2000 Belgian Grand Prix
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| 2000 Belgian Grand Prix | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Race 13 of 17 in the 2000 Formula One World Championship
| |||||
 Spa Francorchamps | |||||
| Race details[1][2] | |||||
| Date | 27 August 2000 | ||||
| Official name | LVIII Foster's Belgian Grand Prix | ||||
| Location | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Francorchamps, Wallonia, Belgium | ||||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||||
| Course length | 6.968 km (4.330 miles) | ||||
| Distance | 44 laps, 306.592 km (190.507 miles) | ||||
| Weather | Wet at start, drying, Air & track temperature; 15 °C (59 °F) | ||||
| Pole position | |||||
| Driver | McLaren-Mercedes | ||||
| Time | 1:50.646 | ||||
| Fastest lap | |||||
| Driver |
 Rubens Barrichello | Ferrari | |||
| Time | 1:53.803 on lap 30 | ||||
| Podium | |||||
| First | McLaren-Mercedes | ||||
| Second | Ferrari | ||||
| Third | Williams-BMW | ||||
|
Lap leaders | |||||
The 2000 Belgian Grand Prix (formally, the LVIII Foster's Belgian Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 27 August 2000 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Francorchamps, Wallonia, Belgium with a crowd of 83,000 spectators. It was the 13th race of the 2000 Formula One World Championship, and the 58th Belgian Grand Prix. McLaren driver Mika Häkkinen won the 44-lap race from pole position - his last in Formula One. Michael Schumacher finished second in a Ferrari, and Williams driver Ralf Schumacher was third.
Häkkinen went into the event as the World Drivers' Championship leader with his team McLaren leading the World Constructors' Championship. The race began behind the safety car due to overnight rainfall making the track wet and reducing visibility. When the safety car returned to the pit lane Häkkinen built a significant lead over Jarno Trulli. As the track dried and other drivers made pit stops, Häkkinen maintained his lead until a lap-13 spin gave Michael Schumacher the lead for most of the remainder of the race. By the 34th lap Schumacher's tyres began to degrade; he drove off the racing line to cool them, which allowed Häkkinen to close the gap. On lap 41 Häkkinen overtook Michael Schumacher for the lead while lapping BAR driver Ricardo Zonta and maintaining the lead to win. Although Rubens Barrichello set the fastest lap time in the other Ferrari, he was hampered by a poor qualifying performance and retired with a fuel-pressure problem thirteen laps from the finish.
Häkkinen's victory extended his lead in the World Drivers' Championship to six championship points over Michael Schumacher, with Coulthard a further seven championship points behind. Barrichello's retirement from the Grand Prix dropped him to 25 championship points behind Häkkinen. In the World Constructors' Championship, McLaren extended their lead to eight championship points over Ferrari with four races remaining in the season.
The 2000 Belgian Grand Prix was the 13th of 17 races in the 2000 Formula One World Championship and took place at the 6.968 km (4.330 mi) Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Francorchamps, Wallonia, Belgium on 27 August 2000.[1][2] Sole tyre supplier Bridgestone brought the soft and medium dry compounds as well as the hard and soft wet-weather compounds to the event;[4] the intermediate had a curvy pattern and the full wet was designed for the track's common rainy conditions.[5] The wet-weather tyres were introduced for the race in response to prospective new tyre supplier Michelin beginning their tyre-development program during the year, resulting in Bridgestone increasing their development rate to research advances.[6]
Following his victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix,[7] McLaren driver Mika Häkkinen led the World Drivers' Championship with 64 championship points, ahead of Ferrari's Michael Schumacher (62 championship points) and McLaren's David Coulthard (58). Schumacher's teammate Rubens Barrichello was fourth with 49 championship points, and Benetton's Giancarlo Fisichella was fifth with 18.[8] McLaren led the World Constructors' Championship with 112 championship points, one championship point ahead of second-placed Ferrari. Williams were third with 24 championship points, while Benetton (18 championship points) and Jordan (12) were fourth and fifth respectively.[8]
