2001 French Grand Prix

The 2001 French Grand Prix, officially advertised as the LXXXVII Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France, was the tenth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in Magny-Cours, France, on 1 July 2001.'French GP, 2001', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr673.html, (Accessed 07/11/2019) The race would see Michael Schumacher secure his 50th Grand Prix victory, in a race that would otherwise have gone down as a footnote in F1 history.
Qualifying had suggested that there would be another tight battle for victory, as Ralf Schumacher out-paced his brother to claim pole position from Michael. David Coulthard was next ahead of his teammate Mika Häkkinen, with less than a second covering the entire top eight.
Unfortunately hopes of a battle-royale for victory were weakened before the start, with Häkkinen stalling on the formation lap and duly retiring with a gearbox failure. Ralf Schumacher then aced his start to grab an early lead, while even a small glitch in Michael Schumacher's launch was not enough to let Coulthard challenge for second.
Indeed, it was an out-of-place Rubens Barrichello who was the man to watch on the opening lap, charging from eighth to fifth after a poor run in qualifying. Kimi Räikkönen was another man on the march, barging into the top ten, while Juan Pablo Montoya passed Jarno Trulli to claim fourth moments before Barrichello's flying caught him.
Montoya and Barrichello engaged in a low-key duel for fourth, allowing the top three of Schumacher, Schumacher and Coulthard to establish a small gap. Yet, there would be no attempts to overtake from either the scarlet Ferrari nor the silver-black McLaren, meaning it was a stalemate at the head of the field throughout the early stages.
The pitstop window would finally shake-up the order out front, with a poor stop for Ralf Schumacher, caused by him engaging first gear too soon, dropped him back behind his brother. That, however, was the only change, until Coulthard was handed a ten second stop-go penalty for speeding in the pitlane, dumping him down to fifth behind Montoya and Barrichello.
As the race wore on Ralf Schumacher began to complain about balance issues with his car, resulting in him dropping back from Michael and instead into the grips of teammate Montoya. The squad duly decided to swap the pair around, although a radio issue meant that the German racer had to be called in for his stop earlier than planned to get the swap made.
That, however, proved academic, for just three laps after making his second stop, Montoya's race came to an end with smoke pouring out of his exhausts. Ralf Schumacher was hence put back into second, while behind Coulthard had begun to close onto the back of Barrichello, only to waste his best chance at passing the Ferrari late-on when he dived the wrong side of a lapped Jean Alesi.
With that the race was over, with Michael Schumacher cruising across the line to claim his landmark win ahead of his brother. Barrichello duly fended off Coulthard to complete the podium, while Trulli and Nick Heidfeld claimed the remaining points.
==Background==
Victory moved Michael Schumacher a huge 24 points clear of his closest challenger in the Drivers Championship, passing the halfway point with 68 points to his name. David Coulthard therefore had some serious work to do in the second half of the campaign, although he had solidified his grip on second, moving eighteen clear of Rubens Barrichello. Behind, Ralf Schumacher had inched closer to the Brazilian in fourth, while Juan Pablo Montoya broke into the top five for the first time.
In the Constructors Championship it had been another strong day for , leaving Germany just six points shy of the 100 point mark. That also resulted in a 41 point lead over second placed , while had inched closer to their compatriots in third once again, ending the weekend sixteen behind. Otherwise, there had been little change after the European Grand Prix, with the top three having been the only scorers.
