2001 Brazilian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

David Coulthard ended Ferrari‘s winning run with a superb wet-weather victory at Autódromo José Carlos Pace. Michael Schumacher finished second and Nick Heidfeld earned his first podium, but Juan Pablo Montoya‘s audacious early challenge provided another major talking point.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Pole time	1:13.780
Fastest lap	Ralf Schumacher	Williams
Fastest-lap time	1:15.693 on lap 38
First	David Coulthard	McLaren
Second	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Third	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
30 March 2001	Practice 1	11:00
30 March 2001	Practice 2	13:00
31 March 2001	Practice 3	09:00
31 March 2001	Practice 4	10:15
31 March 2001	Qualifying	13:00
1 April 2001	Warm-up	09:30
1 April 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 3 leading the 2001 F1 World Championship on 20 points, with Rubens Barrichello on 10. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 30 points.

Race entries

All eleven teams retained their drivers for Brazil, where Juan Pablo Montoya and the other newcomers faced the bumps and elevation changes of Interlagos for the first time in a Grand Prix weekend.

Free Practice

Michael Schumacher headed the first practice as cars gradually cleaned the dusty circuit. Mika Häkkinen was close behind but spun during the session, underlining how little grip was available away from the established line. Ferrari and McLaren occupied the leading positions, with Olivier Panis also showing promising pace for BAR.

David Coulthard set Friday’s quickest lap before missing his braking point and spinning into the gravel. Michael Schumacher picked up a puncture from a nail, while Rubens Barrichello‘s loss of oil pressure ended his running. Ralf Schumacher damaged aerodynamic parts in an excursion and Heinz-Harald Frentzen stopped with engine trouble, making it a costly afternoon for several teams.

Friday Practice Classification — Combined

2001 Brazilian Grand Prix opening-day practice, 30 March 2001

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:15.220	37
2	12	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+1.004s	42
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+1.378s	37
4	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+1.631s	43
5	3	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+1.662s	39
6	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.709s	22
7	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+1.774s	23
8	11	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+1.852s	36
9	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+1.882s	41
10	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+2.075s	35
11	19	Luciano Burti	Jaguar	+2.210s	47
12	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	+2.212s	40
13	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.235s	40
14	22	Jean Alesi	Prost	+2.298s	43
15	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	+2.492s	38
16	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+2.572s	32
17	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+2.876s	33
18	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	+3.002s	40
19	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	+3.013s	38
20	23	Gaston Mazzacane	Prost	+3.049s	40
21	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	+3.785s	35
22	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	+4.365s	24

Häkkinen led a McLaren one-two in Saturday’s opening session as temperatures rose. Ferrari and Williams remained close enough to suggest qualifying would be fiercely contested. Giancarlo Fisichella lost running when an oil leak stopped his Benetton, while Luciano Burti recovered from a spin to continue Jaguar‘s preparations.

Juan Pablo Montoya moved to the front in final practice, beating the previous year’s pole time and adding substance to Williams‘ challenge. Heinz-Harald Frentzen suffered another engine failure at the end of the session. Jacques Villeneuve and Eddie Irvine both stopped with hydraulic trouble affecting their gearboxes, leaving their mechanics busy before qualifying.

Saturday Practice Classification — Combined

2001 Brazilian Grand Prix Saturday practice, 31 March 2001

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:13.963	30
2	3	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.145s	29
3	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.219s	28
4	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.319s	33
5	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.689s	27
6	11	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+0.874s	31
7	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.932s	27
8	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	+1.068s	23
9	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	+1.076s	29
10	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+1.133s	28
11	12	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+1.200s	12
12	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+1.446s	31
13	19	Luciano Burti	Jaguar	+1.507s	33
14	22	Jean Alesi	Prost	+1.772s	28
15	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+2.009s	36
16	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.172s	16
17	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	+2.197s	31
18	23	Gaston Mazzacane	Prost	+2.384s	30
19	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	+2.448s	28
20	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+2.476s	24
21	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	+2.639s	32
22	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	+4.249s	16

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

Qualifying

Michael Schumacher secured a seventh successive pole with a 1:13.780, while Ralf Schumacher joined him on the front row. It was the first time brothers had occupied both front-row positions in a World Championship Grand Prix. Häkkinen qualified third, with Juan Pablo Montoya fourth despite crashing early and switching to the spare Williams.

David Coulthard took fifth ahead of Rubens Barrichello, followed by the two Jordans and the two Saubers. Ralf Schumacher‘s fuel was checked after the session; a second sample was accepted and his front-row place stood. With no elimination rounds, the fastest lap from each driver’s permitted twelve laps determined the order.

Qualifying Classification

2001 Brazilian Grand Prix Qualifying, 31 March 2001

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:13.780	11
2	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:14.090	12
3	3	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:14.122	10
4	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:14.165	11
5	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:14.178	11
6	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:14.191	11
7	12	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	1:14.630	11
8	11	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	1:14.633	11
9	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	1:14.810	12
10	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	1:14.924	11
11	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	1:15.046	11
12	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	1:15.182	12
13	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	1:15.192	12
14	19	Luciano Burti	Jaguar	1:15.371	12
15	22	Jean Alesi	Prost	1:15.437	12
16	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	1:15.657	12
17	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	1:15.704	12
18	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	1:16.175	12
19	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	1:16.184	12
20	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	1:16.229	12
21	23	Gastón Mazzacane	Prost	1:16.520	12
22	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	1:16.784	12

Sunday warm-up

Michael Schumacher led a Ferrari one-two in warm-up, running with race fuel and checking both his regular and spare cars. Häkkinen was third as the teams completed their final preparations. Fernando Alonso‘s session ended in the gravel and barriers, damaging his front wing and bringing out yellow flags late in the half-hour.

