Template:2001 - The Iceman Waiteth

Driver changes for the 2001 season
A number of changes to the teams' line-ups were made for the 2001 season: Olivier Panis, having spent a year testing for McLaren, moved to BAR, replacing Ricardo Zonta, who became test driver at Jordan; Jenson Button moved to Benetton, making way at Williams for Colombian CART sensation Juan Pablo Montoya; Gaston Mazzacane joined Prost from Minardi, with Nick Heidfeld leaving the French team for Sauber; making debuts would be the aforementioned Montoya, a young Spaniard called Fernando Alonso at Minardi, and Enrique Bernoldi at Sauber.

The Sauber decision had been a contentious one. Team Principal Peter Sauber had preferred a young Finnish driver called Kimi Räikkönen, but sponsors Red Bull had lobbied for their driver, Enrique Bernoldi to get the seat. In the end, with doubts circulating about the Finn's ability to cope with the reality of Formula One competition, given that he had only driven in 23 events so far, money talked, and Bernoldi got the drive.

As a result, the line-ups for the 2001 Formula One Season were as follows:

Australia
At the sharp end of the grid there was a signal of intent from Ferrari, with Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello qualifying first and second on the grid. Nick Heidfeld managed a credible tenth place, with his team-mate Enrique Bernoldi down in sixteenth, just ahead of the Benettons.

In the race Schumacher converted pole position into a win, with David Coulthard second, and Rubens Barrichello in third. Nick Heidfeld performed very credibly, finishing fourth, their highest finish since 1998. Enrique Bernoldi's race ended a lot sooner, spinning off on the second lap.

Malaysia
For the top teams it was more of the same in Malaysia. Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello put their Ferraris on the front row of the grid. Nick Heidfeld would start from eleventh, while Enrique Bernoldi could only manage nineteenth.

The race did not get any better for Sauber. Bernoldi had a driveshaft issue that prevented him from even leaving the grid, and with rain falling Heidfeld spun out on the third lap. Despite losing positions because of the rain, Schumacher and Barrichello pulled off a series of overtakes in order to finish first and second respectively.

Brazil
At Interlagos there was hope for the other teams that they wouldn't have to endure further Ferrari domination. While Michael Schumacher was on pole again, Rubens Barrichello was in sixth behind the Williams and the McLarens. Qualifying also went well for Sauber, with Nick Heidfeld and Enrique Bernoldi qualifying ninth and tenth respectively.

Just like Malaysia before, the Brazilian Grand Prix was beset by rain, with the lead changing hands between Michael Schumacher, Juan Pablo Montoya and David Coulthard on multiple occasions, with Coulthard ultimately prevailing. Heidfeld managed to finish fourth, a lap behind the lead trio. Hopes for a double points finish were dashed when Enrique Bernoldi span off the track.

San Marino
For the first time of the season, Michael Schumacher was not on pole, instead qualifying fourth. Pole was instead taken by David Coulthard, with Mika Häkkinen lining up just behind him in the sister McLaren. For Sauber, Enrique Bernoldi out-qualified Nick Heidfeld for the first time, starting the race from tenth, one position ahead of his team-mate.

In the race the McLarens were not as quick off the line as Ralf Schumacher's Williams, the German going from third to first before Tamburello. Ralf Schumacher held on for the win, making him and Michael the first grand prix-winning brothers. David Coulthard finished second, and, with Michael Schumacher suffering a suspension failure, took the lead in the championship. Enrique Bernoldi's good qualifying performance was undermined by a steering issue during the race, and Nick Heidfeld finished just outside the points in seventh.

Spain
In the weeks between Spain and Malaysia there had been a driver change, with Gastón Mazzacane being sacked by Prost, and replaced by French driver Stéphane Sarrazin. Despite there having been rumblings that Jaguar were preparing to sack Luciano Burti, the lack of a viable replacement seemingly put paid to the idea.

Normal service was resumed in qualifying, with Michael Schumacher taking his fourth pole of the season. Lining up beside him was Mika Häkkinen. For Sauber, Enrique Bernoldi again managed to qualify his car just ahead of Nick Heidfeld, with the Saubers lining up ninth and tenth respectively.

