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The 2000 Brazilian Grand Prix (officially the XXIX Grande Prêmio Marlboro do Brasil) was a
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
motor race held on 26 March 2000 at the
Autódromo José Carlos Pace The Autódromo José Carlos Pace, better known as Autódromo de Interlagos or simply Interlagos, is a motorsport race track, circuit located in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. It was inaugurated on 12 May 1940, by the federal intervener of the S ...
in
São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
, Brazil. The race, which was the second round of the 2000 Formula One World Championship and the 29th
Brazilian Grand Prix The Brazilian Grand Prix (), currently held under the name São Paulo Grand Prix (), is a Formula One championship race which is currently held at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in Interlagos neighborhood, Cidade Dutra, São Paulo. The in ...
, drew 72,000 spectators.
Michael Schumacher Michael Schumacher (; born 3 January 1969) is a German former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to and from to . Schumacher won a record-setting seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, tied by Lewis Hamilton in ...
, a
Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...
driver, won the 71-lap race after starting third. Benetton's
Giancarlo Fisichella Giancarlo "Giano" Fisichella (; born 14 January 1973), also known as Fisico or Fisi, is an Italian racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Fisichella won three Formula One Grands Prix across 14 seasons. Bo ...
finished second, and
Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
's
Heinz-Harald Frentzen Heinz-Harald Frentzen (; born 18 May 1967) is a German former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Frentzen was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Williams, and won three Grands Prix across 10 se ...
was third.
McLaren McLaren Racing Limited ( ) is a British auto racing, motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. The team is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, which owns a majority of the team. McLaren is best known a ...
's
Mika Häkkinen Mika Pauli Häkkinen (; born 28 September 1968) is a Finnish former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "the Flying Finn", Häkkinen won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in and with M ...
qualified on
pole position In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the ra ...
and led the first lap of the race before being passed by
World Drivers' Championship Formula One, abbreviated to F1, is the highest class of open-wheeled auto racing defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's world governing body. The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which a ...
leader Michael Schumacher on lap two. Following that, Michael Schumacher built a 17.6-second lead before making the first of two
pit stops Pit or PIT may refer to: Structure * Ball pit, a recreation structure * Casino pit, the part of a casino which holds gaming tables * Trapping pit, pits used for hunting * Pit (motor racing), an area of a racetrack where pit stops are conduc ...
for fuel and tyres on lap 20. After Häkkinen retired with a shortage of engine oil pressure ten laps later, he retook the lead. In the final 12 laps,
David Coulthard David Marshall Coulthard (born 27 March 1971) is a British former racing driver and sports broadcasting, broadcaster from Scotland who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "DC", Coulthard was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' ...
in the other McLaren gained on Michael Schumacher as the latter slowed to manage an
oil pressure Oil pressure is an important factor in the longevity of most internal combustion engines.{{Cite web , last=McTaggart , first=Megan , date=2021-02-25 , title=What Causes Low Oil Pressure (& How To Fix It) , url=https://www.lubezone.com/blog/what-ca ...
problem. He was not close enough to make a pass for the win and Michael Schumacher took his second consecutive victory of the season and the 37th of his career. Following the race, Coulthard was disqualified from second place due to an illegal front wing endplate. McLaren submitted an appeal with the
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; ) is an international organisation with two primary functions surrounding use of the automobile. Its mobility division advocacy, advocates the interests of motoring organisations, the automot ...
's International Court of Appeal, which was denied. The disqualification moved every driver behind Coulthard forward by a single position. The result extended Michael Schumacher's lead atop the World Drivers' Championship to 12
points A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to: Mathematics * Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...
. Fisichella moved from fifth to second as
Rubens Barrichello Rubens Gonçalves Barrichello (; born 23 May 1972) is a Brazilian racing driver and sports broadcasting, broadcaster, who competes in the Stock Car Pro Series for Full Time Sports. Nicknamed "Rubinho" (), Barrichello competed in Formula One fro ...
in the second Ferrari fell to third after not finishing the race. Ferrari further increased their lead in the
World Constructors' Championship Formula One, abbreviated to F1, is the highest class of open-wheeled auto racing defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's world governing body. The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which ...
to 18 points as Benetton advanced from fourth to second with fifteen races remaining in the season.


