2000 Canadian Grand Prix

Championship standings

Schumacher leads with 46 points. Coulthard is second on 34 after his Monaco win, and Häkkinen is third on 29. The McLarens have narrowed the gap considerably — Schumacher’s lead has been cut from 30 points to 12 over Coulthard in three races.

Previous race

At Monaco, Coulthard won after Schumacher retired while leading — his first retirement of the season. Schumacher’s exhaust had cracked and the heat “basically cooked the suspension,” as he explained afterwards. Häkkinen retired as well, damaged in a first-lap incident. Irvine scored Jaguar’s first championship points, though he called it “one of the most difficult races of his Formula One career” owing to a malfunctioning drink bottle and a blistering foot.

Between-race developments

Ralf Schumacher suffered a 7.5 cm gash on his left calf during the Monaco crash at Ste Devote. Williams had test driver Bruno Junqueira on standby, but Ralf Schumacher confirmed his participation two days before the race after deciding to race following first practice.

Weather

Cloudy and raining; air 17 °C, track 21 °C.

Tyre choices

Bridgestone brings soft and medium dry compounds.

Practice

Friday sessions are held in hot, dry conditions. Schumacher leads FP1. Heidfeld damages his left front suspension early in the first session. Zonta loses control twice. Coulthard leads FP2 at 1:20.602 with 20 minutes remaining. Häkkinen reports understeer entering turns and finishes fifth.

Saturday morning is cooler and breezy. Ralf Schumacher has a new engine fitted due to oil pressure issues. Häkkinen leads FP3 at 1:19.115. Coulthard misses the session entirely — his engine is changed owing to a malfunctioning electrical system. Coulthard leads FP4 at 1:18.654, less than half a second off the 1998 lap record. Heidfeld’s engine fails mid-session, dropping oil that catches Wurz. Alesi runs out of fuel and stops on the grass. Diniz mounts a kerb and damages his Sauber’s chassis and undertray; he qualifies in the spare C19.