===Entry List===
The full entry list for the is outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
1 	Michael Schumacher 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F2001 	 	050 3.0 V10 	
2 	Rubens Barrichello 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F2001 	 	050 3.0 V10 	
3 	Mika Häkkinen 	West McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-16 	 	FO 110K 3.0 V10 	
4 	David Coulthard 	West McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-16 	 	FO 110K 3.0 V10 	
5 	Ralf Schumacher 	BMW Williams F1 Team 	 	FW23 	 	P80 3.0 V10 	
6 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	BMW Williams F1 Team 	 	FW23 	 	P80 3.0 V10 	
7 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	Mild Seven Benetton Renault 	 	B201 	 	RS21 3.0 V10 	
8 	Jenson Button 	Mild Seven Benetton Renault 	 	B201 	 	RS21 3.0 V10 	
9 	Olivier Panis 	Lucky Strike BAR Honda 	 	003 	 	RA001E 3.0 V10 	
10 	Jacques Villeneuve 	Lucky Strike BAR Honda 	 	003 	 	RA001E 3.0 V10 	
11 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	B&H Jordan Honda 	 	EJ11 	 	RA001E 3.0 V10 	
12 	Jarno Trulli 	B&H Jordan Honda 	 	EJ11 	 	RA001E 3.0 V10 	
14 	Jos Verstappen 	Orange Arrows Asiatech 	 	A22 	 	001 3.0 V10 	
15 	Enrique Bernoldi 	Orange Arrows Asiatech 	 	A22 	 	001 3.0 V10 	
16 	Nick Heidfeld 	Red Bull Sauber Petronas 	 	C20 	 	01A 3.0 V10 	
17 	Kimi Räikkönen 	Red Bull Sauber Petronas 	 	C20 	 	01A 3.0 V10 	
18 	Eddie Irvine 	Jaguar Racing 	 	R2 	 	CR-3 3.0 V10 	
19 	Pedro de la Rosa 	Jaguar Racing 	 	R2 	 	CR-3 3.0 V10 	
20 	Tarso Marques 	European Minardi F1 	 	PS01 	 	European 3.0 V10 	
21 	Fernando Alonso 	European Minardi F1 	 	PS01 	 	European 3.0 V10 	
22 	Jean Alesi 	Prost Grand Prix 	 	AP04 	 	01A 3.0 V10 	
23 	Luciano Burti 	Prost Grand Prix 	 	AP04 	 	01A 3.0 V10 	
Source:'France 2001: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2001/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 07/11/2019)	Source:'France 2001: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2001/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 07/11/2019)	Source:'France 2001: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2001/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 07/11/2019)	Source:'France 2001: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2001/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 07/11/2019)	Source:'France 2001: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2001/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 07/11/2019)	Source:'France 2001: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2001/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 07/11/2019)	Source:'France 2001: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2001/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 07/11/2019)	Source:'France 2001: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2001/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 07/11/2019)
==Practice Overview==
==Qualifying==
===Qualifying Report===
===Qualifying Results===
The full qualifying results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Time 	Gap 	Ave. Speed
1 	5 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	1:12.989 	— 	209.621 km/h
2 	1 	Michael Schumacher 	 	1:12.999 	+0.010s 	209.592 km/h
3 	4 	David Coulthard 	 	1:13.186 	+0.197s 	209.056 km/h
4 	3 	Mika Häkkinen 	 	1:13.268 	+0.279s 	208.822 km/h
5 	12 	Jarno Trulli 	 	1:13.310 	+0.321s 	208.703 km/h
6 	6 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	 	1:13.625 	+0.636s 	207.810 km/h
7 	11 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	 	1:13.815 	+0.826s 	207.275 km/h
8 	2 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	1:13.867 	+0.878s 	207.129 km/h
9 	16 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	1:14.095 	+1.106s 	206.492 km/h
10 	10 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	1:14.096 	+1.107s 	206.489 km/h
11 	9 	Olivier Panis 	 	1:14.181 	+1.192s 	206.252 km/h
12 	18 	Eddie Irvine 	 	1:14.441 	+1.452s 	205.532 km/h
13 	17 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	1:14.536 	+1.547s 	205.270 km/h
14 	19 	Pedro de la Rosa 	 	1:15.020 	+2.031s 	203.946 km/h
15 	23 	Luciano Burti 	 	1:15.072 	+2.083s 	203.804 km/h
16 	7 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	1:15.220 	+2.231s 	203.403 km/h
17 	8 	Jenson Button 	 	1:15.420 	+2.431s 	202.864 km/h
18 	14 	Jos Verstappen 	 	1:15.707 	+2.718s 	202.095 km/h
19 	22 	Jean Alesi 	 	1:15.774 	+2.785s 	201.916 km/h
20 	15 	Enrique Bernoldi 	 	1:15.828 	+2.839s 	201.772 km/h
21 	21 	Fernando Alonso 	 	1:16.039 	+3.050s 	201.213 km/h
22 	20 	Tarso Marques 	 	1:16.500 	+3.511s 	200.000 km/h
107% Time: 1:18.098 	107% Time: 1:18.098 	107% Time: 1:18.098 	107% Time: 1:18.098 	107% Time: 1:18.098 	107% Time: 1:18.098 	107% Time: 1:18.098
Source:'France 2001: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2001/france/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 07/11/2019)'Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France 2001 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2001/races/712/france/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 07/11/2019)	Source:'France 2001: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2001/france/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 07/11/2019)'Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France 2001 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2001/races/712/france/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 07/11/2019)	Source:'France 2001: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2001/france/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 07/11/2019)'Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France 2001 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2001/races/712/france/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 07/11/2019)	Source:'France 2001: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2001/france/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 07/11/2019)'Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France 2001 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2001/races/712/france/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 07/11/2019)	Source:'France 2001: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2001/france/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 07/11/2019)'Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France 2001 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2001/races/712/france/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 07/11/2019)	Source:'France 2001: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2001/france/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 07/11/2019)'Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France 2001 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2001/races/712/france/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 07/11/2019)	Source:'France 2001: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2001/france/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 07/11/2019)'Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France 2001 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2001/races/712/france/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 07/11/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session.
