2001 Monaco Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Michael Schumacher claimed his fifth Monaco victory as Ferrari finished first and second around Monte Carlo. Pole-sitter David Coulthard‘s challenge unravelled before the start, while Eddie Irvine gave Jaguar its first Formula 1 podium.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	David Coulthard	McLaren
Pole time	1:17.430
Fastest lap	David Coulthard	McLaren
Fastest-lap time	1:19.424 on lap 68
First	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Second	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari
Third	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
24 May 2001	Practice 1	11:00
24 May 2001	Practice 2	13:00
26 May 2001	Practice 3	09:00
26 May 2001	Practice 4	10:25 (delayed)
26 May 2001	Qualifying	13:00
27 May 2001	Warm-up	09:30
27 May 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 7 leading the 2001 F1 World Championship on 42 points, with David Coulthard on 38. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 60 points.

Race entries

The same 22 drivers arrived in Monaco, where opening practice took place on Thursday as usual. The narrow streets also introduced several of the season’s newcomers to a very different challenge from the permanent circuits.

Free Practice

Michael Schumacher set the pace in Thursday’s first practice as drivers searched for grip on the dirty streets. De la Pedro de la Rosa damaged his Jaguar at Portier and Tarso Marques hit the wall at La Rascasse. With spare cars unavailable during practice, both lost valuable familiarisation time rather than simply returning in another car.

Häkkinen led the afternoon, but accidents dominated much of the session. Juan Pablo Montoya hit the barriers at La Rascasse, prompting a stoppage, and Ralf Schumacher later damaged his Williams at the Swimming Pool. David Coulthard needed a track-rod repair after touching the wall, while Fernando Alonso‘s crash curtailed Minardi‘s running.

Thursday Practice Classification — Combined

2001 Monaco Grand Prix opening-day practice, 24 May 2001

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:19.853	38
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.463s	46
3	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.085s	45
4	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+1.106s	44
5	12	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+1.195s	47
6	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	+1.238s	33
7	11	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+1.652s	46
8	22	Jean Alesi	Prost	+2.082s	40
9	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.157s	43
10	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+2.182s	31
11	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+2.361s	28
12	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+2.449s	35
13	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	+2.947s	45
14	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+2.954s	44
15	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+3.556s	41
16	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	+3.809s	26
17	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	+4.173s	24
18	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	+4.252s	42
19	23	Luciano Burti	Prost	+5.004s	51
20	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	+6.067s	36
21	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	+6.540s	30
22	19	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	+7.463s	9

Ralf Schumacher returned from Thursday’s accident to lead Saturday’s first session despite having suffered neck and head discomfort. Jos Verstappen‘s engine failure spread oil at La Rascasse, causing a lengthy stoppage. Luciano Burti then crashed at Sainte Devote after a mechanical failure, narrowly missing recovery vehicles but escaping injury.

The final session began ten minutes late because of the oil cleanup. Häkkinen set the quickest lap, while spins and crashes repeatedly disrupted the tight circuit. Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella each blocked the road after spinning, and debris from Enrique Bernoldi‘s damaged front wing became lodged in Häkkinen’s suspension. Clean running was difficult to find.

Saturday Practice Classification — Combined

2001 Monaco Grand Prix Saturday practice, 26 May 2001

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	1:18.282	19
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.174s	30
3	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.443s	22
4	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.749s	31
5	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+0.799s	31
6	12	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+1.025s	25
7	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+1.321s	28
8	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+1.369s	24
9	22	Jean Alesi	Prost	+1.738s	23
10	11	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+1.782s	19
11	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.115s	34
12	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	+2.246s	33
13	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+2.309s	21
14	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	+3.034s	19
15	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	+3.339s	15
16	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	+3.388s	27
17	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+3.545s	17
18	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	+3.742s	13
19	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+3.925s	25
20	19	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	+4.034s	38
21	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	+5.031s	27
22	23	Luciano Burti	Prost	+7.513s	13

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

Qualifying

David Coulthard produced a late 1:17.430 to take pole ahead of Michael Schumacher. Häkkinen and Rubens Barrichello filled the second row, followed by Ralf Schumacher. Eddie Irvine qualified an excellent sixth for Jaguar, whose improved aerodynamics and setup were particularly effective on the streets.

Juan Pablo Montoya was seventh, ahead of Jarno Trulli, Jacques Villeneuve and Giancarlo Fisichella. Traffic and yellow flags repeatedly spoiled laps, while Heinz-Harald Frentzen spun at Portier and could not turn his car around between the barriers. Nick Heidfeld had to switch to the spare Sauber after an electronic throttle problem and qualified sixteenth.

Qualifying Classification

2001 Monaco Grand Prix Qualifying, 26 May 2001

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:17.430	12
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:17.631	11
3	3	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	1:17.749	12
4	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:17.856	12
5	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:18.029	11
6	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	1:18.432	12
7	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:18.751	12
8	12	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	1:18.921	12
9	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	1:19.086	12
10	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	1:19.220	11
11	22	Jean Alesi	Prost	1:19.245	12
12	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	1:19.294	12
13	11	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	1:19.316	11
14	19	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	1:20.033	12
15	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	1:20.081	12
16	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	1:20.261	12
17	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	1:20.342	12
18	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	1:20.788	12
19	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	1:20.823	12
20	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	1:21.336	11
21	23	Luciano Burti	Prost	1:21.771	12
22	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	1:22.201	12

Sunday warm-up

McLaren finished warm-up first and second, with David Coulthard ahead of Häkkinen and the Ferraris following. After the interruptions of practice, the half-hour was relatively calm. Tarso Marques nevertheless struck the barrier at Anthony Noghes, another reminder that even the final checks offered little margin for error.