Warm-up Classification

2001 Brazilian Grand Prix Warm-up, 1 April 2001

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:15.971	14
2	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.174s	13
3	3	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.337s	16
4	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.404s	13
5	12	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+0.478s	16
6	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.708s	15
7	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	+0.740s	14
8	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+1.037s	16
9	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+1.164s	17
10	11	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+1.167s	15
11	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	+1.242s	15
12	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+1.434s	19
13	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+1.449s	16
14	19	Luciano Burti	Jaguar	+1.703s	13
15	23	Gaston Mazzacane	Prost	+1.710s	14
16	22	Jean Alesi	Prost	+1.757s	13
17	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	+2.045s	11
18	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+2.103s	17
19	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	+2.489s	15
20	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+2.802s	12
21	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	+3.155s	12
22	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	+4.037s	4

What happened in the 2001 Brazilian Grand Prix?

Häkkinen stalled at the start, prompting an early safety car. At the restart, Juan Pablo Montoya seized his chance and muscled past Michael Schumacher into the Senna S to take the lead. The newcomer then controlled the race impressively, only for his afternoon to end when Jos Verstappen hit the back of his Williams after being lapped.

David Coulthard inherited the initiative, but heavier rain created another turning point as the leaders changed tyres. Michael Schumacher briefly moved ahead, then lost time with a spin. David Coulthard closed in and passed him while both negotiated Tarso Marques‘ Minardi, taking command in the wet and pulling clear to win.

Schumacher secured second despite another excursion, while Nick Heidfeld delivered Sauber‘s first podium of the season in third. Olivier Panis finished fourth, Jarno Trulli fifth and Giancarlo Fisichella sixth. Rubens Barrichello had retired after hitting Ralf Schumacher early on, making David Coulthard‘s victory especially valuable in the championship battle.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 26 points, followed by David Coulthard on 20. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 36, with McLaren on 21.

2001 Brazilian Grand Prix race results

The 2001 Brazilian Grand Prix was held on 1 April 2001, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	71	1:39:00.834	10
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	71	+16.164	6
3	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	70	+1 Lap	4
4	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	70	+1 Lap	3
5	12	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	70	+1 Lap	2
6	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	70	+1 Lap	1
7	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	70	+1 Lap	0
8	22	Jean Alesi	Prost	70	+1 Lap	0
9	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	68	+3 Laps	0
10	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	64	+7 Laps	0
11	11	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	63	Electrical	0
Ret	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	55	Spun off/Tyre	0
Ret	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	54	Spun off	0
Ret	23	Gastón Mazzacane	Prost	54	Clutch	0
Ret	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	52	Spun off	0
Ret	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	38	Collision damage	0
Ret	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	37	Collision	0
Ret	19	Luciano Burti	Jaguar	30	Engine	0
Ret	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	25	Electrical	0
Ret	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	15	Hydraulics	0
Ret	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	2	Collision/Spun off	0
Ret	3	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	0	Stalled/Gearbox	0

2001 Brazilian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	38	1:15.693	204.938
2	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	44	1:16.498	202.781
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	44	1:16.545	202.657
4	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	31	1:16.593	202.530
5	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	44	1:16.732	202.163
6	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	41	1:17.106	201.182
7	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	43	1:17.132	201.114
8	11	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	41	1:17.522	200.103
9	22	Jean Alesi	Prost	43	1:17.609	199.878
10	12	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	41	1:17.632	199.819
11	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	33	1:17.816	199.347
12	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	41	1:17.830	199.311
13	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	42	1:18.064	198.713
14	23	Gaston Mazzacane	Prost	23	1:18.176	198.429
15	19	Luciano Burti	Jaguar	29	1:18.759	196.960
16	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	26	1:18.875	196.670
17	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	12	1:19.449	195.249
18	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	34	1:19.734	194.551
19	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	16	1:19.765	194.476
20	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	38	1:19.846	194.278
21	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	2	1:58.705	130.680

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 Brazilian Grand Prix.

2001 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	26
2	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	20
3	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Ferrari	10
4	Nick Heidfeld	German	Sauber	7
5	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Jordan	5
6	Olivier Panis	French	BAR	3
7	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Jordan	2
8	Ralf Schumacher	German	Williams	2
9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Benetton	1
10	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Sauber	1
11	Mika Häkkinen	Finnish	McLaren	1
–	Jos Verstappen	Dutch	Arrows	0
–	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	BAR	0
–	Jean Alesi	French	Prost	0
–	Luciano Burti	Brazilian	Jaguar	0
–	Tarso Marques	Brazilian	Minardi	0
–	Jenson Button	British	Benetton	0
–	Eddie Irvine	British	Jaguar	0
–	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Minardi	0
–	Gastón Mazzacane	Argentine	Prost	0
–	Juan Pablo Montoya	Colombian	Williams	0
–	Enrique Bernoldi	Brazilian	Arrows	0

2001 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	36
2	McLaren	21
3	Sauber	8
4	Jordan	7
5	BAR	3
6	Williams	2
7	Benetton	1
–	Arrows	0
–	Prost	0
–	Jaguar	0
–	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