The 2002 European Grand Prix (formally the 2002 Allianz Grand Prix of Europe) was a Formula One motor race held before 150,000 spectators on 23 June 2002 at the Nürburgring, Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It was the ninth of 17 rounds in the 2002 Formula One World Championship and the seventh European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello won the 60-lap race after starting from fourth position. His teammate Michael Schumacher finished in second and McLaren's Kimi Räikkönen took third.
Going into the Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher led the World Drivers' Championship from the Williams pair of Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher and Ferrari led Williams in the World Constructors' Championship. This was the first race on the newly rebuilt Nürburgring layout, which was extended to provide for more passing possibilities. Montoya took his third consecutive pole position by setting the fastest lap time in the one-hour qualifying session. He lost the race lead to teammate Ralf Schumacher at the start and kept it until Barrichello passed him midway through the first lap. Barrichello led throughout the race, winning his first race since the 2000 German Grand Prix and second of his career. His teammate Michael Schumacher ran close behind in the closing laps and was 0.294 seconds adrift in second.
The result moved Barrichello up to fourth in the World Drivers' Championship but was tied with David Coulthard on championship points. Michael Schumacher strengthened his championship lead to 46 championship points over Ralf Schumacher, with Montoya trailing three championship points behind. Ferrari's one-two finish allowed them to draw further ahead of Williams in the World Constructors' Championship and McLaren maintained third position. Renault extended their points advantage over Sauber in the battle for fourth with eight races remaining in the season.
Background
The 2002 European Grand Prix was the ninth of seventeen Formula One races in the 2002 Formula One World Championship, held on 23 June 2002, at the clockwise Nürburgring, Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, It was one of two Grands Prix staged in Germany, preceding the by a month.
Going into the race, Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher led the World Drivers' Championship with 70 championship points, followed by Williams teammates Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya who were tied for second on 27 championship points. David Coulthard of McLaren was fourth with 26 championship points, and Rubens Barrichello was fifth with 16 championship points. Ferrari led the World Constructors' Championship with 86 championship points, ahead of Williams in second with 54 championship points. McLaren were third with 33 championship points, while Renault (12) and Sauber (eight) contested fourth. the majority of teams tested racing setups, car and electrical components and tyres at several European racing courses to prepare for the European Grand Prix. Eight teams ran variously for three days at the Circuito de Jerez in Spain. and his teammate Coulthard paced the fourth and final day. Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer tested the F2002's car setup and Bridgestone tyres at Italy's Mugello Circuit before being relieved by Michael Schumacher for three days of component testing. They were joined by Sauber drivers Nick Heidfeld and Felipe Massa for three days of aerodynamics and mechanical testing. Arrows conducted aerodynamic straightline tests at the RAF Kemble aerodrome near the team's Leafield headquarters while prepping their cars for the race. Minardi were the only team not to test, instead preparing their cars at their Faenza factory. Montoya claimed he had recovered from his disappointment in the Canadian Grand Prix, where he retired due to an engine problem, and that he hoped to improve on his podium performance in the previous year's European Grand Prix. He also said that Williams had addressed his engine problems. Räikkönen was looking forward to competing at the Nürburgring, the home race of McLaren's engine supplier Mercedes-Benz, and hoped to score a good finish for the German fans.
Following the previous race at the Nürburgring, the circuit's layout was altered, the first major change since its reopening in 1984. The chicane that previously formed the first corner was replaced by a sharp right-hand hairpin with tight left and right-hand turns, with the improvements intended to increase the number of overtakes. The asphalt was widened by to facilitate overtakes. The changes increased the circuit's length by 645 yards (590 metres) and the number of laps run was reduced from 67 to 60. Jaguar team principal and former World Champion Niki Lauda believed the revised layout would provide a better view for spectators in the grandstands.
The new section garnered mixed opinions from drivers and critics, and it was the main discussion topic heading into the race. Bild columnist and retired driver Hans-Joachim Stuck described it as "sexiest the new corner" on the revised layout and that it was made for aggressive drivers. Coulthard was more vocal in his criticism saying the bumpiness of the section was "ridiculous" and preferred the challenge of the former first corner chicane. and British American Racing (BAR) driver Jacques Villeneuve said it did not provide a decent rhythm.
There were eleven teams (each representing a different constructor) with two drivers each for the Grand Prix, with no changes from the season entry list. Some teams modified their cars ahead of the race. Ferrari brought new electronic bi-directional telemetry and steering wheels and Michael Schumacher evaluated a new engine cover which was not used in Sunday's race.
Practice
Preceding the race were two one-hour practice sessions on Friday and two 45-minute sessions on Saturday. The FIA scheduled the Saturday morning practice and afternoon qualifying sessions 45 minutes earlier than usual, at 09:00 CEST (UTC+2), 10:15 and 14:00 to accommodate the 2002 FIFA World Cup's last two quarter-final matches, which were held on the same day in Japan and South Korea.
thumb|left|upright|[[David Coulthard (pictured in 2007) set the fastest lap time in the Friday practice sessions.]]
The first practice session on Friday morning was gloomy and dry, with a brief rain shower just after halfway through, Barrichello set the quickest time of 1:33.665, one-tenth of a second faster than Ferrari teammate Michael Schumacher. Heidfeld was third-fastest, ahead of Toyota's Allan McNish, Massa. Coulthard, Frentzen, Jordan's Giancarlo Fisichella, Toyota's Mika Salo and Montoya. Several drivers locked up entering the turn one hairpin and ran wide.
