2001 Austrian Grand Prix

Championship standings

Schumacher leads with 36 points, eight clear of Coulthard. Barrichello is third on 14, Ralf Schumacher fourth on 12, and Heidfeld fifth on 8.

Previous race

At Barcelona, Schumacher led the opening two-thirds of the race before losing the lead to Häkkinen during his second pit stop due to a suspension problem. Häkkinen then stretched a half-minute lead — only for his clutch to fail on the final lap, handing Schumacher a fortunate victory. Coulthard had stalled on the grid and charged back to fifth; McLaren team principal Ron Dennis publicly called it “brain fade” before later retracting the remark and apologising to Coulthard.

Between-race developments

Teams tested at Valencia and Silverstone from 1 to 3 May. Sauber assessed launch control for the first time. A collision at Silverstone’s Becketts corner exit involved Räikkönen and Jordan test driver Ricardo Zonta. At Fiorano, Ferrari worked on launch control and practice starts.

The relationship between Coulthard and Dennis remains strained after the Spain incident. Coulthard’s manager Martin Brundle stated the driver needed to keep emotions from disrupting his consistency.

Practice

Häkkinen, unwell with flu, still led FP1. Coulthard set the day’s fastest time in FP2. Schumacher and Coulthard led the Saturday sessions respectively. Verstappen’s right-rear suspension failed at the Niki Lauda double-left bend, sending him into a gravel trap and a wall. Later in the same session, a deer emerged from the forests and caused Montoya to slow; the deer ran through a gravel trap and exited through a barrier.