After the race in Hungary, five teams conducted mid-season testing at the Silverstone Circuit in England from 15 to 17 August to prepare for the Belgian Grand Prix.[9][10][11] McLaren test driver Olivier Panis was fastest on the first day, ahead of Jordan's Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Williams test driver Bruno Junqueira's car had a water leak, resulting in repairs which limited his team's testing time.[12] Panis remained the fastest on the second day. Jos Verstappen's Arrows car had a sensor failure, limiting his team's testing time; the car's floor had to be removed to install a new sensor.[13] Panis was again fastest on the final day of testing.[11] Ferrari opted to test the suspension and tyres of Michael Schumacher's car at the Fiorano Circuit. Schumacher later moved to the Mugello Circuit, with Barrichello conducting engine and setup tests, and Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer remained at Fiorano for development work on new car components. Prost opted to test at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza on 17–18 August with driver Jean Alesi. Benetton conducted a five-day, one-car test at the Danielson Circuit, with test driver Mark Webber on aerodynamic development for the first four days and Alexander Wurz concentrating on practice starts the last day.[9][14]
In September 1999 the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) released a provisional calendar for the 2000 season, dropping the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps from the Formula One World Championship due to Belgian tobacco-advertising laws which threatened to cancel the race; several teams had tobacco sponsorship. The FIA had the revived Dutch Grand Prix at the Circuit Zandvoort and the Portuguese Grand Prix at the Circuito do Estoril as alternatives if the Belgian Grand Prix was cancelled.[15] The dispute was resolved when the Belgian government exempted the race from the advertising law, and it was reinstated at the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Paris on 6 October.[16]
The event featured eleven teams (each represented by a different constructor) and two drivers, with no changes from the season entry list.[17] Ferrari arrived at the circuit with a lighter, more-powerful version of its Tipo 049 V10 engine for Saturday's qualifying session, returning to the development power plant used at the Hungarian Grand Prix. They also had a bespoke revised low downforce aerodynamic package for the high-speed circuit.[18][19] Williams brought new exhausts and an extractor profile, while the other teams only introduced minor car refinements.[20]
Practice
There were four practice sessions preceding Sunday's race, two one-hour sessions Friday and two 45-minute sessions on Saturday.[3] Conditions were dry for the Friday morning and afternoon practice sessions.[21] A dense layer of dust was gradually cleared from the track.[22] Coulthard set the first session's fastest time with a lap of 1 minute, 53.398 seconds, eight-tenths of a second quicker than Michael Schumacher. Häkkinen had the third-fastest time, with Jarno Trulli for Jordan, Barrichello and British American Racing's (BAR) Jacques Villeneuve in the next three positions. The two Benetton drivers were seventh and eighth (with Wurz ahead of Fisichella), and the Williams cars of Ralf Schumacher and Button completed the top ten. Alesi's Prost had a fuel-pressure problem which prevented him from completing a timed lap, and he was the slowest overall.[21] Button almost hit the tyre wall at La Source and avoided losing control of the rear of his car under braking for the Bus Stop chicane.[23] Ferrari limited their running during the session to limit their tyre usage.[7]
In the second practice session, due to a slow rear puncture Coulthard's first-session lap was still the fastest; Häkkinen had the second-fastest time. Jaguar driver Johnny Herbert changed his car's balance, improving its performance and finishing third-fastest. Villeneuve moved into fourth after changes to his car's setup; Michael Schumacher slipped to fifth, and Wurz finished sixth. Verstappen was seventh-fastest, ahead of Fisichella, Barrichello and Trulli in positions eight through ten.[24]
The weather remained dry for the Saturday-morning practice sessions.[25] Häkkinen set the fastest lap of the third session at 1 minute, 51.043 seconds, quicker than his best on Friday and ahead of Frentzen, Trulli and Ralf Schumacher. Coulthard, who had an engine problem early in the session, was fifth-fastest (ahead of Button and Michael Schumacher). Alesi, Villeneuve and Sauber driver Nick Heidfeld rounded out the top ten.[26] During the final practice session Häkkinen could not improve his time, although he remained the fastest. Button, much happier with his car's handling, set the second-fastest time. The Jordan drivers were third and fourth, with Trulli ahead of Frentzen. Ralf Schumacher and Coulthard completed the top six. Of the slower drivers, Marc Gené's Minardi car shed its engine cover but he was able to return to his garage.[27]
