FORMULA ONE: Sadness shadows Schumacher's victory due to death of track worker

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

MELBOURNE, Australia-- Michael Schumacher did not celebrate his victory in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix after learning that a track worker died of injuries as a result of flying debris from an accident involving Jacques Villeneuve and Ralf Schumacher.

"We are all shocked about this," a somber Michael Schumacher said. "Everybody is really down about this situation. We must see what can be done to improve the working conditions from the safety point of view."

The accident occurred when Villeneuve's Lucky Strike British American Racing-Honda rammed into the back of Schumacher's Williams-BMW and got launched into the air. While both drivers escaped injury, a track marshal did not survive the accident. The organizers are withholding his name pending further investigation.

"It is with great sadness that we learned that a marshal has died and that spectators received injuries as a result of this incident," said BAR Managing Director Craig Pollock. "On behalf of Jacques, the British American Racing-Honda team and myself, I would like to express our sincere condolences to his family. Rest assured that we intend to cooperate fully with the official investigation. At this time our thoughts and prayers are, of course, only with the family of the marshal who has died."

Seven spectators were treated and released for injuries after being hit by the flying debris, according to race organizers.

After winning the 32nd pole position of his career, Schumacher dominated the race in his Ferrari.

The Safety Car came out for 10 laps while workers cleared the track after the accident, and once the race restarted, Schumacher pulled away in the lead after setting a series of fastest race laps. He led all but four laps on his way to scoring his 45th career F1 victory. His closest competition, Mika Hakkinen, retired on Lap 26 when the right-front suspension broke on his West McLaren-Mercedes.

After Hakkinen retired, Rubens Barrichello ran second in his Ferrari but eventually succumbed to pressure from David Coulthard in the McLaren-Mercedes, who took over second place on Lap 33.

Nick Heidfeld scored the first points of his career when he brought his Red Bull Sauber-Petronas home fourth, just ahead of Heinz-Harald Frentzen's Benson & Hedges Jordan-Honda. Rookie Kimi Raikkonen earned a point in his Grand Prix debut by finishing sixth in his Red Bull Sauber-Petronas. Another rookie, Luciano Burti, finished eighth in his Jaguar-Cosworth behind Olivier Panis in the BAR-Honda.

Panis had finished fourth but was dropped to seventh after officials penalized him 25 seconds after the race for passing under the yellow flag. A similar postrace penalty dropped Jos Verstappen's Orange Arrows-Asiatech from ninth to 10th.

Last year's Indianapolis 500 winner, Juan Pablo Montoya, had an eventful race. He slid off the track in the first turn just after the start and collided with Eddie Irvine later that lap. He dropped back to 16th place but actually climbed as high as third when, just before his pit stop, the engine failed in his Williams-BMW.

Including last season, Schumacher has now scored five consecutive wins from pole position. He averaged 116.484 mph (187.464 km/h) to complete the 58-lap, 191.117-mile (307.574-km) race in one hour, 38 minutes and 26.533 seconds. His margin of victory was 1.717 seconds.

Out of respect for the course worker's family, the top three drivers did not participate in the usual champagne spraying celebration on the podium.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER (Ferrari, winner): "At the end I slowed my pace because the important thing is to win, not the margin you do it by. I just wanted to bring the car home, as we have not done too many race distances before coming here. The reason I had my hand on top of my helmet was that I had taped an air vent to stop wind getting into my eyes, but it was getting too hot so I pulled the tape off."

DAVID COULTHARD (West McLaren-Mercedes, second): "The over riding story of the race is the fatality of the marshal, and on behalf of all the drivers, our thoughts go out to his family. We need to study how we can improve track safety for these people who give their time to enable us to go racing."

RUBENS BARRICHELLO (Ferrari, third): "It's very bad when a colleague who is there for you happens to be in an incident like that. My thoughts are with his family. I had a difficult race. I did not have a good start, and I was passed by three cars. Then when I was passing Frentzen, I was on the inside but he kept coming and took me into the corner. We touched and that affected the toe in on my left front wheel, and from then on I could not keep the pace. Toward the end, Ross Brawn told me to back off so as to not take any excessive risk on the reliability side."

NICK HEIDFELD (Red Bull Sauber-Petronas, fourth): "Scoring my first World Championship points is excellent, and this one race has wiped away my 2000 season. I avoided the traffic in the first corner and later got safely through the big accident when thousands of pieces seemed to be falling from the sky. After that, I was able to settle down to a good pace."

