Atlas F1 News Editor
With his fifth World Championship already in his pocket, Michael Schumacher arrived at his home race with no pressure and a lot of hunger to score his first win with Ferrari at the German Grand Prix. As it has been the case so often in 2002, Schumacher got what he wanted, winning in front of the noisy fans that crowded the heavily revised Hockenheim circuit. Atlas F1's Pablo Elizalde reviews all the weekend's events
"I think Michael is motivated by himself," said Schumacher's manager Willi Weber after Sunday's German Grand Prix. "He doesn't need any motivation because he likes what he is doing and that is motivation enough. He is a race driver with all of his heart and you can see it on the podium and feel it wherever he goes and I hope it stays like this for the next 20 years."
Schumacher will not stay in Formula One for 20 years, but having scored more wins, more podiums, and more points that any other driver in history, and yet still be hungry for more after over 11 successful years is a sign that the German could well decide to continue racing after 2004, when his current contract with Ferrari will expire.
Perhaps the Italian team dropping the ball in the next two years might be the only reason to make Schumacher consider his retirement, but judging by the team's current form that is unlikely to happen anytime soon.
That's one of the reasons why it came as no surprise to hear that Mika Hakkinen - the only man who was capable of beating Schumacher on a regular basis in the past few years - will not be returning to racing after his sabbatical. As much as the Finn was always a joy to watch on and off the track, he knew that he too was likely to be forced to suffer at the hands of his former rival.
It's little wonder that Ferrari's technical director Ross Brawn refused to rule out starting the 2003 season with this year's car, despite the new machine's development having started months ago.
"We obviously have the option of using the current car next year. Our plan at the moment is not to but then we did have that plan at the same time last year and despite that we did use the old car for the first few races and that's something we could do again next year," he said.
With their current form, it's obvious that it's not Ferrari but their rivals who must take risks in order to be competitive next year, and if taking risks is always dangerous, it is more the case when it comes to Formula One racing.
Certainly Juan Pablo Montoya, Ralf Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen and the rest must be looking forward to having a car that allows them to put some pressure on Ferrari on regular basis, and not as sporadically as it has been the case in 2002.
After the French Grand Prix flop, Williams were able to bring back memories of their strong start to the season, and Ralf especially looked to be in contention most of the weekend, even if in the end he had to concede to his brother and a bulletproof Ferrari that has allowed him to spend a whole year without a single retirement and enjoy an unprecedented streak of 12 wins in the last 17 races.
After five consecutive pole positions, Colombian Montoya performed somewhat below par and only the problems that hit Ralf and Rubens Barrichello allowed him to increase his lead in the race for the runner-up spot behind the all-conquering Schumacher, whose streak of success is almost equalled by his Brazilian teammate's run of bad luck.
Despite having the full support from his team, and despite counting with the spare car for the rest of the season, Barrichello was unable to escape yet another series of misfortune. Luckily for him, the spare car saved him from having to take the start from the back of grid, but another problem during one of his pit stops relegated him to a disappointing fourth place ahead of David Coulthard in the only surviving McLaren.
Despite the absence of the old long straights to handicap them for their relative lack of power, McLaren were unable to find harmony between their chassis and the Michelin tyres, and as a consequence they saw the midfield teams getting too close for comfort.
Sauber, as usual, and the much improved Honda-powered teams Jordan and BAR, were out to hunt the final points, and in the end the reliability of the Swiss squad paid dividends as Nick Heidfeld was rewarded with a sixth place that gave more reasons for the German fans to celebrate their drivers' dominance.
Qualifying
Michael Schumacher had to wait eleven years before scoring his first pole position at his home German Grand Prix, and it was certainly no easy feat when he finally got it this year, the Teuton having to give his best to beat the opposition from his brother Ralf and his Williams.
"It is a dream to get my first Hockenheim pole and hopefully also the win tomorrow," said the happy German. "I am more than excited about this and I would like to transform today's performance into victory in the race, as I have never won here with Ferrari."
As has often been the case this year, the lack of excitement for the top spot in the races has not been mirrored in some thrilling battles for pole position, especially in the last couple of races. In Germany, that was the case again, as Michael and Ralf kept on relegating each other from pole until the elder Schumacher completed one final lap of 1:14.389, around 24 seconds quicker than last year's pole time at the old, longer and faster Hockenheim.