*Bold indicates a driver's best/qualifying time.
===Grid===
** Häkkinen was unable to start the race due to a gearbox failure.
*† de la Rosa started from the pitlane.
==Race==
===Report===
Carlo Cantoni Ferrari team joined on the podium to receive the winning manufacturer’s award.
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	1 	Michael Schumacher 	 	72 	1:33:35.636 	2 	10
2 	5 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	72 	+10.399s 	1 	6
3 	2 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	72 	+16.381s 	8 	4
4 	4 	David Coulthard 	 	72 	+17.106s 	3 	3
5 	12 	Jarno Trulli 	 	72 	+1:08.285 	5 	2
6 	16 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	71 	+1 Lap 	9 	1
7 	17 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	71 	+1 Lap 	13 	
8 	11 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	 	71 	+1 Lap 	7 	
9 	9 	Olivier Panis 	 	71 	+1 Lap 	11 	
10 	23 	Luciano Burti 	 	71 	+1 Lap 	15 	
11 	7 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	71 	+1 Lap 	16 	
12 	22 	Jean Alesi 	 	70 	+2 Laps 	19 	
13 	14 	Jos Verstappen 	 	70 	+2 Laps 	18 	
14 	19 	Pedro de la Rosa 	 	70 	+2 Laps 	14 	
15 	20 	Tarso Marques 	 	69 	+3 Laps 	22 	
16* 	8 	Jenson Button 	 	68 	Fuel pressure 	17 	
17* 	21 	Fernando Alonso 	 	65 	Engine 	21 	
Ret 	18 	Eddie Irvine 	 	54 	Engine 	12 	
Ret 	6 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	 	52 	Engine 	6 	
Ret 	15 	Enrique Bernoldi 	 	17 	Engine 	20 	
Ret 	10 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	5 	Engine 	10 	
DNS† 	3 	Mika Häkkinen 	 	 	 	 	
Source:'France 2001: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2001/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 07/11/2019)	Source:'France 2001: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2001/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 07/11/2019)	Source:'France 2001: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2001/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 07/11/2019)	Source:'France 2001: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2001/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 07/11/2019)	Source:'France 2001: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2001/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 07/11/2019)	Source:'France 2001: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2001/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 07/11/2019)	Source:'France 2001: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2001/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 07/11/2019)	Source:'France 2001: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2001/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 07/11/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
** Button and Alonso were still classified despite retiring as they had completed 90% of the race distance.
*† Häkkinen was unable to start the race due to a gearbox failure.
==Milestones==
* 400th Grand Prix start for as a constructor.'10. France 2001', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2001/france.aspx, (Accessed 07/11/2019)
* Maiden pole position for Ralf Schumacher.
* Michael Schumacher claimed his 50th Grand Prix victory.
* 141st win for as a constructor.
** Also the 50th win for Bridgestone as a tyre supplier.'2001 French GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2001&gp=French%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 07/11/2019)
==Standings==
Michael Schumacher moved ever closer to his fourth World Championship crown with victory in France, leaving Magny-Cours with a daunting 29 point lead. David Coulthard was still the closest thing to a threat to the German ace, although the Scot would likely need a drastic reversal of form in the final seven rounds to hope of challenging for the crown. Behind, Ralf Schumacher had overtaken Rubens Barrichello to claim third, while Juan Pablo Montoya retained his spot in the top five.
It was a similar story in the Constructors Championship, with once again increasing their lead, ending the afternoon on 108 points. That meant they had almost double the number of in second, with the Anglo-German alliance slowly being caught by third placed , the latter moving just thirteen behind after the battle of France. Behind, had retained fourth ahead of , while had once again failed to register a points finish.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Michael Schumacher 	78 	
2 	David Coulthard 	47 	
3 	Ralf Schumacher 	31 	1
4 	Rubens Barrichello 	30 	1
5 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	12 	
6 	Nick Heidfeld 	9 	1
7 	Mika Häkkinen 	9 	1
8 	Jarno Trulli 	9 	1
9 	Jacques Villeneuve 	7 	1
10 	Kimi Räikkönen 	7 	
11 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	6 	
12 	Olivier Panis 	5 	
13 	Eddie Irvine 	4 	
14 	Jean Alesi 	3 	
15 	Jos Verstappen 	1 	
16 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	1 	
17 	Pedro de la Rosa 	1 	
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	108 	
2 	 	56 	
3 	 	43 	
4 	 	16 	
5 	 	15 	
6 	 	12 	
7 	 	5 	
8 	 	3 	
9 	 	1 	
10 	 	1 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
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References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:2001 Grands Prix
Category:French Grand Prix
Category:Formula One races in France