2002 French Grand Prix

2002 French Grand Prix
Race 11 of 17 in the 2002 Formula One World Championship
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Race details
Date 21 July 2002
Official name LXXXVIII Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France
Location Magny-Cours, France
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 4.251[1] km (2.641 miles)
Distance 72 laps, 305.886[1] km (190.069 miles)
Weather Warm and sunny, Air Temp: 25°C
Pole position
Driver Williams-BMW
Time 1:11.985
Fastest lap
Driver United Kingdom David Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes
Time 1:15.045 on lap 62
Podium
First Ferrari
Second McLaren-Mercedes
Third McLaren-Mercedes
Lap leaders
The decisive moment of the race as Kimi Räikkönen runs wide, allowing Michael Schumacher to pass him for the lead.
This race saw Michael Schumacher clinch his fifth title, equaling Juan Manuel Fangio's 45-year-old record.

The 2002 French Grand Prix (formally the LXXXVIII Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France) 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. McLaren-Mercedes drivers Kimi Räikkönen and David Coulthard finished second and third respectively.

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.

  1. ^ a b "Grand Prix de France". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. Archived from the original on 2010-09-15. Retrieved 2023-07-21.