Qualifying
During Saturday's one-hour qualifying session, each driver was limited to twelve laps, with the starting order determined by their fastest laps. The 107% rule was in force during this session, requiring each driver to remain within 107% of the quickest lap time in order to qualify for the race.[3] The session was held in clear and sunny weather.[28][29] Häkkinen was unhindered by slower traffic,[30] clinched his fifth pole position of the season and the 26th of his career with a time of 1 minute, 50.646 seconds;[31][32] although he was optimistic about his race prospects, he was concerned about the start.[33] Häkkinen was joined on the grid's front row by Trulli, who equalled his best qualifying performance of the season (at the Monaco Grand Prix).[31] Trulli was also optimistic about his chances because of the Jordan team's strong record at the circuit.[34] Button's car had a new qualifying engine installed in the rear, which was the same as his teammate's.[7] Despite a power steering issue, he chose to fine-tune his setup and qualify third, his highest qualifying place of the season.[35] He said he was happy with his starting position.[36] Michael Schumacher, whose fastest lap had been hampered by traffic and a yellow flag for an incident,[7] secured fourth after being demoted to the position by Button,[37] nine-tenths of a second behind Häkkinen, setting a lap which demoted Häkkinen's teammate Coulthard into fifth.[25] Coulthard, who had problems with grip, believed that he could have lapped faster due to slower cars impeding his final two runs and a requirement to slow for the Bus Stop chicane following an incident.[38]
Ralf Schumacher secured sixth position after being caught in traffic during his final run, keeping the Williams driver from a quicker lap time.[25] Villeneuve, in seventh, reported oversteering,[39] and was upset he could not go through Eau Rouge corner at high speed.[7] Frentzen qualified eighth; his best lap time was disqualified after Coulthard blocked him at the Bus Stop chicane, which caused Frentzen to run onto the grass.[29][39] He retaliated by slowing Coulthard into La Source corner at the start of his following lap.[40] Herbert and Barrichello were ninth and tenth;[18] Barrichello spun at the chicane during his third run after locking his brakes.[39] Fisichella, eleventh, missed the top ten by three-tenths of a second on his only quick qualifying run.[39] Herbert's teammate, Eddie Irvine, qualified twelfth with tyre-grip problems. He was ahead of Zonta in the slower of the two BARs (which lost a half-second through Eau Rouge),[39] Heidfeld in the faster Prost, Sauber's Pedro Diniz and Arrows driver Pedro de la Rosa.[31] Alesi qualified 17th, despite spinning at the Bus Stop chicane and triggering a yellow flag,[25] preventing several drivers from lapping quicker.[41] Salo qualified 18th due to car issues caused by a lack of grip,[38] ahead of Wurz (who suffered engine troubles, causing smoke to billow from it on the entry to the Bus Stop chicane on his outlap, and shared the spare Benetton monocoque with Fisichella).[7][25][29] Verstappen, after a braking error at La Source, and the two Minardi drivers of Gené and Mazzacane qualified at the back of the grid, in positions 20 to 22.[38][39]
Qualifying classification
Warm-up
The drivers took the track at 09:30 Central European Summer Time (UTC+2) for a 30-minute warm-up[3] in wet weather, with lap times 13 seconds slower than the previous days' practice and qualifying sessions.[30] Heavy rain fell early in the morning from 5:00 am and it increased incrementally before stopping;[43] a rising mist formed low on the track by dawn.[30] Drivers used full-wet tyres on the slippery track, then intermediate rain tyres when it began drying.[7][43] Häkkinen set the fastest lap time of the session at 2:03.392. Michael Schumacher was the second-fastest driver; Button was third, two-thousands of a second slower than Schumacher. Barrichello was fourth and Coulthard completed the five fastest drivers.[44]
After spinning sideways because his left-rear wheel touched a damp white line, Fisichella struck the tyre barrier at Stavelot corner with enough force to launch him into the air.[7][18][43] He landed upside-down on the vehicle's roll-hoop;[45][46] the session was suspended for approximately 20 minutes while marshals cleared the track of debris and repaired the wall.[46][47] Fisichella sustained a bruised left knee,[48] and had to start the race with his team's spare car.[45] Villeneuve damaged his car's rear in a crash against the tyre barrier at Les Fagnes turn later in the session, but was able to continue.[44][49]