The new, shorter, and much more spectator-friendly circuit received all sorts of reviews from the drivers, varying from labelling it as one of the best circuits of the calendar, to criticising it for having lost its unique character and becoming "just like any other track," as it was put by BAR's Jacques Villeneuve.
For the German fans who filled the stands the track was surely better, and after seeing both Schumachers emerging on top of the timesheets after the hour-long session, there was a lot to celebrate for the noisy Teutons.
Raikkonen and Coulthard were followed by the Williams duo, with Ralf already showing his intentions with a time of 1:15.728. Montoya, meanwhile, tried too hard at the entry of the Motordrom and, after posting the best split times, went off the track and threw it all away. Ralf's provisional pole, however, was not going to last, as first Rubens Barrichello and then Schumacher Senior relegated him to third place, ahead of an impressive Olivier Panis who had shone all weekend with the BAR.
Villeneuve's provisional sixth place and the also surprising pace of the Jordan of Giancarlo Fisichella proved that the latest evolution of the Honda engine was a significantly step forward, at least in terms of speed, as reliability still needs much improving.
The McLaren drivers were among the first ones to return to the track for a second run, and it was already clear that they would be not fighting for the two front rows of the grid despite briefly occupying - first Raikkonen and then Coulthard - the fourth spot. Ralf's second run, meanwhile, was an improvement for the German and moved him up to second while Fisichella completed a great second attempt to elevate himself up to fourth.
Montoya finally completed a competitive lap that moved him to fourth position, the Colombian losing a lot of time in the third split after setting the fastest time in the second sector. It didn't take long before the top runners jumped onto the track for the third time, and while McLaren's Raikkonen managed to move up to fifth spot, teammate Coulthard failed to improve.
Schumacher crossed the line after the two McLaren drivers, stopping the clock on a 1:14.628 that was quickly followed by Barrichello's lap, less than a tenth of a second slower, to complete an all-Ferrari provisional front row. Ralf, however, was ready to spoil the Italian team's party, and flying around the track, the Williams driver relegated both Ferraris with a lap of 1:14.570.
Ferrari's final assault was kicked off with less than four minutes remaining, with Barrichello completing a final run that wouldn't allow him to fight for pole, the Brazilian staying down in third despite a slight improvement. Schumacher, however, defended Ferrari's colours to perfection and when he crossed the finish line for the final time, the fastest time of the session was his.
"After having achieved five poles in a row I can cope with starting from the second row," said Montoya, who has failed to turn his poles this season into victories.
Raikkonen stayed in fifth place ahead of the impressive Fisichella and Panis who, like Renault's Jarno Trulli, were able to leapfrog a disappointed Coulthard, who had to settle for ninth place ahead of Nick Heidfeld in the first of the Saubers.
At the wrong end of the grid, Minardi's Alex Yoong failed to qualify for the third time this season, raising more doubts about his presence at the Hungarian Grand Prix next month.
The Race
"I reported a problem to the pits and I thought they were going to be able to sort it out but then they said no, just jump into the T-car," he explained.
Fortunately for him, for the first time in three races, the Ferrari driver avoided problems at the start, just like the majority of the field, except for Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Mark Webber. The Arrows driver was left stranded on the grid once the red lights went out, while the Australian Minardi driver had a very slow getaway but managed to get moving.
Up front, Michael Schumacher was able to keep Ralf at bay with not too much difficulty, while Rubens Barrichello kept third ahead of Kimi Raikkonen, who managed to pass and stay ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya despite the best efforts of the Colombian to regain his position.
At the front of the field, Schumacher opened a small gap to Ralf, who was momentarily put under pressure by Barrichello before he could edge slightly away from the Ferrari driver. Raikkonen, meanwhile, was also doing his best to keep a charging Montoya at bay, the Colombian clearly slowed down by the Finn's pace.
After the first ten laps, Schumacher was leading Ralf by more than five seconds, and the younger brother had finally managed to get some breathing space to Barrichello. The real action, however, was taking place behind the Brazilian, as the battle for fourth place between Raikkonen and Montoya was heating up, with the Williams driver finally making a move on lap 11.
