2000 Spanish Grand Prix
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| 2000 Spanish Grand Prix | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Race 5 of 17 in the 2000 Formula One World Championship
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| Race details[1][2] | |||||
| Date | 7 May 2000 | ||||
| Official name | XLII Gran Premio Marlboro de España | ||||
| Location | Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló, Catalonia, Spain | ||||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||||
| Course length | 4.730 km (2.939 miles) | ||||
| Distance | 65 laps, 307.450 km (190.962 miles) | ||||
| Weather | Sunny, Mild, Dry | ||||
| Attendance | 79,000 | ||||
| Pole position | |||||
| Driver | Ferrari | ||||
| Time | 1:20.974 | ||||
| Fastest lap | |||||
| Driver |
 Mika Häkkinen | McLaren-Mercedes | |||
| Time | 1:24.470 on lap 28 | ||||
| Podium | |||||
| First | McLaren-Mercedes | ||||
| Second | McLaren-Mercedes | ||||
| Third | Ferrari | ||||
|
Lap leaders | |||||
The 2000 Spanish Grand Prix (formally the XLII Gran Premio Marlboro de España) was a Formula One motor race held on 7 May 2000 at the Circuit de Catalunya, in Montmeló, Catalonia, Spain with approximately 79,000 spectators. It was the fifth round of the 2000 Formula One World Championship and the 42nd Spanish Grand Prix. Mika Häkkinen of McLaren won the 65-lap race after starting second. His teammate David Coulthard finished second, with Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello third.
Michael Schumacher led the World Drivers' Championship from Häkkinen, and Ferrari led the World Constructors' Championship from McLaren entering the race. He set the fastest qualifying lap to start on pole position and held off Häkkinen on the first lap. Schumacher led until his first pit stop on lap 24, when Ferrari chief mechanic Nigel Stepney was injured by Schumacher's right-rear tyre after Schumacher was incorrectly instructed to leave his box before the stop was completed. This moved Häkkinen to the race lead, which he held until his pit stop two laps later. Michael Schumacher led for the next 22 laps as he and Häkkinen made their second pit stops together, with Häkkinen taking the lead after a refuelling error slowed Schumacher's pit stop. Häkkinen led the final 22 laps to achieve his first win of the season and 15th of his career.
The victory moved Häkkinen into second place in the World Drivers' Championship, 14 championship points behind Michael Schumacher. Coulthard dropped to third after finishing second, and Barrichello's third place put him one championship point ahead of Ralf Schumacher. McLaren's one-two finish in the World Constructors' Championship brought them within seven championship points of leaders Ferrari. With 12 races remaining in the season, Williams remained third with 15 championship points.
The 2000 Spanish Grand Prix was the fifth of seventeen races in the 2000 Formula One World Championship, held on 7 May 2000, at the 4.730 km (2.939 mi) clockwise Circuit de Catalunya in Montmeló, Catalonia, Spain,[1][2] following a two-week break from the preceding British Grand Prix.[4] It was the 10th Spanish Grand Prix to be held at the Circuit de Catalunya.[5] The Grand Prix featured eleven teams of two drivers each (each representing a different constructor), with no changes from the season entry list.[6] Sole tyre supplier Bridgestone brought the soft and medium dry compound tyres to the event.[7]
Before the race, Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher led the World Drivers' Championship with 34 championship points, ahead of McLaren teammates David Coulthard (14 championship points) and Mika Häkkinen (12 championship points). Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello and Williams' Ralf Schumacher were tied for fourth with nine championship points.[8] Ferrari led the World Constructors' Championship with 43 championship points, 17 more than second-placed McLaren. Williams were third with twelve championship points, while Benetton and Jordan were fourth with eight points each.[8]
Following the British Grand Prix on 23 April, all teams conducted in-season testing at the circuit from 25 to 28 April in preparation for the Spanish Grand Prix.[9][10][11] Despite spinning into the gravel early in the session, Jos Verstappen was the fastest for Arrows on the first day of testing, ahead of McLaren test driver Olivier Panis.[12] Michael Schumacher was the quickest on the second and third days.[13][14] The third day was hampered by several drivers stopping on the circuit due to car problems.[14] On the final day, which was held in wet weather in the morning and during the end of the session, Michael Schumacher again remained quickest.[15]
