2002 British Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Michael Schumacher won a rain-soaked British Grand Prix as Ferrari’s tyre advantage proved decisive. Rubens Barrichello recovered from the back of the grid to finish second, with pole-sitter Juan Pablo Montoya completing the podium.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams
Pole time	1:18.998
Fastest lap	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	1:23.083 on lap 58
First	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Second	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari
Third	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
5 July 2002	Practice 1	11:00
5 July 2002	Practice 2	13:00
6 July 2002	Practice 3	09:00
6 July 2002	Practice 4	10:15
6 July 2002	Qualifying	13:00
7 July 2002	Warm-up	08:30
7 July 2002	Race	13:00

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 10 leading the 2002 F1 World Championship on 76 points, with Ralf Schumacher on 30. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 102 points.

Race entries

Arrows missed Friday practice while financial problems prevented it from using its engines, but Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Enrique Bernoldi joined the running on Saturday. The regular driver line-ups remained unchanged, although Alex Yoong would fail to qualify for the race.

Free Practice

Rubens Barrichello led a wet first Friday session on intermediates. Michael Schumacher spun and stalled on his out-lap, losing the remainder of the hour, while Felipe Massa became stuck in the gravel. Juan Pablo Montoya’s engine failed on the Hangar Straight, adding another major interruption to a difficult opening session.

Rubens Barrichello again went fastest in the afternoon, followed by Michael Schumacher. A drying line briefly improved conditions before more rain arrived. Olivier Panis spun into the Brooklands gravel and could not continue, while the rest of the field worked around the shifting tyre requirements.

Friday Practice Classification — Combined

2002 British Grand Prix opening-day practice, 5 July 2002

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:31.457	28
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.424s	22
3	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+1.977s	31
4	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+2.385s	21
5	10	Takuma Sato	Jordan	+2.444s	37
6	11	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.916s	36
7	4	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+3.016s	39
8	8	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+3.219s	28
9	15	Jenson Button	Renault	+3.287s	30
10	7	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+3.295s	28
11	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+3.309s	28
12	3	David Coulthard	McLaren	+3.713s	29
13	17	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	+3.867s	39
14	12	Olivier Panis	BAR	+4.077s	24
15	16	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+4.225s	26
16	14	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+4.787s	33
17	23	Mark Webber	Minardi	+6.378s	29
18	22	Alex Yoong	Minardi	+6.540s	38
19	25	Allan McNish	Toyota	+7.020s	30

Michael Schumacher led the mostly dry first Saturday session as Arrows finally began its weekend. Giancarlo Fisichella stopped with an engine problem and Olivier Panis lost running to an electrical fault. Eddie Irvine failed to record a time because his Jaguar would not select gears properly.

Rubens Barrichello headed the final practice, but reliability remained troublesome for several teams. Both Arrows stopped near the pit exit, Olivier Panis halted again at Vale and Mark Webber stopped leaving Copse. The dry running was valuable after Friday’s rain, making each lost lap particularly costly.

Saturday Practice Classification — Combined

2002 British Grand Prix Saturday practice, 6 July 2002

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:20.230	24
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.198s	26
3	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.478s	30
4	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.846s	30
5	3	David Coulthard	McLaren	+1.096s	22
6	4	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+1.538s	23
7	7	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+1.539s	35
8	15	Jenson Button	Renault	+1.768s	25
9	20	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Arrows	+1.944s	28
10	11	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.054s	34
11	14	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+2.236s	30
12	8	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+2.242s	33
13	16	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+2.297s	14
14	17	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	+2.313s	28
15	21	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	+2.398s	29
16	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+2.450s	17
17	10	Takuma Sato	Jordan	+2.582s	30
18	25	Allan McNish	Toyota	+2.615s	25
19	24	Mika Salo	Toyota	+2.954s	21
20	12	Olivier Panis	BAR	+3.014s	14
21	23	Mark Webber	Minardi	+3.449s	33
22	22	Alex Yoong	Minardi	+5.297s	33

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

Qualifying

Juan Pablo Montoya took his fourth consecutive pole with a last-gasp lap, beating Rubens Barrichello by only 0.034 seconds. Michael Schumacher qualified third ahead of Ralf Schumacher. The McLarens filled the third row despite Kimi Räikkönen needing the spare car after an engine problem.