Background

The 2000
Brazilian Grand Prix The Brazilian Grand Prix (), currently held under the name São Paulo Grand Prix (), is a Formula One championship race which is currently held at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in Interlagos neighborhood, Cidade Dutra, São Paulo. The in ...
was the second of 17 races in the 2000 Formula One World Championship and the 29th Brazilian Grand Prix. On 26 March. it took place at the 15-turn
Autódromo José Carlos Pace The Autódromo José Carlos Pace, better known as Autódromo de Interlagos or simply Interlagos, is a motorsport race track, circuit located in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. It was inaugurated on 12 May 1940, by the federal intervener of the S ...
in the Brazilian city of
São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
. It was the second of six non-European Grands Prix. The high-altitude, anti-clockwise track featured significant elevation changes, putting a heavy load of
g-force The g-force or gravitational force equivalent is a Specific force, mass-specific force (force per unit mass), expressed in Unit of measurement, units of standard gravity (symbol ''g'' or ''g''0, not to be confused with "g", the symbol for ...
on the left side of drivers' necks. Teams modified their cars to run at medium to high levels of
downforce Downforce is a downwards lift force created by the aerodynamic features of a vehicle. If the vehicle is a car, the purpose of downforce is to allow the car to travel faster by increasing the vertical force on the tires, thus creating more gri ...
and dampers, springs and
suspensions In chemistry, a suspension is a heterogeneous mixture of a fluid that contains solid particles sufficiently large for sedimentation. The particles may be visible to the naked eye, usually must be larger than one micrometer, and will eventually ...
were tuned to adapt to the bumpy track surface.
Bridgestone is a Japanese multinational manufacturing company founded in 1931 by Shojiro Ishibashi (18891976) in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, Fukuoka, Japan. The name Bridgestone comes from a calque translation and transposition of (), meaning ...
, Formula One's control tyre supplier, supplied the race with soft and medium dry compound tyres. Following his victory in the preceding ,
Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...
driver
Michael Schumacher Michael Schumacher (; born 3 January 1969) is a German former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to and from to . Schumacher won a record-setting seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, tied by Lewis Hamilton in ...
led the
World Drivers' Championship Formula One, abbreviated to F1, is the highest class of open-wheeled auto racing defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's world governing body. The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which a ...
with ten
points A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to: Mathematics * Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...
, followed by teammate
Rubens Barrichello Rubens Gonçalves Barrichello (; born 23 May 1972) is a Brazilian racing driver and sports broadcasting, broadcaster, who competes in the Stock Car Pro Series for Full Time Sports. Nicknamed "Rubinho" (), Barrichello competed in Formula One fro ...
with six points and
Williams Williams may refer to: People * Williams (surname), a surname English in origin, but popular in Wales, 3rd most common in the United Kingdom * Williams Nwaneri, American football player Places Astronomy * Williams (lunar crater) * Williams ...
'
Ralf Schumacher Ralf Schumacher (born 30 June 1975) is a German former racing driver and sports broadcasting, broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from to . Schumacher won six Formula One Grands Prix across 11 seasons. Born and raised in North Rhine-Westp ...
with four points.
Jacques Villeneuve Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve (; born 9 April 1971) is a Canadian former racing driver, who competed in IndyCar from 1994 PPG Indy Car World Series, 1994 to 1995 PPG Indy Car World Series, 1995, and Formula One from to . Villeneuve won t ...
of
British American Racing British American Racing (BAR) was a Formula One constructor that competed in the sport from 1999 to 2005. BAR began by acquiring Tyrrell Racing, Tyrrell, and used Supertec engines for their first year. Subsequently, they formed a partnership wit ...
(BAR) was fourth with three points and
Giancarlo Fisichella Giancarlo "Giano" Fisichella (; born 14 January 1973), also known as Fisico or Fisi, is an Italian racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Fisichella won three Formula One Grands Prix across 14 seasons. Bo ...
of Benetton was fifth with two points. Ferrari led the
World Constructors' Championship Formula One, abbreviated to F1, is the highest class of open-wheeled auto racing defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's world governing body. The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which ...
with a maximum of 16 points. Williams and BAR tied for third with four points each, and Benetton were fourth with four points. Prior to the event, most the 11 teams tested their cars and new components at various locations across Europe.
McLaren McLaren Racing Limited ( ) is a British auto racing, motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. The team is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, which owns a majority of the team. McLaren is best known a ...
,
Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
, Williams,
Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...
and Prost tested at the
Silverstone Circuit Silverstone Circuit is a motor racing circuit in England, near the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. It is the home of the British Grand Prix, which it first hosted as the 1948 British Grand Prix. The 1950 British Grand ...
in the United Kingdom from 14 to 16 March.
Luca Badoer Luca Badoer (; born 25 January 1971) is an Italian former racing driver, who competed in Formula One between and . Born and raised in Veneto, Badoer began competitive kart racing at a young age, winning several regional and national titles. P ...
, a Ferrari test driver, completed shakedown runs at the
Fiorano Circuit The Fiorano Circuit () is a private racetrack owned by Ferrari for development and testing purposes. It is located in Fiorano Modenese, near the Italian town of Maranello. Construction began in 1971 and the circuit officially opened on 8 Apri ...
in northern Italy. On the first two days of testing, McLaren test driver
