2000 Brazilian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Michael Schumacher made it two wins from two at Autódromo José Carlos Pace, giving Ferrari a flying start to the season. Giancarlo Fisichella and Heinz-Harald Frentzen completed the final podium after David Coulthard was disqualified, while Jenson Button scored his first championship point.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren
Pole time	1:14.111
Fastest lap	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	1:14.755 on lap 48
First	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Second	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton
Third	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan

Weekend Schedule

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

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

Championship background

Michael Schumacher arrived at round 2 leading the 2000 F1 World Championship on 10 points, with Rubens Barrichello on 6. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 16 points.

Race entries

The same 22 drivers took part in the weekend, but Sauber withdrew both cars after repeated rear-wing failures. The team could not establish and remedy the cause safely at the circuit, leaving twenty starters for Sunday’s race.

Free Practice

Rubens Barrichello led first practice at his home event after aerodynamic adjustments to the Ferrari. Michael Schumacher lost running to a driveshaft-joint leak, while Ricardo Zonta‘s engine overheated after collecting debris. Jean Alesi spun repeatedly and damaged his front wing, making the opening session far from straightforward for Prost.

Häkkinen topped the afternoon ahead of Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard. Ralf Schumacher ran off twice with braking and balance difficulties, and Alexander Wurz became stranded in the gravel. David Coulthard also needed a front-wing replacement, while Jos Verstappen‘s tyre experiment ended with an excursion late in the session.

Friday Practice Classification — Combined

2000 Brazilian Grand Prix opening-day practice, 24 March 2000

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:15.896	30
2	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.479s	28
3	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.710s	24
4	4	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.717s	30
5	18	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	+1.321s	22
6	14	Jean Alesi	Prost	+1.572s	39
7	19	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+1.745s	32
8	6	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+1.746s	33
9	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+1.758s	47
10	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+1.935s	43
11	5	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+2.024s	39
12	17	Mika Salo	Sauber	+2.037s	39
13	7	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+2.075s	26
14	9	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+2.128s	29
15	20	Marc Gene	Minardi	+2.352s	34
16	21	Gaston Mazzacane	Minardi	+2.384s	46
17	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	+2.893s	23
18	16	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	+3.185s	38
19	12	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+3.233s	21
20	10	Jenson Button	Williams	+3.407s	27
21	8	Johnny Herbert	Jaguar	+3.679s	22
22	15	Nick Heidfeld	Prost	+4.468s	19

David Coulthard led a McLaren one-two in Saturday’s first practice as teams compared ride heights and tyres on the bumpy surface. Ferrari changed Michael Schumacher‘s engine, costing valuable running. Gaston Mazzacane‘s oil leak restricted his session and kept him out of the final practice entirely.

Häkkinen set the fastest lap in final practice, but Mika Salo‘s rear-wing failure and crash became the major concern. Jenson Button‘s engine failure left oil on the circuit, both Jordans had gravel excursions and Rubens Barrichello spun while evaluating a rear wing. The combination of bumps and mechanical problems kept the teams busy.

Saturday Practice Classification — Combined

2000 Brazilian Grand Prix Saturday practice, 25 March 2000

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:14.159	29
2	4	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.283s	31
3	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.343s	32
4	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.387s	13
5	6	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+0.445s	33
6	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+0.997s	43
7	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+1.245s	38
8	19	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+1.350s	38
9	9	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.435s	34
10	5	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+1.565s	26
11	18	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	+1.672s	28
12	12	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+1.788s	29
13	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	+1.951s	24
14	8	Johnny Herbert	Jaguar	+2.053s	24
15	7	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+2.125s	26
16	14	Jean Alesi	Prost	+2.298s	21
17	20	Marc Gene	Minardi	+2.318s	26
18	10	Jenson Button	Williams	+2.550s	20
19	15	Nick Heidfeld	Prost	+2.704s	36
20	17	Mika Salo	Sauber	+2.920s	16
21	16	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	+3.790s	17
22	21	Gaston Mazzacane	Minardi	+13.617s	5

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

Qualifying

Häkkinen took pole ahead of David Coulthard, with the Ferraris third and fourth. Falling advertising boards forced repeated stoppages, and late rain prevented further improvements. Jean Alesi had a particularly alarming encounter with a falling hoarding, which damaged his front wing.

Giancarlo Fisichella qualified fifth, Eddie Irvine sixth and Heinz-Harald Frentzen seventh. Jenson Button impressed in ninth after an engine change and setup work. Sauber‘s structural concerns over its rear wings led to the withdrawal of both Mika Salo and Pedro Diniz, despite their participation in qualifying.

Qualifying Classification

2000 Brazilian Grand Prix Qualifying, 25 March 2000

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	1	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:14.111	10
2	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:14.285	12
3	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:14.508	12
4	4	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:14.636	12
5	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	1:15.375	12
6	7	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	1:15.425	10
7	5	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	1:15.455	9
8	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	1:15.484	10
9	10	Jenson Button	Williams	1:15.490	11
10	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	1:15.515	10
11	9	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:15.561	10
12	6	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	1:15.627	10
13	12	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	1:15.664	12
14	19	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	1:15.704	12
15	14	Jean Alesi	Prost	1:15.715	12
16	18	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	1:16.002	12
17	8	Johnny Herbert	Jaguar	1:16.250	11
18	20	Marc Gené	Minardi	1:16.380	11
19	15	Nick Heidfeld	Prost	1:17.112	12
20	16	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	1:17.178	3
21	21	Gastón Mazzacane	Minardi	1:17.512	12
22	17	Mika Salo	Sauber	1:18.703	3

Sunday warm-up

Häkkinen led warm-up, which was interrupted twice. Alexander Wurz stalled near the pit exit, then Jean Alesi suffered engine trouble and a rear-wing failure after changing to the spare Prost. Prost investigated and continued into the race, while Sauber‘s earlier decision to withdraw stood.

