2001 German Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Ralf Schumacher won the final German Grand Prix on Hockenheimring‘s long forest layout, ahead of Rubens Barrichello and Jacques Villeneuve. Williams had dominated qualifying, but Juan Pablo Montoya lost a likely victory through a troubled stop and subsequent engine failure.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams
Pole time	1:38.117
Fastest lap	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams
Fastest-lap time	1:41.808 on lap 20
First	Ralf Schumacher	Williams
Second	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari
Third	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
27 July 2001	Practice 1	11:00
27 July 2001	Practice 2	13:00
28 July 2001	Practice 3	09:00
28 July 2001	Practice 4	10:15
28 July 2001	Qualifying	13:00
29 July 2001	Warm-up	09:30
29 July 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 12 leading the 2001 F1 World Championship on 84 points, with David Coulthard on 47. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 118 points.

Race entries

Jordan replaced Heinz-Harald Frentzen with Ricardo Zonta for Germany after ending Heinz-Harald Frentzen‘s contract. Ricardo Zonta returned alongside Jarno Trulli, while the other teams retained their drivers for the high-speed challenge at Hockenheim.

Free Practice

Rubens Barrichello led Friday’s first practice, narrowly ahead of Pedro de la Rosa, as Jaguar showed encouraging straight-line performance. David Coulthard and Michael Schumacher both ran off at chicanes but continued. The hot conditions and long flat-out sections placed a premium on engine reliability as well as low-drag setups.

Eddie Irvine set the day’s quickest lap in the afternoon, ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya and Häkkinen. Ralf Schumacher crashed in the stadium section early in the session, while Pedro de la Rosa developed an engine-hydraulics problem. Both Minardis also went off, though neither sustained major damage.

Friday Practice Classification — Combined

2001 German Grand Prix opening-day practice, 27 July 2001

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	1:41.424	32
2	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.063s	43
3	3	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.525s	29
4	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.529s	22
5	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.831s	35
6	19	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	+0.878s	39
7	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.880s	31
8	22	Jean Alesi	Prost	+1.404s	35
9	12	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+1.517s	34
10	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.563s	18
11	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+1.590s	33
12	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+1.787s	37
13	11	Ricardo Zonta	Jordan	+2.037s	36
14	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	+2.063s	33
15	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	+2.072s	30
16	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	+2.104s	26
17	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.391s	36
18	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+2.719s	22
19	23	Luciano Burti	Prost	+2.738s	39
20	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	+3.125s	24
21	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	+3.306s	27
22	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	+3.581s	33

Michael Schumacher led the opening Saturday session ahead of Rubens Barrichello and the two Williams cars. Häkkinen ran into the gravel and lost time while it was removed from his McLaren. Jenson Button recorded no lap as Benetton dealt with its preparations, leaving him behind his team-mate’s programme.

Williams moved decisively ahead in final practice, Ralf Schumacher setting the fastest lap and Juan Pablo Montoya following. David Coulthard became stranded in the Agip gravel and lost most of the session. Michael Schumacher‘s earlier time remained Ferrari‘s best as Williams established itself as the team to beat for pole.

Saturday Practice Classification — Combined

2001 German Grand Prix Saturday practice, 28 July 2001

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:39.188	25
2	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.281s	23
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.749s	22
4	3	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.881s	18
5	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+1.075s	24
6	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+1.248s	20
7	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+1.255s	14
8	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	+1.387s	29
9	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	+1.509s	14
10	12	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+1.706s	25
11	19	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	+1.717s	27
12	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	+1.965s	21
13	22	Jean Alesi	Prost	+2.240s	27
14	11	Ricardo Zonta	Jordan	+2.346s	12
15	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.495s	24
16	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	+2.583s	10
17	23	Luciano Burti	Prost	+2.948s	28
18	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	+3.035s	24
19	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+3.392s	14
20	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+4.068s	5
21	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	+4.324s	21
22	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	+4.721s	28

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

Qualifying

Juan Pablo Montoya took his first Formula 1 pole with a 1:38.117, just 0.019 seconds ahead of Ralf Schumacher. Williams locked out the front row, with Häkkinen third and Michael Schumacher fourth. David Coulthard and Rubens Barrichello completed the first three rows.

Nick Heidfeld and Kimi Räikkönen gave Sauber seventh and eighth, ahead of Pedro de la Rosa and Jarno Trulli. Engine trouble curtailed Jarno Trulli‘s final challenge, while Jenson Button also stopped with a failed engine. The Williams-BMW combination’s speed through the forest made its front-row sweep particularly convincing.