Olivier Panis Olivier Jean Denis Marie Panis (; born 2 September 1966) is a French former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Panis won the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix with Équipe Ligier, Ligier. Panis competed in Formula One for Équipe Ligier, ...
led; on day three, Williams's
Jenson Button Jenson Alexander Lyons Button (born 19 January 1980) is a British racing driver, who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Jota. Button competed in Formula One from to , and won the World Drivers' Championship in with Brawn; ...
went fastest. The BAR, Arrows,
Sauber Sauber Motorsport AG, currently competing in Formula One as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber, and also known simply as Kick Sauber or Sauber, is a Swiss motorsport engineering company. It was founded in 1970 (as PP Sauber AG) by Peter Sauber, who pro ...
and
Minardi Minardi was an Italian automobile racing team and constructor founded in Faenza in 1979 by Giancarlo Minardi. It competed in the Formula One World Championship from 1985 until 2005 with little success, nevertheless acquiring a loyal following ...
teams did not test before the Grand Prix. The press and bookmakers considered Michael Schumacher the favourite to win the race. In response to a statement by McLaren team principal
Ron Dennis Sir Ronald Dennis (born 1 June 1947) is a British businessman and motorsport executive. From 1981 to 2009, Dennis served as team principal, CEO and co-owner of McLaren in Formula One, winning seven World Constructors' Championship titles betw ...
, who claimed Ferrari was not as competitive as McLaren, Schumacher expressed optimism about a continuing challenge to McLaren for the rest of the season. After faulty seals on their pneumatic valve systems forced him and two-time world champion
Mika Häkkinen Mika Pauli Häkkinen (; born 28 September 1968) is a Finnish former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "the Flying Finn", Häkkinen won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in and with M ...
to retire from the preceding Australian Grand Prix, McLaren's
David Coulthard David Marshall Coulthard (born 27 March 1971) is a British former racing driver and sports broadcasting, broadcaster from Scotland who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "DC", Coulthard was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' ...
predicted the team would start on the front row and win: "We weren't beaten fair and square in the race because we dropped out. You have to give Ferrari credit because they won when we dropped out and that's our mistake. But it means we come here believing we are competitive and still have a chance." The Autódromo José Carlos Pace was resurfaced in February to try to reduce its bumpiness. The pit lane exit was relocated from the Senna S
chicane A chicane () is a serpentine curve in a road, added by design rather than dictated by geography. Chicanes add extra turns and are used both in motor racing and on roads and streets to slow traffic for safety. For example, one form of chicane is ...
entry to the Repa Opposta
straight Straight may refer to: Slang * Straight, slang for heterosexual ** Straight-acting, normal person * Straight, a member of the straight edge subculture Sport and games * Straight, an alternative name for the cross, a type of punch in boxing * Str ...
. Following Ricardo Zonta's crash and injury during the 1999 race, a larger
run-off area A run-off area is an area on a motorsport race track used for racer safety. Run-off areas are usually located along a road racing circuit where racers are most likely to unintentionally depart from the prescribed course. There are different types ...
was installed to the outside of Laranjinha turn, and its concrete barrier was padded with tyres. The
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; ) is an international organisation with two primary functions surrounding use of the automobile. Its mobility division advocacy, advocates the interests of motoring organisations, the automot ...
(FIA; Formula One's governing body) technical delegate,
Charlie Whiting Charles Whiting (12 August 1952 – 14 March 2019) was Chief Mechanic for the Brabham F1 team and latterly the Formula One race director. He served as the FIA Formula One Race Director, Safety Delegate, Permanent Starter and head of the F1 Tech ...
, inspected the circuit and ordered that the pit lane barriers be moved to improve driver access. The drivers were divided about the resurfacing work. Jaguar's
Eddie Irvine Edmund "Eddie" Irvine Jr. (; born 10 November 1965) is a former racing driver from Northern Ireland, who competed Formula One drivers from the United Kingdom, under the British flag in Formula One from to . Irvine was runner-up in the Formula ...
criticised the track's condition. His teammate
Johnny Herbert John Paul Herbert (born 25 June 1964) is a British former racing driver and broadcaster. He competed in Formula One from to , winning three Formula One Grands Prix over a 12-season career. In endurance racing, Herbert won the 24 Hours of Le ...
described the bumps approaching the start/finish straight as "horrendous," raising concerns about a repeat of
Stéphane Sarrazin Stéphane Jean-Marc Sarrazin (born 2 November 1975) is a French racing and rally driver. He has won races across a number of single-seater, sportscar and rallying disciplines and competitions, was French Formula Renault champion in 1994, and Le ...
's 1999 accident. Conversely, Barrichello and his teammate Michael Schumacher said the track was better for them. The Grand Prix featured 11 teams (each representing a different constructor) with no changes from the season entry list. Several teams modified their cars, either to refine aerodynamic appendages or to address reliability issues that arose during the Australian Grand Prix. McLaren identified an
air filter A particulate air filter is a device composed of fibrous, or porous materials which removes particulates such as smoke, dust, pollen, mold, viruses and bacteria from the air. Filters containing an adsorbent or catalyst such as charcoal (carbo ...
failure which led to the pneumatic valve system problem in the previous race and modified its design to prevent it from reoccurring.
Ford-Cosworth Cosworth is a British automotive engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in high-performance internal combustion engines, powertrain, and electronics for automobile racing (motorsport) and mainstream automotive industries ...
altered its engine lubrication system while the Arrows team altered the steering linkage design. The FIA granted Arrows permission to compete after changing the headrests design in its A21 car to protect the driver.


