2002 French Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Michael Schumacher clinched his fifth world championship with victory in France, matching Juan Manuel Fangio’s record. Kimi Räikkönen came agonisingly close to a first win before sliding on oil late in the race, leaving the Ferrari driver to seize the decisive opportunity.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams
Pole time	1:11.985
Fastest lap	David Coulthard	McLaren
Fastest-lap time	1:15.045 on lap 62
First	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Second	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren
Third	David Coulthard	McLaren

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
19 July 2002	Practice 1	11:00
19 July 2002	Practice 2	13:00
20 July 2002	Practice 3	09:00
20 July 2002	Practice 4	10:15
20 July 2002	Qualifying	13:00
21 July 2002	Warm-up	09:30
21 July 2002	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 11 leading the 2002 F1 World Championship on 86 points, with Rubens Barrichello on 32. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 118 points.

Race entries

Arrows’ financial difficulties continued to restrict its participation, and both drivers deliberately failed to qualify after token running. Giancarlo Fisichella withdrew following a heavy Saturday practice accident, leaving Takuma Sato as Jordan’s sole race representative. Rubens Barrichello would also fail to start after a problem before the formation lap.

Free Practice

Rubens Barrichello led the first Friday session in hot sunshine. Mika Salo’s Toyota sustained damage after contact with Takuma Sato at the Imola chicane, although checks allowed him to continue. Neither Arrows ran while the team pursued negotiations over its financial future.

David Coulthard narrowly headed Kimi Räikkönen in the afternoon. Jarno Trulli’s Renault touched the tyre barrier after he took too much kerb at the Nürburgring chicane, ending his session early. Juan Pablo Montoya and Takuma Sato also lost bodywork in excursions through the gravel.

Friday Practice Classification — Combined

2002 French Grand Prix opening-day practice, 19 July 2002

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:14.025	37
2	4	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+0.072s	39
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.215s	50
4	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.725s	40
5	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.945s	37
6	16	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+0.958s	39
7	24	Mika Salo	Toyota	+1.136s	28
8	17	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	+1.154s	46
9	15	Jenson Button	Renault	+1.193s	42
10	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+1.246s	36
11	25	Allan McNish	Toyota	+1.386s	44
12	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+1.397s	38
13	8	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+2.005s	50
14	12	Olivier Panis	BAR	+2.138s	43
15	10	Takuma Sato	Jordan	+2.142s	47
16	7	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+2.184s	45
17	11	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.432s	35
18	23	Mark Webber	Minardi	+2.471s	38
19	14	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+2.738s	18
20	22	Alex Yoong	Minardi	+4.990s	43

Michael Schumacher set the pace late in the first Saturday session, comfortably ahead of Rubens Barrichello. The dry, sunny running allowed the leading teams to refine their cars before qualifying, with McLaren again close enough to suggest a stronger challenge than at several earlier rounds.

Giancarlo Fisichella’s front wing failed at Estoril in the final practice, sending the Jordan heavily into the barriers and stopping the session. Medical checks ruled him out of the rest of the weekend. Michael Schumacher’s earlier time remained fastest overall, while Kimi Räikkönen and David Coulthard improved behind him.

Saturday Practice Classification — Combined

2002 French Grand Prix Saturday practice, 20 July 2002

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:12.974	18
2	4	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+0.021s	23
3	3	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.275s	20
4	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.529s	20
5	15	Jenson Button	Renault	+0.579s	30
6	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.659s	32
7	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.754s	32
8	16	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+1.044s	24
9	7	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+1.134s	27
10	14	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+1.187s	35
11	17	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	+1.237s	33
12	8	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+1.237s	24
13	10	Takuma Sato	Jordan	+1.529s	34
14	12	Olivier Panis	BAR	+1.583s	21
15	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+1.975s	19
16	11	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.062s	26
17	24	Mika Salo	Toyota	+2.542s	27
18	25	Allan McNish	Toyota	+2.676s	28
19	23	Mark Webber	Minardi	+2.823s	21
20	22	Alex Yoong	Minardi	+4.233s	42
21	21	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	No time	1
22	20	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Arrows	No time	1

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

Qualifying

Juan Pablo Montoya took his fifth successive pole, beating Michael Schumacher by just 0.023 seconds. Rubens Barrichello qualified third ahead of Kimi Räikkönen. Schumacher lost opportunities to improve by cutting chicanes, while the Williams driver again extracted exceptional single-lap speed.

Eddie Irvine gave Jaguar a place in the top ten. At the other end of the field, the Arrows drivers slowed deliberately and missed the 107 per cent threshold, then the team left the circuit. Giancarlo Fisichella’s medical withdrawal meant only one Jordan took part.

