2000 European Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Michael Schumacher mastered a wet European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring to beat Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard. Ferrari‘s leader regained momentum after McLaren‘s recent victories, while Pedro de la Rosa earned a valuable point for Arrows.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	David Coulthard	McLaren
Pole time	1:17.529
Fastest lap	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	1:22.269 on lap 8
First	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Second	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren
Third	David Coulthard	McLaren

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
19 May 2000	Practice 1	11:00
19 May 2000	Practice 2	13:00
20 May 2000	Practice 3	09:00
20 May 2000	Practice 4	10:15
20 May 2000	Qualifying	13:00
21 May 2000	Warm-up	09:30
21 May 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 6 leading the 2000 F1 World Championship on 36 points, with Mika Häkkinen on 22. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 49 points.

Race entries

The usual eleven teams arrived, but Nick Heidfeld was excluded after his Prost was found underweight during qualifying. That left Jean Alesi as the team’s sole starter and reduced the race field to 21 cars.

Free Practice

Michael Schumacher headed the opening practice as the track dried after overnight rain. Jacques Villeneuve and the Jordans followed, while Häkkinen locked up at the Dunlop hairpin and became stranded in the gravel. The variable conditions gave teams only a partial view of their dry-weather pace.

Jenson Button produced Friday’s fastest lap late in the afternoon on fresh tyres and a light fuel load, with Alexander Wurz second. Ralf Schumacher lost running to an engine problem, and Giancarlo Fisichella damaged his Benetton against the barriers. David Coulthard also spun at the chicane as teams worked around another changing surface.

Friday Practice Classification — Combined

2000 European Grand Prix opening-day practice, 19 May 2000

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	10	Jenson Button	Williams	1:19.808	42
2	12	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+0.440s	36
3	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.492s	25
4	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.699s	25
5	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.711s	35
6	9	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.740s	14
7	6	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+0.801s	21
8	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	+0.901s	32
9	15	Nick Heidfeld	Prost	+0.943s	37
10	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+0.978s	30
11	20	Marc Gene	Minardi	+0.993s	35
12	16	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	+1.042s	34
13	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+1.054s	32
14	4	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+1.083s	33
15	5	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+1.184s	18
16	7	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+1.438s	24
17	8	Johnny Herbert	Jaguar	+1.515s	22
18	14	Jean Alesi	Prost	+1.634s	32
19	19	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+1.847s	23
20	18	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	+1.851s	30
21	21	Gaston Mazzacane	Minardi	+2.327s	42
22	17	Mika Salo	Sauber	+2.353s	24

Michael Schumacher returned to the top on Saturday morning, ahead of Häkkinen and Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Jos Verstappen‘s session ended with smoke from his engine, while Jenson Button crashed after striking a kerb. The interruption was a setback after the rookie’s eye-catching Friday performance.

Rubens Barrichello improved to second behind Schumacher’s earlier benchmark in final practice. David Coulthard recovered from a gravel excursion but later stopped at the side of the circuit. Gené spun and Ralf Schumacher ran onto the grass, while Giancarlo Fisichella recovered some ground with the sixth-fastest combined time.

Saturday Practice Classification — Combined

2000 European Grand Prix Saturday practice, 20 May 2000

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:18.527	36
2	4	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.227s	26
3	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.234s	28
4	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.380s	25
5	5	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+0.484s	34
6	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+0.511s	29
7	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+0.698s	38
8	9	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.775s	26
9	18	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	+0.806s	25
10	6	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+0.882s	35
11	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	+1.140s	29
12	8	Johnny Herbert	Jaguar	+1.218s	33
13	10	Jenson Button	Williams	+1.229s	15
14	15	Nick Heidfeld	Prost	+1.306s	36
15	14	Jean Alesi	Prost	+1.367s	27
16	12	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+1.375s	27
17	7	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+1.387s	29
18	17	Mika Salo	Sauber	+1.464s	28
19	20	Marc Gene	Minardi	+1.735s	27
20	16	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	+1.756s	27
21	19	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+1.855s	11
22	21	Gaston Mazzacane	Minardi	+2.650s	33

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

Qualifying

David Coulthard claimed pole with a 1:17.529 before heavier rain prevented further improvements. Michael Schumacher shared the front row, with Häkkinen and Rubens Barrichello behind. The changing weather made the timing of each run especially important within the twelve-lap allowance.

Ralf Schumacher qualified fifth and Jarno Trulli sixth. Nick Heidfeld initially set the thirteenth-fastest time, but his Prost was two kilograms below the minimum weight and he was excluded. Prost accepted the finding, leaving the German rookie unable to start his home-country event.

Qualifying Classification

2000 European Grand Prix Qualifying, 20 May 2000

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:17.529	8
2	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:17.667	8
3	1	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:17.785	9
4	4	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:18.227	9
5	9	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:18.515	9
6	6	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	1:18.612	9
7	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	1:18.697	8
8	7	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	1:18.703	9
9	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	1:18.742	9
10	5	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	1:18.830	8
11	10	Jenson Button	Williams	1:18.887	11
12	18	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	1:19.024	11
EX	15	Nick Heidfeld	Prost	1:19.147	—
13	19	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	1:19.190	12
14	12	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	1:19.378	10
15	16	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	1:19.422	11
16	8	Johnny Herbert	Jaguar	1:19.638	9
17	14	Jean Alesi	Prost	1:19.651	7
18	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	1:19.766	8
19	17	Mika Salo	Sauber	1:19.814	10
20	20	Marc Gené	Minardi	1:20.162	11
21	21	Gastón Mazzacane	Minardi	1:21.015	11

Nick Heidfeld was found to have a car 2 kg (4.4 lb) underweight and was barred from the race.

