2001 Australian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Michael Schumacher opened the 2001 F1 World Championship with victory at Albert Park Circuit, ahead of David Coulthard and Rubens Barrichello. Yet the sporting result was overshadowed by the death of marshal Graham Beveridge following the collision between Jacques Villeneuve and Ralf Schumacher.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Pole time	1:26.892
Fastest lap	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	1:28.214 on lap 34
First	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Second	David Coulthard	McLaren
Third	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
2 March 2001	Practice 1	11:00
2 March 2001	Practice 2	13:00
3 March 2001	Practice 3	09:00
3 March 2001	Practice 4	10:15
3 March 2001	Qualifying	13:00
4 March 2001	Warm-up	09:30
4 March 2001	Race	14:00

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

Championship background

Ferrari began its title defence with Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello, while Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard again led McLaren‘s challenge. Michelin’s return introduced a second tyre supplier, adding another variable to the new season.

Race entries

Juan Pablo Montoya joined Williams, Kimi Räikkönen arrived at Sauber, Fernando Alonso made his debut for Minardi and Enrique Bernoldi stepped up with Arrows. Jenson Button moved to Benetton, Olivier Panis returned to a race seat with BAR, and Tarso Marques partnered Fernando Alonso at the newly rescued Minardi team.

Free Practice

Rubens Barrichello led the first Friday session as Ferrari started strongly in warm, clear conditions. The McLarens followed the two red cars, while Williams newcomers Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher both ventured off the circuit without damage. It was a relatively orderly opening to a weekend that would soon become much more eventful.

Friday afternoon brought a frightening accident for Michael Schumacher, whose Ferrari rolled through the gravel at Turn 6 after he lost control under braking. He escaped injury, as did Luciano Burti after a separate crash that stopped the session. Rubens Barrichello remained quickest, with Jarno Trulli second, while engine trouble and punctures disrupted several other programmes.

Friday Practice Classification — Combined

2001 Australian Grand Prix opening-day practice, 2 March 2001

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:28.965	40
2	12	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+0.302s	35
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.319s	27
4	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.359s	37
5	3	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.834s	31
6	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.312s	41
7	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+1.380s	34
8	11	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+1.837s	31
9	22	Jean Alesi	Prost	+2.124s	23
10	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	+2.201s	42
11	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	+2.488s	31
12	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.594s	30
13	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+2.608s	35
14	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+2.704s	39
15	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+2.756s	37
16	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+3.510s	32
17	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	+3.622s	38
18	19	Luciano Burti	Jaguar	+4.046s	27
19	23	Gaston Mazzacane	Prost	+4.188s	31
20	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	+4.238s	27
21	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	+4.438s	26
22	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	+7.498s	19

Michael Schumacher returned in his rebuilt Ferrari to head Saturday’s first practice, an impressive response to the previous day’s accident. His team-mate had less luck: Rubens Barrichello stopped with an engine failure. Jos Verstappen also lost running to an electrical problem affecting the transmission, while the McLarens kept Schumacher under pressure at the front.

David Coulthard moved ahead in the final practice, setting up an intriguing qualifying contest with Michael Schumacher and Mika Häkkinen. Schumacher’s running ended with debris obstructing a front brake duct, while a braking problem sent Tarso Marques into the gravel. Those interruptions made the remaining preparation time particularly valuable before the one-hour qualifying session.

Saturday Practice Classification — Combined

2001 Australian Grand Prix Saturday practice, 3 March 2001

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:27.540	30
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.021s	16
3	3	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.235s	25
4	11	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+0.400s	20
5	12	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+0.653s	25
6	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.126s	21
7	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	+1.137s	30
8	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	+1.311s	17
9	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+1.321s	27
10	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+1.355s	25
11	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+1.422s	27
12	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+1.644s	23
13	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+2.405s	6
14	22	Jean Alesi	Prost	+2.441s	24
15	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	+2.820s	28
16	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+3.009s	27
17	19	Luciano Burti	Jaguar	+3.038s	17
18	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	+3.242s	34
19	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	+3.353s	12
20	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+4.050s	10
21	23	Gaston Mazzacane	Prost	+6.891s	9
22	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	+6.951s	17

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

Qualifying

Michael Schumacher claimed pole with a 1:26.892, extending his run of poles to five. Rubens Barrichello completed Ferrari‘s front-row lockout, ahead of Häkkinen and Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Ralf Schumacher placed the best Michelin-shod car fifth, while David Coulthard‘s balance difficulties left the second McLaren sixth.