Warm-up Classification

2001 Monaco Grand Prix Warm-up, 27 May 2001

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:20.944	12
2	3	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	+0.073s	15
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.706s	14
4	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+1.558s	16
5	11	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	+1.622s	14
6	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.706s	14
7	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+1.872s	14
8	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	+2.122s	17
9	19	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	+2.256s	14
10	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	+2.463s	9
11	12	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	+2.630s	14
12	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+2.646s	14
13	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	+2.651s	14
14	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.803s	15
15	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+2.898s	15
16	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	+3.098s	16
17	22	Jean Alesi	Prost	+3.102s	15
18	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	+3.193s	9
19	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	+3.997s	12
20	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	+4.384s	11
21	23	Luciano Burti	Prost	+4.994s	12
22	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	+5.421s	8

What happened in the 2001 Monaco Grand Prix?

David Coulthard stalled before the formation lap with a launch-control fault and had to start from the back. Michael Schumacher therefore had a clear path into the first corner, with Häkkinen pursuing. Juan Pablo Montoya crashed early, and Häkkinen subsequently retired after his McLaren developed a handling problem, leaving Ferrari in control.

Schumacher led comfortably ahead of Rubens Barrichello while David Coulthard spent much of the race trapped behind Enrique Bernoldi‘s Arrows. Ralf Schumacher‘s retirement promoted Eddie Irvine to third, and the Jaguar driver held off Jacques Villeneuve to secure the team’s first podium. Ferrari brought its cars home together after an otherwise commanding performance.

David Coulthard eventually recovered to fifth, but the points loss to Schumacher was substantial. Jean Alesi finished sixth to give Prost its first point of the season, while Jenson Button narrowly missed out in seventh. Only ten cars reached the finish after a demanding afternoon of accidents and mechanical failures.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 52 points, followed by David Coulthard on 40. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 76, with McLaren on 44.

2001 Monaco Grand Prix race results

The 2001 Monaco Grand Prix was held on 27 May 2001, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	78	1:47:22.561	10
2	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	78	+0.431	6
3	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	78	+30.698	4
4	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	78	+32.454	3
5	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	77	+1 lap	2
6	22	Jean Alesi	Prost	77	+1 lap	1
7	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	77	+1 lap	0
8	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	77	+1 lap	0
9	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	76	+2 laps	0
10	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	73	+5 laps	0
Ret	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	57	Electrical	0
Ret	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	56	Transmission	0
Ret	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	54	Gearbox	0
Ret	11	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	49	Accident	0
Ret	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	43	Gearbox/accident	0
Ret	12	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	30	Hydraulics/engine	0
Ret	23	Luciano Burti	Prost	24	Gearbox	0
Ret	19	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	18	Hydraulics	0
Ret	3	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	15	Steering	0
Ret	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	13	Steering	0
Ret	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	2	Accident	0
Ret	16	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	0	Collision	0

David Coulthard started the race from the back of the grid after stalling on the formation lap.

2001 Monaco Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	4	David Coulthard	McLaren	68	1:19.424	152.749
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	50	1:19.770	152.087
3	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	57	1:20.329	151.028
4	10	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	75	1:20.417	150.863
5	18	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	76	1:20.681	150.369
6	17	Kimi Räikkönen	Sauber	60	1:20.705	150.325
7	11	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan	46	1:20.810	150.129
8	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	47	1:20.975	149.824
9	22	Jean Alesi	Prost	73	1:21.151	149.499
10	8	Jenson Button	Benetton	65	1:21.580	148.712
11	7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Benetton	37	1:21.646	148.592
12	3	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	12	1:21.682	148.527
13	14	Jos Verstappen	Arrows	74	1:21.732	148.436
14	15	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	75	1:22.053	147.855
15	12	Jarno Trulli	Jordan	30	1:22.345	147.331
16	21	Fernando Alonso	Minardi	28	1:22.956	146.246
17	19	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	18	1:23.483	145.322
18	23	Luciano Burti	Prost	18	1:24.206	144.075
19	20	Tarso Marques	Minardi	33	1:24.570	143.455
20	9	Olivier Panis	BAR	10	1:24.719	143.202
21	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	2	1:25.773	141.443

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 Monaco Grand Prix.

2001 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	52
2	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	40
3	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Ferrari	24
4	Ralf Schumacher	German	Williams	12
5	Nick Heidfeld	German	Sauber	8
6	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	BAR	7
7	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Jordan	7
8	Juan Pablo Montoya	Colombian	Williams	6
9	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Jordan	6
10	Olivier Panis	French	BAR	5
11	Eddie Irvine	British	Jaguar	4
12	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Sauber	4
13	Mika Häkkinen	Finnish	McLaren	4
14	Jos Verstappen	Dutch	Arrows	1
15	Jean Alesi	French	Prost	1
16	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Benetton	1
–	Jenson Button	British	Benetton	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
–	Pedro de la Rosa	Spanish	Jaguar	0

2001 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	76
2	McLaren	44
3	Williams	18
4	Jordan	13
5	BAR	12
6	Sauber	12
7	Jaguar	4
8	Arrows	1
9	Benetton	1
10	Prost	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