F1 - 2001 Season
Special Details
 Austria
 After a ten year absence, Austria returned to the F1 Calendar in 1997, following a major reform on the old Zeltweg track. The circuit now offers a combination of both slow and fast corners, in addition to a number of long straights.
 Though not imposing too strong an aerodynamic challenge, as compared to other circuits, the A1-Ring has often witnessed weather conditions playing their role in the race. The weather may play a more significant role this year, when the Austrian GP (usually held in July or August) takes place a lot earlier in the calendar. At this time of the year, mid-May, the weather may range from snow to moderately warm sunshine, in that region of Austria, south of Vienna.
So, we can again expect tyres to be of critical importance this coming weekend, even though this track is not hard on tyres (in contrast to the Spanish race track, which is one of the hardest on tyres). Brakes, as well, are critical on this track, as a result of its layout. Finally, the A1-Ring's curves make good traction a mandatory asset for any driver starting out with a fair load of ambition on board, so he can manage it well out of the curves. Traction control will evidently play a more significant role in Austria than it did in Spain, especially because of the low-speed sectors on the A1-Ring.
This circuit is traditionally very slippery and dirty, especially during the Friday
free practices, since the teams never come to this track except for the Grand Prix week-end. We are thus likely to see the front runners, especially, not take to the track, on Saturday, during the first half of the qualifying session. They are probably going to wait, as it has been usual in Austria, until the slower cars have laid enough rubber on the track, so they can find better grip, and therefore use their laps effectively. This means that the second half of Saturday's last session should be pretty exciting, with times tumbling successively by fractions of a second, on a fairly crowded track.
The Austrian GP, traditionally a one-stop race, is scheduled to last for 71 laps.
J.Villeneuve set the current lap record (1'11"814) in 1997, when he also took the win for the Williams Team. [ See a bit more of history and tradition regarding the Austrian GP, below | Check some of the emergent contrasts as Formula-1 moves on from the A1-Ring to the Monte Carlo street circuit, above ]]
Worthy of special mention is the gorgeous countryside scenery in which the F1 world finds itself immersed, as it arrives for the Austrian Grand Prix: green swaying fields placidly nestled amid mighty-looking mountains, the tops of which are snow coated. What a contrast to the bustling industrialized environment of the Spanish GP, which F1 has just emerged from!
While Hakkinen has won twice in Austria, Coulthard keeps an interesting regularity on this track: he has always finished second.
Both Hakkinen and Coulthard, however, have scored the same number of points (24) in all Austrian GPs that they have raced. This is also synonymous with saying that McLaren has so far had the edge in the A1-Ring.
Can the Finn find his way to the podium this Season, now, in Austria? Or will the Scot leapfrog his team-mate this time, breaking the long sequence of second places?
Or will M.Schumacher score his first victory ever in Austria?
Although Ferrari was the 1999 Austrian winner (see below), the German driver has never won on the A1-Ring track.
Third place is so far the highest finish position for both M.Schumacher and Barrichello, in previous Austrian GP's.
Or can R.Schumacher, currently residing in Austria, claim the highest place on the podium, in what is some sort of a home race for him now?
The Williams managing to catch up again with the pace of both the McLarens and the Ferraris, we should not forget Montoya, who has just claimed his first F1 points on the podium.
It was on this track (their home race) that both Gerhard Berger (BMW) and Niki Lauda announced their retirement as racing drivers--the former during the 1997 campaign, the latter in 1985.
In Spain, Luciano Burti (who started the Season racing with the Jaguar Team) made his debut with the Prost-Acer Team, replacing Mazzacane, who had just been dismissed.
Last year (2000), in Austria, the Brazilian rookie had his debut F1 race.
Considering Burti's mid-twenties, he might not realize in what excellent company he is here: two Austrian legends likewise made their debut race in the Austrian GP: the late Jochen Rindt in the inaugural Austrian F1 GP (1964), and Niki Lauda in 1971, in the second Grand Prix being held at Osterreichring. Briton Nigel Mansel was another F1 champion to have his debut race on the same track, in the 1980 Austrian GP. Let's thus hope that the happenstance of such illustrious company cames as a good omen regarding Burti's career and the quality of driving that we are to see from him, once he is well settled in the F1 environment.