Coulthard was leasing his friend and Rangers F.C. chairman David Murray's Learjet the week before the race when a ball bearing failure shut down the left engine en route to Côte d'Azur International Airport in Nice and crashed while attempting an emergency landing at Lyon-Satolas Airport in France. Coulthard, his then-girlfriend American model Heidi Wichlinski and personal trainer/bodyguard Andy Matthews survived; Murray's personal pilot David Saunders and co-pilot Dan Worley died.[16] Coulthard sustained bruises to his right rib cage and severe grazed elbows in the crash. FIA Formula One Safety and Medical Delegate Sid Watkins declared Coulthard fit to race.[17] Coulthard's survival from the accident was the main focus of comment in the motorsport media before the Grand Prix.[4]
British American Racing (BAR) driver Jacques Villeneuve was passed fit prior to the event. At the Brazilian Grand Prix, Villeneuve sustained a back injury after his seat became loose during the race, and the worsening effects caused him to withdraw from testing in Barcelona.[18] He also had to go through physiotherapy. Darren Manning, BAR's official test driver, was on standby to replace Villeneuve if necessary.[19]
Some teams modified their cars for the event. Most teams continued to refine their vehicles' aerodynamic profiles, but no significant technical innovations were introduced at the Grand Prix.[20] Minardi debuted Formula One's first titanium-constructed gearbox.[21] It was 5 kg (11 lb) lighter than magnesium gearboxes, provided greater rigidity, and was cost-effective.[20] Prost modified their cars' oil systems to improve engine reliability, and made minor aerodynamic changes to the front wing and floor. The team also used an updated Peugeot A20 EV2 engine during Friday's practice sessions before reverting to the EV3 for the rest of the weekend.[22] BAR installed a new car aerodynamic packages, which included new bargeboards and rear wings.[23] The Williams team equipped their cars with cast titanium hub carriers, but they were not used in the race because they interfered with the brake vents operation.[20]
Practice
The race was preceded by four practice sessions, two one-hour sessions on Friday and two 45-minute sessions on Saturday.[3] The Friday practice sessions were dry and overcast, but previous rainfall and undercard events made the track dirty,[23][24] preventing all but nine drivers from setting a time and seven attempted a quick lap. The fastest laps were recorded late in practice.[25] Michael Schumacher led with a lap of 1:21.982 at his second attempt to set a fast time,[26] half a second quicker than his teammate Barrichello in second. Häkkinen was third, Ralf Schumacher fourth and Prost's Jean Alesi fifth. The two Benetton drivers were sixth and eighth, Giancarlo Fisichella ahead of Alexander Wurz; Jaguar's Johnny Herbert was seventh. His teammate Eddie Irvine and Arrows' Jos Verstappen were ninth and tenth.[23]
In the second practice session, Michael Schumacher was unable to lap faster but remained fastest;[27] Ralf Schumacher went second-fastest with a new set of tyres towards the end of the session.[23] In positions three through ten were Barrichello, Jordan's Jarno Trulli, Coulthard, Williams' Jenson Button. Häkkinen, Sauber's Pedro Diniz, Jordan's Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Alesi.[27] Pedro de la Rosa lost control of his Arrows car under braking and was beached in the gravel trap, prompting the yellow flags to appear briefly.[23][26] Fisichella spun 360 degrees backwards into the gravel trap at the Renault corner, then spun again at the next right-hand turn.[28][29]
The weather remained dry for the Saturday morning practice sessions.[30] Coulthard set the third session's fastest lap, 1:21.370, ahead of teammate Häkkinen, who was two-tenths of a second slower; both drivers set their fastest times on new tyres.[31] Ralf Schumacher, Michael Schumacher, Villeneuve, Fisichella and Frentzen made up positions three to seven.[32] The two Arrows drivers were eighth and ninth (with Verstappen ahead of De la Rosa) after setting identical lap times that topped the time sheets.[33] Sauber's Mika Salo was tenth-fastest.[32] During practice, no yellow flags were waved, though Frentzen briefly drove onto the grass late in the session.[34]
During the final practice session, Michael Schumacher set the fastest lap of 1:21.088 on new tyres; Coulthard was second. Barrichello was third fastest after finishing 14th the previous session.[35] He lapped faster than Häkkinen, who struggled with a lack of grip and a loose rear end. Ralf Schumacher set the fifth-fastest time. Jordan's drivers were sixth and seventh, Trulli ahead of Frentzen and ahead of De la Rosa, Villeneuve, and Button.[30]
Qualifying