Montoya dived around the outside at the new hairpin, but left his braking too late and Raikkonen was able to recover his position on the exit, but that was far from the end, as the Williams driver, after another failed attempt at the following twisty section, got alongside the Finn when coming into the Motordrom. Montoya got the inside line, and despite having to drive around the outside and temporarily onto the grass, Raikkonen hung on to his position until the braking point, where the Williams finally moved ahead and quickly disappeared into the distance.
By then, however, Montoya was already more then 20 seconds off the leader, who by lap 15 began to see his Bridgestone tyres blister and had to slow his pace slightly, allowing Ralf to reduce the gap.
Apart from a struggling Jarno Trulli, who was forced to make an early pitstop to change his Michelin tyres, it was Brazilian Felipe Massa who kicked off the scheduled round of stops, coming into the pits on lap 20. Barrichello was the first of the leaders to pit, the Brazilian joined by Raikkonen on lap 26. Both drivers had trouble-free stops and rejoined the race in fourth and seventh respectively.
Schumacher dived into the pits one lap later, allowing the Williams duo to take the lead at the moment that Ralf was running quickest. The German pitted two laps after his brother, but unfortunately for him he found a slow Villeneuve right at the pit entry as the Canadian crawled to his pit bay with the ailing BAR. That cost Ralf valuable time, and when he rejoined the track, he was still behind his brother and right in front of Barrichello.
Montoya pitted and rejoined in fourth, with Raikkonen in fifth and David Coulthard in a distant sixth after Giancarlo Fisichella lost all his chances of finishing in the points after a wheel nut jammed, costing him several seconds and positions.
Raikkonen continued in fifth until lap 37 when, approaching the hairpin, his left rear tyre literally exploded. The Finn was able to nurse his car back to the pits, but not without causing some damage to the rear of his car, returning to the track with his chance of scoring points also gone.
Up in front, Schumacher managed to pull away from Ralf before the start of the second round of stops, his gap increasing up to more than seven seconds by lap 45. Only one lap later, Barrichello was the first of the top runners to pit for the second time, but this time he was unable to escape his usual problems, as the fuel flap refused to open, costing him a lot of time. After 21 seconds, the unlucky Brazilian finally returned to the track in a very distant fourth position.
His German teammate pitted a lap later, stood stationary for 8.5 seconds, and resumed his unstoppable run towards his ninth win of the season. Ralf pitted next, and despite a misunderstanding with the lollipop man, the Williams driver, who didn't change his Michelin tyres, was back out quickly, rejoining in third. He then moved up to second once more after Montoya pitted without problems, emerging ahead of Barrichello.
Coulthard was in a solitary fifth, ahead of Nick Heidfeld in the first of the Saubers. Raikkonen, his car suffering from the damage caused by the blown tyre, was running in 11th when he lost control of his car at the final corner and went off, crashing into the tyre barriers.
Without any opposition yet again, Schumacher cruised home to clinch his second win at his home Grand Prix - his first with Ferrari - to the delight of the 120,000 German fans.
"You can imagine how much I was dreaming for this result," he said after scoring a record-equalling ninth win of the season. "We have been so successful in the past three years but this particular race - here in Germany, in Hockenheim - wasn't supposed to be mine so far. Finally being able to win it means a lot to me and seeing the people, the crowd, after we won the Championship last weekend - it's really a dream come true."
Montoya and Ralf completed the podium, giving Williams a boost of confidence following their disappointing performance in the last few races. "Of course I didn't expect to come second, it happened thanks to the misfortune of Rubens and Ralf," Montoya said. "This is my best result in seven races."
Barrichello, Coulthard and Heidfeld completed the points-scoring positions in the last race before a well-earned three week break after which the teams will be hoping to return with their batteries recharged in order to continue fighting to beat Schumacher and Ferrari, score points, or even just to finish races. But for the time being, they will surely try to enjoy the rare opportunity of the non-stop Formula One circus slowing down for a while.
During the recognition laps Rubens Barrichello has a problem with his race car and it is decided that he should switch to the spare. The Brazilian gets out of the pits with just seconds to spare before the pitlane closes.
Lap 2: Michael Schumacher sets the fastest lap to extend his lead to 2.5 secs. The order remains unchanged at the front but the action is frantic in the midfield with Takuma Sato running wide and being passed by Jacques Villeneuve.
Lap 3: Eddie Irvine passes Allan McNish to take 15th place and Mark Webber overtakes Mika Salo for 18th.
