2001 British Grand Prix Race Report
With team mate Ralf Schumacher having retired with a broken BMW engine mid-way through the race, Juan Pablo Montoya was a despondent fourth for Williams, having been slowed by Barrichello's heavier Ferrari for a number of laps. "It was a pretty good race even though I think we could have finished third," said the Colombian. "We had played a different strategy and it didn't really pay off. After this morning I was aiming for a point so getting three out of the race is not that bad." Rounding out the top six were the impressive Sauber pairing of Kimi Raikkonen and Nick Heidfeld, with team boss Peter Sauber delighted with their performances: "This has been a great day for us. In a way our fifth and sixth places against such strong competition are tremendous results and I am really happy for the drivers and the team."
Saturday's qualifying session was run in ideal conditions - for the Bridgestone runners that is. Michelin shod teams knew they would struggle - not helped by the unpredictable British weather. It rained heavily in the morning session yet by mid-day, the track was dry and confidence of a good result began to gather pace in the Ferrari garage. Lack of testing during the season suggested that Michael Schumacher would struggle to get pole on Saturday - the general feeling that a McLaren would be the thing to have. It was all academic however, for the defending champion claimed his 8th pole of the year with a 1:20.447 lap, closely followed by Hakkinen with 1:20.529s. Looking to get an important weekend off to a good start, Coulthard could only mange third on the grid with a 1:20.927s lap, his McLaren appearing to struggle with understeer. Behind the Scot, Jarno Trulli and fellow Jordan team mate Heinz Harald Frentzen, claimed 4th and 5th with 1:20.930s and 1:21.217s laps respectively whilst Barrichello, maintaining his below-par qualifying record, was an unhappy 6th for Ferrari with 1:21.715s. Next up was the impressive Raikkonen with a 1:22.023 lap, closely followed by Montoya (1:22.219s), who's Michelin tyres were struggling to get any grip. Completing the top ten was Heidfeld with a 1:22.223 lap and Ralf Schumacher with 1:22.283s.
Predictions for occasional showers hung in the air around Silverstone like an unwanted guest as Sunday dawned, yet for the start of the morning warm-up, the track was dry and a few patches of blue sky started
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