Atlas F1 News Editor
Last Sunday's French Grand Prix completed an impressive week for Ralf Schumacher and his Williams team, the German driver scoring his second consecutive win to get himself right into the battle for this year's title. Atlas F1's Pablo Elizalde reviews the entire weekend's events and results from the Magny-Cours race, the tenth round of the 2003 Championship
After his slow start to the season - which included a letter from his team bosses advising him on how to raise his game - and following the criticism he was subject due to his performance at the Canadian Grand Prix less than a month ago, Ralf has taken Formula One by storm with possibly his best week since he joined the sport in 1997.
In the space of seven days, the younger of the Schumachers has turned his season around in such a way it's hard to think he is the same driver that had to wait for seven races before stepping onto the podium for the first time this year. Since Canada, he has scored 28 points out of a possible 30, and has started from pole position in two of the last three races, beating both his teammate and his brother in dominant fashion.
It was little wonder then that Ralf is allowing himself to dream of beating Michael to this year's crown, even if there's still a very long road ahead and that Schumacher Senior can never be ruled out no matter how bad his car may be looking.
"Certainly every driver who joins Formula One would love to win the title one day. I am waiting very long for that and am aware of the situation that it might be possible this year. But it is still so far away," said Ralf. Despite his caution, however, the French Grand Prix confirmed that the Williams is now the car to have, and especially if it is using Michelin tyres.
With the car suited to his liking, Ralf is finding himself at home, and without opposition in the last two races the German has showed he is a very fast and consistent driver. It will probably be his racing skills that will put him to the test if he wants to end up as champion, as chances are he will have to fight wheel to wheel more than once in the remaining part of the season.
Of course there's little doubt that Williams have a lot to thank Michelin for, and that was even more evident in France. The tyres from the French manufacturer again proved to be the fastest in qualifying and the more consistent in the race, and there was nothing the Bridgestone-tyred cars could do to stop Williams from scoring their second consecutive one-two of the year.
It was only Michael Schumacher's skills that saved the day for Bridgestone and especially for Ferrari, who for the second straight race never looked in contention for victory. Perhaps not even the always-cautious Schumacher would have thought that, exactly a year after clinching his fifth title, he would be in for such a tough battle to retain his crown.
Despite all that, and looking at the gap to the Williams and the pace of the McLarens, Ferrari could be happy with their result in France, if only because Schumacher managed to extend his lead over Kimi Raikkonen when the situation was looking rather desperate for the German champion. However, the Williams drivers did close the gap to Schumacher, and although the Ferrari star is still hanging on to the lead of the Championship, he must be surely hoping Bridgestone can find a solution to their problems before the British Grand Prix. Time is not on their side.
Even if McLaren claimed that the French Grand Prix was a case of damage limitation, the Woking-based squad must have lamented not taking advantage of the situation to get close to Schumacher in the drivers' standings when everything was looking to be in their favour in the race.
Raikkonen's teammate David Coulthard was also unable to escape trouble, suffering from problems with the refuelling rig that in his final pitstop. In the end, all of McLaren's problems were Schumacher's gain once again.
If McLaren left France with barely anything to celebrate, the situation was worse for Renault, whose cars succumbed to engine problems in front of their home crowd in what has been the only double DNF of the season for the French outfit. Renault's failure was Jaguar's gain, with Mark Webber again putting on a stellar performance to give his team another solid finish that continued to reward their good work.
Qualifying Analysis
The French Grand Prix qualifying sessions highlighted the pros and cons of the newly introduced system, apart from proving that Michelin are currently on top of their game.
The fans had to wait for ten races for that to happen, but the end result was exactly what some had anticipated for some time: the Minardis finished at the top, even if at the end of the day only Jos Verstappen could keep his time.
The timesheet was probably what every fan wanted to see, and even Minardi's rivals were happy to see the Formula One minnows enjoying a day in the spotlight for reasons that had nothing to do with politics or money. "It doesn't get much better than this," said Minardi boss Paul Stoddart.
Saturday, however, was a reality check for Minardi and for those hoping for an unusual grid. The down part of the new qualifying format was highlighted when, on a dry track, the pole setter was decided with half the session still to be completed. The man to blame for the lack of excitement was Ralf Schumacher, who unsurprisingly scored his third pole position in four races.