Lap 4: The gap between the Schumacher brothers is 3.4 secs with Barrichello third, still shadowing the Williams. Montoya is fourth ahead of Raikkonen and Trulli. Jenson Button is clearly in trouble and is overtaken by both Saubers in the course of the lap. Nick Heidfeld is thus 10th and Felipe Massa 11th. McNish loses 16th place to Enrique Bernoldi.
Lap 7: Button is overtaken by Bernoldi, McNish and Webber.
Lap 9: Michael's lead grows to more than five seconds but the order is the same down through the field although Button's problems mean that he falls behind Salo and Irvine.
Lap 10: The battle between Raikkonen and Montoya for fourth place hots up with the two drivers battle for position.
Lap 11: Montoya passes Raikkonen for fourth place. Irvine has another spin and drops behind Button again.
Lap 12: David Coulthard passes Trulli for sixth place. Also in trouble is eighth-placed Fisichella who drops behind Panis and Felipe Massa.
Lap 13: Trulli is overtaken by Panis.
Lap 15: Massa overtakes Trulli to move up to eighth place.
Lap 16: Ralf has closed the gap to Michael to 3.5 seconds but cannot do more. Barrichello remains just behind Ralf. Trulli pits and drops back to 19th. Sato overtakes Villeneuve for 11th place. Salo passes Webber for 15th.
Lap 17: Frentzen retires.
Lap 20: The pits stops begin with Massa stopping, falling from eighth place to 17th, indicating how close the midfield cars have been running.
Lap 21: Salo pits and drops from 15th to 18th.
Lap 22: Ninth-placed Heidfeld stops and drops back to 15th place.
Lap 23: McNish pits and rejoins but then retires almost immediately with an engine failure. Webber goes wide and then pits at the end of the lap to retire with a mechanical problem.
Lap 24: Villeneuve and Bernoldi both pit. The BAR crew is much faster and Jacques rejoins in 13th. Bernoldi is 16th.
Lap 26: The leaders begin to pit with Barrichello leading the way. He falls behind Montoya. Raikkonen also pits and drops from fifth to seventh. Sato is also a caller in the pits and he falls from eighth to 11th.
Lap 27: Michael Schumacher stops. This put Ralf into the lead with Montoya second. Michael rejoins third. Villeneuve has an off and he heads for the pits.
Lap 28: Ralf sets the fastest lap of the race as he tries to get ahead of Michael during the pit stop sequence. Fisichella, who is now running sixth, pits but things go wrong and he falls back to a distant 13th.
Lap 29: Ralf goes into the pits and finds a slow Villeneuve in his path. He loses vital seconds and rejoins behind his brother. Coulthard also stops, dropping from fifth place to sixth. Villeneuve does not re-emerge from the pits.
Lap 30: After a lap in the lead Montoya pits and rejoins in fourth. The order is thus re-established as it was before the pit stops with Michael leading Ralf Barrichello and Montoya. There is then a big gap back to Raikkonen and Coulthard. Panis is seventh with th two Saubers next, Massa still ahead of Heidfeld and Sato completes the top 10.
Lap 33: Massa is instructed to let Heidfeld pass. The German moves to eighth place. Trulli pits for second time and falls from 11th to 13th place.
Lap 40: Michael has begun to pull away from Ralf with the gap growing to seven seconds. The order is the same except that Panis goes off when his car locks up with an apparent mechanical failure at the first corner. Heidfeld thus moves to sixth with Massa seventh, Sato eighth, Salo ninth and Fisichella 10th.
Lap 42: The second stops begin with Massa dropping from seventh to 10th.
Lap 46: Barrichello is the first of the major runners to pit. His stop is slow and he emerges in danger of being overtaken by Montoya when the Colombian has his pit stop.
Lap 47: Michael Schumacher stops and so Ralf leads for a lap.
Lap 48: Ralf pits and Montoya has one lap in the lead before his stop. He rejoins ahead of Barrichello. Coulthard also stops. The order at the front is thus established again with Michael nearly 10 seconds ahead of Ralf with Montoya third, Barrichello fourth and Coulthard the last unlapped runner in fifth. Heidfeld is sixth, although he goes off and allows Massa to close right up on him. Sato is eighth with Salo ninth and Fisichella 10th. Raikkonen is 11th and Irvine 12th. Bernoldi retires with a mechanical problem.
