2001 Belgian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Michael Schumacher became Formula 1’s outright record winner with his 52nd victory at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. David Coulthard finished second and Giancarlo Fisichella delivered a memorable podium for Benetton, but the race was interrupted by Luciano Burti‘s serious accident.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Pole time	1:54.685
Fastest lap	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	1:49.758 on lap 7
First	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Second	David Coulthard	McLaren
Third	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
31 August 2001	Practice 1	11:00
31 August 2001	Practice 2	13:00
1 September 2001	Practice 3 — cancelled	—
1 September 2001	Saturday practice — sole session	11:00 (delayed)
1 September 2001	Qualifying	13:00
2 September 2001	Warm-up	09:30
2 September 2001	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 14 leading the 2001 F1 World Championship on 94 points, with David Coulthard on 51. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 140 points.

Race entries

Jean Alesi continued with Jordan and Heinz-Harald Frentzen with Prost after their moves before Hungary. Both championships were already decided, but the battles for the remaining positions were still close as the teams arrived at Spa.

Free Practice

Michael Schumacher led Friday’s first practice, with Jarno Trulli second, before worsening conditions made the circuit increasingly difficult. David Coulthard crashed heavily at Les Fagnes after losing grip on damp ground and hitting a kerb. He escaped injury, but the damage kept him out of the second session.

Rain disrupted the afternoon and preserved Schumacher’s earlier benchmark at the head of the day’s times. Poor visibility contributed to contact between his Ferrari and Pedro de la Rosa‘s Jaguar approaching Eau Rouge. Juan Pablo Montoya also crashed on a wet kerb, while Jenson Button damaged a track rod against the pit-lane barrier.

Friday Practice Classification — Combined

2001 Belgian Grand Prix opening-day practice, 31 August 2001

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:48.655	28
2	11	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+0.749s	34
3	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.801s	35
4	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+1.537s	30
5	3	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+1.584s	29
6	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	+1.840s	34
7	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+2.146s	23
8	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+2.900s	34
9	12	Jean Alesi	Jordan	+2.976s	30
10	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	+3.018s	21
11	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	+3.416s	24
12	22	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Prost	+3.418s	33
13	19	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	+3.464s	31
14	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+3.781s	31
15	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+4.149s	20
16	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+4.174s	24
17	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+4.300s	34
18	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	+6.366s	26
19	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	+6.444s	30
20	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	+6.836s	30
21	23	Luciano Burti	Prost	+22.382s	13
22	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	+649.258s	3

Fog and low cloud prevented the medical helicopters from operating on Saturday morning. The planned first session was delayed repeatedly, and the timetable was reduced to a single 45-minute practice rather than two separate sessions. There was consequently no second set of Saturday running to describe or classify.

The sole Saturday session finally began at 11:00, with Juan Pablo Montoya leading Ralf Schumacher for Williams. Drivers negotiated a slippery surface, and several ran wide at the Bus Stop and Les Combes. The curtailed programme left little time to prepare before another changeable qualifying session.

Saturday Practice Classification

2001 Belgian Grand Prix Saturday practice, 1 September 2001

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:47.494	12
2	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.274s	15
3	3	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.971s	12
4	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	+1.204s	13
5	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+1.577s	10
6	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+2.017s	12
7	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+2.363s	12
8	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.459s	14
9	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	+2.636s	12
10	12	Jean Alesi	Jordan	+2.991s	13
11	11	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+3.000s	11
12	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	+3.007s	15
13	22	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Prost	+3.271s	14
14	19	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	+4.773s	9
15	23	Luciano Burti	Prost	+5.246s	16
16	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	+5.412s	15
17	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	+6.052s	14
18	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	+6.367s	12
19	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+9.763s	7
20	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+9.983s	7
21	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	+11.053s	5
22	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+68.322s	3

The Friday table combines both sessions; Saturday had only one session after the fog delay.

Qualifying

Juan Pablo Montoya claimed pole ahead of Ralf Schumacher after Williams switched to dry tyres at the right moment on a drying track. Michael Schumacher qualified third and Heinz-Harald Frentzen produced a fine fourth for Prost. Others stayed on intermediates too long or lacked time to complete a clean lap on dry tyres.

David Coulthard ended up ninth, while both Arrows and both Minardis fell outside the 107% threshold. The stewards allowed all four to race because of the exceptional changing conditions and their practice pace. A McLaren protest over improvements under yellow flags was rejected, leaving the qualifying order intact.

Qualifying Classification

2001 Belgian Grand Prix Qualifying, 1 September 2001

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:52.072	7
2	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:52.959	10
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:54.685	8
4	22	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Prost	1:55.233	10
5	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:56.116	7
6	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	1:57.038	11
7	3	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:57.043	12
8	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	1:57.668	7
9	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:58.008	10
10	19	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	1:58.519	11
11	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	1:58.838	8
12	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	1:59.050	8
13	12	Jean Alesi	Jordan	1:59.128	10
14	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	1:59.302	9
15	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	1:59.587	7
16	11	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	1:59.647	10
17	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	1:59.689	9
18	23	Luciano Burti	Prost	1:59.900	7
19	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	2:02.039	10
20	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	2:02.594	8
21	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	2:03.048	10
22	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	2:04.204	10

Jos Verstappen, Fernando Alonso, Enrique Bernoldi and Tarso Marques all set their lap times outside the 107% limit, but were allowed to race due to heavy rain during qualifying.

