2001 San Marino GP: Ralf Schumacher's first win at Imola

At the 2001 San Marino GP at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Ralf Schumacher claimed his first Grand Prix win. For Williams it was the first victory since 1997. He started third, got past both McLarens on the way to the first chicane and was never headed after that. Behind him, David Coulthard in the McLaren and Rubens Barrichello in the Ferrari completed the podium.

Coulthard had taken pole position in qualifying, with team-mate Mika Häkkinen alongside him. Ralf Schumacher started third, Michael Schumacher fourth. Michael thus missed the chance to equal Ayrton Senna's record of eight consecutive pole positions.

At the start, Coulthard had too much wheelspin. Häkkinen made a poor getaway from the dirty side of the grid. Ralf went around the outside of both McLarens and was leading before the Tamburello chicane. Jarno Trulli in the Jordan also made a strong start: he braked later than Häkkinen into the first chicane and was third after the opening lap.

Ralf quickly extended his lead. According to Crash.net, he was already around five and a half seconds clear of Coulthard after three laps. Häkkinen was stuck behind Trulli for a long time and, according to Wikipedia, carried on with a damaged nose after contact with the Jordan on the first lap.

At the front, it remained a fight between Ralf and Coulthard. Both ran a two-stop strategy, refuelling twice. Their stops came on almost the same laps, and each time Ralf rejoined the track still in front. Further back, Barrichello got ahead of Häkkinen's McLaren during the pit stops. Ferrari had adjusted its strategy to make that happen. Sources disagree on whether the Brazilian made one stop more or one fewer as a result, but the plan worked: Barrichello finished third.

It got tight once more in the closing laps. Seven laps from the end, Williams showed Ralf an oil pump warning on the pit board. He then backed off, and Coulthard closed in. In the end, the margin was still enough: Ralf won by 4.352 seconds, having led all 62 laps. Häkkinen finished fourth, and Trulli took fifth as the last driver on the lead lap. The final championship point went to Heinz-Harald Frentzen in the second Jordan.

Only twelve of the 22 starters reached the finish, and the favourites were not spared either.

• Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), after 24 laps, suspension: He dropped back early on after a gearshift problem and lost several places. Then he suffered a front-left puncture and had to crawl back to the pits. According to Wikipedia, an overheating brake caliper had damaged the tyre and the rim. Ferrari eventually retired the car for safety reasons.
• Juan Pablo Montoya (Williams), after 48 laps, clutch: Montoya's engine stalled at his second stop. According to Crash.net, he was stationary in the pits for more than a minute, after which the clutch was finished.
• Kimi Räikkönen (Sauber), after 17 laps, steering: After Tosa he went into the barrier in his Sauber and was unhurt. According to Wikipedia, the steering wheel had come off the steering column.
• Fernando Alonso (Minardi), after 5 laps, brakes: He was the first to retire. At Variante Alta he flew over the kerbs and hit the tyre wall. According to Wikipedia, a brake caliper was leaking.
• Jos Verstappen (Arrows), after 6 laps, exhaust: A broken exhaust pipe caused the car to overheat.
• Engine failures: Gastón Mazzacane (Prost, after 28 laps), Jacques Villeneuve (BAR, after 30 laps, in the points at the time according to Wikipedia), Giancarlo Fisichella (Benetton, after 31 laps), Eddie Irvine (Jaguar, after 42 laps) and Tarso Marques (Minardi, after 50 laps).

Winners: The biggest winner was, of course, Ralf Schumacher. Everything went his way: the start, the stops and the handling of the oil pump problem at the end. Barrichello gained three places and salvaged the day for Ferrari. Jenson Button made up the most places: he started 21st in the Benetton and finished twelfth, even though, according to Wikipedia, he had to make a second trip to the pits because of a faulty refuelling rig. Enrique Bernoldi finished tenth in the Arrows, six places higher than he started. It was his first finish in a Grand Prix. Nick Heidfeld (Sauber, seventh) and Jean Alesi (Prost, ninth) each gained five places.

Losers: For Michael Schumacher, the race was over after 24 laps. Montoya lost a good result in the pits. McLaren had locked out the front row but only came away with second and fourth. That left Häkkinen with just four championship points after the fourth round. Luciano Burti and Olivier Panis also came away empty-handed despite finishing.

With Michael Schumacher retiring, Coulthard drew level with him in the drivers' championship: both now had 26 points. Barrichello was third with 14 points. Ralf Schumacher climbed four places to fourth with twelve points. In the constructors' championship, Ferrari led with 40 points ahead of McLaren on 30. Williams were now third with twelve points.

The race also had historic significance. It was the first win for the Williams-BMW partnership. It was also the team's first victory since Jacques Villeneuve's win at the 1997 Luxembourg GP. With Ralf's victory, Michael and Ralf became the first brothers in Formula 1 to have both won a Grand Prix. The FW23, with its BMW engine and Michelin tyres, was clearly already capable of winning races. The championship now had a third contender for victories.