Practice

The race was preceded by four practice sessions, two one-hour sessions on Friday and two 45-minute sessions on Saturday. The weather was hot and clear for the Friday sessions. Barrichello led with a 1:17.631 lap after making minor changes to his car's aerodynamic setup before the morning session. Häkkinen, Coulthard, Michael Schumacher, Villeneuve, Prost's
Jean Alesi Jean Robert Alesi (; born Giovanni Roberto Alesi, 11 June 1964) is a French former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Alesi won the 1995 Canadian Grand Prix with Ferrari. Born and raised in Avignon, Alesi started karting a ...
, Fisichella, Jordan's
Heinz-Harald Frentzen Heinz-Harald Frentzen (; born 18 May 1967) is a German former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Frentzen was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Williams, and won three Grands Prix across 10 se ...
, Sauber's
Mika Salo Mika Juhani Salo (born 30 November 1966) is a Finnish former racing driver and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from to . His best ranking was 10th in the world championship in 1999, when he stood in for the injured Michael Schumach ...
and Arrows's
Jos Verstappen Johannes Franciscus "Jos" Verstappen (; born 4 March 1972) is a Dutch racing and rally driver, who competes in the European Rally Championship as a privateer. Verstappen competed in Formula One between and . Born and raised in Dutch Limburg, ...
rounded out the top ten drivers. Alesi spun three times during the session, removing the front wing on the third. A
driveshaft A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power, torque, and rotation, usually used to connect ...
joint leak ended Michael Schumacher's session ended early after eight laps and Zonta was restricted to four timed laps after debris accumulation overheated his engine. A
stray dog A free-ranging dog is a dog that is not confined to a yard or house. Free-ranging dogs include street dogs, village dogs, stray dogs, feral dogs, etc., and may be owned or unowned. The global dog population is estimated to be 900 million, of wh ...
ran onto the circuit and was knocked over by marshals in a car, interrupting practice. Häkkinen improved his 1999
pole position In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the ra ...
lap by six-tenths of a second with three minutes remaining in the afternoon session, setting the day's fastest lap of 1:15.896. Second through tenth were Michael Schumacher, Coulthard, Barrichello,
Pedro de la Rosa Pedro Martínez de la Rosa (; born 24 February 1971) is a Spanish former racing driver, motorsport executive and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One between and . In Japanese motorsport, de la Rosa won the Formula Nippon Championship a ...
's Arrows, Alesi, Verstappen, Jordan's
Jarno Trulli Jarno Trulli (; born 13 July 1974) is an Italian former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Trulli won the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix with Renault in Formula One, Renault. He regularly competed in Formula ...
, Villeneuve and Fisichella. Ralf Schumacher was taken off the track twice because of a brake and balance issue.
Alexander Wurz Alexander Georg Wurz (; born 15 February 1974) is an Austrian former racing driver, motorsport executive and businessman, who competed in Formula One between and . In endurance racing, Wurz is a two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in ...
spun and beached his Benetton at Mergulho corner. Coulthard spent part of the session in the pit lane as McLaren replaced his front wing after he drove onto the grass midway through. Verstappen experimented with a tyre compound that altered his car's setup and landed him in a gravel trap at the end of practice. The weather remained hot and dry for Saturday's two practice sessions. Different
ride height Ride height or ground clearance is the amount of space between the base of an automobile tire and the lowest point of the automobile, typically the bottom exterior of the differential housing (even though the lower shock mounting point may be l ...
setups were tested on teams' cars, resulting in a noticeable difference in performance. They also selected the tyre compounds for the rest of the weekend. Coulthard led the third practice session with a lap of 1:15.035, followed by his teammate Häkkinen, Ferrari teammates Michael Schumacher and Barrichello, Frentzen, Fisichella, Trulli, Irvine, Minardi's
Marc Gené Marc Gené i Guerrero (born 29 March 1974) is a Spanish professional racing driver. He is best known as a tester for Williams Grand Prix Engineering, Williams and Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari in Formula One, Minardi Formula One driver and factory ...
and Alesi. During the session, Michael Schumacher's team spent an hour and ten minutes changing a problematic engine.
Gastón Mazzacane Gastón Hugo Mazzacane (born 8 May 1975) is an Argentina, Argentine racing driver. He participated in 21 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting in the 2000 Australian Grand Prix. His father, Hugo Mazzacane, named him after the late Argentine touring ca ...
's Minardi had an oil leak, limiting him to five timed laps and preventing him from participating in the final practise session later that day. Hakkinen's lap of 1:14.159 on a new set of tyres led the fourth session, with teammate Coulthard third. Barrichello separated them. Michael Schumacher was fourth, Trulli fifth, while Fisichella was sixth, repeating his third practice result. Villeneuve, Verstappen, Ralf Schumacher and Frentzen completed the top ten. While testing a new
rear wing Downforce is a downwards lift force created by the aerodynamic features of a vehicle. If the vehicle is a car, the purpose of downforce is to allow the car to travel faster by increasing the vertical force on the tires, thus creating more gri ...
, Barrichello spun twice, one of which was caused by a broken footrest. Frentzen and his teammate Trulli ran into a gravel trap, causing minor bodywork damage to their vehicles. Zonta lost track time due to a gearbox actuator fault and ran into a gravel trap. Button's engine failed, laying oil on the
racing line In motorsport, the racing line or simply "the line" is the optimal path around a race course. In most cases, the line makes use of the entire width of the track to lengthen the radius of a turn: entering at the outside edge, touching the "apex"—a ...
between the Laranjinha and Bico do Pato corners. Salo's rear wing failed on the start/finish straight, causing him to spin as he braked before the Senna S chicane and hit the wall. He was unhurt.


