2000 Belgian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Mika Häkkinen delivered a brilliant late pass on Michael Schumacher to win the Belgian Grand Prix at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. After recovering from a spin, the championship leader used a lapped car to decisive effect, with Ralf Schumacher finishing third.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren
Pole time	1:50.646
Fastest lap	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	1:53.803 on lap 30
First	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren
Second	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Third	Ralf Schumacher	Williams

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
25 August 2000	Practice 1	11:00
25 August 2000	Practice 2	13:00
26 August 2000	Practice 3	09:00
26 August 2000	Practice 4	10:15
26 August 2000	Qualifying	13:00
27 August 2000	Warm-up	09:30
27 August 2000	Race	14:00

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Mika Häkkinen arrived at round 13 leading the 2000 F1 World Championship on 64 points, with Michael Schumacher on 62. McLaren headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 112 points.

Race entries

The regular twenty-two drivers remained in place for Belgium. Williams arrived with Jenson Button alongside Ralf Schumacher, while discussion of the following season’s driver market continued around the paddock.

Free Practice

David Coulthard led opening practice as the cars cleared dust from the circuit. Ferrari limited its running to conserve tyres, while Jean Alesi failed to set a time because of a fuel-pressure problem. Jenson Button had two close calls under braking as he explored the limits at La Source and the Bus Stop.

David Coulthard‘s earlier lap remained the day’s best after a slow puncture affected his afternoon. Johnny Herbert improved the balance of his Jaguar and climbed to third overall, while Jacques Villeneuve also benefited from setup changes. The dry conditions allowed sustained preparation despite Spa’s familiar threat of changing weather.

Friday Practice Classification — Combined

2000 Belgian Grand Prix opening-day practice, 25 August 2000

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:53.398	14
2	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.521s	17
3	8	Johnny Herbert	Jaguar	+0.547s	24
4	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+0.738s	31
5	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.828s	21
6	12	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+0.868s	27
7	19	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+0.940s	19
8	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+0.952s	20
9	4	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+1.104s	26
10	6	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+1.268s	24
11	20	Marc Gene	Minardi	+1.434s	29
12	9	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.811s	23
13	10	Jenson Button	Williams	+1.872s	26
14	16	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	+1.914s	25
15	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	+2.148s	26
16	7	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+2.247s	22
17	5	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+2.352s	19
18	17	Mika Salo	Sauber	+2.449s	28
19	21	Gaston Mazzacane	Minardi	+2.724s	32
20	18	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	+2.854s	15
21	14	Jean Alesi	Prost	+3.110s	16
22	15	Nick Heidfeld	Prost	+3.459s	30

Häkkinen set the pace in Saturday’s first practice, with both Jordans showing strong speed behind him. David Coulthard had an early engine problem that interrupted his preparations. Häkkinen’s improvement over Friday established a demanding target before qualifying.

Jenson Button moved into second overall during final practice as improved handling gave him more confidence in the Williams. Häkkinen’s earlier time remained unbeaten, and Jordan retained two places near the front. Gené lost his engine cover but managed to return to the pits, avoiding a longer interruption to his running.

Saturday Practice Classification — Combined

2000 Belgian Grand Prix Saturday practice, 26 August 2000

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:51.043	20
2	10	Jenson Button	Williams	+0.324s	23
3	6	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+0.502s	21
4	5	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+0.778s	12
5	9	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.955s	24
6	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	+1.045s	20
7	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+1.239s	26
8	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+1.292s	27
9	4	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+1.510s	21
10	8	Johnny Herbert	Jaguar	+1.726s	23
11	14	Jean Alesi	Prost	+1.787s	12
12	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+2.042s	18
13	15	Nick Heidfeld	Prost	+2.235s	24
14	12	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+2.263s	19
15	7	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+2.352s	24
16	18	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	+2.735s	22
17	16	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	+2.756s	25
18	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	+3.219s	27
19	17	Mika Salo	Sauber	+3.291s	23
20	20	Marc Gene	Minardi	+3.544s	21
21	21	Gaston Mazzacane	Minardi	+3.761s	23
22	19	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+3.926s	9

Each practice table combines that day’s two sessions, showing each driver’s best time and total laps.

