2002 Malaysian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Ralf Schumacher led a Williams one-two in Malaysia after Michael Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya collided at the first corner. Juan Pablo Montoya recovered to second despite a drive-through penalty, while Michael Schumacher took third when late trouble denied Jenson Button a maiden podium.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Pole time	1:35.266
Fastest lap	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams
Fastest-lap time	1:38.049 on lap 38
First	Ralf Schumacher	Williams
Second	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams
Third	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
15 March 2002	Practice 1	11:00
15 March 2002	Practice 2	13:00
16 March 2002	Practice 3	09:00
16 March 2002	Practice 4	10:15
16 March 2002	Qualifying	13:00
17 March 2002	Warm-up	10:30
17 March 2002	Race	15:00

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 2 leading the 2002 F1 World Championship on 10 points, with Juan Pablo Montoya on 6. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 10 points.

Race entries

The same 22 drivers returned after Melbourne’s chaotic opener. Ferrari continued with its previous-season car, while Toyota and the rookie drivers approached their second race with the experience of a demanding debut behind them.

Free Practice

Michael Schumacher led Rubens Barrichello in a hot and humid first Friday session. A smoky haze hung over Sepang but did not prevent running. David Coulthard stopped when an exhaust problem caused a fire at the rear of his McLaren, leaving the team to repair the car before the afternoon session.

Kimi Räikkönen led a McLaren one-two in the second session, with David Coulthard recovering well from his earlier problems. Reliability remained a concern elsewhere: Mark Webber’s engine failed almost immediately and Rubens Barrichello stopped with an engine failure late in the session. Several drivers also ran wide as they explored the available grip.

Friday Practice Classification — Combined

2002 Malaysian Grand Prix opening-day practice, 15 March 2002

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	4	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	1:37.399	26
2	3	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.639s	18
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+1.091s	36
4	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.251s	40
5	24	Mika Salo	Toyota	+1.667s	36
6	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+1.759s	35
7	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+1.880s	25
8	15	Jenson Button	Renault	+2.315s	32
9	14	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+2.375s	23
10	7	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+2.490s	34
11	25	Allan McNish	Toyota	+2.583s	28
12	17	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	+2.748s	36
13	20	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Arrows	+3.177s	27
14	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+3.416s	39
15	21	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	+3.696s	19
16	10	Takuma Sato	Jordan	+3.712s	44
17	11	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+4.062s	25
18	12	Olivier Panis	BAR	+4.074s	27
19	22	Alex Yoong	Minardi	+4.406s	38
20	16	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+4.458s	29
21	8	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+4.518s	22
22	23	Mark Webber	Minardi	+7.184s	6

Overnight rain left damp patches away from the racing line on Saturday morning. Rubens Barrichello went fastest late in the first session as conditions improved. Heinz-Harald Frentzen failed to record a time after an oil-line problem damaged his engine, adding to Arrows’ difficult start to the season.

Juan Pablo Montoya topped the final practice ahead of Kimi Räikkönen as the circuit warmed. David Coulthard put his wheels on the grass and spun into the gravel, ending his running. Heinz-Harald Frentzen suffered another setback when fire broke out at the rear of his car, leaving both teams with work before qualifying.

Saturday Practice Classification — Combined

2002 Malaysian Grand Prix Saturday practice, 16 March 2002

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:36.556	24
2	4	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+0.092s	26
3	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.133s	26
4	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.354s	17
5	3	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.420s	23
6	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.489s	14
7	15	Jenson Button	Renault	+1.053s	18
8	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+1.659s	24
9	8	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+1.745s	18
10	7	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+1.764s	19
11	24	Mika Salo	Toyota	+1.810s	23
12	21	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	+1.922s	20
13	20	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Arrows	+2.057s	10
14	17	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	+2.178s	29
15	14	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+2.240s	22
16	10	Takuma Sato	Jordan	+2.560s	25
17	16	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+2.763s	30
18	25	Allan McNish	Toyota	+2.793s	27
19	11	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.886s	25
20	12	Olivier Panis	BAR	+2.934s	24
21	23	Mark Webber	Minardi	+3.504s	24
22	22	Alex Yoong	Minardi	+4.100s	26

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

Qualifying

Michael Schumacher claimed pole ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya, with Rubens Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher on the second row. Kimi Räikkönen outqualified David Coulthard as the McLarens filled fifth and sixth. The one-hour session allowed repeated attempts, but traffic, balance changes and tyre performance made extracting a clean lap difficult.

Jenson Button qualified eighth despite an engine problem that sent him to the spare Renault. Mika Salo gave Toyota its first top-ten qualifying result, while Felipe Massa suffered a suspension failure and also had to change cars. David Coulthard’s session ended in the gravel after another spin.

Qualifying Classification

2002 Malaysian Grand Prix Qualifying, 16 March 2002

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:35.266	9
2	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:35.497	11
3	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:35.891	12
4	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:36.028	12
5	4	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	1:36.468	11
6	3	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:36.477	12
7	7	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	1:37.199	10
8	15	Jenson Button	Renault	1:37.245	9
9	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	1:37.536	12
10	24	Mika Salo	Toyota	1:37.694	11
11	20	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Arrows	1:37.919	12
12	14	Jarno Trulli	Renault	1:37.920	11
13	11	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	1:38.039	11
14	8	Felipe Massa	Sauber	1:38.057	10
15	10	Takuma Sato	Jordan	1:38.141	11
16	21	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	1:38.284	10
17	17	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	1:38.374	12
18	12	Olivier Panis	BAR	1:38.390	7
19	25	Allan McNish	Toyota	1:38.959	10
20	16	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	1:39.121	11
21	23	Mark Webber	Minardi	1:39.454	12
22	22	Alex Yoong	Minardi	1:40.158	12

Sunday warm-up

Rubens Barrichello led Michael Schumacher in the Sunday warm-up as teams made their final checks in hot sunshine. Ralf Schumacher spun and later experienced a front brake-disc failure and a small fire in the pit lane. Alex Yoong also visited the gravel but returned to the pits.

