2001 Japanese Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Michael Schumacher rounded off his championship season with victory at Suzuka, holding off Juan Pablo Montoya to take his ninth win of the year. David Coulthard finished third and secured second in the championship, while Mika Häkkinen and Jean Alesi made their final Grand Prix appearances.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Pole time	1:32.484
Fastest lap	Ralf Schumacher	Williams
Fastest-lap time	1:36.944 on lap 46
First	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Second	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams
Third	David Coulthard	McLaren

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
12 October 2001	Practice 1	11:00
12 October 2001	Practice 2	13:00
13 October 2001	Practice 3	09:00
13 October 2001	Practice 4	10:15
13 October 2001	Qualifying	13:00
14 October 2001	Warm-up	10:00
14 October 2001	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 17 leading the 2001 F1 World Championship on 113 points, with David Coulthard on 61. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 167 points.

Race entries

The line-ups remained unchanged for the finale. Jean Alesi was preparing to leave Formula 1, while Häkkinen was heading into a planned sabbatical that ultimately became retirement. Benetton and Prost were also making their last appearances under those team names.

Free Practice

Michael Schumacher led the first Friday session ahead of Häkkinen, but Tomas Enge‘s heavy crash at 130R brought the running to an early end. The Prost lost both right-side wheels in the impact. Tomas Enge escaped unaided but reported neck pain and missed the afternoon session, leaving the team with extensive repairs.

Jean Alesi set Friday’s fastest time on a light fuel load, ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya and Pedro de la Rosa. Nick Heidfeld crashed heavily through the Esses, causing a red flag while the track was cleared. David Coulthard also spun into the gravel, and a brake fire later added to McLaren‘s workload.

Friday Practice Classification — Combined

2001 Japanese Grand Prix opening-day practice, 12 October 2001

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	12	Jean Alesi	Jordan	1:35.454	32
2	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.523s	44
3	19	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	+0.771s	38
4	3	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.976s	34
5	22	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Prost	+0.985s	41
6	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+1.135s	42
7	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	+1.184s	33
8	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+1.273s	34
9	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.420s	32
10	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+1.540s	33
11	11	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+2.110s	34
12	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	+2.191s	34
13	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+2.211s	20
14	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.858s	30
15	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	+2.861s	31
16	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+2.944s	24
17	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	+3.507s	30
18	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	+3.654s	33
19	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+4.057s	34
20	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	+4.290s	33
21	20	Alex Yoong	Minardi	+4.498s	32
22	23	Tomas Enge	Prost	+5.762s	18

Michael Schumacher returned to the top on Saturday morning, setting the first sub-1:35 lap of the weekend. Häkkinen and Rubens Barrichello followed as teams prepared for qualifying in sunny conditions. After Friday’s accidents, the session offered a more settled opportunity to refine the cars through Suzuka‘s demanding changes of direction.

Ralf Schumacher produced a late improvement in final practice to lead Juan Pablo Montoya in a Williams one-two. David Coulthard was third in the combined order, with Michael Schumacher fourth. The change at the front suggested Williams could mount a serious qualifying challenge, while Jenson Button‘s fifth place encouraged Benetton before its final race.

Saturday Practice Classification — Combined

2001 Japanese Grand Prix Saturday practice, 13 October 2001

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:33.969	31
2	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.332s	25
3	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.593s	19
4	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.742s	17
5	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	+0.766s	21
6	11	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+0.940s	11
7	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+1.068s	18
8	3	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+1.074s	15
9	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+1.253s	16
10	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+1.488s	26
11	22	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Prost	+1.514s	26
12	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	+1.703s	15
13	12	Jean Alesi	Jordan	+1.750s	13
14	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	+2.082s	26
15	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+2.091s	27
16	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+2.145s	32
17	19	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	+2.175s	25
18	23	Tomas Enge	Prost	+3.277s	28
19	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	+3.460s	27
20	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	+3.545s	23
21	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+3.836s	22
22	20	Alex Yoong	Minardi	+4.870s	24

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

Qualifying

Michael Schumacher claimed his eleventh pole of the season with a 1:32.484, comfortably ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher. Rubens Barrichello qualified fourth and Häkkinen fifth. Schumacher improved through successive runs and gave Ferrari another commanding starting position.

Giancarlo Fisichella placed an excellent sixth for Benetton, ahead of David Coulthard and Jarno Trulli, while Jenson Button secured ninth. Jean Alesi qualified eleventh for his farewell. Tomas Enge used the spare Prost following Friday’s accident, and Fernando Alonso extracted eighteenth from the Minardi, ahead of both Arrows cars.

Qualifying Classification

2001 Japanese Grand Prix Qualifying, 13 October 2001

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:32.484	9
2	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:33.184	12
3	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:33.297	12
4	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:33.323	11
5	3	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:33.662	11
6	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	1:33.830	11
7	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:33.916	11
8	11	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	1:34.002	12
9	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	1:34.375	12
10	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	1:34.386	12
11	12	Jean Alesi	Jordan	1:34.420	12
12	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	1:34.581	11
13	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	1:34.851	11
14	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	1:35.109	12
15	22	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Prost	1:35.132	11
16	19	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	1:35.639	12
17	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	1:35.766	12
18	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	1:36.410	11
19	23	Tomáš Enge	Prost	1:36.446	10
20	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	1:36.885	12
21	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	1:36.973	11
22	20	Alex Yoong	Minardi	1:38.246	11

Sunday warm-up

Michael Schumacher led the 10:00 warm-up ahead of David Coulthard and Nick Heidfeld. Teams checked race and spare cars, while Michelin runners worked on scrubbing their tyres before the start. The incident-free half-hour gave the field a clean final preparation after the crashes earlier in the weekend.

