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2002 French Grand Prix
Motor car race From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 2002 French Grand Prix (formally the Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France 2002)[4] was a Formula One motor race held at Magny-Cours on 21 July 2002. It was the eleventh race of the 2002 Formula One World Championship, last race on the original layout and the race in which Michael Schumacher secured his fifth World Drivers' Championship title, equalling Juan Manuel Fangio's record set over 40 years before. As this was only the eleventh round of the season, Schumacher set the record for the earliest point in a season that the Formula One Drivers' Championship had ever been decided, leaving six races remaining in the 2002 season. McLaren-Mercedes drivers Kimi Räikkönen and David Coulthard finished second and third respectively.
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In a peculiar qualifying session, a heavy crash prevented Giancarlo Fisichella from qualifying for the race on medical grounds, whilst the cash-strapped Arrows, unable to reach an agreement with their sponsors, made a brief appearance in qualifying, only to have both their drivers deliberately set lap times slow enough for them to not qualify for the race.
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Background
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The 2002 French Grand Prix was the 11th of 17 rounds in the 2002 Formula One World Championship, contested on 21 July 2002 at the 4.251 km (2.641 mi) clockwise Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in Magny-Cours, Burgundy, France,[1][2] the 11th anniversary of the circuit hosting its maiden Formula One event in 1991.[5]
Ferrari's Michael Schumacher led the World Drivers' Championship with 86 championship points before the event, followed by his teammate Rubens Barrichello on 32 and Williams's Juan Pablo Montoya on 31. Montoya's teammate Ralf Schumacher was fourth with 30 championship points and McLaren's David Coulthard was fifth with 26 championship points.[6] Michael Schumacher could take his fifth world title to equal number of championships won by Juan Manuel Fangio if he won the race and both Barrichello and Montoya finished lower than third.[7][8] Ferrari led the World Constructors' Championship with 118 championship points, 57 ahead of Williams. McLaren were third with 37 championship points, with Renault fourth with 14 championship points, and Sauber fifth with 10.[6]
Following the British Grand Prix on 7 July,[9] the teams tested aerodynamic and car components, racing setups and tyres on four racing circuits across Europe in preparation for the French Grand Prix.[5][10][11] The Arrows, Jordan, Renault. Sauber and Williams teams tested variously for four days at Spain's Circuit Ricardo Tormo.[12][13][14] The British American Racing (BAR), Jaguar, Toyota and Williams teams all tested variously over a four-day period at Italy's Monza Circuit.[15][16][17] Ferrari conducted their race preparations by testing at two Italian racing circuits.[5] Drivers Luca Badoer, Luciano Burti and Michael Schumacher spent five days testing at the Fiorano Circuit,[18][19] while Badoer conducted further testing at the Mugello Circuit.[20][21] Minardi were the only team not to test and instead remained at their factory.[5]
Michael Schumacher had won seven of the ten races held thus far in the season and had finished on the podium in all of them.[22] He stated that he would attempt to secure the championship at Magny-Cours because he wanted to win the French Grand Prix but recognised it depend on other driver's actions and that it did not matter if the title race continued at the following German Grand Prix.[23] He added he would compete normally but he also did not expect to win the championship in France, "Whether it happens here or at another time I don't think that it's really important to me. What matters to me is that it does happen in the end."[24] Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn admitted a mechanical failure in a race was a concern to the team.[25]
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.[26] Arrows continued to be affected by debts owed to engine supplier Cosworth, threatening their participation in the event.[27] The team's transporters left their Leafield factory in Oxfordshire for France on the evening of 16 July by Arrows manager Tom Walkinshaw.[28] Arrows's participation in the Grand Prix was assured when Walkinshaw paid off the team's bill to Cosworth for a continued supply of engines the following day before the noon deadline.[29][30] Ferrari integrated the rear wing mounting point with the deformable structure above the gearbox and the extractor profile's upper part at the F2002 car's rear-end.[31] Williams introduced large openings in the FW24's sidepods to try to improve heat dissipation in view of the high temperatures expected during the race.[31] Renault debuted a new advanced version of their engine, also making an opening in the right side of the R202 cars to cool the right-hand side oil radiator.[31]