Sunday warm-up

Michael Schumacher narrowly beat Häkkinen in warm-up as teams checked their race settings in cool, dry conditions. Giancarlo Fisichella‘s left-rear wheel detached near the end of the session and rolled onto the track before a marshal retrieved it. The forecast still pointed towards a very different race in the afternoon.

Warm-up Classification

2000 European Grand Prix Warm-up, 21 May 2000

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:20.251	16
2	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.009s	16
3	5	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+0.648s	16
4	4	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.791s	15
5	19	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+1.200s	19
6	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	+1.353s	14
7	18	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	+1.474s	13
8	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+1.509s	15
9	7	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+1.596s	17
10	6	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+1.795s	15
11	16	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	+1.879s	14
12	20	Marc Gene	Minardi	+1.886s	14
13	12	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+1.995s	15
14	17	Mika Salo	Sauber	+2.026s	16
15	14	Jean Alesi	Prost	+2.054s	17
16	9	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+2.186s	14
17	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+2.270s	13
18	10	Jenson Button	Williams	+2.452s	8
19	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	+2.893s	12
20	8	Johnny Herbert	Jaguar	+3.159s	13
21	21	Gaston Mazzacane	Minardi	+3.495s	13

What happened in the 2000 European Grand Prix?

Häkkinen surged between the front-row cars to lead at the start, but Schumacher stayed close. As rain arrived, the Ferrari passed him approaching the chicane and began pulling away. Both leaders lost time at their first stops, although Häkkinen’s wheel-change delay was particularly costly.

Häkkinen recovered and briefly led when Schumacher stopped again, but could not build the margin required before his own final stop. Schumacher emerged with a clear advantage and controlled the remaining wet laps. David Coulthard finished third, ahead of Rubens Barrichello after Ferrari‘s second car used a three-stop recovery strategy.

Giancarlo Fisichella finished fifth and Pedro de la Rosa sixth. Eddie Irvine, Jos Verstappen and Ralf Schumacher were eliminated following a tangled sequence of contact and spins, while Jenson Button‘s late electrical failure ended his run just outside the points. Schumacher’s victory extended his lead over Häkkinen to eighteen points.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 46 points, followed by Mika Häkkinen on 28. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 62, with McLaren on 52.

2000 European Grand Prix race results

The 2000 European Grand Prix was held on 21 May 2000, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	67	1:42:00.307	10
2	1	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	67	+13.822	6
3	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	66	+1 Lap	4
4	4	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	66	+1 Lap	3
5	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	66	+1 Lap	2
6	18	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	66	+1 Lap	1
7	16	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	65	+2 Laps	0
8	21	Gastón Mazzacane	Minardi	65	+2 Laps	0
9	14	Jean Alesi	Prost	65	+2 Laps	0
10	10	Jenson Button	Williams	62	Electrical	0
11	8	Johnny Herbert	Jaguar	61	Collision	0
12	12	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	61	Collision	0
Ret	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	51	Spun off	0
Ret	20	Marc Gené	Minardi	47	Throttle	0
Ret	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	46	Engine	0
Ret	7	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	29	Collision	0
Ret	19	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	29	Spun off/Accident	0
Ret	9	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	29	Collision	0
Ret	17	Mika Salo	Sauber	27	Halfshaft/Spun off	0
Ret	5	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	2	Engine	0
Ret	6	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	0	Collision	0
EX	15	Nick Heidfeld	Prost	—	Excluded	0

2000 European Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	8	1:22.269	199.365
2	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	8	1:22.288	199.319
3	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	7	1:22.289	199.317
4	4	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	8	1:22.339	199.196
5	18	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	8	1:23.125	197.312
6	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	5	1:23.255	197.004
7	19	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	8	1:23.369	196.734
8	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	8	1:23.390	196.685
9	12	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	8	1:23.485	196.461
10	10	Jenson Button	Williams	5	1:23.688	195.985
11	9	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	9	1:23.802	195.718
12	14	Jean Alesi	Prost	7	1:23.898	195.494
13	7	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	8	1:24.008	195.238
14	20	Marc Gene	Minardi	8	1:24.018	195.215
15	17	Mika Salo	Sauber	5	1:24.346	194.456
16	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	8	1:24.620	193.826
17	8	Johnny Herbert	Jaguar	8	1:24.715	193.609
18	21	Gaston Mazzacane	Minardi	8	1:24.772	193.478
19	16	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	8	1:24.798	193.419
20	5	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	2	1:24.937	193.103

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 European Grand Prix.

2000 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	46
2	Mika Häkkinen	Finnish	McLaren	28
3	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	24
4	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Ferrari	16
5	Ralf Schumacher	German	Williams	12
6	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Benetton	10
7	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Jordan	5
8	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	BAR	5
9	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Jordan	4
10	Jenson Button	British	Williams	3
11	Mika Salo	Finnish	Sauber	1
12	Ricardo Zonta	Brazilian	BAR	1
13	Pedro de la Rosa	Spanish	Arrows	1
–	Pedro Diniz	Brazilian	Sauber	0
–	Alexander Wurz	Austrian	Benetton	0
–	Eddie Irvine	British	Jaguar	0
–	Jos Verstappen	Dutch	Arrows	0
–	Gastón Mazzacane	Argentine	Minardi	0
–	Marc Gené	Spanish	Minardi	0
–	Jean Alesi	French	Prost	0
–	Nick Heidfeld	German	Prost	0
–	Johnny Herbert	British	Jaguar	0

2000 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	62
2	McLaren	52
3	Williams	15
4	Benetton	10
5	Jordan	9
6	BAR	6
7	Sauber	1
8	Arrows	1
–	Jaguar	0
–	Minardi	0
–	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