For those of us, who passionately follow the F1 calendar, there is no greater joy than in watching quality motor racing, independently of how much technology the cars may also bring on board. The more highly talented drivers there are on the grid, the greater our delight, as fond spectators.
Burti's Austrian GP and debut race was his single F1 race during 2000. The Brazilian driver, who was Jaguar's test driver, had an unexpected debut: he was suddenly requested to deputize for Eddie Irvine, who had to leave the track on an emergency basis, and miss out the Austrian race, because of stomach problems (which fortunately ended up being nothing of concern). [ Check Burti's surprising debut in the 2000 Austrian Grand Prix ]
The previous year, 1999, while M.Schumacher was recovering from the fractured leg that resulted from his accident in the British GP, Irvine took the win for Ferrari in Austria.
The Jaguar Team came to the Spanish Grand Prix just after having promoted one of their test drivers, Spaniard de la Rosa, to the position of full time driver. Now, the Team will be coming to the Austrian Grand Prix just after having dismissed their other test driver, South African Tomas Scheckter (the son of one time F1 champion Jody Scheckter--Ferrari, 1979).
A Jaguar spokesperson has come forth with the following statement: "Mr Scheckter, who was sub-contracted to work for the team in the role of development driver, recently appeared in court and it is to matters concerning this appearance that the team and the Jaguar Racing board is left with no alternative but to terminate the relationship."
Tomas Scheckter's dismissal has unofficially been reported as the aftermath of the 20-year-old South African's having pleaded guilty to charges of soliciting a prostitute and consequently been fined at a court appearance in Northampton.
Provided that the news is precisely as reported, are you able to make out the logic that underlies Jaguar's [1] apparent lack of problem in retaining as an employer a self-declared bon-vivant playboy (whose official website brags about parties and outings till daylight), and at the same time [2] displaying no tolerance toward a promising youngster who slips into soliciting the services of a woman who's actually out there of her own will to sell her body and time?
Wouldn't this be a case rather for sound counseling (behind close doors) than blunt punishment decreed on a youngster and openly disclosed?
Would Verstappen (Arrows) have lost his job at the start of the year, had he been a Jaguar-employed racing driver? (Verstappen was in court for matters far more serious than those supposed to have made young Scheckter appear before the law). Or would it be logical to infer that the ethics guiding the Jaguar and the Arrows teams bear different natures?
Finally, how much weight should be placed on a driver's private life, if it does not interfere in his/her performance, nor in the accomplishment of his/her professional duties?
These questions are of course derived from the assumption that the news on Tomas Scheckter's dismissal was accurately disclosed and entailed no more than what has been made known--which only the Jaguar personnel and young Scheckter can tell for sure.
Just trying to derive some sense of the surprising news... [Can you bring better light on the issue? I'd be pleased that you drop me a note.]
Incidentally, around the time of the San Marino GP, father Scheckter had publicly complained of Jaguar's not totally honoring the contract they had with his son. According to Jody Scheckter, Tomas had hardly been given a chance of testing their car since de la Rosa's surprising snap up from the Prost-Acer Team, whose car the Spaniard had just begun testing.
Pedro de la Rosa had accepted the position of development driver at Prost, following the failure of his expected contract renewal with the Arrows Team. At the time, the Prost Team was reported to have angrily claimed that the Spanish driver had dishonored a contract with them, which de la Rosa denied having signed. Although the Spaniard did remain at Jaguar, the story and anger apparently waning into oblivion, the incident was never properly cleared up. [ Check on Tomas Scheckter and other sons of former F1 champions, who are possibly on their way up to F1 ]
Jaguar, who had the asset of two test drivers at the time of the San Marino Grand Prix, may now come to the Austrian Grand Prix with no test driver at all on board.
Ironically, it was in Austria, last year (2000), that the Jaguar Team suddenly had to make use of their current development driver, Luciano Burti, to race in place of Eddie Irvine on an emergency basis.
Who would take the wheel in a second Jaguar if, by an odd twist of fate, history should repeat itself this year?
Apropos, at the present rate, the Jaguar Team may turn into a serious contender for this Season's title...as the record holder in mid-Season driver replacement. (The record currently seems to belong to Eddie Jordan).
