2001 F1 German Grand Prix - Hockenheim Formula 1 Race Report

1/ Ralf Schumacher (Williams);
2/ Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari); 3/ Jacques Villeneuve (BAR);
4/ Fisichella (Benetton); 5/ Button (Benetton); 6/ Alesi (Prost)

Last year's winner: Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari)
Lap record set in 2000 by Rubens Barrichello 1:44.300

German GP - Race

Grand Prix Description, History, Facts and Figures
Until Michael Schumacher came on the scene, the two icons of German motor sport were the old Nurburgring Circuit and the famous Mercedes Silver Arrows team. "The Ring" or Nordschleife as it is known was the most daunting track in the world. At 22.835 kilometres in length, just learning where the corners were was hard enough, never mind trying to race on it. This ultimate challenge and the world's greatest driver combined together to produce one of the most memorable races in the history of the sport, back in 1957.

Juan Manuel Fangio made a poor start from pole tucking in behind the Ferraris of Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins, but by lap two he had lopped seven seconds off his own lap record and took the lead next time round. At half distance on lap 11, he had a 28 second lead and gambled on a pit stop for fresh tyres. It took longer than expected and he rejoined a minute down on the leaders. But undaunted, he charged on at incredible speed, gaining eight or nine seconds every lap. With three laps to go the gap was 13 seconds.

One more lap and he had the Ferraris in his sights after lapping eight seconds quicker than his pole time! Just after the pits he stormed past Collins and began to hunt down the leader and with one and a half laps to go, Hawthorn could only watch the Maestro sweep by. It was Fangio's last grand prix win on his way to a record fifth world championship. "Even now, I can feel fear when I think of that race," he said years later. "I loved the Nurburgring and I think that day I conquered it."

Fangio is the link to the Silver Arrows, the Mercedes grands prix cars which built a legend based on just twelve grand prix entered in 1954 and �55. The Argentinian won eight of them at the wheel of the fabulous 8 cylinder W196 to take his first two world titles.

Wolfgang Von Trips came close to giving Germany its first F1 world championship in 1961, but tragically he was killed at Monza at the wheel of his Ferrari. Germany then had to wait almost thirty years for Formula One to capture the public's imagination again and that was all down to the "Schumacher Effect." Michael's two world championships at the wheel of a Benetton provided the spark that re-ignited a passionate national following for the sport.

A total of forty Germans have taken part in grands prix since the world championship began in 1950. A further nine have started a race weekend but failed to qualify. Fourteen of those drivers have scored points with Michael Schumacher and Heinz-Harald Frentzen accounting for over three quarters of them.

The German Grand Prix was first held at the Nurburgring. It made one visit to the Avus Ring near Berlin before returning to the Nurburgring where it was held until 1970, the first time it came to Hockenheim. It returned to the Nurburgring until Niki Lauda's 1976 accident. From 1977 onwards Hockenheim has hosted every running of the event with the exception of the 1985 race held on the "new" Nurburgring.

A German pre-world championship grand prix still holds the record for the fastest ever race average. Bernd Rosemeyer lapped the Avus Ring, way back in 1937 at an amazing 276.40 km/h in an Auto Union!

	2001 German Formula One Grand Prix
Lap	Race Report
Start
1st Corner
Lap 1
Lap 2
Lap 3
Lap 4
Lap 5
Lap 7
Lap 10
Lap 11
Lap 12
Lap 13
Lap 14
Lap 15
Lap 16
Lap 18
Lap 19
Lap 20
Lap 26
Lap 27
Lap 28
Lap 29
Lap 30
Lap 31
Lap 34
Lap 35
Lap 37
Lap 38
Lap 39
Lap 40
Lap 42
Lap 43
Lap 45 RACE END	1/ Ralf Schumacher (Williams); 2/ Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari); 3/ Jacques Villeneuve (BAR); 4/ Fisichella (Benetton); 5/ Button (Benetton); 6/ Alesi (Prost)

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Place	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Speed
1	5	Schumacher R	Williams	1:18:17.873
2	2	Barrichello	Ferrari	+46.117
3	10	Villeneuve	BAR	+1:02.806
4	7	Fisichella	Benetton	+1:03.477
5	8	Button	Benetton	+1:05.454
6	22	Alesi	Prost	+1:05.950
7	9	Panis	BAR	+1:27.567
8	15	Bernoldi	Arrows	+1 lap
9	14	Verstappen	Arrows	+1 lap
10	21	Alonso	Minardi	+1 lap
r	11	Trulli	Jordan	+45 laps
r	20	Marques	Minardi	+45 laps
r	4	Coulthard	West McLaren Mercedes	+45 laps
r	23	Burti	Prost	+45 laps
r	6	Montoya	Williams	+45 laps
r	1	Schumacher M	Ferrari	+45 laps
r	18	Irvine	Jaguar	+45 laps
r	17	Raikkonen	Sauber	+45 laps
r	3	Hakkinen	West McLaren Mercedes	+45 laps
r	12	Zonta	Jordan	+45 laps
r	16	Heidfeld	Sauber	+45 laps
r	19	de la Rosa	Jaguar	+45 laps