Qualifying

Häkkinen claimed pole with a 1:50.646 in dry conditions. Jarno Trulli joined him on the front row, while Jenson Button delivered his best qualifying performance of the season in third despite a power-steering problem. Michael Schumacher could manage only fourth, ahead of David Coulthard.

Traffic and yellow flags frustrated several drivers, including Schumacher and David Coulthard. Ralf Schumacher qualified sixth, followed by Jacques Villeneuve and Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Rubens Barrichello spun at the Bus Stop during one of his runs and finished tenth, leaving both Ferraris with work to do.

Qualifying Classification

2000 Belgian Grand Prix Qualifying, 26 August 2000

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	1	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:50.646	11
2	6	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	1:51.419	12
3	10	Jenson Button	Williams	1:51.444	12
4	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:51.552	12
5	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:51.587	11
6	9	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:51.743	12
7	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	1:51.799	12
8	5	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	1:51.926	11
9	8	Johnny Herbert	Jaguar	1:52.242	12
10	4	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:52.444	12
11	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	1:52.756	5
12	7	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	1:52.885	11
13	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	1:53.002	11
14	15	Nick Heidfeld	Prost	1:53.193	12
15	16	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	1:53.211	11
16	18	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	1:53.237	11
17	14	Jean Alesi	Prost	1:53.309	11
18	17	Mika Salo	Sauber	1:53.357	11
19	12	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	1:53.403	5
20	19	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	1:53.912	12
21	20	Marc Gené	Minardi	1:54.680	10
22	21	Gastón Mazzacane	Minardi	1:54.784	12

Sunday warm-up

Rain transformed the circuit for warm-up, and Häkkinen led as drivers moved between wet-weather tyre options. Giancarlo Fisichella crashed heavily at Stavelot and overturned, bruising his knee and forcing a switch to the spare Benetton. Repairs to the barrier caused a lengthy stoppage; Jacques Villeneuve also damaged his car in a separate accident.

Warm-up Classification

2000 Belgian Grand Prix Warm-up, 27 August 2000

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	2:03.392	11
2	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.170s	12
3	10	Jenson Button	Williams	+0.172s	9
4	4	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.352s	11
5	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.728s	13
6	17	Mika Salo	Sauber	+0.887s	13
7	8	Johnny Herbert	Jaguar	+1.136s	12
8	9	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.566s	10
9	6	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+1.595s	12
10	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+1.625s	10
11	5	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+1.658s	12
12	7	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+1.948s	10
13	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	+2.208s	10
14	14	Jean Alesi	Prost	+2.345s	9
15	15	Nick Heidfeld	Prost	+3.083s	11
16	19	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+3.376s	11
17	12	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+3.397s	10
18	16	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	+3.473s	9
19	18	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	+4.193s	9
20	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+4.792s	6
21	21	Gaston Mazzacane	Minardi	+5.022s	10
22	20	Marc Gene	Minardi	+5.409s	9

What happened in the 2000 Belgian Grand Prix?

The race began behind the safety car on a wet circuit, with Häkkinen leading when racing started. Schumacher moved forward as Jarno Trulli and Jenson Button collided, ending Jarno Trulli‘s afternoon. Early switches to dry tyres reshuffled the field, and Häkkinen then spun at Stavelot, handing Schumacher the lead.

Häkkinen recovered and closed rapidly during the final stint. Schumacher resisted his first attack on the run towards Les Combes, but the next lap brought the defining move. As Schumacher passed Ricardo Zonta on one side, Häkkinen swept past on the other and emerged ahead into the corner.

Häkkinen won from Michael and Ralf Schumacher, extending his championship lead to six points. David Coulthard finished fourth after passing Jenson Button, with Heinz-Harald Frentzen sixth. Rubens Barrichello and Jean Alesi both retired with fuel-related problems, leaving Ferrari eight points behind McLaren in the constructors’ standings.

After the race, Mika Häkkinen headed the drivers’ standings with 74 points, followed by Michael Schumacher on 68. McLaren led the constructors’ table on 125, with Ferrari on 117.

