2001 Spanish Grand Prix Race Report

and Fisichella to move up to 15th on lap18. Running 4th, Imola winner Ralf Schumcher, inexplicably spun his Williams into the gravel on lap 21 and retired, saying "I don't know what happened. I was totally straight, I touched the brakes and all of a sudden the rear came out." he added, "It is a shame because I was in a relatively stable 4th position and was catching Barrichello but, these things happen." Meanwhile, battling for the now vacated 4th position, Trulli and Montoya, pitted together with the Williams coming out infront of the Jordan which appeared to have been held up temporarily with a right rear hot axle stub. Race leader Schumacher, was next to pit on lap 23 and was stationary for 8.2 seconds rejoining the race in 3rd place. Villenuve, Raikkonen, Alesi and Fisichella all came in for their stops whilst new race leader Hakkinen, set fastest lap trying to build up an advantage over Schumacher's Ferrari before his scheduled stop. Barrichello came in for fresh tyres and fuel on lap 25 and dropped back behind team mate Schumacher who after his stop, had begun a charge to ensure he would maintain 1st place when Hakkinen stopped. It paid off , for the Finn came in on lap 27 and was stationary for 8.2 seconds, and came out just behind the Ferrari into 2nd place. Having risen to 8th position courtesy of the first round of pit stops, Coulthard come in for his second set of Bridgestone's on lap 28. Good work by the McLaren mechanics saw him exit 7.6 seconds later and return to the action in 11th.

Following the pit stop induced 'melee', the order at the front on lap 30 was Schumacher, Hakkinen, Barichello, Montoya, Villeneuve and Trulli. The front remained unchanged for another 8 laps with the leading Ferrari pulling away from the pack at a rate of three tenths of a second per lap. Further down the field, 9th placed Raikkonen was the first to make his second visit for fresh rubber and fuel on lap 38, dropping back to 11th. Pitting a lap later, along with the Arrows of Verstappen, team mate Heidfeld came in for 8.8s and rejoined the action in 11th place . Trulli was the first of the front runners to make a second stop, coming in for a slightly prolonged 9.4s, exiting in 10th place. Fisichella, enduring another torrid race

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