Sunday warm-up

Michael Schumacher led warm-up, but Fernando Alonso suffered a heavy accident at Stavelot that destroyed the left side of his Minardi. He was checked and cleared to race in the spare car. Jarno Trulli also damaged his front wing and bargeboards after running over bumps at Les Combes.

Warm-up Classification

2001 Belgian Grand Prix Warm-up, 2 September 2001

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:49.495	11
2	3	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+1.199s	9
3	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	+1.243s	11
4	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.281s	12
5	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+1.323s	11
6	22	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Prost	+1.413s	12
7	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+1.498s	8
8	11	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+1.567s	8
9	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+1.822s	11
10	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+1.899s	6
11	19	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	+1.923s	10
12	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	+2.255s	9
13	12	Jean Alesi	Jordan	+2.843s	11
14	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+2.941s	12
15	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	+2.984s	9
16	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	+3.024s	10
17	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+3.408s	12
18	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	+3.413s	8
19	23	Luciano Burti	Prost	+3.588s	9
20	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+4.242s	13
21	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	+4.977s	13
22	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	+45.031s	3

What happened in the 2001 Belgian Grand Prix?

Aborted starts and a stall cost Juan Pablo Montoya his pole-position advantage, and Michael Schumacher soon took the lead from Ralf Schumacher. On lap five, contact between Luciano Burti and Eddie Irvine sent the Prost into the barriers at Blanchimont. The race was stopped while Luciano Burti was extracted and taken to hospital with concussion.

The restarted race was run over 36 laps, with the earlier laps excluded from the final result under the regulations then in force. Ralf Schumacher was left on a jack before the restart and had to begin from the back. Giancarlo Fisichella made an excellent getaway to take second, while Michael Schumacher built a commanding lead.

David Coulthard eventually passed Giancarlo Fisichella for second, but the Benetton driver held third for a valuable podium. Häkkinen finished fourth, Rubens Barrichello fifth and Jean Alesi sixth after resisting Ralf Schumacher. Schumacher’s win moved him beyond Prost‘s record, although concern for Luciano Burti remained central to the afternoon.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 104 points, followed by David Coulthard on 57. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 152, with McLaren on 81.

2001 Belgian Grand Prix race results

The 2001 Belgian Grand Prix was held on 2 September 2001, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	36	1:08:05.002	10
2	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	36	+ 10.098	6
3	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	36	+ 27.742	4
4	3	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	36	+ 36.087	3
5	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	36	+ 54.521	2
6	12	Jean Alesi	Jordan	36	+ 59.684	1
7	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	36	+ 59.986	0
8	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	36	+ 1:04.970	0
9	22	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Prost	35	+ 1 Lap	0
10	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	35	+ 1 Lap	0
11	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	35	+ 1 Lap	0
12	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	35	+ 1 Lap	0
13	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	32	+ 4 Laps	0
Ret	11	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	31	Engine	0
Ret	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	17	Accident	0
Ret	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1	Engine	0
Ret	19	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	1	Collision damage	0
Ret	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	0	Collision	0
DNS	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	0	Transmission	0
DNS	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	0	Collision	0
DNS	23	Luciano Burti	Prost	0	Collision/Injury	0
DNS	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	0	Gearbox	0

Kimi Räikkönen, Eddie Irvine, Luciano Burti and Fernando Alonso are listed as Did Not Start even though they took part in the original start.

2001 Belgian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	7	1:49.758	228.546
2	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	25	1:51.058	225.871
3	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	35	1:51.608	224.758
4	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	14	1:51.725	224.522
5	3	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	13	1:51.741	224.490
6	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	24	1:51.776	224.420
7	11	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	8	1:51.828	224.315
8	12	Jean Alesi	Jordan	9	1:51.996	223.979
9	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	15	1:52.372	223.229
10	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	28	1:52.533	222.910
11	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	21	1:53.409	221.188
12	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	2	1:53.595	220.826
13	22	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Prost	19	1:54.051	219.943
14	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	8	1:54.095	219.858
15	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	8	1:55.196	217.757
16	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	4	1:55.805	216.612
17	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	4	1:55.832	216.561
18	23	Luciano Burti	Prost	3	1:56.083	216.093
19	19	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	4	1:56.158	215.954
20	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	12	1:56.484	215.349
21	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	2	1:56.746	214.866
22	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	2	1:59.814	209.364

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 Belgian Grand Prix.

2001 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	104
2	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	57
3	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Ferrari	48
4	Ralf Schumacher	German	Williams	44
5	Mika Häkkinen	Finnish	McLaren	24
6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Colombian	Williams	15
7	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	BAR	11
8	Nick Heidfeld	German	Sauber	11
9	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Sauber	9
10	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Jordan	9
11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Benetton	8
12	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Jordan / Prost	6
13	Olivier Panis	French	BAR	5
14	Jean Alesi	French	Prost / Jordan	5
15	Eddie Irvine	British	Jaguar	4
16	Jenson Button	British	Benetton	2
17	Jos Verstappen	Dutch	Arrows	1
18	Pedro de la Rosa	Spanish	Jaguar	1
–	Ricardo Zonta	Brazilian	Jordan	0
–	Luciano Burti	Brazilian	Jaguar / Prost	0
–	Enrique Bernoldi	Brazilian	Arrows	0
–	Tarso Marques	Brazilian	Minardi	0
–	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Minardi	0
–	Gastón Mazzacane	Argentine	Prost	0

2001 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	152
2	McLaren	81
3	Williams	59
4	Sauber	20
5	BAR	16
6	Jordan	16
7	Benetton	10
8	Jaguar	5
9	Prost	4
10	Arrows	1
–	Minardi	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