In the second practice session, held later in the afternoon in cool and overcast conditions, Despite running into the Dunlop Kurve gravel trap, Coulthard was fastest with a 1:31.886 lap; his teammate Räikkönen was third. The Ferrari drivers second and fourth; Michael Schumacher ahead of Barrichello. They were followed by the Williams pair of Montoya (who complained of understeer) and Ralf Schumacher. Jarno Trulli and Jenson Button were seventh and eighth for Renault with Salo and Panis ninth and tenth. During the session, eight drivers left the course and ended up in gravel traps. Minardi's Mark Webber ran into the Dunlop Kurve gravel trap with a right-rear suspension member failure. in which teams prepared for either qualifying or the race. His teammate Barrichello was second-fastest. The Williams pair of Ralf Schmacher and Montoya, Heidfeld, Massa, Button, Coulthard and Trulli followed in the top ten. Massa ran wide in the revised stadium section and Villeneuve spun at the right-hand Bit-Kehre corner. Pedro de la Rosa had a hydraulic leak and fire in his Arrows car and stopped at the side of the circuit which prevented him from setting a lap time. Button ran into the gravel at the Dunlop Kurve hairpin but extricated himself back to the track. Montoya improved on each of his opening three timed runs. He achieved his third consecutive pole position and the seventh of his career with a time of 1:29.906, He was pleased to take pole despite having set an aim of the second row, Ralf Schumacher was 0.009 seconds slower than Montoya in second and held pole until his teammate's quickest lap. and stopped him from potentially securing pole position. Barrichello improved his car's balance throughout qualifying and secured fourth. Trulli was pleased with his starting position, but Button suffered understeer from his second qualifying lap and made a slight tweak to his rear anti-roll-bar in an attempt to go faster, but was slowed by slower traffic. Villeneuve was 19th after failing to locate an suitable car setup and his car got slower.
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Warm-up
On race morning, a half-hour warm-up session was held in overcast and cool conditions, during which teams and drivers ran installation laps in their spare and race vehicles. Coulthard, Räikkönen, Frentzen, Sato, Fisichella, the BAR duo of Villeneuve and Panis and Massa followed in the top ten. It was overcast before the race; the air temperature was and the asphalt temperature ranged between and rain was forecast. When the race started, Montoya, on used Michelin tyres, Ralf Schumacher took the outside line and braked slower than Montoya, gaining the lead. Coulthard made a brisk getaway but slid wide on turn one, allowing Barrichello and Michael Schumacher to retake their starting positions. The two drivers were able to continue, but dropped to the back of the field and both made pit stops for checks and repairs to their cars at the end of the first lap. Michael Schumacher passed Montoya for third at the Veedol chicane on the same lap, but Montoya briefly retook the position.
At the completion of the first lap, Barrichello led Ralf Schumacher by one second, with Michael Schumacher trailing 1.9 seconds in third. Montoya was fourth, followed by Coulthard and Räikkönen. Trulli reclaimed ninth place on the same lap after passing McNish and Heidfeld, while Frentzen passed Bernoldi for 13th. On the same lap, Coulthard slipstreamed behind Montoya on the start/finish straight, drawing behind him on the inside entering right-hand turn one. and both drivers retired from the race due to suspension damage incurred in the crash.
As the race approached its conclusion, the Ferrari drivers at the front slowed by up to four seconds. Michael Schumacher finished second, 0.294 seconds behind his teammate, after running closely behind him in the last laps. He was ahead of Webber in 15th, who had tyre issues affecting the car's handling during the first stint. Michael Schumacher praised his teammate's work throughout the race and said the team had an "open race", adding, "There is no strong feeling about it because we could not overtake on the circuit, that's it, and after the second pit stop, when he came out in front of me, I knew that's it." Ross Brawn, Ferrari's technical director, stated that Michael Schumacher's world championship lead influenced the decision not to race each other, and that a pre-race agreement was reached to let both drivers competing until the final round of pit stops.
Montoya apologised to Coulthard at the McLaren motorhome for the race-ending collision. Coulthard said that Montoya needed to "get a grip, The guy is all over the place and it's hardly surprising that he's not won more races. He's brilliant in qualifying but he needs to calm down in races when he's not quick enough. He should look at the big picture." McLaren team principal Ron Dennis attributed fault for the collision to Montoya and claimed Coulthard was ahead of Montoya. Ralf Schumacher called his car "incredibly difficult" to race.
Michael Schumacher's second-place finish increased his World Drivers' Championship lead to 46 championship points over Ralf Schumacher in second. Montoya remained in third despite retiring and Barrichello's victory lifted him to joint fourth with Coulthard.
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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
| align="left"| 76
|-
| align="left"| 10px
| align="center"| 2
| Ralf Schumacher
| align="left"| 30
|-
| align="left"| 10px
| align="center"| 3
| Juan Pablo Montoya
| align="left"| 27
|-
| align="left"| 10px 1
| align="center"| 4
| Rubens Barrichello
| align="left"| 26
|-
| align="left"| 10px 1
| align="center"| 5
| David Coulthard
| align="left"| 26
|-
!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
| align="left"| 102
|-
| align="left"| 10px
| align="center"| 2
| Williams-BMW
| align="left"| 57
|-
| align="left"| 10px
| align="center"| 3
| McLaren-Mercedes
| align="left"| 37
|-
| align="left"| 10px
| align="center"| 4
| Renault
| align="left"| 14
|-
| align="left"| 10px
| align="center"| 5
| Sauber-Petronas
| align="left"| 9
|-
!colspan=4|Sources: