2001 Spanish Grand Prix

2001 Spanish Grand Prix
Race 5 of 17 in the 2001 Formula One World Championship ← Previous race Next race →
Race details[1][2]
Date	29 April 2001
Official name	XLIII Gran Premio Marlboro de Espana
Location	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló, Catalonia, Spain
Course	Permanent racing facility
Course length	4.730 km (2.939 miles)
Distance	65 laps, 307.323 km (190.962 miles)
Weather	Overcast, Mild, Dry, Air Temp: 18°C
Attendance	91,000
Pole position
Driver	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Time	1:18.201
Fastest lap
Driver	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Time	1:21.151 on lap 25
Podium
First	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Second	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams-BMW
Third	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR-Honda
Lap leaders

The 2001 Spanish Grand Prix (officially the XLIII Gran Premio Marlboro de Espana) was a Formula One motor race held on 29 April 2001, at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmeló, Catalonia, Spain, before 91,000 spectators. It was the fifth round of the 2001 Formula One World Championship, and the circuit hosted its 11th Spanish Grand Prix. Ferrari's Michael Schumacher won the 65-lap race from pole position. Williams's Juan Pablo Montoya finished second for his first Formula One podium finish and British American Racing's (BAR) Jacques Villeneuve finished third.

Going into the race, Ferrari's Michael Schumacher and McLaren's David Coulthard shared the World Drivers' Championship, but Ferrari led McLaren in the World Constructors' Championship. Michael Schumacher set the fastest lap in the one-hour qualifying session, securing pole position. He held the lead until the two pit stop cycles, when Coulthard's teammate Mika Häkkinen took the lead each time round due to his longer stints than Schumacher's. Häkkinen took the lead after the second round of stops because McLaren told him to push to get ahead of Schumacher, whose rear tyres began to vibrate. Häkkinen led the race and appeared set to win until his clutch failed on the final lap due to a hydraulic leak. Michael Schumacher took the lead and won by 40 seconds over Montoya.

Electronic driver aids including traction control, fully automatic gearboxes, and launch control became legal for the first time since the 1993 season at the Spanish Grand Prix. Schumacher's win was his third of the season and his 47th overall. As a result, he led the World Drivers' Championship by eight points over Coulthard and 22 over Rubens Barrichello. With 12 races left in the season, Ferrari expanded their lead in the World Constructors' Championship to 18 points over McLaren and 32 points over Williams.