Lap 60: Raikkonen goes off and retires. Fisichella suffers an engine failure and pulls off, leaving only runners.
Lap 63: Ralf pits to have his pneumatic system refilled with compressed air. The pit stop drops him to third behind Montoya but he stays ahead of Barrichello.
Lap 67: Germany celebrates Michael Schumacher's first German Grand Prix victory since 1995. Montoya is second with Ralf Schumacher third. Barrichello is fourth. Coulthard is fifth a lap behind and Heidfeld is sixth.
For the umpteenth time in his long Formula One career, Michael Schumacher demonstrated that he doesn't need any outside factors to find the motivation to put on another flawless display of driving and concentration to score yet another victory.
In a season that will surely go down in the record books as the most dominant from a driver in the history of the sport, the German Ferrari driver proved again that having hardly any opposition, or having his fifth world title already in his pocket, is doing no harm to his level of commitment to increase his victories and points tally, and to demonstrate his superiority.
Sunday's race demonstrated once again that Schumacher and Ferrari are clearly ahead of their rivals, and what's worse for the show is that Williams and McLaren have been unable to be competitive at the same time in a race. If in France, it was Williams who failed to present a serious challenge to Ferrari, in Germany it was McLaren's term to underperform, making Schumacher's job easier.
In Germany, it was the Williams drivers' time to be Ferrari's main threat, recovering well from a very disappointing French Grand Prix only one week earlier. After some criticism from his team boss, Ralf Schumacher raised his game and managed to outshine teammate Montoya during most of the weekend, with only a rare mechanical problem stopping him from completing a Schumacher one-two.
The Woking team, still upbeat following their performance in France, showed little of the speed that got them to within a whisker of winning the race at Magny-Cours, as at the revised Hockenheim they struggled badly to match the pace of the two top teams, with Coulthard finishing a lap down while Kimi Raikkonen was once more the fastest of the McLaren drivers.
The five-time champion also was forced to wait for three months before finally returning to the top spot of the grid this year, bringing Juan Pablo Montoya's run of five consecutive pole positions to an end with a superb final lap that allowed him to outpace Ralf by less than two tenths of a second and secure his fourth pole position of the year.
With no chance of rain, and with a track temperature of around 30 degrees Celsius, the real action was delayed until nearly half the session had gone by. The McLaren drivers, still fresh from their impressive performance in Magny-Cours only a week earlier, were the first of the top runners to come out of their garage, with an on-form Kimi Raikkonen jumping to the top of the times while David Coulthard's first run was spoiled by an error in the final part of the track.
Barrichello became the first man to lap in under one minute fifteen seconds when he completed his second flying lap with less than 20 minutes remaining in the session while Schumacher spoiled his lap by clipping the kerb at the first corner, running very wide at the exit.
Ralf and Montoya tried in vain to better Schumacher's time on the dying seconds of the session, but the latter had to be content with second while the Colombian, who made a mistake on his final lap, had to settle for fourth place, his worst qualifying position since Austria.
Pos Driver Team Time
1. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1:14.389 221.355 km/h 11
2. R.Schumacher Williams BMW (M) 1:14.570 + 0.181 12
3. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 1:14.693 + 0.304 12
4. Montoya Williams BMW (M) 1:15.108 + 0.719 11
5. Raikkonen McLaren Mercedes (M) 1:15.639 + 1.250 11
6. Fisichella Jordan Honda (B) 1:15.690 + 1.301 12
7. Panis BAR Honda (B) 1:15.851 + 1.462 12
8. Trulli Renault (M) 1:15.885 + 1.496 12
9. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes (M) 1:15.909 + 1.520 12
10. Heidfeld Sauber Petronas (B) 1:15.990 + 1.601 12
11. Villeneuve BAR Honda (B) 1:16.070 + 1.681 11
12. Sato Jordan Honda (B) 1:16.072 + 1.683 12
13. Button Renault (M) 1:16.278 + 1.889 12
14. Massa Sauber Petronas (B) 1:16.351 + 1.962 11
15. Frentzen Arrows Cosworth (B) 1:16.505 + 2.116 12
16. Irvine Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:16.533 + 2.144 12
17. McNish Toyota (M) 1:16.594 + 2.205 12
18. Bernoldi Arrows Cosworth (B) 1:16.645 + 2.256 12
19. Salo Toyota (M) 1:16.685 + 2.296 11
20. de la Rosa Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:17.077 + 2.688 12
21. Webber Minardi Asiatech (M) 1:17.996 + 3.607 11
22. Yoong Minardi Asiatech (M) 1:19.775 + 5.386 12 *
* Outside 107%
Rubens Barrichello failed once more to shake off the bad luck that has been following him throughout most of 2002 season, his Ferrari developing a gearbox problem as he drove around the circuit to line up on the grid. The Brazilian had to be very quick to switch to the spare car, and with just a few seconds remaining he was able to get out of the pitlane before it was closed.
