The 2001 Brazilian Grand Prix (formally the Grande Prêmio Marlboro do Brasil 2001) was a Formula One motor race held before 70,000 spectators on 1 April 2001 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in São Paulo, Brazil. It was the third race of the 2001 Formula One World Championship and the only one held in South America. Starting from fifth place, McLaren driver David Coulthard won the 71-lap race. Ferrari's Michael Schumacher finished second with Sauber's Nick Heidfeld third.
Michael Schumacher led the World Drivers' Championship before the race, while Ferrari led the World Constructors' Championship. He secured pole position by setting the quickest lap in the one-hour qualifying session. The race was interrupted after McLaren's Mika Häkkinen's engine stalled on the starting grid, prompting the safety car's deployment. When the safety car was withdrawn at the end of lap two, Williams' Juan Pablo Montoya overtook Schumacher for the lead. Montoya led the next 36 laps before he was hit by Arrows' Jos Verstappen on lap 39, forcing both drivers to retire from the race. As a result, Coulthard took the race lead and held it until the pit stops for wet-weather tyres, when the rain became heavier, and Schumacher took it for two laps until Coulthard passed him on lap 50. Coulthard led the rest of the race and won by 16.1 seconds over Schumacher, the only other driver on the lead lap.
Coulthard's tenth victory of his career reduced Michael Schumacher's lead in the World Drivers' Championship to six championship points along with him moving up to second place, 10 championship points ahead of Schumacher's teammate Rubens Barrichello in third. McLaren cut Ferrari's World Constructors' Championship lead to 15 championship points with 14 races remaining in the season.
Background
left|thumb|The [[Interlagos Circuit|Autódromo José Carlos Pace (pictured in 2006), where the race was held]]
The 2001 Brazilian Grand Prix, the third round of seventeen in the 2001 Formula One World Championship, took place on 1 April 2001, at the anti-clockwise Autódromo José Carlos Pace track in São Paulo, Brazil. and the third in a row outside of Europe. The Grand Prix featured eleven teams of two drivers (each representing a different constructor), with no changes to the season entry list. Tyre suppliers Bridgestone and Michelin brought two dry compounds and three wet-weather tyres to Brazil.
Going into the race, Ferrari's Michael Schumacher led the World Drivers' Championship with 20 championship points, ahead of teammate Rubens Barrichello and McLaren's David Coulthard, who were tied for second with ten championship points. Jordan's Heinz-Harald Frentzen was fourth with five championship points, followed by Sauber's Nick Heidfeld in fifth with three. Ferrari led the World Constructors' Championship with 30 championship points, while McLaren were second with 11. Jordan and Sauber were third and fourth, with five and four championship points, respectively, and Williams were fifth with two. Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer set the quickest times on the first day, ahead of McLaren's test driver Alexander Wurz. Badoer remained fastest on the second day. Marc Gené, the Williams test driver, stopped on track with a mechanical failure which briefly stopped testing. Michael Schumacher was fastest on the third day of testing. Seven suspensions were required as several drivers had car problems or spun off the circuit. Michael Schumacher stayed fastest for the final day's running. Both the Minardi and Sauber teams did not do any testing. Sauber's technical department focused on preparing updated aerodynamic components that were optimised at the factory, whereas Minardi worked at their factory to improve car reliability. Although he was the bookmakers' favourite to win the race, he noted that the warm weather could make it difficult for drivers and their cars, adding, "We have proven the car's reliability in two tough races right at the start of the season, which is encouraging going into the Brazilian race". and was certain of beating his teammate Michael Schumacher to win, saying, "I know what it would mean to the fans especially to see a home winner." McLaren co-ordinator Jo Ramírez admitted "We were and we are still lost" because their car was slower than Ferrari's in the first two rounds, "Frankly, I don't know what we will be able to do at this Grand Prix. We are lost. This car is not up to the McLaren tradition." McLaren's Mika Häkkinen stated that winning in Brazil was his team's primary goal, while teammate Coulthard expressed hope that they could maintain its history of success in Brazil. On 17 March, a contractor's dissatisfaction with São Paulo city administration caused a disruption in the renovation work, prompting inquiries. Construction workers continued to work on the track prior to the first practice session. The issue, involving the delayed supply of tables and chairs, was confirmed by race organisers and would not disrupt the Grand Prix. Barrichello criticised the Grand Prix, citing the displeasure of some drivers in previous years and the quality of the local facilities. However, the event's director, Carlos Roberto Montagne, refuted Barrichello's assertions, saying that the road surface was approved by two British engineers. However, the drivers were dissatisfied with the work because the track remained bumpy. Häkkinen described the track as "very bumpy indeed. It seems to get worse and worse every year." Minardi's Fernando Alonso claimed that the bumping was so bad that one could have lost their vision of the circuit. McLaren introduced four front wing specifications in an attempt to reduce the MP4-16's understeer but eventually oriented on a new front wing profile. Williams debuted a new rear wing, while Benetton postponed the debut of its lower front side appendages to the San Marino Grand Prix due to creating drag and downforce, slowing their B201 car during practice. British American Racing (BAR) tested two rear wing configurations and a modified upswept exhaust to increase the 003's engine revolutions while avoiding gearbox overheating. Sauber added two new sidepod winglets in front of the air extractor chimneys to increase downforce as Jaguar lowered the size of the R2's bargeboards and extended the front wing endplates to improve efficiency and deflect air inside the front wheels. Prost added updated aerodynamic profiles to the AP04's front wishbones as well as minor rear suspension geometry modifications. The first morning practice session was held in sunny weather on a dusty track that was cleaned by cars; no rain was expected.