Qualifying Classification

2002 French Grand Prix Qualifying, 20 July 2002

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:11.985	12
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:12.008	12
3	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:12.197	12
4	4	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	1:12.244	12
5	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:12.424	12
6	3	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:12.498	12
7	15	Jenson Button	Renault	1:12.761	12
8	14	Jarno Trulli	Renault	1:13.030	12
9	16	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	1:13.188	12
10	7	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	1:13.370	12
11	12	Olivier Panis	BAR	1:13.457	12
12	8	Felipe Massa	Sauber	1:13.501	12
13	11	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	1:13.506	12
14	10	Takuma Sato	Jordan	1:13.542	12
15	17	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	1:13.656	8
16	24	Mika Salo	Toyota	1:13.837	12
17	25	Allan McNish	Toyota	1:13.949	12
18	23	Mark Webber	Minardi	1:14.800	6
19	22	Alex Yoong	Minardi	1:16.798	9
DNQ	20	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Arrows	1:18.497	3
DNQ	21	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	1:19.843	3
DNQ	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	—	—

Sunday warm-up

Michael Schumacher led Rubens Barrichello in the Sunday warm-up. Takuma Sato briefly stalled at the pit exit after a launch-control error, and Ralf Schumacher spun twice. The otherwise dry, straightforward session gave little warning of the dramatic championship conclusion to come.

Warm-up Classification

2002 French Grand Prix Warm-up, 21 July 2002

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:14.174	18
2	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.714s	12
3	14	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+1.281s	12
4	8	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+1.345s	14
5	7	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+1.360s	15
6	15	Jenson Button	Renault	+1.499s	15
7	4	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+1.540s	13
8	16	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+1.630s	12
9	3	David Coulthard	McLaren	+1.643s	15
10	12	Olivier Panis	BAR	+1.884s	13
11	10	Takuma Sato	Jordan	+1.894s	12
12	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+2.010s	16
13	17	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	+2.438s	15
14	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+2.581s	8
15	11	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.647s	14
16	24	Mika Salo	Toyota	+2.715s	16
17	25	Allan McNish	Toyota	+2.882s	15
18	23	Mark Webber	Minardi	+3.699s	15
19	22	Alex Yoong	Minardi	+4.871s	13

What happened in the 2002 French Grand Prix?

Rubens Barrichello failed to start, leaving Michael Schumacher to pursue the title alone for Ferrari. Juan Pablo Montoya led the early stages, but the pit stops and tyre performance brought the McLarens into contention. Schumacher then received a drive-through penalty for crossing the pit-exit line, dropping him behind Kimi Räikkönen.

Kimi Räikkönen retained the advantage through the final stops and appeared on course for his first victory. With only a handful of laps remaining, he encountered oil from Allan McNish’s failed Toyota at the Adelaide hairpin and ran wide. Schumacher controlled his own slide and moved into the lead.

Michael Schumacher held on to win ahead of Kimi Räikkönen and David Coulthard, securing the championship with six rounds still to run. Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher finished fourth and fifth, with Jenson Button taking the final point. The result delivered Schumacher’s fifth title and left Kimi Räikkönen to reflect on a win that had been within reach.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 96 points, followed by Juan Pablo Montoya on 34. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 128, with Williams on 66.

2002 French Grand Prix race results

The 2002 French Grand Prix was held on 21 July 2002, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	72	1:32:09.837	10
2	4	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	72	+1.104	6
3	3	David Coulthard	McLaren	72	+31.975	4
4	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	72	+40.675	3
5	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	72	+41.772	2
6	15	Jenson Button	Renault	71	+1 lap	1
7	7	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	71	+1 lap	0
8	23	Mark Webber	Minardi	71	+1 lap	0
9	17	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	70	+2 laps	0
10	22	Alex Yoong	Minardi	68	+4 laps	0
11	25	Allan McNish	Toyota	65	Engine	0
Ret	16	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	52	Rear wing	0
Ret	14	Jarno Trulli	Renault	49	Engine	0
Ret	8	Felipe Massa	Sauber	48	Transmission	0
Ret	24	Mika Salo	Toyota	48	Engine	0
Ret	11	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	35	Engine	0
Ret	12	Olivier Panis	BAR	29	Collision damage	0
Ret	10	Takuma Sato	Jordan	23	Spin	0
DNS	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari		Ignition	0
DNQ	20	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Arrows	—	107% rule	0
DNQ	21	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	—	107% rule	0
DNQ	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	—	Injury	0

2002 French Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	3	David Coulthard	McLaren	62	1:15.045	203.925
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	25	1:15.311	203.205
3	4	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	54	1:15.406	202.949
4	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	24	1:15.584	202.471
5	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	26	1:15.697	202.169
6	15	Jenson Button	Renault	22	1:15.957	201.477
7	12	Olivier Panis	BAR	4	1:16.278	200.629
8	14	Jarno Trulli	Renault	20	1:16.300	200.571
9	16	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	20	1:16.456	200.162
10	17	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	58	1:16.515	200.007
11	11	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	23	1:16.667	199.611
12	7	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	22	1:16.847	199.143
13	8	Felipe Massa	Sauber	46	1:17.029	198.673
14	23	Mark Webber	Minardi	26	1:17.087	198.523
15	24	Mika Salo	Toyota	28	1:17.295	197.989
16	25	Allan McNish	Toyota	47	1:17.304	197.966
17	10	Takuma Sato	Jordan	6	1:17.565	197.300
18	22	Alex Yoong	Minardi	37	1:18.998	193.721

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 French Grand Prix.

2002 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	96
2	Juan Pablo Montoya	Colombian	Williams	34
3	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Ferrari	32
4	Ralf Schumacher	German	Williams	32
5	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	30
6	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	McLaren	17
7	Jenson Button	British	Renault	11
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	128
2	Williams	66
3	McLaren	47
4	Renault	15
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