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Practice
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Two one-hour practice sessions on Friday and two 45-minute sessions on Saturday preceded the race.[32] Arrows did not participate in the two Friday practice sessions because Walkinshaw kept the two cars in the pit lane after Arrows was advised to do little while he was negotiating with shareholders Morgan Grenfell, attempting to persuading the bank to allow new prospective investors into the team.[33][34]
The first practice session on Friday morning was held in hot and sunny weather conditions.[35] Barrichello set the fastest lap time of 1:15.056 31 minutes in.[35][36] Coulthard, Michael Schumacher, the Williams duo of Montoya and Ralf Schumacher, McLaren's Kimi Räikkönen, Renault's Jenson Button, the Jaguar teammates Eddie Irvine and Pedro de la Rosa and Jordan's Takuma Sato completed the top ten.[36] Some drivers lost control of their cars during the session.[37] Toyota's Mika Salo was on a fast lap when Sato cut across him at the fast-right/left Imola turn. This meant Salo drove onto the run-off area but Sato's left-rear collided with Salo's right-front wheel after Sato did not yield for him. Salo returned slowly to the pit lane with front suspension damage but continued after checks by Toyota,[35][37] despite damage to the car's steering.[38]
It was sunny for the second practice session held later in the afternoon.[39][40] Coulthard set the day's fastest lap time of 1:14.025, 0.072 seconds quicker than his teammate Räikkönen. The Ferrari duo of Michael Schumacher and Barrichello as well as Ralf Schumacher, Irvine, Salo, De La Rosa Button and Montoya followed in positions third through tenth.[41] Less than four minutes into the session.[40] Button's teammate Jarno Trulli took too much of the kerbing through the Nurburgring chicane on his first run,[42] causing him to lose control of his Renault's rear.[39] Trulli controlled the slide but he nudged the tyre barrier at the run-off area's edge, prematurely ending his session.[42] Montoya and Sato removed components from their cars in excursions across the gravel trap.[42]
The third practice session on Saturday morning took place in sunny weather.[43] Michael Schumacher was fastest with a time of 1:12.974 he set at the conclusion of the session and was the only driver to set a sub 1:13-lap. His teammate Barrichello was 0.529 seconds slower in second, followed by Räikkönen, his McLaren teammate Coulthard, Sauber's Felipe Massa, Montoya, Ralf Schumacher, Button, Massa's teammate Nick Heidfeld and BAR's Olivier Panis in positions three to ten.[44][45]
Although he failed to lap faster in the final practice session,[46] which took place in sunny conditions,[47] Michael Schumacher remained the fastest overall driver after losing control of his Ferrari's rear heading towards the Adelaide hairpin.[48][46] Räikkönen improved to second and his teammate Coulthard moved to third.[46] Barrichello, Button, Montoya, Ralf Schumacher, Irvine, Heidfeld and Trulli followed in the top ten.[48] Around 15 minutes into the session,[46] Giancarlo Fisichella's front wing collapsed over the kerbing at the exit of the fast right-hand Estoril corner and folded under his Jordan car,[48][49] lifting the front wheels into the air off the tarmac surface.[47][50] He had no control of his car and crashed heavily into the outside tyre barrier.[46][51] The impact happened at 125 mph (201 km/h) and was measured at 34 g0 (330 m/s2), leaving Fisichella confused, dazed and with no recollection of the accident.[52] Practice was stopped for 26 minutes as marshals repaired the tyre wall.[53]
Following his crash, Fisichella suffered from a headache caused by two blows to the head leaving him with a concussion, a cut finger and a slightly stiff neck. He was examined by Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) doctor Sid Watkins at the circuit's medical centre before being flown by helicopter to a hospital in Nevers for a brain scan.[54][55][56] Although hospital scans revealed no serious injuries,[57] Watkins declared Fisichella unfit to race, deeming it too dangerous for Fisichella to drive in the event of another major accident during the race.[58]
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Qualifying
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Each driver was allowed twelve laps during Saturday's one-hour qualifying session, with starting positions determined by the drivers' quickest laps. During this session, the 107% rule was in effect, requiring each driver to remain within 107% of the quickest lap time in order to qualify for the race.[32]
Qualifying classification
Race
Race classification
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Championship standings after the race
- Bold text indicates the World Champion.
- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
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References
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