In the race all had looked set for Häkkinen to take his first win of the season, before a hydraulic problem on the penultimate lap caused his retirement from the lead. Michael Schumacher swept past, and took the race win, with Juan Pablo Montoya a distant second. Joining the pair on the podium was Jacques Villeneuve, his first podium finish foor BAR. Heidfeld was able to use his experience to ensure that he finished ahead of Bernoldi, the pair finishing sixth and eighth respectively. In his first race for Prost, Stéphane Sarrazin finished a respectable eleventh, just behind Jean Alesi.

Austria
Once again, Michael Schumacher was on pole for the grand prix, with championship rival David Coulthard only able to qualify seventh. Nick Heidfeld qualified well, and would start from sixth, with Bernoldi behind him in tenth. Stéphane Sarrazin actually out-qualified Jean Alesi by one position, and would start from nineteenth on the grid.

In the race a battle for the lead developed between Michael Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya. When Michael Schumacher tried to overtake Montoya at the second corner, the Colombian outbreaked himself, with both drivers running off the track, and handing the lead to Rubens Barrichello. During pit stops Coulthard was able to get ahead of Barrichello, and went on to take the win, with Michael Schumacher finishing second, Ferrari having ordered Barrichello to cede the position to his team-mate. Both Saubers finished outside the points, with Heidfeld eighth and Bernoldi ninth. Sarrazin finished the race just behind his team-mate in eleventh place.

Monaco
David Coulthard had high hopes for retaking the championship lead from Michael Schumacher at Monaco, given that he qualified first on the grid, with Michael Schumacher second. Nick Heidfeld was the fastest of the Saubers, but was only sixteenth, with Enrique Bernoldi in eighteenth. Stéphane Sarrazin was well down the grid in twenty-first, only ahead of Tarso Marques.

Come the parade lap, David Coulthard's launch control played up, and prevented him from pulling away from the grid. By the time that the McLaren engineers had got the car started Coulthard was forced to start from the back of the grid. Coulthard managed to work his way back to fourth over the course of the race, but having qualified on pole and with the championship race heating up, the Scot was disappointed with the result. Michael Schumacher predictably led home Rubens Barrichello to take his fifth win at Monaco. Eddie Irvine raised a couple of eyebrows by ending the race just behind the two Ferraris in third. An accident with Jos Verstappen ended Nick Heidfeld's race early, and Bernoldi was the best of the Saubers, finishing tenth, with a wheel sensor failure requiring him to drive very gently in order to bring the car home. Jean Alesi scored Prost's first points of the season, finishing sixth, but Stéphane Sarrazin's afternoon was ended when a brakes issue forced his retirement.

Canada
O, Canada! The halfway point of the season, and characteristically for 2001 Michael Schumacher qualified on pole, just ahead of his brother. Heinz-Harald Frentzen had succumbed to illness, and so was replaced in the Jordan by Ricardo Zonta, who qualified twelfth. Enrique Bernoldi was the quickest of the Saubers, qualifying ninth to Nick Heidfeld's eleventh. Stéphane Sarrazin was again near the back of the grid, qualifying nineteenth in the Prost.

In the race it was Ralf Schumacher who was the faster of the brothers, hunting Michael down before passing him during pit stops. This was the first time ever that two brothers had finished first and second in a grand prix. David Coulthard fell further behind in the championship race, as his Mercedes engine let go fifteen laps from the end. Nick Heidfeld's race was ended by Eddie Irvine, but Enrique Bernoldi scored his first points of the season, safely bringing his Sauber home in fifth, just behind Jean Alesi's Prost. The final points position was filled by Luciano Burti, who just managed to keep an impressive Ricardo Zonta behind him, with Sarrazin eighth.

Europe
At the Nürburgring there was more Schumacher family dominance, with Michael qualifying on pole and Ralf in second. With both Williams and Ferrari competitive, the best David Coulthard could do was to qualify fifth. Nick Heidfeld qualified ninth and Enrique Bernoldi tenth, giving Sauber optimism that they could claim some more points come Sunday. Heinz-Harald Frentzen had recovered from the illness that had kept him out of the Canadian Grand Prix, and qualified eighth. Stéphane Sarrazin was seventeenth.