Pedro de la Rosa, in a Jaguar that failed to live up to the expectations raised after their strong French Grand Prix, was the first man to retire, the Spaniard not even capable of completing the first lap after his R3B was hit by a gearbox problem.
"The only place to pass him was the hairpin," explained Montoya. "We came out of there and he was holding me back a little bit, even though I got up beside him, and he put a car length in front ahead of me again. Then he made a mistake going out of the new bit going into the stadium and I got him there. He was trying to run around the outside there and there is not too much room up there. It was very entertaining."
The laps went by quietly, and Schumacher continued unaltered in the lead, with a gap that fluctuated around the 4-second bracket as the race passed its midpoint. Barrichello dropped back slightly off the leaders, and Montoya was unable to reduce the gap to get himself in contention for the podium.
With hardly any action on track, Schumacher continued untroubled in the lead, which was made even bigger with four laps remaining, as Ralf was forced to make a final and unscheduled pit stop to fix a loss of air pressure in the pneumatic system. The problem not only served up victory on a silver platter for his brother, but also allowed teammate Montoya to inherit an unexpected second place.
CLASSIFIED
Pos Driver Team Time
1. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1h 27:52.078
2. Montoya Williams BMW (M) + 10.503
3. R.Schumacher Williams BMW (M) + 14.466
4. Barrichello Ferrari (B) + 23.195
5. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes (M) + 1 Lap
6. Heidfeld Sauber Petronas (B) + 1 Lap
7. Massa Sauber Petronas (B) + 1 Lap
8. Sato Jordan Honda (B) + 1 Lap
9. Salo Toyota (M) + 1 Lap
Fastest Lap: M.Schumacher, 1:16.462, lap 44
NOT CLASSIFIED / RETIREMENTS
Fisichella Jordan Honda (B) 59 Engine
Raikkonen McLaren Mercedes (M) 59 Spun off
Irvine Jaguar Cosworth (M) 58 Brakes
Bernoldi Arrows Cosworth (B) 49 Engine
Panis BAR Honda (B) 40 Mechanical
Trulli Renault (M) 37 Spun off
Villeneuve BAR Honda (B) 28 Engine
Button Renault (M) 25 Engine
McNish Toyota (M) 24 Hydraulics
Webber Minardi Asiatech (M) 24 Mechanical
Frentzen Arrows Cosworth (B) 19 Hydraulics
de la Rosa Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1 Transmission
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDING, ROUND 12:
Drivers: Constructors:
1. M.Schumacher 106 WC 1. Ferrari 141
2. Montoya 40 2. Williams-BMW 76
3. R.Schumacher 36 3. McLaren-Mercedes 49
4. Barrichello 35 4. Renault 15
5. Coulthard 32 5. Sauber-Petronas 11
6. Raikkonen 17 6. Jordan-Honda 6
7. Button 11 7. BAR 5
8. Heidfeld 7 8. Jaguar-Cosworth 3
9. Fisichella 6 = Toyota 2
10. Trulli 4 = Arrows 2
= Massa 4 = Minardi-Asiatech 2
12. Irvine 3
= Villeneuve 3
14. Webber 2
= Salo 2
= Frentzen 2
= Panis 2
Pos Driver Team Lap Time
1. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 44 1:16.462
2. R.Schumacher Williams-BMW (M) 47 1:16.513 + 0.051
3. Montoya Williams-BMW (M) 33 1:16.693 + 0.231
4. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 45 1:16.845 + 0.383
5. Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (B) 43 1:17.530 + 1.068
6. Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 24 1:17.895 + 1.433
7. Fisichella Jordan-Honda (B) 44 1:18.053 + 1.591
8. Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas (B) 46 1:18.062 + 1.600
9. Trulli Renault (M) 35 1:18.280 + 1.818
10. Panis BAR-Honda (B) 27 1:18.405 + 1.943
11. Sato Jordan-Honda (B) 43 1:18.448 + 1.986
12. Salo Toyota (M) 45 1:18.497 + 2.035
13. Massa Sauber-Petronas (B) 44 1:18.562 + 2.100
14. Irvine Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 16 1:18.859 + 2.397
15. Bernoldi Arrows-Cosworth (B) 43 1:19.084 + 2.622
16. Villeneuve BAR-Honda (B) 22 1:19.400 + 2.938