Luciano Burti suffered another heavy accident when a suspension failure sent his Jaguar into the wall, bringing out the red flags. Kimi Räikkönen qualified 13th for his debut and Fernando Alonso 19th. Tarso Marques fell outside the 107% limit, but the stewards allowed him to start under exceptional circumstances, giving Minardi both cars on the grid.

Qualifying Classification

2001 Australian Grand Prix Qualifying, 3 March 2001

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:26.892	10
2	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:27.263	11
3	3	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:27.461	12
4	11	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	1:27.658	10
5	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:27.719	12
6	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:28.010	12
7	12	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	1:28.377	11
8	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	1:28.435	11
9	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	1:28.518	11
10	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	1:28.615	11
11	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:28.738	11
12	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	1:28.965	10
13	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	1:28.993	12
14	22	Jean Alesi	Prost	1:29.893	11
15	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	1:29.934	11
16	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	1:30.035	12
17	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	1:30.209	10
18	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	1:30.520	12
19	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	1:30.657	12
20	23	Gastón Mazzacane	Prost	1:30.798	12
21	19	Luciano Burti	Jaguar	1:30.978	7
22	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	1:33.228	11

Tarso Marques set a lap time outside the 107% limit, but he was allowed to start the race.

Sunday warm-up

McLaren finished the Sunday warm-up first and second, David Coulthard narrowly ahead of Häkkinen despite an early suspected oil leak. Spots of rain made the circuit slippery, and Enrique Bernoldi damaged his Arrows‘ nose against the first-corner wall. Jos Verstappen had led much of the session before the McLarens improved, offering Arrows some encouragement.

Warm-up Classification

2001 Australian Grand Prix Warm-up, 4 March 2001

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:30.099	11
2	3	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.053s	12
3	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+0.297s	14
4	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.460s	11
5	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	+0.485s	13
6	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.740s	7
7	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+0.867s	16
8	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+0.962s	13
9	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+1.351s	6
10	11	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+1.467s	13
11	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	+1.566s	11
12	12	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+1.712s	13
13	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	+2.007s	12
14	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.009s	14
15	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+2.588s	13
16	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	+3.618s	9
17	23	Gaston Mazzacane	Prost	+3.648s	11
18	19	Luciano Burti	Jaguar	+3.673s	14
19	22	Jean Alesi	Prost	+4.322s	9
20	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	+4.455s	12
21	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+4.473s	10
22	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	+5.415s	9

What happened in the 2001 Australian Grand Prix?

Michael Schumacher led away and controlled the early running, but the race was soon overtaken by tragedy. On lap five, Jacques Villeneuve‘s BAR hit the back of Ralf Schumacher‘s Williams and was launched towards the barriers. A detached wheel fatally injured marshal Graham Beveridge. The safety car remained out while the accident scene was cleared.

After racing resumed, Häkkinen’s challenge ended with a suspension failure and a heavy crash. David Coulthard later passed Rubens Barrichello and emerged as Schumacher’s closest pursuer, but Ferrari‘s leader had enough in hand to secure victory. Rubens Barrichello finished third, completing a strong result for the team on a profoundly sad afternoon.

Olivier Panis crossed the line fourth but received a time penalty for overtaking under yellow flags, promoting Nick Heidfeld to fourth, Heinz-Harald Frentzen to fifth and Kimi Räikkönen to a point on debut. Juan Pablo Montoya‘s promising first Grand Prix ended with engine trouble. The podium celebrations were subdued as the drivers learned of Beveridge’s death.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 10 points, followed by David Coulthard on 6. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 14, with McLaren on 6.