Qualifying

During Saturday's one-hour qualifying session, drivers simultaneously circulated the track. Each driver was limited to twelve laps; their fastest laps determined the race's starting order. The
107% rule The 107% rule is a sporting regulation affecting Formula One racing Formula One racing#Qualifying, qualifying sessions. During the first phase of qualifying, if the circuit is dry, any driver who is eliminated in the first qualifying session and f ...
was in effect during qualifying, requiring each driver to stay within 107% of the fastest lap to qualify for the race. Heavy rain fell during the session's final 15 minutes, making the track slippery and preventing drivers from lapping faster. A heavy wind caused a gantry-mounted cardboard advertising hoarding connected by nylon ties above the start/finish straight to detach from the fasteners and fall onto the track, forcing qualifying to be stopped three times to have them removed. Häkkinen lapped fastest before the rain began with 15 minutes to go at 1:14.111 lap for his second consecutive and 23rd career pole position. His teammate Coulthard qualified second, with the Ferraris of Michael Schumacher and Barrichello third and fourth, respectively.; Schumacher understeered into the grass on his second timed lap, damaging his car's undertray on the corrugations of a high-mounted
kerb A curb (American English) or kerb (British English) is the edge where a raised sidewalk/pavement or road median/central reservation meets a street/other roadway. History Although curbs have been used throughout modern history, and indeed ...
. He finished qualifying in the spare Ferrari. Because of the stoppage, Barrichello had to abandon a fast lap. Fisichella, fifth, praised his car's handling. Irvine in sixth was happy with his Jaguar's grip and balance. Frentzen qualified seventh after
Pedro Diniz Pedro Paulo Falleiros dos Santos Diniz (; born 22 May 1970) is a Brazilian former racing driver, businessman and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Born and raised in São Paulo, Diniz began karting aged 18 and achi ...
slowed him. Zonta, eighth, focused on aerodynamic setup to improve his car's handling. Between the final practice session and qualifying, Button switched engines and worked with race engineer Tim Preston to change his car's setup. He was fourth early on before falling to ninth. Villeneuve qualified tenth after traffic slowed two of his timed laps and he ran onto the grass. Ralf Schumacher was the fastest driver to not qualify in the top ten after trying different spring rates but failing to improve his chassis setup. Trulli spun into a gravel trap at the Bico de Peto
hairpin A hairpin or hair pin is a long device used to hold a person's hair in place. It may be used simply to secure long hair out of the way for convenience or as part of an elaborate hairstyle or coiffure. The earliest evidence for dressing the ha ...
on his first timed lap. He returned to the pit lane to drive the spare Jordan car; an electronic control unit fault affected its gear selection, leaving him 12th. Wurz, 13th, had traffic slow all of his laps.
Clutch A clutch is a mechanical device that allows an output shaft to be disconnected from a rotating input shaft. The clutch's input shaft is typically attached to a motor, while the clutch's output shaft is connected to the mechanism that does th ...
issues put Verstappen 14th. Alesi, 15th, swerved at more than to avoid a falling advertising hoarding, damaging his car's front wing. Alesi was unhurt. The rain slowed De La Rosa in 16th. Car setup issues put Herbert 17th. Gené in 18th ventured onto the track early in qualifying.
Nick Heidfeld Nick Lars Heidfeld (; born 10 May 1977) is a German former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Born and raised in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, Heidfeld began competitive kart racing aged 11. He progressed to Formu ...
used the spare Prost car to secure 19th after a clutch failure in his race car. Diniz in 20th and teammate Salo in 22nd had similar rear wing failures. Mazzacane, 21st, drove the spare Minardi car after fuel pressure issues.


Post-qualifying

Sauber announced its withdrawal from the race during the second stoppage, citing a lack of time in Brazil to analyse and repair the structural integrity of the rear wings on both of their cars. When Sauber returned to their
Hinwil Hinwil is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Hinwil (district), Hinwil in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Zurich (canton), Zürich in Switzerland. History The village Hinwil from which the later municipality ...
headquarters, they discovered that the track's bumpy surface had caused both of their cars to have higher-than-expected impact loads; Salo's rear wing failed on the lower plane while Diniz's failed on the upper plane.


Qualifying classification

Notes: * Sauber withdrew
Pedro Diniz Pedro Paulo Falleiros dos Santos Diniz (; born 22 May 1970) is a Brazilian former racing driver, businessman and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Born and raised in São Paulo, Diniz began karting aged 18 and achi ...
and
Mika Salo Mika Juhani Salo (born 30 November 1966) is a Finnish former racing driver and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from to . His best ranking was 10th in the world championship in 1999, when he stood in for the injured Michael Schumach ...
on the grounds of safety due to separate
rear wing Downforce is a downwards lift force created by the aerodynamic features of a vehicle. If the vehicle is a car, the purpose of downforce is to allow the car to travel faster by increasing the vertical force on the tires, thus creating more gri ...
failures on their cars.


Warm-up

On Sunday morning, a 30-minute warm-up session was held in hot, overcast weather. All drivers fine-tuned their race set-ups and drove their spare cars. Häkkinen set the session's fastest lap at 1:16.343, ahead of Michael Schumacher, Coulthard, Barrichello, Verstappen, Ralf Schumacher, Gené, Fisichella and Zonta. Wurz's car
stalled ''Stalled'' is a 2013 British zombie comedy film directed by Christian James. It stars Dan Palmer, who also wrote the screenplay, as a man confined to a bathroom stall after zombies attack. Produced by Richard Kerrigan and Daniel Pickering, the ...
at the exit of the pit lane ten minutes in, and the session was stopped. For the rest of the session, he drove the spare
Benetton B200 The Benetton B200 was the car with which the Benetton team competed in the 2000 Formula One World Championship. It was driven by Italian Giancarlo Fisichella and Austrian Alexander Wurz, both in their third season with the team. Japanese Hidetos ...
car. Alesi's engine failed, so he switched to the spare Prost AP03, which had a rear wing failure on the bumpy start/finish straight, resulting in a second stoppage. Prost examined Alesi's rear wing after the warm-up session and determined that its failure was caused by older bodywork parts on his car, and readied its spare chassis in case it was needed. The team said it was unconcerned about the drivers' safety and confirmed their participation in the race.