The Grid
1. Ralf Schumacher
Saturday time: 1:15.019
Fastest by over half a second in both final practice and the warm-up, it would have been a major surprise if Ralf Schumacher had not clinched his fourth career pole position - the third in the last four Grands Prix - on the circuit where he had claimed his first one two years ago. Aided by a car which seemed to work perfectly at the revised Magny-Cours, and by the faster Michelin tyres, the Williams driver was untouchable, and only his teammate Montoya could get close to him in qualifying.
Despite coming out on track in fourth place following Friday's chaotic session, Ralf finished over a tenth of a second ahead of Montoya and nearly half a second in front of his brother Michael. The younger Schumacher, however, remained cautious, having failed to turn any of his previous three poles into a race win.
2. Juan Pablo Montoya
Saturday time: 1:15.136
Since the FW25 became an easier-to-drive car, Montoya has usually failed to match the qualifying pace of his teammate, and France was another example of that, with Ralf getting the most out of his Williams while the Colombian was a close second. Like the German, Montoya was one of the first drivers to come out on track after having to run in the wet on Friday, but that didn't prove to be too much of a handicap for him either. Despite losing out to Ralf for the fourth time in a row, Montoya finished only around a tenth of a second behind thanks to being the fastest in the second sector.
3. Michael Schumacher
Saturday time: 1:15.480
For the fourth consecutive race, there was nothing the Ferrari champion could do to stop a rival from taking pole position despite the best of his efforts. Unlike a week ago at the Nurburgring, however, Schumacher was never in contention for the top spot either, failing to match the pace of the Williams duo most of the weekend. Although he was very fast in the first sector, he struggled for pace and grip in the two remaining splits. This time, at least, the German was happy to be starting from the clean side of the track.
4. Kimi Raikkonen
Saturday time: 1:15.533
5. David Coulthard
Saturday time: 1:15.628
Having received a wake-up call from his own team following another disappointing performance at the European Grand Prix, the Scot was under pressure to show he could raise his game and match Raikkonen's pace. And he did so, finishing less than a tenth of a second behind the Finn in what was his best qualifying effort since the Brazilian Grand Prix, three months ago. After his French performance, Coulthard claimed his problem with the new qualifying format was now behind him.
6. Jarno Trulli
Saturday time: 1:15.967
The ever unlucky Italian was a solid performer all weekend, boosting Renault's hopes of a good result in their home race. Trulli seemed to get just everything out of his Renault in qualifying, which didn't prove enough to get close to the top three teams. Nonetheless, and despite an engine problem that forced him to miss the warm-up, Trulli was happy with his performance, especially after outqualifying his teammate for the second time in a row.
7. Fernando Alonso
Saturday time: 1:16.087
The Spaniard and teammate Trulli were very closely-matched in all sessions throughout the weekend, as reflected by a mere tenth of a second that separated them in final qualifying. After finishing close to the bottom of the times in Friday's wet session, Alonso raised his game on Saturday and set himself in a good position to continue his point-scoring run. Alonso, like Trulli, benefitted from the dry testing they had done on Friday morning.
8. Rubens Barrichello
Saturday time: 1:16.166
Barrichello continued with his recent run of subdued performances in France, failing to match the pace of his Ferrari teammate and finishing in a position that compromised his chances in the race. Unlike Schumacher, the Brazilian was unable to extract the maximum from his inferior Bridgestone tyres, which he claimed had caused a terrible understeer on his qualifying lap.
9. Mark Webber
Saturday time: 1:16.308
10. Olivier Panis
Saturday time: 1:16.345
Celebrating his tenth anniversary in Formula One, Panis had the chance to confirm the progress Toyota have made in the last three races, putting on a solid performance in front of his home crowd. The veteran Frenchman had the honour of being the fastest Michelin runner in Friday's session, but his tyres or his car did not perform so well in Saturday's final session, the Toyota driver complaining of poor grip levels on his flying lap.
