2001 Hungarian Grand Prix

Championship standings

Schumacher leads with 84 points, thirty-seven ahead of Coulthard. Ralf Schumacher is third on 41, Barrichello fourth on 40, and Häkkinen fifth on 19. A maximum of 40 points remain across the final four races.

Previous race

At Hockenheim, the Williams cars locked out the front row with Montoya on pole. Montoya led until his engine failed. Ralf Schumacher inherited the lead and won; Barrichello took second and Villeneuve third. Schumacher retired with fuel pressure failure and both McLarens also failed with engine trouble.

Between-race developments

Jean Alesi has been released by Prost and joins Jordan for the rest of the season. In a straight swap, Frentzen — sacked by Jordan before the German Grand Prix — moves to Prost to drive Alesi’s former car. Both drivers completed 50 km shakedown tests under the summer testing moratorium, Frentzen at Magny-Cours and Alesi at Silverstone.

Championship permutations

Michael Schumacher needs to win this race to clinch the World Drivers’ Championship. If both Ferraris finish first and second, Ferrari will also secure the World Constructors’ Championship for the third consecutive year.

Milestones

A win would be Schumacher’s 51st career victory, equalling four-time World Champion Alain Prost’s all-time record. It would also make Schumacher the third driver after Prost and Juan Manuel Fangio to win four or more titles.

Practice

Schumacher dominated the Friday sessions, leading FP1 and FP2. Coulthard understeered into the turn 12 chicane gravel in FP1, pushing the undertray through the bottom of his monocoque on a serrated kerb and causing a four-minute stoppage to clear carbon fibre debris. Ferrari and Coulthard lodged a protest with race director Whiting about the height of the turn 12 kerbs; officials agreed to lower them by 2.5 cm for Saturday. Räikkönen’s exhaust overheated and caught fire during FP3, extinguished by marshals. Coulthard took FP4 fastest, with Schumacher going wide onto the grass at turn six and later spinning at turn 12.