As we come through 30% of the 2001 Season, we have already watched [1] de la Rosa's controversial move from Prost to Jaguar, as their development driver, [2] Burti's release, so he could sign with Prost, [3] de la Rosa's promotion from development driver to full time driver, and [4] Tomas Scheckter's dismissal from his duties as development driver. T.Scheckter's seat is likely to be replaced in the near future [check the rumored candidates so far]. We can therefore expect a 5th movement to be soon added to this symphony. [ Check on Jordan's driver replacements in 1991 and 1993 ]
While Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, former Champ Car Champion, has just inscribed his name in the F1 books, with his first points finish (second in Spain), Champ Car rookie Bruno Junqueira, who crossed the Atlantic in the opposite direction this year, has likewise just made his mark in the Champ Car scenarion:
Bruno Junqueira starts from pole position, in Round 3 of the Champ Car series, at Nazareth Speedway (USA), on May 6. The Brazilian rookie is the 2001 FIA Formula 3000 champion (he raced with the Brazilian Petrobras F3000 Team last year, when he won the Championship).
Junqueira bested by .038 seconds qualifying specialist Kenny Brack (from Sweden), and turned in a 166.248 mph lap to lead the 25-car CART field on the 0.946-mile tri-oval. The Nazareth Speedway is the first CART facility where Bruno Junqueira has had a chance to test prior to a race weekend. This is Junqueira's first race on oval circuits.
Curiously, Junqueira and Montoya can nearly be said to have exchanged seats: Junqueira, who was William's test driver, having held a tight competition with Jenson Button for the driver's seat with the William's team, in 2000, currently races with Montoya's former Champ Car team, Chip Ganassi.
Junqueira's French team-mate, rookie Nicolas Minassian (who finished last year's Formula 3000 championship second to Junqueira) unfortunately did not manage to clock a time, because of an accident, and starts from the back of the Grid.
The Chip Ganassi Team won the Nazareth race in 1998 (with North-American Jimmy Vasser) and in 1999 (with Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya). [ Check on Junqueira's excellent performance in the 2001 Indianapolis 500 racing event, taking place on the same day as the F1 Monaco Grand Prix. ]
M.Schumacher is reported to have just restated that he considers Hakkinen his real rival for the 2001 title, even though the Finn has picked up only four points so far this season.
Meanwhile, former Williams team manager (1991-92) Peter Windsor, seems to disagree with the German champion. Peter Windsor, who currently writes for both F1 Racing and The Sunday Times' Motor Racing section, made the following comment on the British newspaper's edition (May 6) prior to the Austrian race:
"Following Mika Hakkinen's mistake on the grid in the Brazilian Grand Prix, Dennis assumed Coulthard had been similarly lax in Spain. However, closer examination of the telemetry pointed to a technical error." [ Check on David Coulthard x Ron Dennis after the Spanish GP ]
"Dennis's apology also underlined Coulthard's increasing stature in the team. It is, after all, he who is most likely to race Schumacher to the 2001 championship. Coulthard has always been regarded as the other driver at McLaren, especially after Hakkinen won back-to-back championships in 1998 and 1999. And Dennis has been known to go out of his way to protect the reputation of his most experienced driver. "
"Of course, it could be that Dennis knows exactly what he is doing. It could be that Hakkinen has known for so long what it is like to be cushioned by Dennis that he would be unable to perform at his maximum under any other regime. It could also be that Coulthard needs some needle to perform at his best. Dennis always provides his drivers with near-identical cars, and Hakkinen's performance in Barcelona, when he would have won but for a last-lap clutch failure, is a fair barometer of his level of confidence, despite his points deficit." [ Link to Peter Windsor's article, wittily titled David becomes Goliath ]
On Thursday May 3, 2001, just a week after Italian driver Michele Alboreto lost his life on the Lausitzring track, while testing his Audi for the Le Mans race, the same track was the scene of another tragic fatality: a marshal was killed after being hit by a car, during a private test session for a German sports car race.
The race security organisation SCOUT, to which the marshal belonged, commented that he should have stayed off the track as a yellow warning flag had been waved.
The Lausitzring race track was inaugurated in August 2000, as a state-of-the-art facility and the safest circuit in the world. The track is located some 145 kilometres south of Berlin. [ See Alboreto's Profile (& the accident that took his life at Lausitz) ]
For the second time this Season, a team has been led bitterly to warn of their intention to resort to legal means following the sudden loss of a member of their work force.