thumb|upright|[[Rubens Barrichello (pictured in 2002) had a loss of oil pressure that meant he had a lack of preparation on his car.]]
It became warmer but overcast for the second practice session. Early in the session, Coulthard set the day's fastest lap of 1:15.520 on new tyres, one second quicker than Trulli. He tried to lap faster but missed the braking point for Curva do Sol corner and spun into the gravel trap. Barrichello, seventh, spun off after 22 minutes after his engine lost power due to a loss of oil pressure and stalled. Because the sporting regulations prohibited him from driving the backup car, Barrichello had insufficient on-track driving to setup his car for the race. Häkkinen led the third practice session, lapping at 1:14.503, with teammate Coulthard second. Michael Schumacher and Barrichello were third and fifth fastest, followed by Ralf Schumacher. Montoya, Trulli, Frentzen, Heidfeld, and Sauber's Kimi Räikkönen completed the top ten. Burti lost control of his Jaguar but recovered to continue driving. Giancarlo Fisichella's Benetton car stopped in the grass due to an engine oil leak.
In the final practice session, Montoya was quickest with a lap of 1:13.963, lapping faster than the 2000 pole time; Ralf Schumacher was fourth. The two McLarens split them, with Häkkinen in second and Coulthard in third. Michael Schumacher was fifth, ahead of Frentzen, Barrichello, Räikkönen, Panis and Heidfeld. Frentzen's engine failed before the pit lane on his final lap of the session and marshals moved his car into the pit lane, smoke billowing from the rear. BAR's Jacques Villeneuve and Irvine stopped their cars close to each other in the grass with gearbox hydraulic trouble.
Qualifying
left|thumb|upright|[[Michael Schumacher (pictured in 2005) qualified on pole position for the seventh successive Grand Prix.]]
Each driver was limited to twelve laps during Saturday's one-hour qualifying session, with the starting order determined by their fastest laps. The 107% rule was in force during this session, which required each driver to set a time within 107% of the fastest lap to qualify for the race. stopping the top teams from lapping faster near the end of the session. After aborting his second run because it was too slow following an error that put him wide at turn four, moving him to one pole away from equalling Ayrton Senna's record of eight consecutive poles set between and . He was joined on the front row by Ralf Schumacher, who qualified 0.310 seconds slower despite reporting a tough vehicle to drive, equaling his team's best qualifying position since the 1998 Italian Grand Prix. They became the first siblings to share the front row of a Formula One World Championship event. Both drivers agreed that their cars were less inclined to understeer, and their first runs were hampered by Montoya spinning off the track. Montoya separated the McLaren duo in fourth, having lost control of the rear of his Williams car at the fast left-hand Mergulho corner and collided with the tyre barrier on the far side of the track on his first quick lap. Montoya was unhurt, This formation continued onto the fifth row, occupied by Sauber's Heidfeld and Räikkönen, due to engine oil leaks and poor car balance;
Qualifying classification
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 85%;"
|-
! scope="col" |
! scope="col" |
! scope="col" | Driver
! scope="col" | Constructor
! scope="col" | Lap
! scope="col" |
! scope="col" |
|-
! scope="row" | 1
| align="center" | 1
|data-sort-value="SCHM"| Michael Schumacher
| Ferrari
| 1:13.780
| align="center"| —
| align="center" | 1
|-
! scope="row" | 2
| align="center" | 5
|data-sort-value="SCHR"| Ralf Schumacher
| Williams-BMW
| 1:14.090
| +0.310
| align="center" | 2
|-
! scope="row" | 3
| align="center" | 3
|data-sort-value="HAK"| Mika Häkkinen
| McLaren-Mercedes
