Michael Schumacher Wins 2001 Japanese GP

The Japanese Grand Prix pretty much summed up the entire 2001 season: Michael Schumacher started from his 11th pole of the year, led the race from start to finish apart from pit stops and won his ninth GP this year. In so doing he eclipsed Alain Prost’s record of total points scored which was about the only record he didn’t already own. To complete the effect the Ferrari, McLaren and Williams teams took all of the point scoring positions.

Juan Pablo Montoya was close on Schumacher’s heels all race and finished just three seconds behind him. David Coulthard was third and locked up second place in this year’s Drivers’ Championship. Mika Hakkinen finished fourth amid speculation that he had deliberately let his teammate Coulthard pass him to avoid having to attend the podium finisher’s press conference where he would almost certainly have faced more retirement questions as he starts his one year sabbatical.

Rubens Barrichello was fifth, his now almost routine three stop strategy didn’t help him much today as even with a light fuel load he couldn’t make a pass on Montoya stick and so he lost time in the pits on the extra stop without any speed advantage on the track. Ralf Schumacher took the final points scoring position after a stop-and-go penalty for straight-lining a chicane cost him several places. He almost landed another penalty for crossing the white line at the pit exit but slowed to let Barrichello pass him to show that he had not gained any advantage from the move

Jean Alesi finished his 201^st and final GP on lap 6 after he came together with the spinning Sauber of Kimi Raikkonen. Raikkonen will be moving to McLaren next year to replace Hakkinen.

Complete Japanese GP results.