. Several drivers, including Frentzen, Fisichella and Ralf Schumacher, spun or went off the circuit during the session without d...
Qualifying
Panis in 11th was the fastest driver not to qualify in the top ten because he lost time with an electrical fault and spun because of an inoperable traction control system . Alesi made it an all-French sixth row in 12th; he admitted he required additional familiarity with his car. The Jaguars occupied 13th and 14th places: Pedro de la Rosa ahead of his teammate Irvine; the former made errors on his first two timed laps and the latter said he over-drove trying to qualify in th...
Race Result
| Pos | No. | Driver | Constructor | Lap | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 1:14.059 | — |
| 2 | 4 | David Coulthard | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:14.860 | +0.801 |
| 3 | 2 | Rubens Barrichello | Ferrari | 1:14.953 | +0.894 |
| 4 | 5 | Ralf Schumacher | Williams-BMW | 1:15.095 | +1.036 |
| 5 | 11 | Jarno Trulli | Jordan-Honda | 1:15.394 | +1.335 |
| 6 | 3 | Mika Häkkinen | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:15.411 | +1.352 |
| 7 | 16 | Nick Heidfeld | Sauber-Petronas | 1:15.739 | +1.680 |
| 8 | 6 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Williams-BMW | 1:15.881 | +1.822 |
| 9 | 17 | Kimi Räikkönen | Sauber-Petronas | 1:15.906 | +1.847 |
| 10 | 10 | Jacques Villeneuve | BAR-Honda | 1:16.212 | +2.153 |
Championship Standings After This Race
The Paddock Breakdown
Barry · Gary · KatGary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues
The air hung thick with the scent of high-octane fuel and anticipation—a familiar perfume at Hungaroring. Schumacher's Ferrari, a 2001 F1-Michael Schumacher chassis, powered by a 3. 0-liter V10 engine producing a staggering 840 horsepower, sliced through the turns with a brutal efficiency. McLaren's Coulthard, piloting a similar chassis, battled fiercely, yet the Ferrari's engine's peak torque – a dizzying 570 Nm – gave it a crucial advantage on the Hungaroring's demanding uphill sections. A subtle shift to the softer Bridgestone compound, a calculated risk by the Ferrari team, ultimately sealed Schumacher's victory, a testament to both driver skill and engineering precision.
The air hung thick with the scent of warm asphalt and the fervent pulse of a nation. Observe, if you will, the curious dance of numbers: Ferrari secured victory in precisely two of the last three Hungarian Grands Prix, a statistical echo of dominance, a testament to their mastery of this challenging circuit. It's a pattern, isn't it?
Kat — 30 · Technical journalist
The rain, a venomous grey, slammed into the Hungaroring, a deluge threatening to swallow the already precarious lead. Schumacher wrestled his Ferrari, a titan against the storm, pushing the limits of grip, the engine a snarling beast beneath him. A momentary lapse, a slide through Turn Four, and the gap to Coulthard—a mere tenth—narrowed with terrifying speed. The scent of wet asphalt and high-octane fuel hung heavy in the air, a primal aroma of pure, unadulterated velocity. A heartbeat's hesitation, a brush of tires, and the championship, so close, so agonizingly fragile. This, this was the essence of motorsport, distilled into a single, desperate moment.
The rain, a sullen grey drape across the Hungaroring, mirrored the quiet intensity in Michael's gaze. He adjusted his helmet, a familiar ritual, a silent conversation with the machine beneath him. Thirty-seven points separating him from the championship… a gulf that felt both immense and terrifyingly within reach. You could almost taste the desperation, the meticulous calculations etched into every corner he'd taken during qualifying. Barrichello, a shadow in the pitlane, a constant reminder of the pressure, of the relentless pursuit. The roar of the crowd, a distant murmur, seemed to amplify the solitary weight of the race. A legend was being forged, one lap at a time, amidst the damp Hungarian soil.