The first time was when the Prost-Acer Team surprisingly lost newly arrived development driver Pedro de la Rosa to the Jaguar Team.
This time, soon after the announcement of Toyota's signing Gustav Bruner (European Minardi's current technical director), Paul Stoddart has reportedly stated that "European Minardi will be pursuing all options in law against both Mr. Brunner and Toyota" and that "for him [Bruner] to act in this way is totally incomprehensible"
Last year's pole position in Austria was Hakkinen's, lapping at was 1'10"410. Times are of course expected to drop this year--the question is how much?...
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Michael Schumacher took the 2001 Austrian pole, lapping at 1'09"562, nearly one second faster than last year's pole.
A drop in the pole time was expected, as it has been the pattern this year, when the tyre providers are engaged in their own championship, as well.
What was not expected was that Hakkinen's pole time of 1'10"410, last year, would hardly be bettered by his fastest lapping time in this year's qualifying session (1'10"342).
Whereas last year's pole position time would have placed Hakkinen 10th on this year's grid, he managed to classify no better than 8th for tomorrow's race, right behind team-mate Coulthard, who starts from 7th place.
Quite disappointingly, the McLarens had their worse qualifying session since the 1999 French GP, in contrast to their apparent dominance during the Friday and Saturday practice sessions (at which time they actually lapped surprisingly faster than at qualifying). Did track conditions, wind, etc, change so much as to result in such decrease in performance?
This hardly seems to explain the McLarens' drop in performance. For the other teams did not seem to be affected--or if they were, then certainly not to the same degree. Most drivers improved their times, as it is usual, from the practice to the qualifying sessions, exceptions here being Verstappen and Marques, who qualified in the spare car, and Frentzen and Villeneuve, who later admitted having had their problems.
In addition to the McLarens managing no better than 7th and 8th, there are a few other surprises on this Sunday's grid, including Montoya on the first row, beside M.Schumacher, and right ahead of R.Schumacher, who starts beside Barrichello, in the other Ferrari. This is the first time that Montoya outqualifies his more experienced team-mate R.Schumacher. It is also Montoya's best qualifying position since he moved from the US CART Series to F1 racing.
In sharp contrast to what the McLaren Team showed this Saturday, this was Wiliams's best qualifying session in years: 2nd and 3rd.
Heidfeld managed a laudable 6th (his best qualifying position ever) ahead of both McLarens. Starting right behind the McLarens is Raikkonen, in 9th, immediately following the other Finn on the grid. Raikkonen starts ahead of the Honda-powered drivers, with the exception of Trulli (5th on the grid). In other words, Sauber (powered by last year's Ferrari engines) has beaten 3/4's of the Honda-powered Teams. Sauber was a happy Team, after the qualifying session.
Also surprising was to find Frentzen starting from five places behind team-mate Trulli, and Alesi from 3 places behind his new team-mate, Luciano Burti.
We had gotten used to seeing the second Prost car starting from way back, a scene that sharply contrasts with Burti's having outpaced Alesi in both qualifying sessions that the Brazilian rookie has taken with the Prost Team, this Season.
One must not forget Alesi's reputation as a driver, a reputation certainly earned out of his undeniable merits.
Eddie Jordan, for whom Alesi raced at the start of his career (and with whose family Alesi practiced and polished his English) once affirmed that the Frenchman was undoubtedly a potential world champion, whom he (Jordan) lamented had just not been lucky enough to come across the right circumstances at the right time, so as to make his big mark in the F1 books. Eddie Jordan's words are not to be discredited, known as he is for his expertise in spotting talents, including F1's current champion [ See more on Jean Alesi and Eddie Jordan | Check on M.Schumacher's first F1 drive, and his sudden departure from the Jordan to the Benetton Team. ].
Bernoldi once more outqualified team-mate Verstappen--15th and 16th, respectively. This is the fourth time this Season that the Brazilian rookie outqualifies his Dutch team-mate. The two Arrows, stuck in 16th and 17th in the last GPs, have now managed to move up one place, each.
Trulli (Jordan) likewise outqualified team-mate Frentzen once more, as already mentioned. This is the fourth time this Season that Trulli starts in the top six.
