2000 European Grand Prix
Schumacher wins at Nürburgring, extends championship lead.
The 2000 European Grand Prix was the sixth round of the 2000 Formula One World Championship, held on 21 May 2000 at the Nürburgring in front of 142,000 spectators. Michael Schumacher won the 67-lap race for Ferrari, ahead of McLaren's Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard. It was Schumacher's fourth win of the season and the 39th of his career.
Quick Facts
- Grand prix
- European
- Country
- Germany
- Date
- 21 May
- Official name
- 2000 Warsteiner Grand Prix of Europe
- Location
- Nürburgring, Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
- Course length
- 4.556 km / 2.83 mi
- Distance laps
- 67
- Distance length
- 305.252 km / 190 mi
Facts from the source article.
Background
The 2000 European Grand Prix was round six of the 2000 Formula One season, which had seventeen races total. It was also the ninth time this specific Grand Prix had been held. The race took place on 21 May at the Nürburgring, a 4.556-mile track with thirteen turns located in Nürburg, Germany. Originally scheduled for September, it was moved to May because of the addition of another race to the calendar. This was the fifth European Grand Prix held at the Nürburgring. Bridgestone, the only tyre supplier, provided Soft and Extra Soft dry-weather tyres, along with soft and hard wet-weather compounds. Before the race, Michael Schumacher led the Drivers' Championship with 36 points. McLaren's Mika Häkkinen was second with 22 points, and his teammate David Coulthard was third with 20 points. Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello had 13 points in fourth, while Williams driver Ralf Schumacher was fifth with 12 points. In the Constructors' Championship, Ferrari led with 49 points, seven ahead of McLaren. Williams was third with 15 points, and Jordan and Benetton were fighting for fourth place. After the Spanish Grand Prix on 7 May, teams did in-season testing to get ready for this event. From 9 to 11 May, McLaren, Sauber, Benetton, Jordan, Arrows, BAR, and Williams tested at the Circuito de Jerez. Coulthard missed the test to recover from three broken ribs he suffered in a plane crash in Lyon. Häkkinen set the fastest time on the first day, BAR's Ricardo Zonta led the second day, and Benetton's Alexander Wurz was quickest on the final day. Prost spent three days at Magny-Cours testing aerodynamic parts on the AP03 with Nick Heidfeld. Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer spent three days at Fiorano practicing pit stops and testing the F1-2000's aerodynamics and mechanical setup. At Mugello, Barrichello tested a new engine and tyres for the car.
Practice
The weekend's action began with four practice sessions: two hour-long runs on Friday and two 45-minute sessions on Saturday. Friday morning saw cool, shifting weather. Overnight rain left the track wet, but it gradually dried. Michael Schumacher topped the timesheets with a 1:21.092, followed by Jacques Villeneuve, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Jarno Trulli, Rubens Barrichello, David Coulthard, Ricardo Zonta, Mika Häkkinen, and Pedro Diniz. On his final lap, Häkkinen locked his tyres at the Dunlop Curve and ended up stuck in the gravel trap. Rain returned between the morning and afternoon sessions, falling heavily on the northern part of the circuit early in the second session before the track dried and lap times improved. With a light fuel load and fresh tyres, Jenson Button set the fastest lap of the day at 1:19.808 with one minute left. Alexander Wurz was second, 0.440 seconds back. Häkkinen and Coulthard took third and fourth for McLaren. Michael Schumacher, Ralf Schumacher, Trulli, Zonta, Nick Heidfeld, and Villeneuve rounded out the top ten. Ralf Schumacher’s session was cut short by an engine problem, while Giancarlo Fisichella scraped his Benetton’s left side against a tyre barrier. Coulthard spun on a kerb at the Veedol chicane. Saturday morning was cold and overcast. In the third practice, Michael Schumacher set the pace with a 1:18.527, ahead of Häkkinen, Frentzen, Coulthard, Pedro de la Rosa, Ralf Schumacher, Zonta, Villeneuve, Button, and Barrichello. Jos Verstappen’s running ended after 17 minutes when smoke poured from his engine. Button hit the kerbs, spun, and crashed into the tyre barrier.
Qualifying
Saturday's one-hour qualifying session gave each driver twelve laps to set their fastest time, which would decide the starting order. The 107% rule applied, meaning every driver had to lap within 107% of the fastest time to make the race. The track was still damp from an earlier shower, and with more rain predicted, teams fitted extra-soft compound tyres. Drivers headed out early. A heavy rainstorm hit in the final 25 minutes, making the surface slippery and locking in the grid, as no one could improve. With two minutes left, every driver left the pits to take advantage of the drying circuit. David Coulthard secured McLaren's first pole at this event, his first since the 1998 Canadian Grand Prix and the ninth of his career, with a 1 minute 17.529 second lap set 26 minutes in. Michael Schumacher, who had held pole until Coulthard's time and ran wide at the Ford Kurve, lined up alongside him on the front row. The second row followed the same pattern: Mika Häkkinen took third, unhappy with his car's setup, and Rubens Barrichello was fourth after mistakes on his first two flying laps. Ralf Schumacher, fifth, was caught off guard by the changing conditions on a timed lap and went straight at the Veedol chicane. Jarno Trulli, driving with a perforated eardrum, moved up to sixth in the final minutes. Giancarlo Fisichella ended up seventh after being held up by Ralf Schumacher at the Coca-Cola Kurve.
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