2000 Belgian Grand Prix race results

The 2000 Belgian Grand Prix was held on 27 August 2000, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	1	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	44	1:28:14.494	10
2	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	44	+1.104	6
3	9	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	44	+38.096	4
4	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	44	+43.281	3
5	10	Jenson Button	Williams	44	+49.914	2
6	5	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	44	+55.984	1
7	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	44	+1:12.380	0
8	8	Johnny Herbert	Jaguar	44	+1:27.808	0
9	17	Mika Salo	Sauber	44	+1:28.670	0
10	7	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	44	+1:31.555	0
11	16	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	44	+1:34.123	0
12	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	43	+1 Lap	0
13	12	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	43	+1 Lap	0
14	20	Marc Gené	Minardi	43	+1 Lap	0
15	19	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	43	+1 Lap	0
16	18	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	42	+2 Laps	0
17	21	Gastón Mazzacane	Minardi	42	+2 Laps	0
Ret	4	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	32	Fuel pressure	0
Ret	14	Jean Alesi	Prost	32	Fuel pressure	0
Ret	15	Nick Heidfeld	Prost	12	Engine	0
Ret	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	8	Electrical	0
Ret	6	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	4	Collision	0

2000 Belgian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	4	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	30	1:53.803	220.423
2	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	32	1:54.131	219.789
3	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	18	1:54.252	219.556
4	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	32	1:54.469	219.140
5	5	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	33	1:54.966	218.193
6	17	Mika Salo	Sauber	30	1:55.110	217.920
7	16	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	42	1:55.153	217.838
8	10	Jenson Button	Williams	33	1:55.425	217.325
9	9	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	24	1:55.473	217.235
10	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	41	1:55.511	217.163
11	8	Johnny Herbert	Jaguar	31	1:55.603	216.990
12	7	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	42	1:55.603	216.990
13	14	Jean Alesi	Prost	15	1:55.954	216.334
14	12	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	42	1:56.726	214.903
15	18	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	29	1:56.770	214.822
16	20	Marc Gene	Minardi	19	1:57.261	213.922
17	21	Gaston Mazzacane	Minardi	34	1:57.263	213.919
18	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	42	1:57.269	213.908
19	19	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	26	1:57.432	213.611
20	15	Nick Heidfeld	Prost	12	1:58.831	211.096
21	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	8	2:02.148	205.363
22	6	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	3	2:07.154	197.278

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. Average speeds are in km/h. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

2000 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2000 Belgian Grand Prix.

2000 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Mika Häkkinen	Finnish	McLaren	74
2	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	68
3	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	61
4	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Ferrari	49
5	Ralf Schumacher	German	Williams	20
6	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Benetton	18
7	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	BAR	11
8	Jenson Button	British	Williams	10
9	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Jordan	7
10	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Jordan	6
11	Mika Salo	Finnish	Sauber	6
12	Eddie Irvine	British	Jaguar	3
13	Jos Verstappen	Dutch	Arrows	2
14	Pedro de la Rosa	Spanish	Arrows	2
15	Ricardo Zonta	Brazilian	BAR	1
–	Pedro Diniz	Brazilian	Sauber	0
–	Johnny Herbert	British	Jaguar	0
–	Alexander Wurz	Austrian	Benetton	0
–	Marc Gené	Spanish	Minardi	0
–	Nick Heidfeld	German	Prost	0
–	Gastón Mazzacane	Argentine	Minardi	0
–	Jean Alesi	French	Prost	0
–	Luciano Burti	Brazilian	Jaguar	0

2000 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	McLaren	125
2	Ferrari	117
3	Williams	30
4	Benetton	18
5	Jordan	13
6	BAR	12
7	Sauber	6
8	Arrows	4
9	Jaguar	3
10	Minardi	0
11	Prost	0

2000 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2000 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	12 March
2	2000 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	26 March
3	2000 San Marino Grand Prix	Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola	9 April
4	2000 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	23 April
5	2000 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	7 May
6	2000 European Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	21 May
7	2000 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	4 June
8	2000 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	18 June
9	2000 French Grand Prix	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours	2 July
10	2000 Austrian Grand Prix	A1-Ring, Spielberg	16 July
11	2000 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	30 July
12	2000 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	13 August
13	2000 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	27 August
14	2000 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	10 September
15	2000 United States Grand Prix	Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis	24 September
16	2000 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	8 October
17	2000 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	22 October