17. Webber Minardi-Asiatech (M) 22 1:19.485 + 3.023
18. McNish Toyota (M) 17 1:19.587 + 3.125
19. Button Renault (M) 23 1:19.695 + 3.233
20. Frentzen Arrows-Cosworth (B) 16 1:19.995 + 3.533
Pos Driver Team Time Lap
1. Trulli Renault (M) 18.664 33
2. R.Schumacher Williams-BMW (M) 27.917 63
3. Montoya Williams-BMW (M) 28.572 49
4. Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (B) 28.676 29
5. Montoya Williams-BMW (M) 28.864 30
6. Irvine Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 28.921 47
7. Sato Jordan-Honda (B) 29.075 26
8. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 29.099 27
9. Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas (B) 29.246 22
10. Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (B) 29.286 49
11. Trulli Renault (M) 29.293 16
12. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 29.626 47
13. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 29.701 26
14. R.Schumacher Williams-BMW (M) 29.901 48
15. Salo Toyota (M) 29.911 43
16. Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas (B) 30.161 44
17. Massa Sauber-Petronas (B) 30.403 42
18. Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 30.535 26
19. Massa Sauber-Petronas (B) 30.561 20
20. Salo Toyota (M) 30.599 21
21. Villeneuve BAR-Honda (B) 30.671 24
22. R.Schumacher Williams-BMW (M) 31.191 29
23. Panis BAR-Honda (B) 31.317 25
24. McNish Toyota (M) 31.405 23
25. Sato Jordan-Honda (B) 32.221 44
26. Fisichella Jordan-Honda (B) 32.682 45
27. Bernoldi Arrows-Cosworth (B) 33.327 24
28. Irvine Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 35.546 25
29. Bernoldi Arrows-Cosworth (B) 35.791 45
30. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 42.445 46
31. Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 45.609 37
32. Fisichella Jordan-Honda (B) 52.911 28
The German Grand Prix, Lap by Lap
Lap 1: At the start Michael Schumacher takes the lead from Ralf Schumacher, Barrichello, Juan Pablo Montoya and Kimi Raikkonen. At the end of the lap Michael is 1.6secs clear of his brother with Barrichello third. Raikkonen gets past Montoya and so ends the lap in fifth place ahead of Jarno Trulli and David Coulthard. Giancarlo Fisichella, Olivier Panis and Jenson Button complete the top 10. At the back of the field Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Mark Webber are left on the grid. Webber manages to start but Frentzen is pushed into the pits and does not rejoin until two laps have been completed by the leaders. In the course of the first lap Pedro de la Rosa retires with a mechanical problem.
Lap 6: Michael Schumacher continues to pull away, the gap going to 4.5 seconds while Barrichello closes on Ralf Schumacher. Button continues to go backwards through the field being passed by both Jacques Villeneuve and Sato. Irvine spins and drops from 15th to 19th.
Lap 14: Down at the back of the field Irvine overtakes Button again.
Lap 25: Seventh-placed Panis comes in for his first pit stop. Irvine also stops for his scheduled stop while Button goes off and retires.
Lap 37: Michael Schumacher has a gap of four seconds over Ralf with a similar gap to Barrichello. Raikkonen has a puncture and goes off. He drives the car back despite the disintegrating tyres but the bodywork is damaged and there is little he can do at the back of the field. At the same time Trulli goes off and retires while trying to make a move on Sato.
Lap 56: Irvine has another off. He pits and retires.
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Volume 8, Issue 31
Atlas F1 Special
Atlas F1 Exclusive
The Complexities of Ralf Schumacher
Coulthard's Fighting Talk
Jo Ramirez: a Racing Man
German GP Review
2002 German GP Review
French & German GP Tech Review
Adapt or Die
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