Qualifying Classification

2001 German Grand Prix Qualifying, 28 July 2001

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:38.117	8
2	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:38.136	12
3	3	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:38.811	10
4	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:38.941	11
5	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:39.574	9
6	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:39.682	11
7	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	1:39.921	12
8	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	1:40.072	12
9	19	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	1:40.265	12
10	12	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	1:40.322	8
11	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	1:40.371	12
12	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	1:40.437	12
13	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	1:40.610	11
14	22	Jean Alesi	Prost	1:40.724	12
15	11	Ricardo Zonta	Jordan	1:41.174	12
16	23	Luciano Burti	Prost	1:41.213	11
17	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	1:41.299	12
18	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	1:41.438	10
19	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	1:41.668	11
20	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	1:41.870	11
21	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	1:41.913	12
22	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	1:42.716	11

Sunday warm-up

Ralf Schumacher led Juan Pablo Montoya in warm-up, but the session brought more trouble for others. Jarno Trulli suffered an engine failure and switched to the spare Jordan, while Ricardo Zonta hit the barriers in the stadium. Fernando Alonso also contacted the tyres after a spin, and Tarso Marques had an excursion without major damage.

Warm-up Classification

2001 German Grand Prix Warm-up, 29 July 2001

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:42.621	13
2	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.030s	7
3	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.122s	15
4	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.126s	13
5	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.368s	10
6	3	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.508s	13
7	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+0.858s	13
8	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	+0.891s	10
9	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+0.949s	15
10	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	+0.994s	11
11	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+1.083s	14
12	19	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	+1.085s	8
13	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+1.230s	15
14	12	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+1.235s	12
15	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	+1.365s	12
16	22	Jean Alesi	Prost	+1.679s	15
17	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+1.980s	15
18	23	Luciano Burti	Prost	+2.383s	15
19	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	+2.642s	12
20	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	+3.032s	5
21	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	+3.360s	10
22	11	Ricardo Zonta	Jordan	+292.626s	3

What happened in the 2001 German Grand Prix?

The first start ended in a frightening accident when Luciano Burti hit Michael Schumacher‘s slowing Ferrari and was launched into the air. Both escaped injury, and the race was stopped to clear the debris. Spare cars allowed them to take the restart, where Juan Pablo Montoya again led Ralf Schumacher.

Juan Pablo Montoya built a strong advantage, only to lose time when his refuelling equipment malfunctioned. Engine failure then ended his race entirely. Ralf Schumacher inherited the lead and controlled the remaining laps, while Michael Schumacher and both McLarens also retired with mechanical problems.

Rubens Barrichello finished second despite his own refuelling delay, and Jacques Villeneuve claimed third. Benetton enjoyed its best result of the season with Giancarlo Fisichella fourth and Jenson Button fifth, while Jean Alesi took the final point. With both leading title contenders failing to score, Michael Schumacher‘s advantage over David Coulthard remained unchanged.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 84 points, followed by David Coulthard on 47. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 124, with McLaren on 66.

2001 German Grand Prix race results

The 2001 German Grand Prix was held on 29 July 2001, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	45	1:18:17.873	10
2	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	45	+46.117	6
3	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	45	+1:02.806	4
4	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	45	+1:03.477	3
5	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	45	+1:05.454	2
6	22	Jean Alesi	Prost	45	+1:05.950	1
7	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	45	+1:17.527	0
8	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	44	+1 Lap	0
9	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	44	+1 Lap	0
10	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	44	+1 Lap	0
Ret	12	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	34	Hydraulics	0
Ret	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	27	Engine	0
Ret	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	26	Gearbox	0
Ret	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	24	Engine	0
Ret	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	23	Fuel pressure	0
Ret	23	Luciano Burti	Prost	23	Spun off	0
Ret	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	16	Halfshaft	0
Ret	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	16	Fuel pressure	0
Ret	3	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	13	Engine	0
Ret	11	Ricardo Zonta	Jordan	7	Collision	0
Ret	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	0	Collision damage	0
Ret	19	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	0	Collision	0

Fernando Alonso and Tarso Marques started the race from the pit lane.

2001 German Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	20	1:41.808	241.336
2	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	17	1:42.048	240.769
3	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	10	1:42.638	239.385
4	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	21	1:42.853	238.884
5	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	30	1:43.329	237.784
6	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	21	1:43.448	237.510
7	3	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	4	1:43.516	237.354
8	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	26	1:43.571	237.228
9	12	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	33	1:43.740	236.842
10	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	34	1:43.999	236.252
11	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	31	1:44.051	236.134
12	22	Jean Alesi	Prost	42	1:44.135	235.943
13	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	10	1:44.365	235.423
14	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	11	1:44.415	235.311
15	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	35	1:44.681	234.713
16	23	Luciano Burti	Prost	17	1:44.683	234.708
17	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	31	1:44.785	234.480
18	11	Ricardo Zonta	Jordan	4	1:45.591	232.690
19	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	4	1:45.908	231.993
20	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	12	1:46.013	231.764

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 German Grand Prix.

2001 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	84
2	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	47
3	Ralf Schumacher	German	Williams	41
4	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Ferrari	40
5	Mika Häkkinen	Finnish	McLaren	19
6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Colombian	Williams	15
7	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	BAR	11
8	Nick Heidfeld	German	Sauber	10
9	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Sauber	9
10	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Jordan	9
11	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Jordan	6
12	Olivier Panis	French	BAR	5
13	Eddie Irvine	British	Jaguar	4
14	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Benetton	4
15	Jean Alesi	French	Prost	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	124
2	McLaren	66
3	Williams	56
4	Sauber	19
5	BAR	16
6	Jordan	15
7	Benetton	6
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