2000 Japanese Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Michael Schumacher won the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit to secure Ferrari‘s first drivers’ championship since 1979. A finely judged battle with Mika Häkkinen turned on the final pit stops, with David Coulthard finishing third.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Pole time	1:35.825
Fastest lap	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren
Fastest-lap time	1:39.189 on lap 26
First	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Second	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren
Third	David Coulthard	McLaren

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
6 October 2000	Practice 1	11:00
6 October 2000	Practice 2	13:00
7 October 2000	Practice 3	09:00
7 October 2000	Practice 4	10:15
7 October 2000	Qualifying	13:00
8 October 2000	Warm-up	10:00
8 October 2000	Race	14:30

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 16 leading the 2000 F1 World Championship on 88 points, with Mika Häkkinen on 80. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 143 points.

Race entries

The regular twenty-two drivers contested the penultimate round. Schumacher and Häkkinen were the remaining drivers’ title contenders, while the teams also had to adapt to Suzuka‘s revised pit entry beyond the final chicane.

Free Practice

Michael Schumacher led the first practice as teams completed checks at a circuit where testing was restricted. Rubens Barrichello spun into the barrier at the hairpin, while Jacques Villeneuve had a high-speed excursion at Degner. Those incidents interrupted otherwise dry preparations for the championship showdown.

Schumacher improved in the afternoon and finished comfortably ahead of Häkkinen. Rubens Barrichello had difficulty selecting first gear, and Jacques Villeneuve suffered another spin, this time at Spoon. An earthquake was felt during the session, but no injuries or structural damage at the circuit were reported.

Friday Practice Classification — Combined

2000 Japanese Grand Prix opening-day practice, 6 October 2000

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:37.728	26
2	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.611s	31
3	4	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.809s	19
4	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	+1.282s	31
5	10	Jenson Button	Williams	+1.383s	37
6	6	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+1.533s	26
7	5	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+1.801s	28
8	18	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	+1.819s	26
9	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+1.941s	34
10	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	+2.159s	37
11	7	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+2.286s	26
12	9	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+2.438s	24
13	16	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	+2.600s	30
14	15	Nick Heidfeld	Prost	+2.675s	37
15	17	Mika Salo	Sauber	+2.703s	31
16	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+2.792s	30
17	19	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+2.795s	28
18	8	Johnny Herbert	Jaguar	+3.096s	27
19	12	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+3.257s	10
20	14	Jean Alesi	Prost	+3.286s	24
21	20	Marc Gene	Minardi	+3.942s	26
22	21	Gaston Mazzacane	Minardi	+7.510s	16

Schumacher again set the pace in Saturday’s first practice. Pedro Diniz‘s engine failed and spread oil as he returned to the pits, creating slippery patches for following cars. Jacques Villeneuve became stranded at the hairpin, while David Coulthard recovered from an excursion at Spoon.

Häkkinen moved ahead in final practice, with Jenson Button showing promising pace behind the championship rivals. Ralf Schumacher lost a quick lap for cutting the chicane, while Eddie Irvine had a throttle problem and ran through the gravel. Rubens Barrichello and Jacques Villeneuve also had further excursions as the drivers pushed harder.

Saturday Practice Classification — Combined

2000 Japanese Grand Prix Saturday practice, 7 October 2000

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:37.037	21
2	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.139s	27
3	10	Jenson Button	Williams	+0.207s	28
4	4	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.223s	21
5	9	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.456s	25
6	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.466s	28
7	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+0.702s	28
8	7	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+0.856s	24
9	12	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+1.220s	25
10	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+1.385s	20
11	18	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	+1.401s	21
12	6	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+1.434s	13
13	19	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+1.541s	21
14	8	Johnny Herbert	Jaguar	+1.553s	29
15	15	Nick Heidfeld	Prost	+1.721s	29
16	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	+1.831s	22
17	5	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+1.835s	17
18	17	Mika Salo	Sauber	+1.884s	31
19	14	Jean Alesi	Prost	+2.188s	23
20	16	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	+2.923s	6
21	20	Marc Gene	Minardi	+3.148s	25
22	21	Gaston Mazzacane	Minardi	+4.173s	29

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

Qualifying

Michael Schumacher edged Häkkinen by just 0.009 seconds to claim pole with a 1:35.825. The rivals traded improvements before Schumacher found a clear final opportunity. David Coulthard qualified third, with Rubens Barrichello fourth and the Williams pair on the third row.

Jenson Button qualified ahead of Ralf Schumacher despite traffic on his earlier attempts. Eddie Irvine and Heinz-Harald Frentzen followed, while Jacques Villeneuve and Johnny Herbert completed the top ten. Pedro Diniz had two quick laps deleted as a penalty for continuing to circulate after his engine failure had spread oil during practice.

Qualifying Classification

2000 Japanese Grand Prix Qualifying, 7 October 2000

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:35.825	9
2	1	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:35.834	12
3	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:36.236	12
4	4	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:36.330	10
5	10	Jenson Button	Williams	1:36.628	11
6	9	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:36.788	11
7	7	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	1:36.899	11
8	5	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	1:37.243	12
9	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	1:37.267	11
10	8	Johnny Herbert	Jaguar	1:37.329	12
11	12	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	1:37.348	12
12	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	1:37.479	12
13	18	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	1:37.652	11
14	19	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	1:37.674	11
15	6	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	1:37.679	11
16	15	Nick Heidfeld	Prost	1:38.141	11
17	14	Jean Alesi	Prost	1:38.209	12
18	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	1:38.269	9
19	17	Mika Salo	Sauber	1:38.490	6
20	16	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	1:38.576	12
21	20	Marc Gené	Minardi	1:39.972	9
22	21	Gastón Mazzacane	Minardi	1:40.462	12

Sunday warm-up

A damp start to warm-up gave way to a drying circuit and a switch to dry tyres. Michael Schumacher finished fastest ahead of Häkkinen as teams checked their cars with race fuel aboard. Gaston Mazzacane crashed in the esses and badly damaged his Minardi, leaving urgent repairs before the start.

