FORMULA 1: Coulthard ends Schumacher’s streak; Montoya dazzles before accident
Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
April 2, 2001SAO PAULO, Brazil-David Coulthard broke Michael Schumacher’s six-race win streak with a victory in his West McLaren-Mercedes in the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Coulthard grabbed the lead for the final time on Lap 50 after getting by Schumacher’s Ferrari going into the first turn. It was raining heavily at the time, and as the pair entered the first turn, they came upon the slower Minardi-European driven by Tarso Marques. Coulthard went to the inside of Marques while Schumacher went to the outside. Coulthard came out ahead and went on to score his 10th career victory and his first since the French Grand Prix last July.
“The conditions were incredibly difficult when we’re in all that traffic,” Coulthard said. “You couldn’t see anything of the car in front of you, so you had put your trust in the other drivers that they would keep it flat. I think Michael must have lifted into the left-hand kink onto the straight, and then it was quite straight forward to just slipstream past him.”
Schumacher ended up second in his Ferrari while Nick Heidfeld visited the podium for the first time after finishing third in his Red Bull Sauber-Petronas.
The race started with Schumacher taking the lead while Mika Hakkinen stalled his McLaren. Hakkinen did not replace the steering wheel as required by the rules on his car after he climbed out. This resulted in the track workers struggling to replace it so that they could move the car. Because of the delay, the Safety Car had to be deployed for two laps so that the McLaren could be pushed off the track. Officials fined Hakkinen $5,000.
On the restart at the beginning of Lap 3, Juan Pablo Montoya, who had been in second place in his Williams-BMW, dived inside of Schumacher’s Ferrari in the first turn. The two cars bumped twice as Montoya pushed his way through to take the lead.
Much to the disappointment of the Brazilian fans, Rubens Barrichello’s race ended on Lap 3 after a collision with Ralf Schumacher’s Williams-BMW. While Ralf Schumacher was able to continue after repairs (although he would eventually spin out), Barrichello’s race was over in his Ferrari.
Out in front, 2000 Indianapolis 500 winner Montoya led over Michael Schumacher and Coulthard. The order stayed that way for much of the first half of the 71-lap race, and then it began to rain lightly.
Montoya’s run at the front ended on Lap 39 as he was lapping Jos Verstappen ’s Orange Arrows-Asiatech. Montoya passed Verstappen and pulled back in front of him but then got hit in the rear by Verstappen. Officials later fined Verstappen for causing the collision.
Coulthard, who had passed Schumacher when the latter made an early pit stop, was now out in front. Coulthard made his stop on Lap 40 only to have to come in again seven laps later when the rain increased to the point where wet-weather tires were essential. Now behind Schumacher, who had also pitted for wet tires, Coulthard closed in and made his pass to take the lead for good on Lap 50.
Schumacher’s car wasn’t set up properly for the wet conditions, and he spun once and slid off the track once but managed to keep going.
“Today it did not work for us,” Schumacher said. “The car was not quite working the way I liked, which is why I had a couple of ‘offs,’ which is not normal for me in these conditions. David passed me when we were behind the Minardi (of Tarso Marques), because at first it was on the left side of the track. I decided to go right, but the Minardi moved that way also. At that moment I had to make a decision, and the outside line was my only option. In any case, David would have passed me later.”
Coulthard and Schumacher lapped the field. Olivier Panis ended up fourth in his Lucky Strike British American Racing-Honda, behind Heidfeld. Panis could have probably finished third, but because of a radio miscommunication he had to wait 90 seconds in the pits while the BAR team tried to fit the correct tires to the car of his teammate Jacques Villeneuve.
Jarno Trulli (Benson & Hedges Jordan-Honda) and Giancarlo Fisichella (Mild Seven Benetton-Renault) scored their first points of the season as they rounded out the top six.
Winner Coulthard averaged 115.185 mph (185.373 km/h) to complete the 71-lap, 190.067-mile (305.909-km) race in one hour, 39 minutes and 0.834 seconds. His margin of victory was 16.164seconds.
Text provided by Paul Kelly
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