2001 Malaysian GP: Schumacher's wet-weather gamble on intermediates

Michael Schumacher won the 2001 Malaysian Grand Prix ahead of team-mate Rubens Barrichello, sealing a one-two for Ferrari. David Coulthard finished third in the McLaren. The race at the Sepang International Circuit was decided in the wet phase: unlike most of their rivals, Ferrari opted for intermediates rather than full wet tyres. That allowed Schumacher to recover the deficit after a trip off the track and a botched pit stop. He took the lead on lap 16 and held it all the way to the finish.

Things were already going wrong before the race had properly started. According to Crash.net, Giancarlo Fisichella lined up his Benetton in the wrong grid slot when the field re-formed. The start was aborted and the Benetton driver had to start from the back of the field. Kimi Räikkönen, in only his second Grand Prix, didn't get far: his Sauber stopped with a driveshaft failure before he had completed a lap.

Schumacher made a clean getaway from pole position to take the lead. Behind him, Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher made contact at Turn 1, and the Williams spun. According to Grandprix.com, Eddie Irvine in the Jaguar also half-spun in the process. One man made the most of the confusion: according to Wikipedia, Jos Verstappen hauled his Arrows up from grid position 18 to sixth on the opening lap.

Then chaos broke out. The Honda engine in Olivier Panis's BAR gave up, according to the official results with an oil leak after just one lap. The oil was left on the track. At the same time, a heavy downpour swept over part of the circuit. Both Ferraris slid off at the same corner and rejoined via the gravel trap. For one lap, Jarno Trulli suddenly found himself leading in the Jordan.

For many, the race was over after three laps:

• Jacques Villeneuve, BAR: slid off
• Nick Heidfeld, Sauber: slid off
• Enrique Bernoldi, Arrows: slid off
• Juan Pablo Montoya, Williams: slid off
• Eddie Irvine, Jaguar: water leak

According to Grandprix.com, eleven more cars slid off during this phase on top of the four retirements. The Safety Car was then deployed, and according to Wikipedia, Race Control got the race going again on lap 11.

During the Safety Car period, many drivers pitted for fresh tyres. Most rivals went for full wets, while Ferrari chose intermediates. According to Crash.net, Schumacher expected the sun to dry the track quickly. At first, though, the plan went badly wrong. Both Ferraris came into the pits together, and Barrichello's stop dragged on. Schumacher had to wait behind him and, according to Grandprix.com and Wikipedia, lost around 72 seconds in total. Accounts of the cause differ: Crash.net cites a discussion over tyre choice and the clearing of debris, Wikipedia a communication misunderstanding within the team. According to Grandprix.com, the two red cars dropped to tenth and eleventh.

Coulthard now led. According to Crash.net, he had been the first to pit for tyres and had been leading since lap 4.

After the restart, it became clear how good Ferrari's choice had been. On the slowly drying track, Schumacher was at times around five seconds a lap faster than Coulthard, according to Grandprix.com. On lap 14, the site says, he lapped in 1:53.807, while Coulthard managed only 1:57.701. According to Wikipedia, Schumacher cut across the edge of the track while passing Barrichello and then picked off Heinz-Harald Frentzen, his brother Ralf and Mika Häkkinen. He then got past Verstappen, who had even been running second at one point. On lap 16 he finally overtook Coulthard to take the lead. Barrichello followed him through the field into second.

From then on, Schumacher cruised to a lonely win. According to Grandprix.com, he stayed on the treaded tyres until lap 30 before pitting for fuel. At the flag he was 23.660 seconds clear of Barrichello. Behind them there was a close fight: according to Crash.net, Ralf Schumacher lost his chance of third place because of a late pit stop and finished fifth ahead of Häkkinen. Frentzen was fourth. Fisichella retired after 31 laps with a loss of fuel pressure.

Winners:

• Jos Verstappen: He gained eleven places, from grid position 18 to seventh, more than anyone else. According to Crash.net, a badly timed pit stop twelve laps from the end dropped him out of the points.
• Fernando Alonso: The Minardi rookie finished 13th, gaining eight places.
• Coulthard and Frentzen: Both gained five places. Coulthard took his second podium in a row, while Frentzen started ninth and finished fourth.

Losers:

• Juan Pablo Montoya: He slid out of the race from sixth on the grid, losing 13 places.
• Jarno Trulli: The Italian led briefly, then dropped back and finished eighth, a lap down.
• BAR: Both cars retired within the first three laps.

The other finishers: Jean Alesi was ninth for Prost, Luciano Burti (Jaguar) tenth. They were followed by Jenson Button (Benetton), Gastón Mazzacane (Prost) and Tarso Marques (Minardi).

After two races, Schumacher led the 2001 championship standings with 20 points. Barrichello and Coulthard followed with 10 points each, Frentzen had 5 and Heidfeld 3. In the constructors' standings, Ferrari were well clear on 30 points ahead of McLaren on 11, followed by Jordan (5), Sauber (4) and Williams (2). According to Wikipedia, Ralf Schumacher's fifth place gave Williams their first points of the season.

The win was historically significant too. Following victory at the 2001 Australian GP, it was Schumacher's sixth win in a row, according to Grandprix.com a record in modern Formula 1. According to Wikipedia, it was also the 46th Grand Prix win of his career. Above all, the race showed how dominant Ferrari were at the start of the season: amid the chaos, the Scuderia made the bolder call and used it to overcome even a 72-second deficit in the pits.