Panis (BAR) has outqualified Villeneuve in half of the races this Season.
Though not exactly a surprising result, in view of the previous GPs this Season, it is worth noting that Alonso's 18th place is the rookie's third consecutive 18th on the grid. What may be surprising in this result is that Alonso will be starting ahead of Alesi, this time--Mazzacane, whom the Spaniard consistently outpaced, is no longer driving for the Prost-Acer Team.
Finally, it is also worth noting that this is M.Schumacher's first-ever pole in Austria. It is the 37th pole in his career, and his fifth pole this Season, in six races.
We now have to wait for the green lights, to find out whether M.Schumacher will be leading the pack, as he exits the first corner.
For beside him is Montoya, who has not only shown that he is not impressed by famous names, but also made an excellent start in Spain, climbing from 12th to 6th position.
The BMW engine is a bit more powerful than the Ferrari, a fact that could give Montoya a special advantage on the uphill section following the start line and leading into the Castrol Kurve (the first corner), even though the Colombian starts on the dirty side of the track.
The use of launch control should, in principle, allow all drivers a more leveled start performance. M.Schumacher, however, is not known for consistently good starts (perhaps the most memorable of his inconsistencies having been in Japan, in 1999).
Could any these factors make a difference, as the lights turn green this Sunday?...
And let's not forget that, right behind M.Schumacher is his brother, Ralf, who started in the same third position in Imola and outpaced Coulthard before the first corner, by actually driving with two wheels over the grass, as he muscled his way into the lead, which he was to keep for the entire race. Could Ralf make the same move over his brother? The powerful BMW engine seems to indicate that the possibility exists, at least in theory.
Following these three drivers are Barrichello (starting from 4th) and Trulli (starting from 5th), both of whom are known to fight for every millimeter of tarmac, as the pack moves out of the grid. For different reasons, both drivers are highly motivated for a good podium finish. In other words, neither driver will just be watching whatever goes on among the two Williams=BMW drivers and Ferrari's champion. The first corner will be tight, this being the only safe prediction.
Also worth considering is the fact that the Austrian GP is traditionally one in which a number of collisions occur, including first-corner collisions. Both the track overall state, usually very slippery and dirty, and its layout with tight corners following long straights, in addition to its up- and down-hill sections, contribute to the tradition just mentioned.
Last year, Ricardo Zonta, who had outqualified team-mate Villeneuve, and like Heidfeld this Sunday, started from 5th place (Zonta's highest place on the grid, likewise), ended up colliding with M.Schumacher as the pack reached the Castrol Kurve (the first corner). This year, it is Heidfeld who starts from 6th for the first time in his F1 career. And right behind him are Coulthard and Hakkinen, who nobody doubts will be itching to make up some places right at the start. This is not to mention also Panis, Frentzen and Villeneuve, who start right behind young Raikkonen, the rookie finding himself amid this group likely to storm away at the change of lights, in search of clinching a place or two from one another. [ Check on Zonta's accident with M.Schumacher, last year ] [ See Verstappen's and Irvine's views on Zonta's accident and the penalty he was imposed, in the 2000 Austrian Gran Prix ].
This year's (2001) Austrian Formula 3000 Grand Prix, taking place, as usual, right after the F1 qualifying session, saw no less than 9 cars out, on the famous Castrol Kurve. Luckily no one was hurt in the pile-up, though a couple of cars actually drover over others.
It all seemed to happen in part out of the caution of the front row starters, as they came upon the first corner, in contrast with the eagerness of their followers. Let's hope the F1 GP will enjoy a far quieter start, even though tradition makes us imagine that the race will be as short as the first corner, for one or more drivers.
Other than first-corner incidents, the Austrian circuit has traditionally been prone to witnessing a number of collisions, starting with Phil Hill's terrific accident during the first Austrian Grand Prix. Among the many accidents that have occurred on this track are a few hauntingly memorable ones.
Who can forget Vittorio Brambilla's crash, in 1975, in the joyful excitement of his maiden victory? And how about Hakkinen and Coulthard (1999), and Alesi and Heidfeld (2000), who who threw each other out of the track? (Incidentally, Salo and Diniz came close to having a similar fate as they got tangled with Coulthard, in 1998.)
