2001 Australian GP: Schumacher wins amid grief over marshal's death

Michael Schumacher won the 2001 Australian GP from pole position in his Ferrari. He finished just 1.717 seconds ahead of David Coulthard in the McLaren. Schumacher's teammate Rubens Barrichello came third. Even so, it was no textbook victory: on lap 5 Jacques Villeneuve crashed heavily at Albert Park, and a wheel that had been torn off killed a marshal. After that, nobody in Melbourne was in the mood to celebrate.

According to Wikipedia, it was Schumacher's fifth consecutive win and the 45th of his career.

Schumacher kept the lead at the start. Behind him, things got messy straight away at the first corner: Heinz-Harald Frentzen in the Jordan hit Coulthard's sidepod, and a second contact cost the Scot time. Juan Pablo Montoya, in his first Grand Prix for Williams, went off line at Turn 1 and collided at Turn 3 with Eddie Irvine, whose Jaguar spun as a result. On lap 3, Barrichello tried to pass Frentzen at Turn 9. The two touched, Frentzen dropped to 16th, and Barrichello's Ferrari was left with its front-left toe alignment knocked out.

Disaster struck on lap 5. Villeneuve's BAR ran into the back of Ralf Schumacher's Williams in the braking zone for Turn 3, took off and slammed into the catch fencing and the barrier. A wheel that had been torn off flew through a gap in the fence and struck marshal Graham Beveridge, who died of his injuries. Both drivers got out of their cars unaided, and several spectators were injured by debris. According to thethirdturn.com, the Safety Car led the field from lap 5 to 15 while the track was cleared.

After the restart, Schumacher was able to extend his lead, especially once his biggest rival had retired. At the end of the back straight, Mika Häkkinen's left-front suspension broke and the McLaren slammed into the tyre wall. Häkkinen had completed 25 laps by then and, according to Wikipedia, suffered a mild concussion.

According to Wikipedia, Barrichello got stuck behind Fernando Alonso while lapping him, just as Alonso was coming out of the pits. That let Coulthard close in and pass him at Turn 4. The Scot led from lap 37 to 40 while Schumacher pitted for fuel and tyres. After Coulthard's own pit stop, Schumacher was back in front from lap 41 and brought the win home. The 1.717-second gap at the finish looks close, but over the whole race Schumacher was clearly the stronger driver.

Nine of the 22 starters failed to finish:

• Gastón Mazzacane (Prost): brakes, without completing a lap
• Enrique Bernoldi (Arrows): spun off after 2 laps, at Turn 2 according to Wikipedia
• Tarso Marques (Minardi): battery, after 3 laps
• Ralf Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve: collision, after 4 laps
• Mika Häkkinen: suspension, after 25 laps
• Jarno Trulli (Jordan): engine, after 38 laps
• Juan Pablo Montoya: engine, after 40 laps. According to Wikipedia, an oil line had broken.
• Jenson Button (Benetton): electrics, after 52 laps. According to Wikipedia, a cracked exhaust had scorched the wiring loom.

The result only became final after the chequered flag. Olivier Panis (BAR) and Jos Verstappen (Arrows) had overtaken under yellow flags and were each given a 25-second time penalty. That dropped Panis from fourth place out of the points, and he is classified seventh.

The pleasant surprise of the day was Sauber. Nick Heidfeld started tenth and finished fourth. On his Formula 1 debut, Kimi Räikkönen gained seven places, from grid position 13 to 6th, and scored a championship point straight away. The biggest gainer was Luciano Burti in the Jaguar, who climbed from grid position 21 to 8th. Fellow debutant Alonso also made up seven places in the Minardi and finished twelfth.

Frentzen also deserves credit. He had dropped well back after the collision with Barrichello but fought his way up to 5th place. Häkkinen tops the list of losers: he started third and was classified only 17th because his suspension broke. For Williams it was a day to forget, as neither car made it to the finish.

After the first of 17 rounds, Schumacher led the 2001 drivers' championship with 10 points. Behind him were Coulthard on 6, Barrichello on 4, Heidfeld on 3, Frentzen on 2 and Räikkönen on 1 point. In the constructors' standings, Ferrari had 14 points, McLaren 6, Sauber 4 and Jordan 2.

On the sporting side, the opener confirmed what many had expected after the 2000 title: Ferrari and Schumacher set the standard, and McLaren were the only serious challenger. Even so, the race is remembered for the fatal accident of Graham Beveridge. According to grandprix.com, a coroner later held the organisers responsible for not doing enough to contain the danger posed by the gaps in the catch fencing. Next up was the Malaysian GP.