MIKA HAKKINEN (West McLaren-Mercedes, retired on Lap 26 while in second place): "Something broke in the car, which caused me to go off the track and hit the barrier. I hit the brakes and then lost control of the car. It is a shame as we were looking good, and, in hindsight, our strategy might have given us a race win."

JACQUES VILLENEUVE (Lucky Strike BAR-Honda, retired on Lap 5): "This is very, very heavy. These guys don't expect to lose their lives working on the track. It is very sad because they are there to help us. It is going to take a while to absorb the meaning of this because of the shock I am feeling."

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA (Williams-BMW, retired on Lap 41): "It was disappointing that I could not see the checkered flag because I had a good race so far. The engine blew up without giving any warning. I can say now that running in F1 can be quite fun. I first thought overtaking was going to be impossible, but now I realize that you can if you plan for it, unlike Champ Cars, and it is also very exciting."

RALF SCHUMACHER (Williams-BMW, retired on Lap 5): "I am awfully sorry that a man who was looking after our safety was killed today. My deepest sympathy goes to his friends and relatives. I was on the inside of the track and being careful not to change my line. I braked and suddenly felt a huge bang in the back and saw Jacques flying over me. I think Jacques overrated himself just like in Canada last year, when he again ran into my car. It is only thanks to the safety level of our cars that nothing bad happened to either of us."

JEAN TODT (Ferrari, sporting director): "This (death) affected us badly. We know that motor racing is a dangerous sport and that an out of control car can lose parts that can hit those whose love of the sport sees them stand at the side of the track to ensure the safety of others."

LUCKY STRIKE BAR-HONDA (Team statement): "The Lucky Strike Reynard BAR -Honda team are extremely upset to hear that a marshal was injured and has subsequently died as a result of the accident involving Jacques Villeneuve and BMW Williams driver Ralf Schumacher during the Australian Grand Prix today. The team were also distressed to learn that spectators sustained minor injuries as a result of flying debris. All of those involved received immediate attention at the circuit medical center and were released shortly afterward without the need for further treatment. A full investigation by the FIA in association with the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport is now underway, and the team would prefer not to speculate over the cause of the accident until the results of the investigation have been released."

BOBBY RAHAL (CEO Jaguar Racing): "I would like to extend the team's deepest sympathies to the family of the track marshal who tragically lost his life here this afternoon."

FINAL RESULTS:

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Results Sunday of the Australian Grand Prix, with driver, home country, car-engine, overall time and reasons out, if any:

• 1. Michael Schumacher, Germany, Ferrari 1 hour, 38 minutes: 26.533 seconds
• 2. David Coulthard, Great Britain, McLaren-Mercedes, 1:38.28.251
• 3. Rubens Barrichello, Brazil, Ferrari, 1:39.00.024
• 4. Nick Heidfeld, Germany, Sauber-Petronas, 1:39.38.012
• 5. Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Germany, Jordan-Honda, 1:39.39.340
• 6. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Sauber-Petronas, 1:39.50.676
• 7. Olivier Panis, France, BAR-Honda, 1:39.53.583*
• 8. Luciano Burti, Brazil, Jaguar-Cosworth, 1 lap behind
• 9. Jean Alesi, France, Prost-Acer, 1 lap behind
• 10. Jos Verstappen, Netherlands, Arrows-Asiatech, 1 lap behind*
• 11. Eddie Irvine, Great Britain, Jaguar-Cosworth, 1 lap behind
• 12. Fernando Alonso, Spain, Minardi-European, 2 laps behind
• 13. Giancarlo Fisichella, Italy, Benetton-Renault, 3 laps behind
• 14. Jenson Button, Great Britain, Benetton-Renault, 6 laps behind, exhaust system
• Not classified
• Juan Pablo Montoya, Colombia, Williams-BMW, completed 40 laps, engine
• Jarno Trulli, Italy, Jordan-Honda, completed 38 laps, misfire
• Mika Hakkinen, Finland, McLaren-Mercedes, completed 25 laps, right front suspension
• Ralf Schumacher, Germany, Williams-BMW, completed 4 laps, accident
• Jacques Villeneuve, Canada, BAR-Honda, completed 4 laps, accident
• Tarso Marques, Brazil, Minardi-European, completed 3 laps, misfire
• Enrique Bernoldi, Brazil, Arrows-Asiatech, completed 2 laps, accident
• Gaston Mazzacane, Argentina, Prost, Acer, completed 0 laps, brakes

Text Provided By Paul Kelly

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