Jenson Button also suffered an engine failure and qualified twelfth in a less-developed spare Renault. Alex Yoong missed the 107 per cent threshold and was denied permission to race, leaving 21 qualified drivers.

Qualifying Classification

2002 British Grand Prix Qualifying, 6 July 2002

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:18.998	9
2	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:19.032	11
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:19.042	9
4	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:19.329	9
5	4	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	1:20.133	11
6	3	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:20.315	11
7	14	Jarno Trulli	Renault	1:20.516	11
8	24	Mika Salo	Toyota	1:20.995	12
9	11	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	1:21.130	12
10	7	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	1:21.187	12
11	8	Felipe Massa	Sauber	1:21.191	12
12	15	Jenson Button	Renault	1:21.247	11
13	12	Olivier Panis	BAR	1:21.274	12
14	10	Takuma Sato	Jordan	1:21.337	11
15	25	Allan McNish	Toyota	1:21.382	11
16	20	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Arrows	1:21.416	12
17	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	1:21.636	12
18	21	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	1:21.780	12
19	16	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	1:21.851	11
20	23	Mark Webber	Minardi	1:22.281	11
21	17	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	1:23.422	6
DNQ	22	Alex Yoong	Minardi	1:24.785	12

Sunday warm-up

Rubens Barrichello led the Sunday warm-up while David Coulthard’s McLaren developed an oil-pressure problem. The Scot briefly used the spare car and received a replacement engine before the race. Heinz-Harald Frentzen stopped with a launch-control problem, and Felipe Massa visited the gravel as the session ended.

Warm-up Classification

2002 British Grand Prix Warm-up, 7 July 2002

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:22.371	12
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.444s	15
3	4	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+1.843s	12
4	10	Takuma Sato	Jordan	+1.853s	15
5	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+2.068s	11
6	7	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+2.352s	14
7	11	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.370s	14
8	8	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+2.491s	13
9	3	David Coulthard	McLaren	+2.532s	8
10	14	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+2.703s	13
11	20	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Arrows	+2.789s	11
12	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+2.833s	13
13	24	Mika Salo	Toyota	+2.872s	13
14	25	Allan McNish	Toyota	+3.090s	13
15	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+3.336s	5
16	17	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	+3.428s	14
17	15	Jenson Button	Renault	+3.588s	9
18	12	Olivier Panis	BAR	+3.728s	9
19	23	Mark Webber	Minardi	+4.246s	14
20	21	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	+4.415s	9
21	16	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+4.517s	9

What happened in the 2002 British Grand Prix?

Rubens Barrichello stalled before the formation lap and had to start at the back, while Juan Pablo Montoya led Michael Schumacher away. Rain soon intensified, prompting tyre changes. Ferrari’s Bridgestone intermediates proved much more effective than the Michelin wets, allowing Schumacher to take the lead and Rubens Barrichello to charge forward.

McLaren and Renault lost time through tyre choices and confused stops as the weather changed repeatedly. Rubens Barrichello survived a spin and fought Juan Pablo Montoya for second, eventually passing him at Copse. Michael Schumacher remained comfortably clear at the front.

Ferrari completed another one-two, with Juan Pablo Montoya third. Jacques Villeneuve and Olivier Panis finished fourth and fifth to give BAR its first points of the season, while Nick Heidfeld took sixth. Rubens Barrichello’s recovery made the result especially striking after his troubled start.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 86 points, followed by Rubens Barrichello on 32. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 118, with Williams on 61.