Race

The race began before 72,000 spectators (mostly supporting Ferrari) at 14:00 local time. At the start, the weather was hot and dry, with an ambient temperature of , a track temperature of , and a humidity of 76%. According to computer simulations, drivers who made a single pit stop had the fastest overall race times. Wurz's engine stalled during the formation lap, delaying Alesi and Herbert; both drivers took their starting positions. Wurz began from the pit lane. Häkkinen led the field into the Senna S chicane after a brisk start from the grid. Michael Schumacher passed Coulthard for second, who had
wheelspin A wheelspin occurs when the force delivered to the tire tread exceeds that of available tread-to-surface friction and one or more tires lose traction. This leads the wheels to "spin" and causes the driver to lose control over the tires that no ...
and failed to challenge Häkkinen for the lead. Coulthard kept third after Barrichello made a slow start. Irvine overtook Fisichella for fifth place. Verstappen advanced from 14th to 11th by the end of the first lap. Button fell from 9th to 14th over the same distance. Trulli passed Ralf Schumacher and Villeneuve to take tenth on the track's inside. As the top two approached the start/finish line, Michael Schumacher, who had been close behind Häkkinen's heavier car throughout lap one, steered off the racing line to take the lead heading into the Senna S chicane. Barrichello slipstreamed past Coulthard for third on the start/finish straight. He then ran wide, returning Coulthard to third. By the end of lap two, Barrichello had retaken third after a gearbox fault lost Coulthard the use of the first three gears and was slower in the slow-speed corners. A malfunctioning radio prevented Coulthard from alerting McLaren to the problem, meaning he braked earlier as
engine braking Engine braking occurs when the retarding forces within an internal combustion engine are used to slow down a motor vehicle, as opposed to using additional external braking mechanisms such as friction brakes or magnetic brakes. The term is ofte ...
proved ineffective and changed his driving line. With a series of
fastest lap In motorsports, the fastest lap is the quickest lap run during a race. In some racing series, like NASCAR, the fastest lap award championship points for a driver or team. In Formula One and MotoGP no point is awarded for the fastest lap. Formula O ...
s, Michael Schumacher increased his advantage over Häkkinen to four seconds by lap 4 and to 15 seconds by lap 15 for a large enough gap for him to make an early pit stop for fuel. In the meantime, Trulli passed Zonta for eighth, Button overtook Alesi for 13th and Heidfeld lost 16th to de la Rosa. Verstappen progressed from 11th to seventh by passing Villeneuve, Zonta, Frentzen, and Fisichella as Alesi overtook Ralf Schumacher, Villeneuve, Zonta, and Frentzen to advance to ninth. During this time, Wurz and Heidfeld both experienced separate engine failures on laps seven and nine, while Alesi experienced an electrical failure at the Bico de Pato hairpin on lap 11. After Häkkinen ran wide at the conclusion of lap 14, Barrichello closed up. Before the Senna S chicane, he braked, slipstreamed Häkkinen, and turned left to pass him for second at the start of the 15th lap. De la Rosa passed Herbert for 14th on that lap and Trulli overtook Irvine for fifth into the Curva do Sol turn on lap 16. That lap, Villeneuve retired with a race-long gearbox problem. The Ferrari and McLaren teams used various pit stop strategies; the Ferrari team planned for two stops in the hope that they would establish a significant enough lead over McLaren on the circuit. McLaren, conversely, planned just one pit stop because they hypothesised that the long pit lane would lose them time. When the first round of fuel and tyre pit stops began four laps later, Michael Schumacher had a 17.6-second advantage over the rest of the field. He rejoined the track in third and Barrichello led the next two laps until his stop that dropped the latter to fourth. On lap 21, Irvine lost control of his vehicle's rear into the Bico de Pato hairpin and crashed into a tyre barrier. Six laps later, Barrichello pulled into the pit lane with smoke billowing from his car due to a
hydraulic motor A hydraulic motor is a mechanical actuator that converts hydraulic pressure and flow into torque and angular displacement (rotation). The hydraulic motor is the rotary counterpart of the hydraulic cylinder as a linear actuator. Most broadly, ...
issue that had spread from the
steering wheel A steering wheel (also called a driving wheel, a hand wheel, or simply wheel) is a type of steering control in vehicles. Steering wheels are used in most modern land vehicles, including all mass-production automobiles, buses, light and hea ...
to the throttle linkage. As Barrichello exited the car to retire a small fire was extinguished by his mechanics. At the conclusion of the 28th lap, Trulli made the first of his two stops from fourth place, emerging in seventh. Before he slowed with a loss of oil engine pressure on the 30th lap, Häkkinen had pulled away to lead Michael Schumacher by 12 seconds since there was less fuel in his car. He slowed and retired in his garage. Michael Schumacher retook the lead, with the yet-to-stop Coulthard second, Verstappen third, and Fisichella fourth. Coulthard lapped to within a tenth of a second of Michael Schumacher who slowed slightly with an imbalance in all four of his tyres as Ralf Schumacher challenged Fisichella for fourth. On lap 32, Gené retired from 11th with an engine failure. Verstappen (who had conditioning issues) and his teammate de la Rosa made their first pit stops on laps 35 and 37. Four laps later, Frentzen was the first driver on a one-stop strategy to enter the pit lane earlier than scheduled because of heavy rear tyre wear losing him five seconds. Coulthard made his only stop on lap 43 and remained in second position. Michael Schumacher led by 48 seconds when he made his second pit stop on the 51st lap and retained the lead. On the same lap, Fisichella was kept on the track by his team until he made his only pit stop of the race and kept third place. On lap 51, Herbert retired in the pit lane with a gearbox failure. Four laps later, De la Rosa lost concentration, running into a gravel trap but lost no positions. Button battled Verstappen for several laps before passing him for seventh on the 56th, as Trulli made a pit stop from fourth after his second set of tyres slowed him slightly and rejoined the track in fifth. From the 59th lap, Coulthard began to gain on Michael Schumacher, who slowed due to an
oil pressure Oil pressure is an important factor in the longevity of most internal combustion engines.{{Cite web , last=McTaggart , first=Megan , date=2021-02-25 , title=What Causes Low Oil Pressure (& How To Fix It) , url=https://www.lubezone.com/blog/what-ca ...
problem. He could not draw close enough to pass due to his gear selection problem, and Schumacher took his second victory of the season and the 37th of his career in a time of 1:31:35.271, averaging over a distance of and 71 laps. Coulthard followed 4 seconds later and Fisichella took third. Frentzen finished fourth after driving consistently, Trulli finished fifth with a two-stop strategy that allowed him to gain places with a lightly fuelled car early in the race, and Ralf Schumacher was the final points-scorer in sixth. Button, Verstappen, de la Rosa, Zonta and Mazzacane (in his first F1 race finish) were the final finishers. The attrition rate was high; only 11 of the 20 starters finished the race.