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Saturday afternoon's one-hour qualifying session saw each driver limited to twelve laps, with the grid order decided by their fastest laps. During this session, the 107% rule was in effect, requiring each driver to remain within 107 per cent of the fastest lap time to qualify for the race.[3] The session was held in sunny and hot weather.[30][36] Michael Schumacher took his first pole position of the season and 24th of his career with a time of 1:20.974 on a headwind-affected second run 43 minutes in,[37][38] going more than a second quicker than the 1999 pole lap.[38] Häkkinen joined him on the grid's front row after lapping 0.076 seconds slower in the final seconds and held pole until Schumacher's lap.[4][39] Barrichello qualified third, feeling his car did not feel good having not made any changes.[30] Coulthard, fourth, lost time early in qualifying due to an engine fuel pressure pick-up issue,[40] meaning he had to drive with 10 kg (22 lb) of extra fuel.[5] He did not drive the spare McLaren set up for Häkkinen, believing it to be time-consuming, and he had to drive with extra fuel added by his mechanics.[39][30][37][41] Ralf Schumacher, fifth, had excessive oversteer, which prevented him from lapping faster.[37] Villeneuve qualified sixth and said he achieved the best from his car.[30] Both Jordan drivers lined up the grid's fourth row (with Trulli ahead of Frentzen),[5] believing they could have a better starting position because of windy conditions.[30][37]
De la Rosa and Irvine were ninth and tenth.[39] Later that day, the FIA in a mobile laboratory analysed a fuel sample from De la Rosa's car and declared it illegal because it did not match an earlier sample. Arrows team prinicipal Tom Walkinshaw insisted it was caused by contamination during transit and the team announced it would appeal the decision, allowing De la Rosa to keep his starting spot.[4][5][41] Button. eleventh, reported crosswinds made his car unstable.[42] He was faster than Verstappen in the slower Arrows car, Salo in the faster Sauber after losing time in the first third of the lap, and Fisichella, who could not lap faster due to low track grip.[37][43] Herbert, 15th, lost his front wing mounted television camera held on by a thin cable after hitting a kerb early in qualifying.[30][44] He made a minor error that prevented him from qualifying higher. Diniz (16th) had excessive oversteer.[30] Ricardo Zonta, seventeenth, was unable to find a suitable set-up for his BAR car, and his best lap was nine-tenths of a second slower than teammate Villeneuve's. Alesi qualified eighteenth and was unable to lap faster due to hydraulic issues and circuit cooling. He was ahead of Wurz in nineteenth, who struggled with grip and car setup.[43] Heidfeld's engine failed on the circuit, and marshals extinguished a small fire when he returned to the pit lane.[45] He drove the spare Prost car setup for his teammate Alesi and qualified 20th.[43] The two Minardi drivers Marc Gené and Gastón Mazzacane were 21st and 22nd.[39]
Qualifying classification
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Lap | Gap | Grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 |  Michael Schumacher |
Ferrari | 1:20.974 | — | 1 |
| 2 | 1 | Mika Häkkinen |
McLaren-Mercedes | 1:21.052 | +0.078 | 2 |
| 3 | 4 |  Rubens Barrichello |
Ferrari | 1:21.416 | +0.442 | 3 |
| 4 | 2 |  David Coulthard |
McLaren-Mercedes | 1:21.422 | +0.448 | 4 |
| 5 | 9 | Ralf Schumacher |
Williams-BMW | 1:21.605 | +0.631 | 5 |
| 6 | 22 |  Jacques Villeneuve |
BAR-Honda | 1:21.963 | +0.989 | 6 |
| 7 | 6 |  Jarno Trulli |
Jordan-Mugen-Honda | 1:22.006 | +1.032 | 7 |
| 8 | 5 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen |
Jordan-Mugen-Honda | 1:22.135 | +1.161 | 8 |
| 9 | 18 |  Pedro de la Rosa |
Arrows-Supertec | 1:22.185 | +1.211 | 221 |
| 10 | 7 | Eddie Irvine |
Jaguar-Cosworth | 1:22.370 | +1.396 | 9 |
| 11 | 10 | Jenson Button |
Williams-BMW | 1:22.385 | +1.411 | 10 |
| 12 | 19 |  Jos Verstappen |
Arrows-Supertec | 1:22.421 | +1.447 | 11 |
| 13 | 17 | Mika Salo |
Sauber-Petronas | 1:22.443 | +1.469 | 12 |
| 14 | 11 | Giancarlo Fisichella |
Benetton-Playlife | 1:22.569 | +1.595 | 13 |
| 15 | 8 | Johnny Herbert |
Jaguar-Cosworth | 1:22.781 | +1.807 | 14 |
| 16 | 16 | Pedro Diniz |
Sauber-Petronas | 1:22.841 | +1.867 | 15 |
| 17 | 23 | Ricardo Zonta |
BAR-Honda | 1:22.882 | +1.908 | 16 |
| 18 | 14 |  Jean Alesi |
Prost-Peugeot | 1:22.894 | +1.920 | 17 |
| 19 | 12 |  Alexander Wurz |
Benetton-Playlife | 1:23.010 | +2.036 | 18 |
| 20 | 15 | Nick Heidfeld |
Prost-Peugeot | 1:23.033 | +2.059 | 19 |
| 21 | 20 | Marc Gené |
Minardi-Fondmetal | 1:23.486 | +2.512 | 20 |
| 22 | 21 |  Gastón Mazzacane |
Minardi-Fondmetal | 1:24.257 | +3.283 | 21 |
| 107% time: 1:26.642 | ||||||
Source:[46] | ||||||
Note:
- ^1 — Pedro de la Rosa had started at the back of the grid for using illegal fuel in qualifying.[41]
Warm-up
The drivers took to the track at 09:30 Central European Summer Time (UTC+2) for a 30-minute warm-up[3] in cool and dry weather. Despite going into the gravel after braking too deeply, Michael Schumacher set a lap of 1:22.855 to lead a session for the fifth time that weekend, and also drove the spare Ferrari. Häkkinen was second-fastest; Barrichello was third, followed by Coulthard in fourth.[47][48] De la Rosa ran into the gravel trap at Elf corner after his engine cut out;[47][49] he returned to the pit lane to use the spare Arrows vehicle.[50] Coulthard was launched airborne during a lap when he mounted the kerb at the final turn, but his vehicle was undamaged.[47] After the session, Arrows withdrew their appeal after accepting the FIA's findings, and De la Rosa was required to start at the back of the field.[51]