Warm-up Classification

2000 Brazilian Grand Prix Warm-up, 26 March 2000

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:16.343	12
2	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.005s	17
3	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.665s	17
4	4	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.759s	13
5	19	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+1.322s	16
6	9	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.348s	14
7	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+1.395s	14
8	20	Marc Gene	Minardi	+1.418s	15
9	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+1.423s	16
10	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	+1.769s	17
11	18	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	+1.787s	18
12	6	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+1.945s	17
13	5	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+2.299s	17
14	10	Jenson Button	Williams	+2.357s	14
15	12	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+2.536s	12
16	21	Gaston Mazzacane	Minardi	+2.707s	14
17	8	Johnny Herbert	Jaguar	+2.873s	15
18	7	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+3.015s	11
19	14	Jean Alesi	Prost	+4.171s	6
20	15	Nick Heidfeld	Prost	+4.446s	6

What happened in the 2000 Brazilian Grand Prix?

Michael Schumacher passed David Coulthard at the start and then overtook Häkkinen to lead, using a lighter fuel load to build an advantage. Rubens Barrichello also challenged strongly before hydraulic trouble ended his home race. Häkkinen’s engine subsequently failed, leaving Schumacher in control.

David Coulthard continued despite gearbox problems and crossed the line second, with Giancarlo Fisichella third. Post-race checks found David Coulthard‘s front-wing endplates outside the permitted dimensions. McLaren‘s appeal was rejected, so Giancarlo Fisichella inherited second and Heinz-Harald Frentzen third.

Jarno Trulli was fourth in the final result, Ralf Schumacher fifth and Jenson Button sixth. Jenson Button became the youngest points scorer at the time, a notable reward on only his second Grand Prix weekend. Schumacher’s second victory gave him a twelve-point championship lead over Giancarlo Fisichella.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 20 points, followed by Giancarlo Fisichella on 8. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 26, with Benetton on 8.

2000 Brazilian Grand Prix race results

The 2000 Brazilian Grand Prix was held on 26 March 2000, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	71	1:31:35.271	10
2	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	71	+39.898	6
3	5	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	71	+42.268	4
4	6	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	71	+1:12.780	3
5	9	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	70	+1 Lap	2
6	10	Jenson Button	Williams	70	+1 Lap	1
7	19	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	70	+1 Lap	0
8	18	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	70	+1 Lap	0
9	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	69	+2 Laps	0
10	21	Gastón Mazzacane	Minardi	69	+2 Laps	0
Ret	8	Johnny Herbert	Jaguar	51	Gearbox	0
Ret	20	Marc Gené	Minardi	31	Engine	0
Ret	1	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	30	Oil pressure	0
Ret	4	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	27	Hydraulics	0
Ret	7	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	20	Spun off	0
Ret	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	16	Gearbox	0
Ret	14	Jean Alesi	Prost	11	Electrical	0
Ret	15	Nick Heidfeld	Prost	9	Engine	0
Ret	12	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	6	Engine	0
DSQ	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	71	Illegal front wing endplates (+4.302)	0
DNS	16	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	0	Safety concerns	0
DNS	17	Mika Salo	Sauber	0	Safety concerns	0

David Coulthard finished second but was disqualified for an illegal front wing endplate.

Sauber withdrew Pedro Diniz and Mika Salo on the grounds of safety due to separate rear wing failures on their cars.

2000 Brazilian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	48	1:14.755	207.509
2	5	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	71	1:15.192	206.303
3	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	28	1:15.456	205.582
4	4	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	19	1:15.632	205.103
5	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	68	1:15.633	205.100
6	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	68	1:16.002	204.105
7	6	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	50	1:16.375	203.108
8	10	Jenson Button	Williams	41	1:16.379	203.097
9	9	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	67	1:16.398	203.047
10	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	61	1:16.658	202.358
11	18	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	62	1:16.967	201.546
12	19	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	31	1:16.975	201.525
13	20	Marc Gene	Minardi	31	1:17.174	201.005
14	21	Gaston Mazzacane	Minardi	65	1:17.380	200.470
15	8	Johnny Herbert	Jaguar	50	1:17.696	199.655
16	7	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	20	1:17.792	199.408
17	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	16	1:18.379	197.915
18	14	Jean Alesi	Prost	11	1:18.381	197.910
19	15	Nick Heidfeld	Prost	8	1:19.765	194.476
20	12	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	5	1:21.821	189.589

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 Brazilian Grand Prix.

2000 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

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

2000 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	26
2	Benetton	8
3	Jordan	7
4	Williams	7
5	BAR	4
–	Arrows	0
–	Minardi	0
–	Prost	0
–	Sauber	0
–	McLaren	0
–	Jaguar	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