Warm-up Classification

2000 Japanese Grand Prix Warm-up, 8 October 2000

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:38.005	12
2	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.521s	13
3	4	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.753s	12
4	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.815s	13
5	10	Jenson Button	Williams	+1.615s	8
6	6	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+1.621s	13
7	9	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.839s	14
8	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+1.952s	14
9	17	Mika Salo	Sauber	+2.048s	13
10	16	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	+2.084s	13
11	7	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+2.166s	13
12	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+2.196s	14
13	19	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+2.259s	14
14	8	Johnny Herbert	Jaguar	+2.325s	11
15	14	Jean Alesi	Prost	+2.327s	10
16	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	+2.336s	12
17	12	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	+2.641s	15
18	18	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	+2.646s	13
19	5	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+2.830s	13
20	15	Nick Heidfeld	Prost	+3.226s	12
21	20	Marc Gene	Minardi	+3.267s	11
22	21	Gaston Mazzacane	Minardi	+4.105s	6

What happened in the 2000 Japanese Grand Prix?

Häkkinen made the better start and took the lead, with Schumacher settling close behind. The pair quickly drew away from the field and remained together through the opening pit stops. Light rain made the surface increasingly delicate without making wet tyres worthwhile.

The decisive exchange came during the second stops. Häkkinen pitted first, while Schumacher stayed out for several more laps and used the lighter fuel load to build his advantage. Ferrari‘s quick stop returned him to the track ahead, and he then managed the closing laps as Häkkinen tried to respond.

Schumacher won by 1.8 seconds to clinch his third drivers’ title and his first with Ferrari, ending the team’s long wait since Jody Scheckter. Häkkinen and David Coulthard completed the podium, followed by Rubens Barrichello, Jenson Button and Jacques Villeneuve. The constructors’ championship remained to be settled at the finale in Malaysia.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 98 points, followed by Mika Häkkinen on 86. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 156, with McLaren on 143.

2000 Japanese Grand Prix race results

The 2000 Japanese Grand Prix was held on 8 October 2000, with a scheduled start of 14:30 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	53	1:29:53.435	10
2	1	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	53	+1.837	6
3	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	53	+1:09.914	4
4	4	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	53	+1:19.191	3
5	10	Jenson Button	Williams	53	+1:25.694	2
6	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	52	+1 Lap	1
7	8	Johnny Herbert	Jaguar	52	+1 Lap	0
8	7	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	52	+1 Lap	0
9	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	52	+1 Lap	0
10	17	Mika Salo	Sauber	52	+1 Lap	0
11	16	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	52	+1 Lap	0
12	18	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	52	+1 Lap	0
13	6	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	52	+1 Lap	0
14	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	52	+1 Lap	0
15	21	Gastón Mazzacane	Minardi	51	+2 Laps	0
Ret	20	Marc Gené	Minardi	46	Engine	0
Ret	9	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	41	Spun off	0
Ret	15	Nick Heidfeld	Prost	41	Suspension	0
Ret	12	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	37	Spun off	0
Ret	5	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	29	Hydraulics	0
Ret	14	Jean Alesi	Prost	19	Engine/Spun off	0
Ret	19	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	9	Electrical	0

2000 Japanese Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	1	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	26	1:39.189	212.830
2	3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	27	1:39.443	212.286
3	2	David Coulthard	McLaren	26	1:40.058	210.981
4	4	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	26	1:40.218	210.644
5	10	Jenson Button	Williams	23	1:40.699	209.638
6	22	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	18	1:40.739	209.555
7	9	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	23	1:40.900	209.221
8	6	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	12	1:40.967	209.082
9	23	Ricardo Zonta	BAR	26	1:40.980	209.055
10	16	Pedro Diniz	Sauber	25	1:41.002	209.009
11	7	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	18	1:41.154	208.695
12	5	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	15	1:41.185	208.631
13	8	Johnny Herbert	Jaguar	17	1:41.226	208.547
14	17	Mika Salo	Sauber	26	1:41.634	207.710
15	18	Pedro de la Rosa	Arrows	26	1:42.079	206.804
16	15	Nick Heidfeld	Prost	25	1:42.356	206.244
17	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	14	1:42.416	206.124
18	14	Jean Alesi	Prost	19	1:42.737	205.480
19	19	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	8	1:42.786	205.382
20	12	Alexander Wurz	Benetton	15	1:42.795	205.364
21	20	Marc Gene	Minardi	17	1:42.815	205.324
22	21	Gaston Mazzacane	Minardi	15	1:43.997	202.990

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 Japanese Grand Prix.

2000 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	98
2	Mika Häkkinen	Finnish	McLaren	86
3	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	67
4	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Ferrari	58
5	Ralf Schumacher	German	Williams	24
6	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Benetton	18
7	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	BAR	15
8	Jenson Button	British	Williams	12
9	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Jordan	11
10	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Jordan	6
11	Mika Salo	Finnish	Sauber	6
12	Jos Verstappen	Dutch	Arrows	5
13	Eddie Irvine	British	Jaguar	3
14	Ricardo Zonta	Brazilian	BAR	3
15	Alexander Wurz	Austrian	Benetton	2
16	Pedro de la Rosa	Spanish	Arrows	2
–	Johnny Herbert	British	Jaguar	0
–	Pedro Diniz	Brazilian	Sauber	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	Ferrari	156
2	McLaren	143
3	Williams	36
4	Benetton	20
5	BAR	18
6	Jordan	17
7	Arrows	7
8	Sauber	6
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