Let's hope this Sunday no duo of drivers follow on McLaren's and Prost's unfortunate steps. We often hear that team-mates are to push each other...but of course not off the track. [ Jean Alesi's near Brambilla-style celebration of his first point's finish for the Prost Team--Monaco, 2001 | Note on Vittorio Brambilla's death ]
A few corners, other than the first, in the Austrian circuit, have their own stories to tell.
The Remus Kurve, a tight corner following a long straight, witnessed Alesi and Irvine collide in 1997, then the same Alesi and Fisichella in 1998, the same year that Coulthard had that tangle with Mika Salo and Pedro Diniz (both Sauber drivers, then).
Andrea de Cesaris had one of his many accidents at the Niki Lauda Kurve. This is one of the two fast and very challenging left-hand corners in the circuit, both usually unforgiving to driver errors.
The Jochen Rindt Kurve, another fast corner (leading to the final corner, the A1 Kurve), witnessed M.Schumacher go off while leading the race, in 1998, among other less memorable incidents.
Brambilla's solo accident resulted in part from the terrible weather conditions in which the race took place, a deluge which forced the Grand Prix to be red-flagged midway through.
In the warm-up for that same Austrian GP (1975), Mark Donohue had a violent crash, later losing his life as a result of the injuries sustained in that accident.
But this was just one of the many problematic Austrian GPs, which ended up being pulled out of the F1 calendar in 1987, only to make a definite return ten years later, with Spielberg's A1-Ring.
The Grand Prix held at old Osterreichring track in the year when its retirement was decreed, was worthy of the fearsome reputation which the Austrian track earned among the drivers shortly after its inauguration. That 1987 Austrian GP resulted in a total fiasco--it took one and half hours and three starts finally to get the race underway.
When the Austrian GP finally managed its return to the F1 calendar, the old Osterreichring track had been shortened 1006 miles, in addition to widened at the start. Several of the favoured fast bends no longer figured in the news lay-out, which had, instead, incorporated tight first and second corners. Side by side with these more technical alterations, the track was additionally renamed, from Osterreichring to A1-Ring--after the A1 mobile phone network.
The A1-Ring is thus the third Austrian venue to host a F1 GP, the three of them located in the same area, about halfway between Klagenfurt and Graz. Zeltweg, the village hosting the old Osterreichring track, is actually just a step away from the yet smaller Spielberg, currently sponsoring the Austrian GP, at the A1-Ring. Rather than geographical, the apparent divergence in venue is financially motivated.
As mentioned above, the great Jochen Rindt made his debut race in the inaugural Austrian F1 GP (1964), which was held on an airfield where sports cars races used to take place.
As that track was considered improper for F1 racing, Rindt's success sufficed to motivate the Austrians to build a circuit about a kilometer away from the old airfield.
That new track was the Osterreichring.
In one of these bitter ironies of fate, the 1970 the Austrian GP, which inaugurated the then new Osterreichring track, was to be Jochen Rindt's last race. (Three weeks later, the Austrian was to lose his life during a practice session for the Italian Grand Prix. Rindt was posthumously awarded the 1970 F1 Championship title, at the end of that Season.) [ More about the A1-Ring, above | Check some of the emergent contrasts as Formula-1 moves on from the A1-Ring to the Monte Carlo street circuit, above ]
McLaren will race this GP in a sad tone: this Saturday afternoon, Paul Morgan (the 52-year old managing director of Ilmor Engineering, the company responsible for McLaren's Mercedes F1 engines) died in England, as his single-engine airplane crash-landed at Sywell Airport in Northamptonshire (north of London). [ Check on Coulthard's sober composure in face of his victory. ]
The Sunday warm-up session revealed an inverse picture of what the qualifying had been: both McLarens topped the time sheets, whereas the Williams were side by side in the lower half of the time sheets: R.Schumacher in 15th and Montoya in 16th. Pole position M.Schumacher ended up 5th, right behind team-mate Barrichello in 4th. Frentzen, who had managed no better than 10th on the grid, made the 3rd best time during the warm-up. The Benettons, as it is becoming usual this year, were both closing the warm-up time sheet.
In just a few hours we'll find out what, precisely, these striking contrasts between the qualifying and the warm-up sessions mean in terms of race performance and results.
