2001 Formula One World Championship: Schumacher's Record Margin and Three New Stars

The 2001 season was the 55th of FIA Formula One racing and ran over 17 races from 4 March to 14 October. Michael Schumacher won the title by a record 58 points, and the season introduced Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya to the top flight.

What changed in the rules for 2001?

The 2001 Formula One World Championship was the 55th season of FIA Formula One racing, contested over 17 races. Michael Schumacher retained his title with a record margin of 58 points over David Coulthard, and Ferrari kept the Constructors' Championship in a dominant year.

The front wing had to move upward by 50 mm, so that it sat at least 100 mm above the reference plane. The aim was to reduce ground effect and overall downforce at the front of the car, and the upper section of the rear wing was limited to three elements with one lower element.

The safety cell and cockpit opening grew to reduce leg injuries, and the roll hoop had to withstand four times the force of the previous year. The side impact test was conducted at 10 m/s rather than 7 m/s, and tyres had to be connected to the suspension with two tethers instead of one.

The biggest change was the return of electronic driver aids. Traction control, launch control and fully automatic transmissions had been banned since 1994, but they came back from the Spanish Grand Prix. The FIA said they were brought back to ensure no team was cheating, although reliability questions followed.

Sporting rules also shifted. Eleven teams had met the FIA at Heathrow to agree the changes, and drivers were allowed three extra sets of tyres for Friday practice, and teams agreed to ban in-season testing during August, with a three-week break in its place. Team bosses had agreed that testing ban at Monza, ten days after the Heathrow meeting. Mercedes-Benz provided a new safety car, the SL55 AMG, which debuted at the German Grand Prix.

A record 58-point title margin, three debutants and the return of electronic aids made 2001 a season of contrasts.

Who were the new faces and driver moves in 2001?

Three high-profile drivers made their debuts: Alonso with Minardi, Raikkonen with Sauber and Montoya with Williams. Alonso and Raikkonen were future world champions, and Montoya had won the CART title at his first attempt in 1999, making the three of them the most talked-about newcomers.

Montoya took the Williams seat that Jenson Button had left for Benetton. Button had replaced Alexander Wurz there, after Wurz fell out of favour with Flavio Briatore, and Wurz moved to a test role at McLaren. Olivier Panis joined BAR in place of Ricardo Zonta.

Raikkonen signed a full drive with Sauber after dominating the British Formula Renault series, and Peter Sauber was impressed enough by his testing to make the offer. Pedro Diniz stayed out of the Sauber seat and bought 40% of the Prost team instead.

The entry changed in other ways too. Peugeot withdrew after seven years, and its assets were bought by Asia Motor Technologies France, which supplied rebadged Asiatech engines to Arrows free of charge. Michelin returned as a tyre supplier, and Renault came back to buy Benetton, which was renamed Renault for 2002.

Mid-season brought more moves. Frentzen was injured and missed the Canadian round, with Ricardo Zonta deputising, and Jordan ended his contract after the British Grand Prix. Frentzen joined Prost, while Alesi, who had left Prost after the German round, moved to Jordan in a straight swap. Prost had dropped Gaston Mazzacane after San Marino, Tomas Enge replaced Luciano Burti after his Belgian crash, and Alex Yoong, granted his super-licence during the season, replaced Tarso Marques at Minardi for Italy. Marc Gene, who had lost his Minardi seat over sponsorship, became a Williams test driver until the end of 2004.

How did the early rounds set the pattern?

Schumacher started the year where he had left off, with a dominant win from pole in Australia. Hakkinen lost second after a suspension failure, and Coulthard took second ahead of Barrichello. Raikkonen finished his first race in the points in sixth. The race was marred by the death of marshal Graham Beveridge, who was hit by debris after a collision between Ralf Schumacher and Villeneuve.

In Malaysia the Ferraris went off the track in a heavy shower on lap two. They pitted to change to intermediates while the others had full wets, and they charged back to finish first and second, with Coulthard third. Brazil began with Schumacher on pole, but a first-lap collision brought out the safety car. Montoya took the lead on the restart, only to be hit from behind by Verstappen while lapping. Coulthard passed Schumacher on the first corner of a lapping move and went on to win, with Schumacher second and Heidfeld third.

