2002 Spanish Grand Prix
Template:Short description Template:Infobox Grand Prix race report
The 2002 Spanish Grand Prix (formally the Gran Premio Marlboro de España 2002)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> was a Formula One motor race held on 28 April 2002 at the Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló, Catalonia, Spain. It was the fifth round of the 2002 Formula One World Championship and was held before 100,000 spectators. Ferrari's Michael Schumacher won the 65-lap race from pole position. Williams's Juan Pablo Montoya finished in second and McLaren's David Coulthard was third.
Heading into the race, Michael Schumacher led the World Drivers' Championship and his team Ferrari led the World Constructors Championship. He started on pole position after setting the quickest lap time in the one-hour qualifying session, and he led every lap of the race to win his fourth race of the season and 57th of his career. Montoya finished second 35.630 seconds behind, despite a botched second scheduled pit stop, and Coulthard finished third, another 6.993 seconds back, his second podium of the season.
Michael Schumacher's lead in the World Drivers' Championship increased to 21 championship points following the race. Montoya's second-place finish moved him past his teammate Ralf Schumacher, who retired from the Grand Prix. Ferrari extended their World Constructors' Championship lead over Williams to seven championship points with twelve races remaining in the season.
Background
The 2002 Spanish Grand Prix was the fifth round of seventeen in the 2002 Formula One World Championship and took place on 28 April 2002 at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmeló, Catalonia, Spain,<ref name="2002GPStats" /><ref name="MSportMagResults" /> close to Barcelona.<ref name="AF1Preview">Template:Cite journal</ref> Heading into the race, Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher led the World Drivers' Championship with 34 championship points, followed by the Williams pair of Ralf Schumacher (20) and Juan Pablo Montoya (17). Renault's Jenson Button was fourth with 8 championship points and Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello was fifth on 6.<ref name="2002points">Template:Cite book</ref> Ferrari led the World Constructors' Championship with 40 championship points, three ahead of Williams in second. McLaren were third with nine championship points, followed by Renault on nine and Jaguar with three.<ref name="2002points" />
Following the Template:F1 GP on 14 April, the teams tested their racing setups, aerodynamics, car components, tyres and electronics at European circuits in preparation for the Spanish Grand Prix.<ref name="AF1Preview" /><ref name="AF1SilverstoneTest1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="MugelloDay1">Template:Cite web</ref> The Arrows, British American Racing (BAR), Jaguar, Jordan, Minardi, Renault, Sauber and Williams teams spent three days testing at Northamptonshire's Silverstone Circuit.<ref name="AF1SilverstoneTest1" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> McLaren and Toyota spent three days at Italy's Mugello Circuit,<ref name="MugelloDay1" /> while Ferrari spent four days at the same track.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ferrari also tested for three days at Italy's Monza Circuit,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and also spent a day at their private test facility, the Fiorano Circuit.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Michael Schumacher, the pre-race favourite,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> had won three of the past four races in the 2002 season and had won the Spanish Grand Prix three times in 10 entries.<ref name="TorontoStarSchueyForce">Template:Cite news</ref> He stated that Ferrari would be focused on the race in Spain and would take a race-by-race approach, despite him scoring eight more championship points than at this point last season.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Michael Schumacher added Ferrari were confident the potential of the F2002 would be demonstrated more in Spain.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Despite being 17 championship points behind Michael Schumacher, Montoya maintained a positive attitude, "We still have a chance at fighting back. It is a matter of who can evolve the car quicker. I don't know if I can beat Michael here but you never know."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Coulthard finished sixth in the San Marino Grand Prix, but he was looking forward to racing in Spain after three days of testing at Mugello.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
There were eleven teams (each representing a different constructor) with two drivers each for the Grand Prix, with no changes from the season entry list.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ferrari updated their F2002 cars with new torsion bars, modified the screens behind the front wheels, and introduced new front and rear wings.<ref name="AutosprintTech">Template:Cite journal</ref> McLaren improved the MP4-17's rear suspension layout while Williams received a more powerful BMW engine and a new rear wing. Cosworth and Honda both introduced new improved versions of their engines; Jaguar used the more powerful Cosworth engine in the race, while Arrows used the old engine specification.<ref name="AutosprintTech" /> Mercedes introduced a new, more reliable engine specification for the McLarens, increasing power and driveability.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Practice