11. Antonio Pizzonia
Saturday time: 1:16.965
Not quite able to match the pace of teammate Webber, Pizzonia was fast enough to put on a solid performance, just missing out on the top ten. The Brazilian, who had the chance to shine in Friday's session thanks to the weather conditions, had a trouble-free weekend that allowed him to concentrate on his driving, and it showed, as he got his second best result of the year.
12. Jacques Villeneuve
Saturday time: 1:16.990
As if fighting with an uncompetitive car was not bad enough for Villeneuve, the Canadian had to cope with BAR's legal problems, which resulted in their cars impounded ahead of first qualifying. Having not taken to the track before his first flying lap, Villeneuve's position on Friday was remarkable, even if it was more a reflection of the improving track conditions than his car's own speed.
13. Cristiano da Matta
Saturday time: 1:17.068
On his first visit to the Magny-Cours circuit, da Matta had a quiet and unspectacular weekend. On Friday he did a good job in the wet, although the track conditions hampered his progress as he had no previous experience of the track in the dry. In final qualifying his speed was compromised by a heavier car, having opted for a two-stop strategy that would prove to be the wrong way to go at the end of the weekend.
14. Jenson Button
Saturday time: 1:17.077
15. Nick Heidfeld
Saturday time: 1:17.445
With a car that is currently struggling to be as competitive as last year's model, Sauber's cause was not aided by the inferior performance of the Bridgestone tyres, which in the Swiss team's case meant the difference between fighting for a place in the top ten or finishing a second off it. With that in mind, Heidfeld's performance was probably as good as expected. The German starred in the wet, but in Saturday's dry session there was not much he could do but outqualify his teammate, which he did.
16. Heinz-Harald Frentzen
Saturday time: 1:17.562
Frentzen, like Sauber teammate Heidfeld, also paid the price for the low grip his car and tyres were offering at Magny-Cours. Having cured the constant engine problems that hampered Sauber in previous races, Frentzen enjoyed a mostly trouble-free weekend, but that did not seem to help his car's performance. In final qualifying he complained of tyre graining but said he had extracted the maximum from his car.
17. Giancarlo Fisichella
Saturday time: 1:18.431
Fisichella's frustration continued to grow in France, and there were no signs of hope for him as his Jordan continued to prove uncompetitive. His 12th position in Friday's qualifying was the most positive aspect of his entire weekend, which goes to show what a poor Grand Prix the Italian had. Fisichella made a mistake on his flying lap, but claimed "it did not make much of a difference," which reflected his mood throughout the weekend.
18. Ralph Firman
Saturday time: 1:18.514
Firman had his moment of glory in first qualifying when, like several other backmarkers, he took advantage of the drying track to finish close to the top of the times. After his second fastest time on Friday it was all uphill for the Jordan driver, whose uncompetitive car continued to struggle for grip. At least he finished close to Fisichella, which at the moment is all he can aim for.
19. Jos Verstappen
Saturday time: 1:18.709
The surrealistic timesheet, however, would not be repeated on Saturday, and Verstappen and Minardi were brought back to reality and with it to the back of the grid. At least the Minardi driver could console himself by the fact that he outqualified his teammate by nearly a second.
20. Justin Wilson
Saturday time: 1:19.619
Unlike Verstappen, the Briton's moment in the sun was very short-lived due to an error by his team. Wilson had completed Minardi's memorable day by finishing right behind his teammate in Friday's session, only to get his time deleted due to his car being underweight. Right before his run, his car was fitted with the heavier wet-weather tyres, but due to the track conditions, the team decided to switch to dry tyres but forgot to add the necessary ballast, which resulted in a car 2.5kg lighter than permitted. On Saturday, and on a heavier car than Verstappen, Wilson could do nothing to escape the last spot.
The Race
The Ferrari driver was also challenged by Coulthard, but Schumacher was able to keep fourth place after a close battle at the first three corners. The Renault drivers followed, with Trulli in sixth and Alonso in seventh ahead of Barrichello and Webber.
The Adelaide hairpin, usually a place prone to provide incidents, didn't see any this time, and all drivers went through cleanly. The opening lap was to be completed without any dramas, until Barrichello rode the new kerbs too high and spun his Ferrari just before the start-finish line.