Post-race

The top three drivers appeared on the podium to collect their trophies and later spoke to the media at a press conference. Michael Schumacher, who received the winner's trophy from Brazilian footballer
Pelé Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; 23 October 1940 – 29 December 2022), better known by his nickname Pelé (), was a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Widely reg ...
, said his pit stop strategy helped him to win: "In the past, as you may remember, we could not overtake the McLaren entries, regardless of their strategy. Now we are looking a lot more competitive – which is where we wanted to be – and the season could hardly have started better than it has." Coulthard stated that his second-place finish gave him a start on his championship campaign following gearbox issues: "It must have been entertaining for those who had places to watch at the first corner. Given the circumstances, I am very happy with my six points." Fisichella revealed that his car understeered and oversteered for the first 15 laps until its grip and balance improved. Nonetheless, he expressed satisfaction at finishing third: "This is a great result and will help us to be even more competitive in the future. I am confident about the next race when we will have some new aerodynamic parts." Approximately one hour after the race, when the cars were subjected to post-race checks at the FIA scrutineering bay by officials, all of the top six finishers, except Fisichella, were found to have excess wear on the wooden planks attached to the floors underneath their cars, in violation of a regulation concerning illegal plank wear. The Ferrari, McLaren, Jordan, and Williams teams had a successful appeal because the bumpy racing surface caused wear from cars bottoming out. All four teams were reinstated after a second inspection caused a hour delay. During the inspection, FIA technical delegate
Jo Bauer Jo Bauer (born 21 July 1961) is the FIA Formula One Technical Delegate at Grand Prix races. He took over the job from Charlie Whiting in 1997 when Whiting was appointed as Race Director for Formula One races. Education Bauer is an automotive ...
discovered that Coulthard's front wing endplates were above the ground ( too low) rather than 50 mm (5.0 cm) above a line of reference below a car as required by the FIA regulations. Bauer determined that this gave Coulthard a competitive aerodynamic advantage and the stewards disqualified him six hours later.
Adrian Newey Adrian Martin Newey (born 26 December 1958) is a British engineer, aerodynamicist, automotive designer and motorsport executive. Since 2025, Newey has served as technical director and co-owner of Aston Martin in Formula One; he previously serv ...
, McLaren's technical director, rejected the stewards' offer to transport Coulthard's car to Paris for a fair hearing and instead agreed to a set of four measurements in São Paulo. McLaren filed an appeal, claiming that vibrations from the bumpy racing surface damaged and shifted the car's undertray and chassis. A five-man panel heard the appeal on 4 April at a meeting of the FIA International Court of Appeal in Paris. In a 90-minute hearing, they rejected McLaren's appeal and declared the race result final. This promoted every driver behind Coulthard one position; Button was reclassified sixth and became the youngest driver to score a Formula One World Championship point at the age of 20 years, 2 months, 7 days, breaking Ricardo Rodríguez's record from the
1962 Belgian Grand Prix The 1962 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on 17 June 1962. It was race 3 of 9 in both the 1962 World Championship of Drivers and the 1962 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. This race was no ...
. The Brazilian Grand Prix organisers were summoned to a meeting of the FIA General Assembly on 6 April. They were fined $100,000 for the track's safety issues and the three times qualifying was stopped for falling advertising hoardings. The governing body ruled it "exceptional circumstances" and allowed the track to remain in Formula One. The FIA's president,
Max Mosley Max Rufus Mosley (13 April 1940 – 23 May 2021) was a British businessman, lawyer and racing driver. He served as president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the Sport governing body, governing body for Formula One. A ...
, said that no increased fine or race cancellation were imposed because the organisers provided evidence to prevent either action from occurring: "Bearing in mind that we allowed the Brazilian promoters to place the signs there – and they probably didn't know what potential there was for the failures which occurred – it seemed only fair to impose the comparatively modest penalty." Häkkinen limited his media interviews and left the track before the race ended. He expressed his disappointment at having to retire from the race's lead, "Nothing can describe how I feel, We have been quick all weekend, right the way through, so I am not happy to be leaving Brazil without any points. We have some work to do before the start of the European season." Button was quoted in the press as saying that he would rather score points in the race than a court of appeal, "I heard the news about David as I was making my way to the airport to fly back from Brazil – and I can't say it gave me any great feeling of joy. You want to earn any success through your driving skills, not someone else's misfortune."
Eddie Jordan Edmund Patrick Jordan (30 March 1948 – 20 March 2025) was an Irish motorsport executive, broadcaster, racing driver and businessman. From to , Jordan served as founder and team principal of Jordan in Formula One. Born in Dublin, Jordan in ...
, the Jordan team owner, said that both his cars finishing the event demonstrated they could last a full race distance after retiring from the Australian Grand Prix with mechanical issues. According to Frentzen, the team's season had begun in Brazil and required maintenance to improve their performance, "But we are a very strong team with a good atmosphere, I get along well with Jarno and everything is fine so far." After the race, Michael Schumacher led the World Drivers' Championship by 12 points, with Fisichella moving from fifth to second after finishing second. Ralf Schumacher dropped to fourth, while Barrichello fell to third and Frentzen was fifth. In the World Constructors' Championship, Ferrari increased its lead to 26 points, while Benetton advanced from fourth to second. Jordan's first points of the season put them third, while Williams and BAR were fourth and fifth with 15 races remaining.


Race classification

Drivers who scored championship points are denoted in bold.


Championship standings after the race

;Drivers' Championship standings ;Constructors' Championship standings * Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.


Notes and references


Notes


References

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Brazilian Grand Prix The Brazilian Grand Prix (), currently held under the name São Paulo Grand Prix (), is a Formula One championship race which is currently held at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in Interlagos neighborhood, Cidade Dutra, São Paulo. The in ...
Brazilian Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to: * Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition ** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship *** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...
Brazilian Grand Prix The Brazilian Grand Prix (), currently held under the name São Paulo Grand Prix (), is a Formula One championship race which is currently held at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in Interlagos neighborhood, Cidade Dutra, São Paulo. The in ...