Warm-up Classification

2001 Japanese Grand Prix Warm-up, 14 October 2001

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:36.231	10
2	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.454s	12
3	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+0.735s	12
4	11	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+0.909s	14
5	12	Jean Alesi	Jordan	+1.130s	12
6	3	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+1.353s	13
7	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+1.582s	13
8	22	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Prost	+1.660s	14
9	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	+1.711s	12
10	19	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	+1.739s	13
11	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.952s	13
12	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+2.032s	9
13	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.373s	13
14	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+2.410s	15
15	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	+2.509s	16
16	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	+2.860s	11
17	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+2.951s	9
18	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	+3.064s	12
19	23	Tomas Enge	Prost	+4.093s	13
20	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+4.251s	14
21	20	Alex Yoong	Minardi	+4.873s	11
22	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	+5.911s	12

What happened in the 2001 Japanese Grand Prix?

Michael Schumacher held off Juan Pablo Montoya at the start and quickly built a useful lead. Rubens Barrichello, running a lighter fuel load on a three-stop plan, attacked the Williams cars but could not make the strategy deliver victory. Kimi Räikkönen‘s suspension failure caused an early collision with Jean Alesi, ending the veteran’s final race.

Juan Pablo Montoya remained Schumacher’s closest challenger through the pit stops, but Ferrari retained control. Ralf Schumacher lost time to a stop-and-go penalty for cutting the chicane, while the McLarens moved into the fight for the podium. Häkkinen later let David Coulthard through into third as a gesture of thanks for their years together.

Schumacher won ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya and David Coulthard, with Häkkinen fourth, Rubens Barrichello fifth and Ralf Schumacher sixth. Jenson Button finished seventh and Alex Yoong completed his first Grand Prix. Schumacher ended the year with 123 points, while Sauber secured fourth in the constructors’ standings after its strongest season to that point.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 123 points, followed by David Coulthard on 65. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 179, with McLaren on 102.

2001 Japanese Grand Prix race results

The 2001 Japanese Grand Prix was held on 14 October 2001, with a scheduled start of 14:30 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	53	1:27:33.298	10
2	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	53	+3.154	6
3	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	53	+23.262	4
4	3	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	53	+35.539	3
5	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	53	+36.544	2
6	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	53	+37.122	1
7	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	53	+1:37.102	0
8	11	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	52	+1 lap	0
9	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	52	+1 lap	0
10	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	52	+1 lap	0
11	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	52	+1 lap	0
12	22	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Prost	52	+1 lap	0
13	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	51	+2 laps	0
14	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	51	+2 laps	0
15	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	51	+2 laps	0
16	20	Alex Yoong	Minardi	50	+3 laps	0
17	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	47	Gearbox	0
Ret	19	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	45	Oil leak	0
Ret	23	Tomáš Enge	Prost	42	Brakes	0
Ret	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	24	Fuel rig	0
Ret	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	5	Collision/suspension	0
Ret	12	Jean Alesi	Jordan	5	Collision	0

Enrique Bernoldi and Alex Yoong started the race from the pit lane.

Tomáš Enge started the race from the back of the grid (23rd position), although he started the formation lap from his 19th position.

2001 Japanese Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	46	1:36.944	217.573
2	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	17	1:36.970	217.514
3	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	20	1:37.017	217.409
4	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	29	1:37.133	217.149
5	3	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	40	1:37.298	216.781
6	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	51	1:37.313	216.748
7	22	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Prost	48	1:38.240	214.702
8	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	13	1:38.361	214.438
9	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	36	1:38.526	214.079
10	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	22	1:38.620	213.875
11	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	21	1:38.647	213.816
12	11	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	28	1:38.857	213.362
13	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	22	1:38.887	213.298
14	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	36	1:39.153	212.725
15	19	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	40	1:39.182	212.663
16	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	44	1:39.299	212.413
17	23	Tomas Enge	Prost	27	1:39.827	211.289
18	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	4	1:39.991	210.942
19	12	Jean Alesi	Jordan	4	1:40.225	210.450
20	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	46	1:40.940	208.959
21	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	16	1:41.383	208.046
22	20	Alex Yoong	Minardi	42	1:42.915	204.949

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 Japanese Grand Prix.

2001 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	123
2	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	65
3	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Ferrari	56
4	Ralf Schumacher	German	Williams	49
5	Mika Häkkinen	Finnish	McLaren	37
6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Colombian	Williams	31
7	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	BAR	12
8	Nick Heidfeld	German	Sauber	12
9	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Jordan	12
10	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Sauber	9
11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Benetton	8
12	Eddie Irvine	British	Jaguar	6
13	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Jordan / Prost	6
14	Olivier Panis	French	BAR	5
15	Jean Alesi	French	Prost / Jordan	5
16	Pedro de la Rosa	Spanish	Jaguar	3
17	Jenson Button	British	Benetton	2
18	Jos Verstappen	Dutch	Arrows	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
–	Tomáš Enge	Czech	Prost	0
–	Gastón Mazzacane	Argentine	Prost	0
–	Alex Yoong	Malaysian	Minardi	0

2001 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	179
2	McLaren	102
3	Williams	80
4	Sauber	21
5	Jordan	19
6	BAR	17
7	Benetton	10
8	Jaguar	9
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