When the lights went out, it was Ralf who got the better start of the Schumachers, but Michael showed his brotherly love by squeezing Ralf against the pitwall, forcing his younger brother to ease off the throttle. From that point onward Michael was dominant, and took the win with ease. A mistake exiting the pit-lane cost Ralf Schumacher a ten second penalty, letting Juan Pablo Montoya and David Coulthard past to take second and third respectively. At Sauber a driveshaft problem ended Nick Heidfeld's race, and Enrique Bernoldi never had enough pace to challenge the points positions, finishing tenth. Stéphane Sarrazin managed to finish the grand prix in twelfth, ahead of Jenson Button's Benetton.

France
Qualifying presented yet another battle between the Schumacher boys, this time with Ralf taking pole. David Coulthard, his world championship dream slipping away from him, would be starting from third. Nick Heidfeld qualified ninth, while Enrique Bernoldi could only manage fourteenth. Stéphane Sarrazin was the best of the Prosts, qualifying sixteenth, with Jean Alesi in nineteenth.

There were problems before the start for Mika Häkkinen as the Finn's gearbox failed. It later transpired that the fault had been caused by the gearbox being incorrectly assembled, causing some red faces in the McLaren garage. For the opening laps of the race Ralf Schumacher led from his brother, but following the first round of pit-stops something was wrong with the rear of his car, causing him steering issues, and allowing Michael to set an unassailable lead. A challenge for the lead from Juan Pablo Montoya was thwarted by his BMW engine failing. Nick Heidfeld managed to bring home a solitary point, finishing sixth, with team-mate Enrique Bernoldi just behind in seventh. Stéphane Sarrazin beat his team-mate, finishing eleventh.

Great Britain
Yet again it was Michael Schumacher who qualified on pole, narrowly out-qualifying his old rival Mika Häkkinen. Nick Heidfeld qualified eighth, Bernoldi tenth. Stéphane Sarrazin was sixteenth. The race also saw Tarso Marques become the first driver to fail to qualify for a race all season, an astonishing six seconds off the pace.

The race was decided in the pits, with Mika Häkkinen emerging in the lead. Nick Heidfeld managed to finish the race fifth, ahead of Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Enrique Bernoldi was eighth. Sarrazin's afternoon was ended by his engine failing.

Germany
For the first time Juan Pablo Montoya put his Williams on pole, pipping his team-mate to first on the grid. Sauber were going well, with Nick Heidfeld and Enrique Bernoldi in seventh and eighth respectively. Stéphane Sarrazin started from sixteenth. Again, Ricardo Zonta replaced Heinz-Harald Frentzen in the Jordan, this time because the German had been sacked.

Montoya might have won the race, had he not pushed so hard. His BMW engine gave up, and his team-mate Ralf, driving more conservatively, took the win. Michael Schumacher was hit by a fuel pressure problem forcing his retirement, but David Coulthard was unable to close the gap in the championship as he too suffered an engine problem. There was a great result for Sauber, as Nick Heidfeld finished third, the team's first podium since 1998. A problem with one of Enrique Bernoldi's wheel shaft's prevented the Brazilian from adding to the team's point tally. Stéphane Sarrazin managed to finish the race in ninth. After a long wait, Benetton finally scored their first points of the season, with Giancarlo Fisichella fifth, and Jenson Button sixth.

Hungary
Michael Schumacher arrived in Hungary with the knowledge that he only needed to outscore David Coulthard by six points to secure the title with four races to go. With that in mind, he promptly qualified on pole, with Coulthard second in a vain attempt to keep the title race alive. The Saubers qualified well, starting from seventh and ninth. At Jordan and Prost there were driver changes, with Jean Alesi leaving the French team to join up with Eddie Jordan again, making way for Heinz-Harald Frentzen at Prost. In their new teams Alesi qualified twelfth and Frentzen sixteenth, with Stéphane Sarrazin nineteenth.