| 1:14.122
| +0.342
| align="center" | 3
|-
! scope="row" | 4
| align="center" | 6
|data-sort-value="MON"| Juan Pablo Montoya
| Williams-BMW
| 1:14.165
| +0.385
| align="center" | 4
|-
! scope="row" | 5
| align="center" | 4
|data-sort-value="COU"| David Coulthard
| McLaren-Mercedes
| 1:14.178
| +0.398
| align="center" | 5
|-
! scope="row" | 6
| align="center" | 2
|data-sort-value="BAR"| Rubens Barrichello
| Ferrari
| 1:14.191
| +0.411
| align="center" | 6
|-
! scope="row" | 7
| align="center" | 12
|data-sort-value="TRU"| Jarno Trulli
| Jordan-Honda
| 1:14.630
| +0.850
| align="center" | 7
|-
! scope="row" | 8
| align="center" | 11
|data-sort-value="FRE"| Heinz-Harald Frentzen
| Jordan-Honda
| 1:14.633
| +0.853
| align="center" | 8
|-
! scope="row" | 9
| align="center" | 16
|data-sort-value="HEI"| Nick Heidfeld
| Sauber-Petronas
| 1:14.810
| +1.030
| align="center" | 9
|-
! scope="row" | 10
| align="center" | 17
|data-sort-value="RAI"| Kimi Räikkönen
| Sauber-Petronas
| 1:14.924
| +1.144
| align="center" | 10
|-
! scope="row" | 11
| align="center" | 9
|data-sort-value="PAN"| Olivier Panis
| BAR-Honda
| 1:15.046
| +1.266
| align="center" | 11
|-
! scope="row" | 12
| align="center" | 10
|data-sort-value="VIL"| Jacques Villeneuve
| BAR-Honda
| 1:15.180
| +1.400
| align="center" | 12
|-
! scope="row" | 13
| align="center" | 18
|data-sort-value="IRV"| Eddie Irvine
| Jaguar-Cosworth
| 1:15.192
| +1.412
| align="center" | 13
|-
! scope="row" | 14
| align="center" | 19
|data-sort-value="BUR"| Luciano Burti
| Jaguar-Cosworth
| 1:15.371
| +1.591
| align="center" | 14
|-
! scope="row" | 15
| align="center" | 22
|data-sort-value="ALE"| Jean Alesi
| Prost-Acer
| 1:15.437
| +1.657
| align="center" | 15
|-
! scope="row" | 16
| align="center" | 15
|data-sort-value="BER"| Enrique Bernoldi
| Arrows-Asiatech
| 1:15.657
| +1.877
| align="center" | 16
|-
! scope="row" | 17
| align="center" | 14
|data-sort-value="VER"| Jos Verstappen
| Arrows-Asiatech
| 1:15.704
| +1.924
| align="center" | 17
|-
! scope="row" | 18
| align="center" | 7
|data-sort-value="FIS"| Giancarlo Fisichella
| Benetton-Renault
| 1:16.175
| +2.395
| align="center" | 18
|-
! scope="row" | 19
| align="center" | 21
|data-sort-value="ALO"| Fernando Alonso
| Minardi-European
| 1:16.184
| +2.404
| align="center" | 19
|-
! scope="row" | 20
| align="center" | 8
|data-sort-value="BUT"| Jenson Button
| Benetton-Renault
| 1:16.229
| +2.449
| align="center" | 20
|-
! scope="row" | 21
| align="center" | 23
|data-sort-value="MAZ"| Gastón Mazzacane
| Prost-Acer
| 1:16.520
| +2.740
| align="center" | 21
|-
! scope="row" | 22
| align="center" | 20
|data-sort-value="MAR"| Tarso Marques
| Minardi-European
| 1:16.784
| +3.004
| align="center" | 22
|-class="sortbottom"
! colspan="7" |107% time: 1:18.945
|-class="sortbottom"
! colspan="7" |Sources:
|-
|}
Warm-up
A 30-minute warm-up session was held on the morning of the race to give teams a final opportunity to check and modify their cars before the race. Both Ferraris were running quickly throughout warm-up, with Michael Schumacher setting the fastest time of 1:15.971, the only lap time below 1:16, with a full tank of fuel and an old set of tyres. He also drove his race car and Ferrari's spare car during warm-up. Barrichello and Häkkinen were second and third, respectively. Ralf Schumacher was fourth, setting a lap four tenths of a second slower than Michael Schumacher. The air temperature was and the track temperature ranged from ; a 50% probability of rain was forecast. Irvine's mechanics had difficulty starting his car's engine while stationary on the grid, and they did not removed their garage equipment from the track by the 15-second mark, signalling the start of the formation lap. He received a ten-second stop-and-go penalty and Jaguar summoned him to serve the penalty in the pit lane on lap six.