"When I turned, I went up on the kerb, the car didn't want to respond and all I can say is that it was my mistake," admitted the Brazilian, who could continue in the race but at the back of the field after his error.
Apart from Barrichello fighting his way back to the front of the field, there was hardly any action, let alone changes, in the running order until the first round of pitstops was kicked off by Coulthard on lap 14, suggesting that even a four-stop strategy was possible thanks to the new, much faster, pitlane entry. The McLaren driver was followed by his teammate Raikkonen and Trulli.
Montoya was the first of the Williams to come into the pits, his stop taking longer than his rivals'. Michael Schumacher also pitted on that lap, gaining some three seconds over the Colombian, whose teammate Ralf was the last of the top runners to come in for service. The German stood still a mere 6.4 second before returning to the track in the lead, around seven seconds clear of Montoya.
After everybody had completed their first pitstop, the only change in the running order at the top of the field was Coulthard leapfrogging Schumacher for fourth position, the Scot taking advantage of his early stop to complete a few flying laps that were enough to put him ahead of his rival.
Coulthard quickly opened a gap to Schumacher, who was unable to match the pace of his rival. As the laps went by action-less, the McLaren driver got close to teammate Raikkonen, who would be the first top runner to come into the pits for the second time. Only three laps later, all the men in the top eight, except Barrichello, had completed their second stops, and the order remained unchanged.
Further behind, Trulli began to have problems that saw his pace reduced dramatically, losing two positions to Alonso and Webber. The Spaniard's race, however, would not last much longer, his Renault stopping on lap 43 amid a big cloud of smoke coming out of his engine. In the space of three laps, the French team's hopes of scoring at home were gone, Trulli also pulling off with an engine failure.
The Renault duo's retirement elevated Webber to sixth position, Panis to seventh, and Barrichello, who had switched to a two-stop strategy after his spin, back into the points with more than half the race gone.
The processional race continued, although Montoya was managing to close in on Ralf and by lap 45 the Colombian was less than three seconds behind the German as the third and final round of pitstops began. Third-placed Raikkonen was again the first man to pit, when the Finn was running less than a second in front of Coulthard and some five ahead of Schumacher.
Raikkonen rejoined the race behind the following duo, although Coulthard was next to pit. Unfortunately for the Scot, there was a problem with the refuelling rig and the team had to switch to the second one. Coulthard accelerated as the lollipop man had given him the signal when the fuel hose was still connected to his car. Fortunately, no one was injured, but the McLaren driver lost a lot of valuable time.
Montoya was next to pit, while Ralf, less than two seconds in front, stayed on track lapping backmarkers, which could have compromised his chances of keeping the lead. The German, however, pitted on the following lap and returned to the track right in front of his teammate with 20 laps remaining.
When the third round of pitstops was completed, Webber was still sixth ahead of Barrichello, who had jumped ahead of Panis thanks to his two-stop strategy.
Any hopes of Montoya challenging Ralf for the lead were quickly erased, as the German set a pace that the Colombian was unable to follow. With less than ten laps to go, Ralf had managed to open a ten-second gap, which allowed him to cruise home for his second consecutive win and for Williams' second one-two in a row.
"It's great," said the delighted German. "I still can't believe it, winning two in a row, simply great and finally I did it from pole position. It was very tight with Juan after I hit traffic and had some problems with one set of tyres, but then I came in a lap early and then I was OK."
Michael was third, and although he extended his lead over Raikkonen by one point, he reckoned the main threat was now coming from his own brother.
Raikkonen finished in fourth despite completing the final three laps without rear brakes, while Coulthard was fifth, Webber sixth and Barrichello seventh. Panis celebrated a point at home after a solid drive to eighth spot.
With the back-to-back races now over, and with time to work ahead of the British Grand Prix, Williams' rivals will do their best to fight back and stop the British squad's charge towards glory. Judging by the last two Grands Prix, the task will be no mean feat.
The Minardi team decides to start Justin Wilson for the pit lane.
Lap 2: Ralf Schumacher sets the fastest lap and pulls out a lead of 1.9 seconds over Montoya.
Lap 3: At the tail of the field Barrichello passes Justin Wilson for 19th place.
Lap 4: As Ralf increase his lead to 3.3 seconds, Barrichello passes Ralph Firman for 18th. Firman also falls behind Wilson.
Lap 5: Barrichello's recovery continues as he passes Giancarlo Fisichella for 17th.
Lap 6: Barrichello overtakes Frentzen for 16th.
Lap 9: Ralf sets another fastest lap but his gap is still only 3.7 seconds. Further back Barrichello overtakes Nick Heidfeld for 14th place.
Lap 11: Verstappen pits and falls from 16th to 20th.
Lap 12: Firman overtakes Wilson to move up to 18th.
Lap 14: Antonio Pizzonia comes into the pits and falls from ninth place to 14th.
Lap 15: Coulthard is the first of the frontrunners to pit. He drops from fifth to ninth. Down at the back of the field Firman stops and drops back behind the two Minardis.
Lap 16: The pits are busy as third-placed Raikkonen, sixth-placed Trulli, seventh-placed Webber and eighth-placed Panis all stop. Further back Frentzen is also in the pits.
Lap 17: Montoya, Michael Schumacher, Alonso and Button all pit. Montoya has a slower stop than expected and loses a couple of seconds.
Lap 19: Cristiano da Matta, who is on a two-stop strategy, has climbed to eighth but stops and drops back to 14th place. Heidfeld is on a similar strategy and also stops falling from 13th to 17th. Further back Button passes Fisichella for 15th place.
Lap 20: Ralf's lead is up to 6.7 seconds but otherwise the order is stable. Barrichello, who is on a two-stop strategy, pits and falls from eighth to 13th.
Lap 21: Giancarlo Fisichella pits and falls from 14th to 17th. The Jordan driver is on a two-stop strategy.
Lap 22: Justin Wilson, also on a two-stop strategy, pits from the first time. He drops from 16th to 19th. Jenson Button retires with a mechanical failure.
Lap 29: The order is unchanged with Ralf's lead having gone up to eight seconds. There is a similar lack between Montoya and Raikkonen while Coulthard remains in his team mate's wheel tracks. At the back of the field Verstappen stops for a second time, indicating that the Dutchman is on a four-stop strategy.
Lap 30: The second round of pit stops begin for those on a three-stop strategy. All the frontrunners come in and out of the pits in the course of the next six laps but the top eight remains unchanged. Pizzonia has a slow stop and falls from ninth to 13th, while Barrichello moves up ahead of Villeneuve and Panis.
Lap 43: As the two-stop runners pit for the second time things go wrong for Renault. Trulli slows and Alonso goes out with a blown engine. Also disappearing is Giancarlo Fisichella, also with an engine failure.
Lap 46: Trulli pulls off and retires having dropped back to ninth place.
Lap 47: Third-placed Raikkonen pits for the third time. He falls behind Coulthard and Michael Schumacher.
Lap 48: Coulthard pits. There is a problem with the refueling and the team has to switch hoses. David then accelerates away early but fortunately no-one is hurt as the hose is disconnected just before David departs. On the same lap Webber pits but he remains in sixth position.
Lap 51: Ralf Schumacher pits and he gets out ahead of Montoya and stays in the lead.
Lap 52: Michael Schumacher pits. He comes out behind Raikkonen but is able to use his new tyre advantage to pass the Finn during the lap. He is up to third. Panis pits and falls behind Barrichello in eighth place.
Lap 54: With the pit stops completed Ralf is ahead of Montoya and pulling away again. Michael Schumacher is nearly half a minute behind but begins to close up on Montoya. The two McLarens follow through in fourth and fifth places with Webber completing the top six. Barrichello is seventh and Panis eighth.
Lap 70: Although the gaps have closed up a little Ralf Schumacher wins his second Grand Prix victory in seven days. Montoya comes home to give Williams a second 1-2 and Michael Schumacher is third.
From putting his Formula One career in danger, to becoming a real Championship contender, Ralf Schumacher's year is shaping out to be his strongest Grand Prix season to date and few would be surprised if the German driver ended up with the title if he continues to perform like in the last three races.
The FW25 has improved vastly since the start of the season, when it looked to be a dog of a car for Ralf, who struggled to match teammate Juan Pablo Montoya's pace. Once the car began to perform, however, it's Ralf who has been holding the upper hand over the Colombian, who seemed to be able to work around the car's problems more efficiently than his teammate in the first few races of the year.
It's true that the French Grand Prix, Michelin's home, was always going to be a real challenge for Ferrari and Schumacher, but the gap to the Williams looked to be worrying enough to get the feeling that the track was only a small factor in the Williams-Michelin dominance. Ferrari and Bridgestone were hurt by the lack of testing between the European and French Grands Prix, but coming up with a tyre that suddenly raises Ferrari's pace from the three tenths to half a second needed to be back in front is not going to be an easy or quick task to carry out.
Kimi Raikkonen followed Schumacher closely all weekend, and the Finn looked set for third place until the Ferrari driver pulled a rabbit out of the hat and managed to beat his rival after the final round of pitstops. McLaren, however, proved again that they are currently the weakest of the top three teams in terms of reliability, as showed by Raikkonen finishing the race with no rear brakes.
Friday's qualifying was, like Peter Sauber said, just what Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley wanted to see when the new format was introduced at the start of the season. The odds were that eventually a session would start out wet only to dry up in the latter part.
Friday Qualifying: 17th, 1:29.327
Friday Qualifying: 14th, 1:28.988
Friday Qualifying: 11th, 1:27.929
Friday Qualifying: 16th, 1:29.120
Fresh from his maiden Formula One pole position only one week ago, Raikkonen never looked capable of challenging for his second one, mainly due to the speed of the Williams cars. Although the Finn and his McLaren looked like the class of the field at the European GP only one week ago, the Magny-Cours track did not suit the MP4-17D as well as the Nurburgring. Raikkonen, however, did his best and with a clean qualifying lap he put himself in a strong position to, at least, challenge Schumacher.
Friday Qualifying: 13th, 1:28.937
Friday Qualifying: 15th, 1:29.024
Friday Qualifying: 18th, 1:29.455
Friday Qualifying: 10th, 1:27.095
Friday Qualifying: 7th, 1:25.178
Like in the previous three Grands Prix, the Australian performed solidly in qualifying to leave Jaguar in a strong position to fight for more points. In France, and after a brilliant second sector that was only bettered by four drivers, Webber continued to prove he is probably the best of the rest outside the top four teams, and extracted the maximum from his R4 to get back into the top ten after missing out at the Nurburgring.
Friday Qualifying: 4th, 1:24.175
Friday Qualifying: 5th, 1:24.642
Friday Qualifying: 6th, 1:24.651
Friday Qualifying: 9th, 1:26.975
Friday Qualifying: 19th, 1:30.731
Like his teammate Villeneuve, the Briton was forced to miss the first practice session due to BAR's legal problems, and after a very cautious lap on the wrong tyres Button finished at the bottom of the times on Friday. Things did not improve an awful lot on Saturday, when he was hit by engine problems in final practice. As a result, Button faced the grid-deciding session having completed a mere 25 laps, something that was reflected in his position.
Friday Qualifying: 3rd, 1:24.042
Friday Qualifying: 8th, 1:26.151
Friday Qualifying: 12th, 1:28.502
Friday Qualifying: 2nd, 1:23.496
Friday Qualifying: 1st, 1:20.817
Despite finishing at the bottom of the times in final qualifying, the Dutchman savoured 24 hours in the spotlight following his lucky performance on Friday. On a drying track, Verstappen made the most of his opportunity and gave Minardi something to cheer for by finishing on top of the times, more than seven seconds ahead of World Champion Schumacher. "It has taken me nine and a half years in Formula One and 101 Grands Prix to achieve this result," said the happy Dutchman
Friday Qualifying: 20th, time deleted
Despite a somewhat cloudy sky, the chances of rain to give the Bridgestone runners a better chance in the wet, the start took place with no big fears of a possible cloudburst. Ralf Schumacher was untouchable when the lights went off, edging clear of Montoya, who also made a good start and kept his second place ahead of Raikkonen, who flew past Michael Schumacher as the German was slower in his getaway.
Ralf was quick to show his intentions, and his pace, and immediately took off, setting a series of fastest laps that Montoya was unable to match. After the first ten laps of the race, the German Williams driver was almost four seconds ahead of his teammate, with his brother Michael already nearly nine seconds adrift, the Ferrari driver unable to keep up with the Williams duo.
Montoya benefitted from the backmarkers to emerge some six seconds behind Ralf, who again had been the fastest man in the pits, staying stationary for only six seconds. Colombian Montoya began to push after his second stop, setting the quickest lap of the race, but the Williams driver was unable to make any significant change to the gap separating him to Ralf.
Behind them, Ferrari's Schumacher came in for his final stop on lap 52, five laps after Raikkonen, and despite the Finn pitting while he was five seconds ahead, he saw his rival rejoining the race in front of him in third position, albeit very far from the Williams duo.
"Yes, he's capable of it," said Schumacher of his little brother's ability to win the title this year. "I see no reason speaking against him being considered a favourite for the Championship. The performance and consistency show that he simply belongs there."
Race Results
1. R.Schumacher Williams BMW (M) 1h 30:49.213
2. Montoya Williams BMW (M) + 13.813
3. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) + 19.568
4. Raikkonen McLaren Mercedes (M) + 38.047
5. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes (M) + 40.289
6. Webber Jaguar Cosworth (M) + 1:06.380
7. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 1 lap
8. Panis Toyota (M) 1 lap
9. Villeneuve BAR Honda (B) 1 lap
10. Pizzonia Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1 lap
11. da Matta Toyota (M) 1 lap
12. Frentzen Sauber Petronas (B) 2 laps
13. Heidfeld Sauber Petronas (B) 2 laps
14. Wilson Minardi Cosworth (B) 3 laps
15. Firman Jordan Ford (B) 3 laps
16. Verstappen Minardi Cosworth (B) 4 laps
Fastest Lap: J.Montoya, 1:15.512, lap 36
Not Classified/Retirements:
Driver Team On Lap
Trulli Renault (M) 46
Alonso Renault (M) 44
Fisichella Jordan Ford (B) 43
Button BAR Honda (B) 22
World Championship Standing, Round 10:
Drivers: Constructors:
1. M.Schumacher 64 1. Ferrari 103
2. Raikkonen 56 2. Williams-BMW 100
3. R.Schumacher 53 3. McLaren-Mercedes 85
4. Montoya 47 4. Renault 52
5. Barrichello 39 5. BAR-Honda 13
= Alonso 39 6. Jaguar-Cosworth 12
7. Coulthard 29 7. Jordan-Ford 11
8. Trulli 13 8. Sauber 9
9. Webber 12 9. Toyota 5
10. Fisichella 10
= Button 10
12. Frentzen 7
13. Villeneuve 3
= da Matta 3
15. Panis 2
= Heidfeld 2
17. Firman 1
Pos Driver Team Lap Time
1. Montoya Williams-BMW (M) 36 1:15.512
2. R.Schumacher Williams-BMW (M) 37 1:15.698 + 0.186
3. Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (M) 17 1:15.981 + 0.469
4. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 19 1:16.303 + 0.791
5. Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes (M) 19 1:16.609 + 1.097
6. Trulli Renault (M) 33 1:17.025 + 1.513
7. Alonso Renault (M) 11 1:17.029 + 1.517
8. Webber Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 47 1:17.068 + 1.556
9. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 47 1:17.104 + 1.592
10. Button BAR-Honda (B) 19 1:17.149 + 1.637
11. Panis Toyota (M) 36 1:17.398 + 1.886
12. Pizzonia Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 67 1:17.416 + 1.904
13. Villeneuve BAR-Honda (B) 49 1:17.786 + 2.274
14. da Matta Toyota (M) 63 1:17.870 + 2.358
15. Frentzen Sauber-Petronas (B) 18 1:18.099 + 2.587
16. Verstappen Minardi-Cosworth (B) 66 1:18.754 + 3.242
17. Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas (B) 21 1:18.994 + 3.482
18. Fisichella Jordan-Ford (B) 23 1:19.093 + 3.581
19. Firman Jordan-Ford (B) 13 1:19.345 + 3.833
20. Wilson Minardi-Cosworth (B) 25 1:19.588 + 4.076
Pos Driver Team Time Lap
1. Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (M) 19.407 32
2. Trulli Renault (M) 19.539 34
3. R.Schumacher Williams-BMW (M) 19.642 18
4. Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (M) 19.953 15
5. Alonso Renault (M) 20.101 36
6. Panis Toyota (M) 20.151 52
7. Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes (M) 20.173 16
8. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 20.325 35
9. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 20.532 17