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The so-called driver aids, such as launch control, have rather been a driver's nightmare for some... As the red lights went off, four cars failed to get off the grid: Hakkinen's McLaren, Heidfeld's Sauber, and the Jordans of Frentzen and Trulli.
This was the second time this Season that both Hakkinen and Frentzen were left stranded on the grid, when the race starts.
With enough excitement right at the start, the pack is likely to have moved toward the first corner with an extra dose of caution: the first corner was taken with no incidents, this year.
The safety car was out from the end of the first lap till the end of the third lap, while the stranded cars on the grid were cleared away.
Except for Frentzen (stuck in gear), who remained stranded on the grid, the other three drivers all managed to pull off: Hakkinen, Heidfeld and Trulli finally did get going.
Both Ferraris had poor starts (apparently some glitch in the Ferraris' launch control). This allowed the two Williams to pull away in front, Montoya leading, R.Schumacher in second, followed by M.Schumacher's and Barrichello's Ferraris.
Jos Verstappen (Arrows) and Eddie Irvine (Jaguar) managed great starts.
After a dozen laps or so, the Dutchman's Arrows (on a two-stop strategy) had already climbed up to second position, right behind Barrichello's gearbox (Barrichello was leading by then).
Meanwhile, Irvine and Panis (BAR) were engaged in a good battled for a position down the field.
After the first pit stop, Verstappen rejoined in 7th place. The Dutchman drove a strong race, to receive the checkered flag in 6th, thus giving the Arrows Team their first point of the 2001 Season.
Coincidentally, last year it was also in the sixth race of the Season that Arrows scored their first points, the only difference being that the driver was de la Rosa.
The other Arrows car, Bernoldi's, was also on a two-stop strategy, and was likewise conquering places, as the race progressed. The Brazilian rookie was running in 8th place, after a well-fought battle with Villeneuve, when he was unfortunately called by the pits in order to retire, after a leak was identified in his car.
Now that the Arrows Team has scored their maiden point this Season, only Jaguar, Prost and Minardi remain pointless this year.
In addition to Jaguar's Irvine, the two Prost-Acer drivers both succeeded in taking the checkered flag.
Jean Alesi and Luciano Burti finished the Austrian Grand Prix 10th and 11th, the exact same positions as in the previous GP, in Barcelona.
Neither Minardi driver finished the Austrian race, this time.
Although the Williams started out with a 1-2 lead, both cars failed to finish the Austrian GP, due to mechanic failures. R.Schumacher retired at the end of lap 10, and Montoya in the second half of the race.
At about the point when R.Schumacher's car broke down, Montoya's tyres were clearly beginning to fade. As a result, the top six cars were soon running nose to tail, M.Schumacher (in second by then) relentlessly attempting to pass the Colombian, who obviously made every effort to close the door.
When it looked as if M.Schumacher would manage to overtake Montoya (the German taking the outside line on a turn), the Wiliams's driver seemed suddenly to attempt a pull-away and clearly lost control of the car. Montoya ended up across the gravel, while M.Schumacher went over the grass so as to avoid a collision with the Colombian.
The German Champion Schumacher showed Montoya his fist, clearly infuriated by the move.
After the race, Montoya is reported to have reacted to M.Schumacher's irritation by arguing that when racing, he was not going to let others by, and if they can't manage to get by, they then should get out. The Colombian reportedly closed his comments by remarking that he [M.Schumacher] just thinks "I'm Michael, so you've got to let me by."
M.Schumacher, who initially pressed charges against Montoya and commented that it had been a silly move on the part of the Colombian, later said that he [M.Schumacher] would first see the videotape, before deciding whether or not he should have a word with Montoya.
Alexander Wurz has reportedly commented after the Austrian GP that, in his view, Montoya cannot be charged for the manoeuver that took his and M.Schumacher's car off the track, adding that he found it strange that M.Schumacher commented that Montoya should not have done as he did, for M.Schumacher would not have been able to make that turn, anyway (running on the outside of Montoya's).
M.Schumacher of course expressed a different view, having stated that, had the Colombian not tried to avoid being overtaken and, that he [M.Schumacher] would have been able to make that turn in peace.
At any rate, the fact is that M.Schumacher's unsuccessful move over Montoya allowed Barrichello, Verstappen, Coulthard, Raikkonen and Panis to drive past, the German rejoining in sixth, whereas the Colombian in eighth, behind Irvine.
