2000 Japanese Grand Prix
The 2000 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 8 October 2000, in front of 151,000 people at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, Mie, Japan. It was the 26th Japanese Grand Prix and the 16th and penultimate round of the 2000 Formula One World Championship. Ferrari's Michael Schumacher won the 53-lap race from pole position. McLaren's Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard finished second and third, respectively. Schumacher's victory confirmed him as the 2000 World Drivers' Champion, as Häkkinen could not overtake Schumacher's championship points total with one race remaining in the season.
Only Michael Schumacher and Häkkinen were in contention for the World Drivers' Championship entering the race, with Schumacher leading by eight championship points. Ferrari led McLaren in the World Constructors Championship by ten championship points. Häkkinen began alongside Michael Schumacher on the grid's first row. Michael Schumacher attempted to defend the lead off the line by moving into Häkkinen's path, but Häkkinen passed Michael Schumacher into the first corner, with Coulthard holding off attempts by Williams driver Ralf Schumacher to get into third. Michael Schumacher closed up to Häkkinen by lap 31 and overtaking him during the second round of pit stops. He maintained his lead over Häkkinen to the end of the race to claim his eighth victory of the season.
Many Formula One individuals praised Michael Schumacher, including former champion Jody Scheckter and Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, but was criticised by former Italian president Francesco Cossiga for his behaviour on the podium during the playing of the Italian national anthem. Häkkinen's second-place finish secured him second in the World Drivers' Championship, while Ferrari increased its lead over McLaren in the World Constructors' Championship to thirteen championship points with one race remaining in the season.
Background
The 2000 Japanese Grand Prix was held on 8 October 2000 at the clockwise figure-of-eight Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, Mie, Japan, the 16th and penultimate round of the 2000 Formula One World Championship. The event was contested by eleven teams comprising two drivers, with no changes from the season entry list. Sole tyre supplier Bridgestone sent the Medium dry compound as opposed to two dry compounds as it had one all-season, as well as the intermediate and full wet-weather compounds, to the event. The circuit was altered slightly in preparation for the race. To increase safety, the pit lane entry was moved from the end of the 130R's left-hand corner to the exit of the Casio chicane.Ferrari's Michael Schumacher led the World Drivers' Championship with 88 championship points before the race, followed by McLaren teammates Mika Häkkinen on 80 and David Coulthard on 63. Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello was fourth with 55 championship points with Williams' Ralf Schumacher fifth with 24 championship points. The remaining two races had a maximum of 20 championship points available, therefore Häkkinen could still win the championship. Michael Schumacher had to win the race regardless of where Häkkinen finished because he would be more than ten championship points ahead of him with one race remaining. Otherwise, Häkkinen could win the Championship by outscoring Schumacher in the final race of the season in Malaysia. Michael Schumacher would win the Championship on win count-back if there was a championship points tie. Ferrari led the World Constructors' Championship with 143 championship points, followed by McLaren and Williams with 133 and 34 championship points, respectively. Jordan were fifth with 17 championship points behind Benetton in fourth with 20.
Häkkinen retired from the preceding due to a pneumatic valve failure. With two races left in the season and an eight-point disadvantage after losing the Drivers' Championship lead and 20 championship points available for the final two races, Häkkinen remained optimistic about his title chances: "I know that what happened to me in the last Grand Prix, when I had to retire, can happen to anyone, It could happen to Michael. So I am very optimistic. I have come here prepared and thinking about these two races together. Not one, two." He approached the event similarly to the others. Michael Schumacher having won the two previous races, emphasised the pressure of leading the championship entering Japan: "It hasn't been a relaxing time at all and I still haven't completely got over the jetlag from the States. But I'm prepared to sacrifice this and a lot more to bring the title back to Maranello. And the same can be said of the entire team." Ferrari team principal Jean Todt and former World Champion Jody Scheckter urged Barrichello and Coulthard to race fairly after their teams ordered both drivers to support their teammates in the Championship battle.
Following the United States Grand Prix on September 24, the teams tested at five racing circuits between 26 and 29 September in preparation for the race. McLaren test driver Olivier Panis tested at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours to prepare for Suzuka and work on the 2001 car. Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer spent two days at the Fiorano Circuit evaluating mechanical components and Bridgestone's wet weather tyre compounds on an artificially wet track while Michael Schumacher was at the Mugello Circuit working on car setup on the F1-2000 car. Formula Renault champion Enrique Bernoldi and Kimi Räikkönen setup the Sauber C19 car's aerodynamic package, mechanical settings and weight distribution for the Suzuka circuit at Mugello. Williams spent two days at the Circuito do Estoril testing wet weather tyres and different aerodynamic setups with rookie Jenson Button. Stéphane Sarrazin, Prost's test driver, collected chassis design data for the future AP04 chassis at Magny-Cours. Benetton did not test but its test driver Mark Webber tried developments at the Circuit de Catalunya that were incorporated into their 2001 car.