San Marino was Ferrari's first home race of the year, but McLaren qualified first and second. Ralf Schumacher shot into the lead at the start, passed both McLarens and was never headed. Michael had a difficult afternoon with a gearbox glitch and a puncture, and Coulthard finished second with Barrichello third.

After four races Schumacher and Coulthard were level on 26 points, Barrichello and Ralf were third and fourth with 14 and 12, and Hakkinen had only 4 points in seventh. Ferrari led the Constructors' table with 40 points, ahead of McLaren on 30 and Williams on 12.

How did the summer races shape the title?

Schumacher won in Spain, where Hakkinen's car gave out on the last lap with a clutch failure, and Montoya finished second with Villeneuve third. In Austria Coulthard took the win with Schumacher second, and at Monaco Coulthard took pole but stalled on the grid because of launch control problems, and Schumacher won from Barrichello, with Irvine third after a Hakkinen engine failure.

Canada was a battle between the brothers. Ralf kept with Michael through the early stint and, when Michael pitted, pushed hard to come out five seconds ahead. Ralf took the win, and the two Schumachers finished first and second, the first time that brothers had done so. Hakkinen took third, his first podium of the season, and Coulthard retired when his engine failed near the end.

After Canada, Schumacher had 58 points and was 18 clear of Coulthard. The next races kept that gap in place. At the Nurburgring Schumacher won, Montoya was second and Coulthard third, while Ralf came fourth after a stop-go penalty for crossing the white line at his first stop. Schumacher had taken his seventh pole of the season there.

In France the brothers started first and second again, with Ralf taking his first career pole. Michael jumped him at the first stops and won comfortably, and Barrichello held off Coulthard for third. At Silverstone Hakkinen took a dominant first win of the year, with Michael second and Barrichello third.

Germany was Williams' weekend, as Montoya took his first pole and then lost the engine, leaving Ralf to win from Barrichello and Villeneuve. By then Schumacher had 84 points, and Coulthard was a distant second on 47. Ralf and Barrichello were still in contention.

How did the final rounds decide the title?

Schumacher took pole in Hungary and won the race, which clinched the title. Barrichello was second to make a Ferrari one-two, and a disappointed Coulthard finished third. The result also secured the Constructors' title for Ferrari, which finished the year with 179 points.

At Spa Schumacher won his 52nd career race, which broke Alain Prost's record for most wins. Coulthard was second and Fisichella third. Montoya then took pole and his first career win in Italy, with Barrichello second and Ralf third.

The United States Grand Prix was Hakkinen's last win. Schumacher was second and Coulthard third, and Murray Walker gave his final commentary at the race. In Japan, Schumacher won from pole, with Montoya second and Coulthard third. Hakkinen, in his last race, handed third to Coulthard as a token of gratitude, Barrichello's three-stop strategy failed to pay off, and Ralf Schumacher was given a stop-go penalty for cutting the final chicane too often.

Race winners and standings

Schumacher won nine races, Coulthard two, Ralf Schumacher three, and Hakkinen two, with Montoya taking the Italian win. The final drivers' order read Schumacher 123, Coulthard 65 and Barrichello 56, followed by Ralf Schumacher on 49, Hakkinen 37 and Montoya 31.

In the Constructors' table Ferrari finished on 179 points, 77 ahead of McLaren on 102, with Williams third on 80.

Why does 2001 still matter?

The 2001 season was Hakkinen's last. He had announced a sabbatical that became full-time retirement, and Alesi also raced his last Grand Prix in Japan after passing 200 starts. Murray Walker's last commentary and Hakkinen's last win came at the same race.

The season also began a tyre war between Michelin and Bridgestone that lasted until the end of 2006. Renault came back to buy Benetton, and Peugeot left the sport. The Prost team folded at the end of the year because it lacked finance.

The record margin in the drivers' table was the lasting achievement of the year, and the gap to the rest was wide: Barrichello finished third on 56 points and Ralf fourth on 49. Schumacher finished with more points than the next two drivers combined, which underlined the scale of his advantage.