When the race started, Häkkinen aimed his car to the left and moved slightly before the five-red light sequence was completed. Häkkinen raised his hands to inform the 18 drivers behind him, who were able to avoid colliding into his car and cause a major accident; With limited distance to accelerate between the pit lane and the start/finish line, Montoya on cold tyres remained close behind Michael Schumacher. He used his more powerful engine to aggressively overtake Schumacher on the unclean inside line by braking later at the Senna S chicane for the race lead.
Montoya recorded a succession of fastest laps to open up a modest lead over Michael Schumacher, who was unable to pass due to Montoya's more powerful engine keeping him ahead on the straights and holding Schumacher off in the turns. This driver error allowed Coulthard to close up to Michael Schumacher. but 10 were running when the race ended. Michael Schumacher stated that he was hoping for a wet track despite the lack of exact estimates about when the rain would arrive, but noted that his car did not work as he had hoped, resulting in driver errors. The stewards fined Verstappen $15,000 for colliding with Montoya, which eliminated both drivers from the race. Montoya described the collision as "strange" because he said he braked where he did during the race and assumed Verstappen hit him because he braked too late. Verstappen felt "very sorry" for Montoya after learning he was the race leader but insisted he could not avoid him. He added that he did not purposefully cause the accident and personally apologised to Montoya. Williams technical director Patrick Head argued that Verstappen should have taken sole responsibility for the accident.
The stewards summoned Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher after their third lap accident, which was their second in two weeks following the Malaysian Grand Prix. They deemed it "a racing incident" and cautioned both drivers over their future conduct. Barrichello argued Ralf Schumacher changed his line after passing another driver and insisted he did not apply the brakes later than usual. Ralf Schumacher accused Barrichello of initiating the collision, adding, "If you drive like that these things come back on you one day." Brawn defended Barrichello, commenting, "Two people go for a corner, and it takes two people to have an incident. Ralf has been involved in an incident at every race this year – you can be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I gather it was just a racing incident."
Häkkinen was fined $5,000 for leaving his McLaren on the starting grid without the steering wheel attached. Prost blamed a jammed fuel rig for preventing Alesi from scoring the team's first championship points since September 1999, and the issue was reported to the FIA due to the flammability of Formula One fuel and the associated safety concerns. Fisichella heralded his sixth-place finish as a "perfect" outcome for him and Benetton, something he had not anticipated.
Michael Schumacher retained his World Drivers' Championship lead with 26 championship points. Coulthard's win moved him from third to second, while Barrichello's retirement dropped him to third. Heidfeld's third-place finish elevated him to fourth while Frentzen dropped to fifth.
|}
Championship standings after the race
;Drivers' Championship standings
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 85%;"
|-
! scope="col" |
! scope="col" |
! scope="col" | Driver
! scope="col" | Points
|-
|align="left"| 10px
|align="center"| 1
| Michael Schumacher
| 26
|-
|align="left"| 10px 1
|align="center"| 2
| David Coulthard
| 20
|-
|align="left"| 10px 1
|align="center"| 3
| Rubens Barrichello
| 10
|-
|align="left"| 10px 1
|align="center"| 4
| Nick Heidfeld
| 7
|-
|align="left"| 10px 1
|align="center"| 5
| Heinz-Harald Frentzen
| 5
|-
!colspan=4|Sources:
|}
;Constructors' Championship standings
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 85%;"
|-
! scope="col" |
! scope="col" |
! scope="col" | Constructor
! scope="col" | Points
|-
|align="left"| 10px
|align="center"| 1
| Ferrari
| 36
|-
|align="left"| 10px
|align="center"| 2
| McLaren-Mercedes
| 21
|-
|align="left"| 10px 1
|align="center"| 3
| Sauber-Petronas
| 8
|-
|align="left"| 10px 1
|align="center"| 4
| Jordan-Honda
| 7
|-
|align="left"| 10px 3
|align="center"| 5
| BAR-Honda
| 3
|-
!colspan=4|Sources: