2000 German Grand Prix

Championship standings

Schumacher’s lead, which stood at 22 points over Coulthard before the French Grand Prix, has been eroding steadily. McLaren have won the past two races in which Schumacher did not score, and the championship is tightening ahead of the second half of the season.

Previous race

At the A1-Ring, Häkkinen won after Schumacher was knocked out in a first-lap collision with Ricardo Zonta. Schumacher told Zonta afterwards he had “overestimated his ability” and promised him a “quiet word.” McLaren and Ferrari emerged from Austria with the title fight very much alive.

Between-race developments

Irvine was admitted to a London hospital after Austria, where doctors diagnosed a swollen intestine. He has been cleared to race at Hockenheim and returns to the Jaguar lineup. Burti, who stood in for him in Austria, does not race this weekend.

Jordan debuts their new car, the EJ10B, at this race. Originally scheduled to appear in Austria, the EJ10B required additional FIA safety testing and Jordan wanted extra spare parts before racing it.

Teams tested at Silverstone from 4 to 6 July. Ferrari and McLaren ran at Mugello, concentrating on aerodynamics and suspension setups.

Weather

Dry and cloudy conditions, becoming damp during the day.

Practice

Friday sessions begin dry but the track becomes increasingly damp. Schumacher leads FP1 at 1:43.532. Trulli’s engine fails after 20 minutes; Button spins and hits the pit-lane-entry barrier after the session ends, removing his front wing.

Heavy rain makes the second session wet and dusty. Schumacher’s time does not improve but he remains fastest; both Minardi drivers crash — Mazzacane hits the barrier in the stadium section, Gené beaches his car in the final-turn gravel. Ralf Schumacher misses half the session while his team changes his engine.

Saturday morning is damp with occasional rain. Häkkinen leads FP3 at 1:44.144; Ralf Schumacher loses control on a damp patch at turn one and hits the tyre barrier. Alesi simultaneously beaches his Prost in the gravel with a rear suspension failure. The track dries completely for FP4. Häkkinen leads at 1:41.658. In the session’s final moments, Fisichella’s car billows smoke from an engine failure. After the session ends, Schumacher reverses 50 metres into the wall at Opel Kurve corner; he will use the spare Ferrari in qualifying.