10. R.Schumacher Williams-BMW (M) 20.536 35
11. Panis Toyota (M) 20.571 34
12. Trulli Renault (M) 20.633 16
13. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 20.712 52
14. Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes (M) 20.835 31
15. Webber Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 20.855 31
16. R.Schumacher Williams-BMW (M) 20.878 51
17. Villeneuve BAR-Honda (B) 20.961 37
18. Montoya Williams-BMW (M) 20.968 34
19. Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes (M) 21.065 47
20. Alonso Renault (M) 21.308 17
21. Montoya Williams-BMW (M) 21.336 50
22. Webber Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 21.470 16
23. Panis Toyota (M) 21.471 16
24. Frentzen Sauber-Petronas (B) 21.601 16
25. Verstappen Minardi-Cosworth (B) 21.735 11
26. Villeneuve BAR-Honda (B) 21.810 53
27. Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas (B) 21.930 19
28. da Matta Toyota (M) 21.999 45
29. Frentzen Sauber-Petronas (B) 22.174 32
30. Pizzonia Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 22.185 14
31. Verstappen Minardi-Cosworth (B) 22.246 48
32. Verstappen Minardi-Cosworth (B) 22.251 29
33. Villeneuve BAR-Honda (B) 22.313 18
34. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 22.329 45
35. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 22.406 20
36. da Matta Toyota (M) 22.462 19
37. Fisichella Jordan-Ford (B) 22.757 21
38. Pizzonia Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 22.809 43
39. Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas (B) 23.283 42
40. Firman Jordan-Ford (B) 23.460 15
41. Webber Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 23.528 48
42. Montoya Williams-BMW (M) 23.606 17
43. Wilson Minardi-Cosworth (B) 23.693 42
44. Pizzonia Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 23.965 30
45. Firman Jordan-Ford (B) 24.456 40
46. Wilson Minardi-Cosworth (B) 25.180 22
47. Frentzen Sauber-Petronas (B) 25.605 48
48. Button BAR-Honda (B) 25.710 17
49. Firman Jordan-Ford (B) 27.579 46
50. Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (M) 33.963 48
51. Verstappen Minardi-Cosworth (B) 36.302 61
52. Verstappen Minardi-Cosworth (B) 37.638 64
The French Grand Prix, Lap by Lap
Lap 1: At the start of the race Ralf Schumacher takes the lead with Juan Pablo Montoya following him into the first corner. Michael Schumacher does not make a good start and is overtaken by Kimi Raikkonen. David Coulthard challenges Michael for fourth but the Ferrari holds him off. Behind them the two Renaults give chase. At the end of the lap Rubens Barrichello spins as he crosses the finish line and drops from eighth place to the tail of the field. In the midfield Antonio Pizzonia is able to get ahead of Olivier Panis to run 10th while Jenson Button overtakes Cristiano de Matta to run 13th. Jos Verstappen also makes a good start to pass both Jordans and Heinz-Harald Frentzen to run 16th.
Lap 7: The order at the front is unchanged but Barrichello's progress continues with the Ferrari passing Verstappen for 15th place.
Lap 18: Ralf Schumacher comes into the pits but his advantage is such that he re-emerges still in the lead. Montoya is chasing and is well clear of Raikkonen. The Finn has Coulthard right with him, the Scotsman having got ahead of Michael Schumacher during the pit stops. The top six is completed by Trulli. Behind Jarno is Alonso. Jacques Villeneuve also pits and falls back from eighth place to 14th.
Lap 38: At the front Montoya begins to close on the leader Ralf Schumacher. Frentzen, on a three-stop strategy, overtakes his team mate Heidfeld, who is on two-stop strategy, for 14th place.
Lap 50: Montoya has closed to within a couple of seconds of Schumacher but pits and rejoins still in second place.
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Volume 9, Issue 28
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Gerhard Berger: So Long to All That
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