In an incredibly dull race with little overtaking, Michael Schumacher won, with Rubens Barrichello making it a one-two for Ferrari. Third place for David Coulthard meant that the world championship battle was over, with Michael Schumacher a four-time world champion. Sauber had a good race, with Nick Heidfeld taking sixth, and Bernoldi finishing seventh. Both Prosts spun off in an afternoon to forget, but Jean Alesi managed to bring his Jordan home in tenth place.

Belgium
With the championship over, Michael Schumacher was able to relax, and was out-qualified by the Williams, with Juan Pablo Montoya on pole. Nick Heidfeld qualified fourteenth, with Enrique Bernoldi fifteenth. Heinz-Harald Frentzen was perhaps the most impressive qualifier, starting from fourth, with his team-mate Stéphane Sarrazin in eighteenth. Jean Alesi was thirteenth on the grid.

Montoya's first win continued to elude him, as yet another engine failure put paid to his race. As a result, Michael Schumacher was able to profit and take the win, with David Coulthard second. A transmission failure saw Enrique Bernoldi retire, and Nick Heidfeld was ultimately tenth, putting an end to a string of four races finishing in the points. Stéphane Sarrazin was just behind in eleventh. Despite Frentzen's good qualifying performance, he was not able to carry his form through to Sunday, and the German was disappointed to finish only ninth. Jean Alesi scored his first points for Jordan though, ending the race sixth.

Italy
Come Italy there had been big goings on. In the wider world, on 11th September terrorists had hijacked planes and used them to attack the World Trade Center Buildings and the Pentagon in the United States of America. Within Formula One, Mika Häkkinen had announced that he would take a sabbatical from Formule One for 2002. McLaren had wasted no time in announcing his replacement, which would be the young German driver, Nick Heidfeld. Heidfeld was an easy choice: at the time he was seventh in the championship, the highest-placed driver not from one of the big three teams; his nationality had appealed to part-owners and engine suppliers Mercedes; and he had an existing relationship with the team, having tested for the team and won the 1999 International Formula 3000 championship while part of the West Competition team. With his move to McLaren announced, he was widely tipped to one day become a world champion. At the other end of the grid, Minardi dropped Tarso Marques for Alex Yoong, who brought significant amounts of Malaysian sponsorship.

Qualifying saw yet another pole for Juan Pablo Montoya. The Saubers were eighth and ninth on the grid. Stéphane Sarrazin would be starting from fourteenth. Yoong started from last place on the grid.

Having seemed like it was a long time coming, Juan Pablo Montoya finally managed to win a grand prix, his BMW engine holding out. He was joined on the podium by Rubens Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher. The Saubers ran well, and Enrique Bernoldi was able to finish sixth, his second points-finish of the year. McLaren-bound Heidfeld finished eleventh, behind Stéphane Sarrazin who finished tenth.

USA
After Italy came the United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis. Michael Schumacher took pole, with Mika Häkkinen originally qualifying second, but being bumped down do fourth as a penalty for ignoring a red light in the practice session. A good qualifying session saw Nick Heidfeld take sixth on the grid, and Enrique Bernoldi was twelfth. Stéphane Sarrazin was sixteenth.

Superior pit-stop strategy allowed Mika Häkkinen to take the win. Nick Heidfeld finished sixth, and Enrique Bernoldi kept him honest in seventh. Sarrazin finished twelfth.

Japan
Michael Schumacher looked set to end the season as he started it, taking pole at Suzuka. Nick Heidfeld and Enrique Bernoldi lined up tenth and thirteenth. Stéphane Sarrazin started from eighteenth.

Just like the season as a whole, Michael Schumacher dominated the race, easily winning. Heidfeld was only able to improve by one position, ending his season ninth, while Enrique Bernoldi managed to finish tenth. A brake issue forced Stéphane Sarrazin to retire, and it seemed likely that would be the last we ever saw of the Frenchman.

Other Series
In American open-wheelers the 2001 Indy Racing League champion was Sam Hornish, Jr. The Indy 500 was won by Hélio Castroneves. The CART champion was Gil de Ferran.

In International Formula 3000 title was easily won by Justin Wilson. Kimi Räikkönen once again showed his class by winning the British Formula Three championship. The Open Telefónica by Nissan season was won by Franck Montagny.