2002 British Grand Prix race results

The 2002 British Grand Prix was held on 7 July 2002, with a scheduled start of 13:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	60	1:31:45.015	10
2	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	60	+14.578	6
3	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	60	+31.661	4
4	11	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	59	+1 Lap	3
5	12	Olivier Panis	BAR	59	+1 Lap	2
6	7	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	59	+1 Lap	1
7	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	59	+1 Lap	0
8	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	59	+1 Lap	0
9	8	Felipe Massa	Sauber	59	+1 Lap	0
10	3	David Coulthard	McLaren	58	+2 Laps	0
11	17	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	58	+2 Laps	0
12	15	Jenson Button	Renault	54	Suspension	0
Ret	10	Takuma Sato	Jordan	50	Engine	0
Ret	4	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	44	Engine	0
Ret	14	Jarno Trulli	Renault	29	Electrical	0
Ret	21	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	28	Driveshaft	0
Ret	16	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	23	Spin	0
Ret	20	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Arrows	20	Engine	0
Ret	24	Mika Salo	Toyota	15	Drivetrain	0
Ret	23	Mark Webber	Minardi	9	Clutch	0
Ret	25	Allan McNish	Toyota	0	Clutch	0
DNQ	22	Alex Yoong	Minardi	—	Broke 107% Rule	0

Rubens Barrichello started the race from the back of the grid after stalling on the formation lap.

2002 British Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	58	1:23.083	222.760
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	52	1:23.826	220.785
3	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	58	1:24.586	218.802
4	11	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	56	1:24.949	217.867
5	7	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	57	1:24.996	217.746
6	8	Felipe Massa	Sauber	57	1:25.058	217.587
7	12	Olivier Panis	BAR	58	1:25.063	217.575
8	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	58	1:25.104	217.470
9	4	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	5	1:25.409	216.693
10	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	50	1:25.469	216.541
11	3	David Coulthard	McLaren	56	1:25.492	216.483
12	17	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	57	1:25.540	216.361
13	10	Takuma Sato	Jordan	46	1:25.804	215.696
14	15	Jenson Button	Renault	5	1:26.074	215.019
15	14	Jarno Trulli	Renault	5	1:26.519	213.913
16	24	Mika Salo	Toyota	4	1:26.723	213.410
17	21	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	5	1:27.328	211.932
18	16	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	5	1:27.781	210.838
19	20	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Arrows	6	1:28.111	210.048
20	23	Mark Webber	Minardi	7	1:28.321	209.549

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. Average speeds are in km/h. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

2002 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2002 British Grand Prix.

2002 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	86
2	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Ferrari	32
3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Colombian	Williams	31
4	Ralf Schumacher	German	Williams	30
5	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	26
6	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	McLaren	11
7	Jenson Button	British	Renault	10
8	Nick Heidfeld	German	Sauber	6
9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Jordan	6
10	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Renault	4
11	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Sauber	4
12	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	BAR	3
13	Eddie Irvine	British	Jaguar	3
14	Olivier Panis	French	BAR	2
15	Mark Webber	Australian	Minardi	2
16	Mika Salo	Finnish	Toyota	2
17	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Arrows	2
18	Allan McNish	British	Toyota	0
19	Alex Yoong	Malaysian	Minardi	0
20	Pedro de la Rosa	Spanish	Jaguar	0
21	Takuma Sato	Japanese	Jordan	0
22	Enrique Bernoldi	Brazilian	Arrows	0

2002 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	118
2	Williams	61
3	McLaren	37
4	Renault	14
5	Sauber	10
6	Jordan	6
7	BAR	5
8	Jaguar	3
9	Minardi	2
10	Toyota	2
11	Arrows	2

2002 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2002 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	3 March
2	2002 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	17 March
3	2002 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	31 March
4	2002 San Marino Grand Prix	Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola	14 April
5	2002 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	28 April
6	2002 Austrian Grand Prix	A1-Ring, Spielberg	12 May
7	2002 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	26 May
8	2002 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	9 June
9	2002 European Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	23 June
10	2002 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	7 July
11	2002 French Grand Prix	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours	21 July
12	2002 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	28 July
13	2002 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	18 August
14	2002 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	1 September
15	2002 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	15 September
16	2002 United States Grand Prix	Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis	29 September
17	2002 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	13 October