Warm-up Classification

2002 Malaysian Grand Prix Warm-up, 17 March 2002

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:39.611	10
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.137s	14
3	3	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.142s	11
4	14	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+0.180s	9
5	7	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+0.324s	12
6	15	Jenson Button	Renault	+0.581s	10
7	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.600s	7
8	17	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	+0.655s	11
9	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.705s	12
10	20	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Arrows	+0.825s	12
11	8	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+0.882s	11
12	21	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	+1.010s	12
13	10	Takuma Sato	Jordan	+1.172s	13
14	24	Mika Salo	Toyota	+1.482s	12
15	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+1.855s	15
16	25	Allan McNish	Toyota	+1.899s	12
17	16	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	+1.910s	12
18	11	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+1.989s	12
19	4	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+2.027s	6
20	12	Olivier Panis	BAR	+2.490s	5
21	23	Mark Webber	Minardi	+3.447s	7
22	22	Alex Yoong	Minardi	+4.108s	7

What happened in the 2002 Malaysian Grand Prix?

Michael Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya made contact at the first corner, damaging the Ferrari’s front wing and forcing the Williams wide. Rubens Barrichello took the lead from Ralf Schumacher. The stewards gave Juan Pablo Montoya a drive-through penalty, while both Jordan drivers needed repairs after Takuma Sato hit Giancarlo Fisichella.

Ralf Schumacher’s one-stop strategy put him in a strong position against Rubens Barrichello’s two-stop plan. Both McLarens retired with engine trouble, and Rubens Barrichello later suffered the same fate. Juan Pablo Montoya and Michael Schumacher worked their way back through the field, while Jenson Button emerged as a podium contender.

Ralf Schumacher won comfortably, with Juan Pablo Montoya completing a Williams one-two. Jenson Button’s late suspension problem slowed the Renault enough for Michael Schumacher to pass on the final lap and take third. Jenson Button finished fourth, followed by Nick Heidfeld and Felipe Massa, who scored his first Formula 1 point.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 14 points, followed by Juan Pablo Montoya on 12. Williams led the constructors’ table on 22, with Ferrari on 14.

2002 Malaysian Grand Prix race results

The 2002 Malaysian Grand Prix was held on 17 March 2002, with a scheduled start of 15:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	56	1:34:12.912	10
2	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	56	+39.700	6
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	56	+1:01.795	4
4	15	Jenson Button	Renault	56	+1:09.767	3
5	7	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	55	+1 lap	2
6	8	Felipe Massa	Sauber	55	+1 lap	1
7	25	Allan McNish	Toyota	55	+1 lap	0
8	11	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	55	+1 lap	0
9	10	Takuma Sato	Jordan	54	+2 laps	0
10	17	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	54	+2 laps	0
11	20	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Arrows	54	+2 laps	0
12	24	Mika Salo	Toyota	53	+3 laps	0
13	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	53	+3 laps	0
Ret	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	39	Engine	0
Ret	23	Mark Webber	Minardi	34	Electrical	0
Ret	16	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	30	Hydraulics	0
Ret	22	Alex Yoong	Minardi	29	Gearbox	0
Ret	4	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	24	Engine	0
Ret	21	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	20	Fuel pressure	0
Ret	3	David Coulthard	McLaren	15	Engine	0
Ret	12	Olivier Panis	BAR	9	Clutch	0
Ret	14	Jarno Trulli	Renault	9	Overheating	0

2002 Malaysian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	38	1:38.049	203.518
2	5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	29	1:38.369	202.856
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	53	1:38.754	202.065
4	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	20	1:38.931	201.704
5	24	Mika Salo	Toyota	47	1:39.649	200.250
6	4	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	21	1:39.800	199.947
7	15	Jenson Button	Renault	28	1:40.011	199.526
8	20	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Arrows	54	1:40.267	199.016
9	7	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	18	1:40.575	198.407
10	17	Pedro de la Rosa	Jaguar	52	1:40.675	198.210
11	10	Takuma Sato	Jordan	51	1:41.181	197.218
12	25	Allan McNish	Toyota	38	1:41.321	196.946
13	8	Felipe Massa	Sauber	25	1:41.324	196.940
14	9	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	49	1:41.410	196.773
15	3	David Coulthard	McLaren	10	1:41.455	196.686
16	21	Enrique Bernoldi	Arrows	19	1:41.891	195.844
17	16	Eddie Irvine	Jaguar	20	1:42.323	195.017
18	11	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	45	1:42.373	194.922
19	23	Mark Webber	Minardi	20	1:43.125	193.501
20	22	Alex Yoong	Minardi	18	1:43.190	193.379
21	12	Olivier Panis	BAR	9	1:43.567	192.675
22	14	Jarno Trulli	Renault	6	1:43.702	192.424

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 Malaysian Grand Prix.

2002 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

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

2002 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Williams	22
2	Ferrari	14
3	McLaren	4
4	Jaguar	3
5	Renault	3
6	Sauber	3
7	Minardi	2
8	Toyota	1
9	BAR	0
10	Jordan	0
11	Arrows	0

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