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Schumacher
wins title in Japan |
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Autocourse CART Yearbook 1999-2000 List Price: Our Price: $24.47 You Save:$10.48 (30%)
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Other's by Becky |
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Michael Schumacher took victory at Suzuka to secure Ferrari's first Driver's Championship for 21 years. The German recovered from a lackluster start which allowed Hakkinen to take the lead, to overtake his championship rival in the second round of pitstops. Mika Hakkinen came home in second place while teammate David Coulthard took the final podium position in what was an uneventful race for the Scot. Schumacher has looked the man on form all weekend, leading practice sessions and securing pole position, albeit by a narrow margin. But it was Hakkinen who gained the initiative at the start after Schumacher made another questionable move across the track. Hakkinen anticipated the move and went wider, pulling into the lead with relative ease. "When I took off I went into wheel spin", Schumacher said. "And naturally I was trying to move over to keep [Mika] behind me. But he was so quick off the line there was nothing I could do." Rain had been forecast for race day but the predicted heavy showers were replaced by a fine drizzle. The track conditions proved difficult for the drivers. Although it was not wet enough for wet or intermediate tires, it was damp enough to make the surface slippery. It is in conditions like this that Schumacher excels and he soon began to close in on Hakkinen, only losing ground when the track began to dry out again for a time. When the Finn came in for his final pit stop, Schumacher put in a series of fast laps before pitting himself. "When we saw Mika going in for his pit stop, we knew we had a couple more laps to go," said Schumacher. "We also knew they would be two crucial laps. The problem was traffic … I thought 'it isn't enough.' It was spitting with rain and I wasn't going as fast as I should have been. Then, when I came in Ross was giving me an update saying 'it's looking good, looking good down the pitlane.' But I was just waiting for the words 'it's not good enough,' because you cannot see where your competitors [from the pits]. But then he said, 'it's looking bloody good.'" Schumacher came out of the pits with seconds to spare and nursed his car to the finish line, doing only what was needed to stay ahead of his title rival. Hakkinen blamed a combination of new tires and the burst of heavier rain that came shortly after he exited the pits for the loss of pace that allowed Schumacher to take the lead. David Coulthard also had difficulty in the rain. "These are some of the most difficult conditions to drive in," he said. "Because from lap to lap you cannot judge how damp it is. I thought it was incredibly difficult."
Rubens Barrichello stayed out of trouble to come home fourth ahead of Jenson Button who once again impressed in his first race on the full Suzuka track. Jacques Villeneuve took the final championship point to put BAR ahead of Honda rivals Jordan and only two points behind fourth-place team Benetton in the Constructor's Championship. On his third championship title Schumacher said, "it's difficult to find the proper words for such a feeling … Finally [to have done] it is great. It's simply great. Imagine what's going on right now in Italy. That must be simply amazing." Back in Italy many fans had stayed up all night to watch the race on giant television screens and as Schumacher reflected on his victory in Japan, the streets of Ferrari's hometown of Maranello were filled with the sound of church bells and car horns while surrounding roads became jammed with other fans trying to reach the town to join the party.
Celebrations may continue in Italy for the next few weeks but with the Constructor's Championship still up for grabs it should be business as usual for Ferrari who still need another three points to clinch their second Constructor's crown in as many years. After losing the driver's championship, you can bet that McLaren will arrive in Malaysia determined to secure the one-two finish they need to be in with a chance of retaking the Constructor's title. But for now Schumacher and the Ferrari team will be indulging in some well-deserved celebrations. After a 21 year wait there will be a cellar-full of wine to be drunk - red, of course! Go to our forums to discuss this article Comments can be sent to the author at contacts@autoracing1.com. |
USGP: Schumacher wins in America 9/24/00 Countdown to USGP: USGP's of days gone by 9/11/00 Italian GP 2000: An emotional victory for Schumacher 9/10/00 Belgium GP 2000: Hakkinen out drives Schumacher 8/27/00 Monza 2000: An emotional victory for Schumacher 9/10/00 Europe TV: CART? No it's women's tennis - again 8/24/00 Button to Benetton: leaving way clear for Montoya 8/17/00 Hungary 2000: Hakkinen dominates 8/13/00 |
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