Villeneuve had a stop-go penalty for pit-lane speeding, whereas Trulli was black-flagged for having left the pit lane through a red light. The Jordan driver later claimed that it was not his fault that he had been disqualified from the race, for he had seen the red light at the end of the pit-lane, but the team nonetheless told him to go anyway, which he then did.
Although Ferrari used to have the edge as far as race strategies, this time it was a superb fuel stop that allowed Coulthard to leapfrog Barrichello and take the lead. Coulthard's McLaren popped out of the pit lane just ahead of Barrichello's Ferrari.
The Brazilian had been leading his 136th Grand Prix from the moment M.Schumacher and Montoya got tangled until he had to pull in for his pit stop, when McLaren's strategy triumphed over Ferrari's.
After this, Coulthard managed to hold off Barrichello, keeping a 0"75 lead, just out of overtaking range. M.Schumacher followed 2"2 further behind Barrichello, closing the gap to just about 1", toward the final laps.
Following team orders, an unhappy Barrichello moved over right before the Ferraris crossed the finish line, so as to allow Schumacher the 6 points awarded to second place. [ See Barrichello, Ferrari, team orders, and pertinent considerations ]
In contrast with the delighted excitement brought onto the podium by Montoya and Villeneuve in Spain, the Austrian podium was unfortunately rather glum: neither M.Schumacher nor Barrichello looked up to any celebration on either side of the podium, to the say least; whereas race winner David Coulthard kept a sober composure in face of his 11th carrer victory, also refraining from opening the traditional champagne, as a token of respect for Paul Morgan, director of the company producing the Team's engines, who had suddenly passed away the previous day. [ See the news on the plane crash that took P.Morgan's life ] [ Refresh your memory regarding the jolly and enthusiastic podium that crowned the Spanish GP, to the F1 fans' delight. ]
Raikkonen's three points have had a very special flavor: the young rookie now had the honor of having taken Sauber's overall tally beyond 100 (Sauber had 99 points, after Heidfeld's finish in 4th).
Sauber's special joy may be under threat, however, for some time (see right below).
In Australia, Sauber's Kimi Raikkonen was awarded his first F1 championship points ever, following a successful protest filed by Sauber against BAR, alleging that both BAR's Olivier Panis and Arrows' Jos Verstappen had overtaken Heidfeld under yellow flags. As a result, Olivier Panis dropped outside the top six results. [ Refresh your memory on this issue, from which both Heidfeld and Raikkonen benefitted, in addition to Frentzen. ]
This time, there has been a contour of the reversed situation: The FIA have rejected an appeal from the BAR team, against Kimi Raikkonen's fourth place in the Austrian Grand Prix. BAR's complaint was put in right after the race, with the warrant that one of their drivers saw Kimi Raikkonen lap Luciano Burti while yellow flags were being waved.
After reviewing video footage of the incident, the race Stewards concluded that Raikkonen's move had not been an overtaking manoeuver: the young Finn had merely swerved past Luciano Burti so as to avoid a collision. Raikkonen's 4th place was thus officially confirmed.
Unhappy with the outcome, however, BAR promptly stated their intent to appeal against it. The Team then lodged their complaint with the RAC (Royal Automobile Club) within the traditional seven-day deadline, who then passed it on to the FIA. The appeal is scheduled to be heard on June 1, at the International Court of Appeal in Paris.
It is worth pointing out that, according to the sport's regulations, a Team that loses such a case is fined by the FIA. Should the BAR Team win, on the other hand, they may benefit from a penalty imposed on Raikkonen.
Even though a stop-go penalty would only demote Raikkonen one place (to Panis' advantage) if the BAR Team does win the appeal, there have been reports in the media that this could leave four drivers with something at stake: Raikkonen and Panis, in addition to Verstappen and Irvine, both of whom actually finished a lap behind. Does that mean that BAR would be pressing for a more rigorous penalty? Or that the fact that Verstappen and Irvine were a lap behind was overlooked when they were included among those who may have a special interest in the complaint that BAR has filed?
Finally, for as long as this legal case has not been concluded, 4th, 5th and 6th positions in the Austrian GP remain provisional.
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