At the Friday afternoon drivers meeting, Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile Race Director Charlie Whiting announced that any potential blocking manoeuvres that interfered with the World Championship battle would result in a driver being shown a waved black and white flag to indicate unsportsmanlike conduct, followed by a black flag to signal disqualification from the race. Any driver found to have violated the new rule might also have faced a three-race ban. This came after Sauber's Norberto Fontana impeded Michael Schumacher's title rival Jacques Villeneuve at the 1997 European Grand Prix. Ralf Schumacher agreed with the penalties. McLaren team principal Ron Dennis, however, was more vocal in his opposition to the new rules, believing they were arbitrary and were against choosing tactics for his team. He was particularly dissatisfied with the appointment of Italian lawyer Roberto Causo as a race steward, believing that any ruling would favour Ferrari.
Some teams had modified their cars for the event, but with only two races left in the season, several teams instead focused on developing the cars that they would enter in the 2001 season. Ferrari introduced a rectangular-shaped front wing, replacing an arrow-shaped front wing. Honda introduced a more powerful version of its V10 engine for Saturday's qualifying and the race. Sauber brought lighter components to lighten their vehicles, while Williams supplied a revised back wing. Williams engine suppliers BMW ran the same engine specification introduced in Belgium.
Practice
Two one-hour sessions on Friday and two 45-minute sessions on Saturday preceded Sunday's race. The Friday morning and afternoon sessions were held in dry, warm weather. Because teams were not permitted to test at Suzuka, several drivers entered the circuit for car checks. Michael Schumacher was the fastest in the first practice session, lapping at 1:38.474 with two minutes remaining, ahead of Häkkinen and Coulthard in second and third. When fourth-placed Barrichello spun at the hairpin between turns ten and eleven and crashed into the perimeter fencing, the session was yellow flagged. Ralf Schumacher was fifth fastest, with Benetton's Giancarlo Fisichella sixth. Jordan's Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jarno Trulli were seventh and ninth, separated by Jaguar's Eddie Irvine. British American Racing's Villeneuve was tenth despite a spin off the circuit at Degner Curve, causing grass to penetrate his radiators.In the second practice session, Michael Schumacher set the day's fastest lap, a 1:37.728, six-tenths of a second faster than Häkkinen. On his final run, Barrichello struggled to select first gear, but he improved his lap to third fastest. Coulthard, Button, Frentzen, Trulli, Arrows' Pedro de la Rosa, Villeneuve and BAR's Ricardo Zonta were in positions four through ten. Villeneuve had his second spin of the day, when he lost control of his car at Spoon Kurve turn on his final lap. He hit the barrier with his car's right-front wheel. While cars were being driven on the track, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake was felt at Suzuka, though no structural damage to the circuit was reported and no one was injured despite the mild alarm.
Saturday morning's practice sessions were held in dry and warm weather. Michael Schumacher had the quickest time in the third practise, a 1:37.176, which was faster than his best time on Friday. Ralf Schumacher was second and Button was fourth. Coulthard, in third, ran wide at the exit of Spoon Curve turn and returned to the course after driving into the gravel. Fisichella set the fifth-fastest lap, ahead of Villeneuve, who spun into the gravel at the hairpin late in practice and had to walk to the pit lane. Barrichello, Irvine, Jaguar's Johnny Herbert and De La Rosa completed the top ten. Ten minutes into practice, the engine in Pedro Diniz's Sauber car failed; smoke and fire billowed from the rear of his car, and a large amount of oil was laid on the track. He returned to the pit lane rather than stop at the side of the track. Some drivers slid on the oil.
With 15 minutes remaining in the last practice session, Häkkinen lapped fastest at 1:37.037, one-tenth of a second faster than Michael Schumacher. Button, third, was happy with his car's performance. Despite another spin into the gravel traps, Barrichello maintained his consistent performance and was fourth-fastest. He was ahead of Ralf Schumacher, who had his fastest lap invalidated after breaching track limits at the chicane when he braked too late with ten minutes left. Coulthard was sixth, two-tenths of a second quicker than Fisichella, who finished seventh. Irvine, Benetton's Alexander Wurz and Villeneuve completed the top ten. Irvine had a throttle system fault and ran wide into the gravel at the Spoon Curve corner. He rejoined the track by following the gravel's perimeter. Villeneuve spun into the gravel trap for the fourth time, but was able to rejoin to the track.