2001 Australian Grand Prix race results

The 2001 Australian Grand Prix was held on 4 March 2001, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	58	1:38:26.533	10
2	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	58	+1.717	6
3	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	58	+33.491	4
4	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	58	+1:11.479	3
5	11	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	58	+1:12.807	2
6	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	58	+1:24.143	1
7	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	58	+1:27.050	0
8	19	Luciano Burti	Jaguar	57	+1 Lap	0
9	22	Jean Alesi	Prost	57	+1 Lap	0
10	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	57	+1 Lap	0
11	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	57	+1 Lap	0
12	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	56	+2 Laps	0
13	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	55	+3 Laps	0
14	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	52	Electrical	0
Ret	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	40	Engine	0
Ret	12	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	38	Clutch	0
Ret	3	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	25	Suspension/Accident	0
Ret	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	4	Collision	0
Ret	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	4	Collision	0
Ret	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	3	Battery	0
Ret	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	2	Accident	0
Ret	23	Gastón Mazzacane	Prost	0	Brakes/Engine	0

Olivier Panis and Jos Verstappen originally finished fourth and ninth respectively, but each received a 25-second post-race time penalty for overtaking under yellow flag conditions.

2001 Australian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	34	1:28.214	216.414
2	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	40	1:28.838	214.894
3	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	33	1:29.060	214.358
4	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	40	1:29.606	213.052
5	3	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	25	1:29.612	213.038
6	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	36	1:30.199	211.652
7	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	35	1:30.229	211.581
8	11	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	35	1:30.266	211.494
9	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	35	1:30.317	211.375
10	12	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	29	1:30.432	211.106
11	19	Luciano Burti	Jaguar	31	1:30.903	210.012
12	22	Jean Alesi	Prost	31	1:31.030	209.719
13	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	29	1:31.267	209.175
14	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	56	1:31.999	207.510
15	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	24	1:32.001	207.506
16	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	56	1:32.043	207.411
17	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	23	1:32.407	206.594
18	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	3	1:34.406	202.220
19	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	3	1:34.432	202.164
20	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	2	1:36.689	197.445
21	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	2	1:38.249	194.310

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

2001 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2001 Australian Grand Prix.

2001 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	10
2	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	6
3	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Ferrari	4
4	Nick Heidfeld	German	Sauber	3
5	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Jordan	2
6	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Sauber	1
–	Olivier Panis	French	BAR	0
–	Luciano Burti	Brazilian	Jaguar	0
–	Jean Alesi	French	Prost	0
–	Jos Verstappen	Dutch	Arrows	0
–	Eddie Irvine	British	Jaguar	0
–	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Minardi	0
–	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Benetton	0
–	Jenson Button	British	Benetton	0
–	Juan Pablo Montoya	Colombian	Williams	0
–	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Jordan	0
–	Mika Häkkinen	Finnish	McLaren	0
–	Ralf Schumacher	German	Williams	0
–	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	BAR	0
–	Tarso Marques	Brazilian	Minardi	0
–	Enrique Bernoldi	Brazilian	Arrows	0
–	Gastón Mazzacane	Argentine	Prost	0

2001 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	14
2	McLaren	6
3	Sauber	4
4	Jordan	2
–	BAR	0
–	Jaguar	0
–	Prost	0
–	Arrows	0
–	Minardi	0
–	Benetton	0
–	Williams	0

2001 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2001 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	4 March
2	2001 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	18 March
3	2001 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	1 April
4	2001 San Marino Grand Prix	Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola	15 April
5	2001 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	29 April
6	2001 Austrian Grand Prix	A1-Ring, Spielberg	13 May
7	2001 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	27 May
8	2001 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	10 June
9	2001 European Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	24 June
10	2001 French Grand Prix	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours	1 July
11	2001 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	15 July
12	2001 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	29 July
13	2001 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	19 August
14	2001 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	2 September
15	2001 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	16 September
16	2001 United States Grand Prix	Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis	30 September
17	2001 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	14 October