Two one-hour practice sessions on Friday and two 45-minute sessions on Saturday preceded the race.<ref name="regulations2">Template:Cite book</ref> The first practice session on Friday morning was held in sunny and humid weather.<ref name="F1RacingNetFP1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="AutosportFP1">Template:Cite web</ref> The Ferraris led practice due to the track's fast, long bends, while McLaren and Williams were behind due to car balance concerns.<ref name="GuardianPractice">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="DailyTelegraphPractice">Template:Cite news</ref> Michael Schumacher was fastest with a lap time of 1:20.681, 0.061 seconds faster than teammate Barrichello. Sauber's Felipe Massa, McLaren's Kimi Räikkönen, Renault's Jarno Trulli, Arrows's Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Coulthard, Massa's teammate Nick Heidfeld, Jordan's Giancarlo Fisichella and Arrows's Enrique Bernoldi completed the top ten.<ref name="AtlasF1FP1">Template:Cite web</ref> Some drivers lost control of their cars and went off the circuit during the session.<ref name="F1RacingNetFP1" /> Jordan's Takuma Sato was the only driver who did not set a lap because he stopped his car after the pit lane exit shortly after the session began due to an electrical connection failure to an engine sensor.<ref name="F1RacingNetFP1" /><ref name="AtlasF1FP1" /><ref name="FridayQuotes">Template:Cite web</ref> He was not allowed to continue with the session since the usage of spare cars was prohibited before qualifying.<ref name="F1RacingNetFP1" /><ref name="AutosportFP1" />
In the second practice session, which took place later in the afternoon and sunny conditions,<ref name="F1RacingNetFP2">Template:Cite web</ref> Michael Schumacher set the day's fastest lap time of 1:20.380.<ref name="SpeedPractice">Template:Cite web</ref> Frentzen was second-fastest, 0.070 seconds slower.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Button, Barrichello, BAR's Olivier Panis, Bernoldi, Räikkönen, Fisichella, Massa and Trulli rounded out the top ten.<ref name="AtlasF1FP2">Template:Cite web</ref> At the first chicane, Michael Schumacher raced wide towards the gravel trap's edge, but he returned to the race circuit and continued.<ref name="F1RacingNetFP2" /> Trulli lost control of his Renault, forcing him to apply opposite lock in the track's second sector. He ran into the gravel trap, but avoided colliding with the barrier and returned to the circuit to continue.<ref name="F1RacingNetFP2" /><ref name="AtlasF1FP2" />
Conditions were cool and overcast for the third practice session on Saturday morning.<ref name="AutosportFP3">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="AtlasF1FP3">Template:Cite web</ref> Two-thirds through practice, Barrichello set the quickest lap of 1:18.048.<ref name="AutosportFP3" /><ref name="AtlasF1FP3" /> His teammate Michael Schumacher was 0.386 seconds behind in second. Coulthard, Ralf Schumacher, the Sauber pair of Heidfeld and Massa, Räikkönen, Button, Montoya and Montoya were in positions three through ten.<ref name="AtlasF1FP3" /> 17 minutes in, Minardi's Mark Webber struck a small bump on the start/finish straight, and as the PS02 car rose into the air, the front wing from the drop plates mounting the rear wing to the nose cone detached at the upper ends.<ref name="AutosportFP3" /><ref name="AtlasF1FP3" /><ref name="AtlasF1Tech">Template:Cite journal</ref> The wing folded under Webber's car and shattered, leaving carbon fibre debris on the start/finish straight.<ref name="AtlasF1FP3" /> Webber maintained control of his car and returned to the pit lane.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> The session was immediately halted for eight minutes to allow marshals to clear the track of debris from Webber's car.<ref name="AutosportFP3" /><ref name="AtlasF1FP3" /><ref name=":0" /> Minardi used a different front wing design for the final practice session later in the morning.<ref name="F1COMSatPractice">Template:Cite web</ref>
It became slightly warmer for the final session.<ref name="F1COMSatPractice" /> Although no other driver better Barrichello's third session effort, he led despite not lapping faster.<ref name="AutosportFP4">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="AutosportFP42">Template:Cite web</ref> Heidfeld went second-quickest with 15 minutes remaining.<ref name="F1RacingNetFP4">Template:Cite web</ref> In positions three to ten were Michael Schumacher, Coulthard, Button, Frentzen, Räikkönen, Massa, Panis and Bernoldi.<ref name="AutosportFP42" /> Sato lost control of his car's rear midway through Renault corner, spinning 360 degrees through the gravel trap.<ref name="F1COMSatPractice" /><ref name="AutosportFP4" /> He crashed lightly head-on into the tyre barrier, dislodging the nose cone.<ref name="AutosportFP4" /><ref name="AutosportFP42" /> Montoya lost control of his car under braking for La Caixa corner but continued.<ref name="F1COMSatPractice" />
Qualifying
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Each driver was allowed twelve laps during Saturday's one-hour qualifying session, with starting positions determined by the drivers' quickest laps. During this session, the 107% rule was in effect, requiring each driver to remain within 107% of the quickest lap time in order to qualify for the race.<ref name="regulations2" /> Qualifying took place in dry and cloudy conditions with low humidity.<ref name="F1RacingNetQualifying">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="F1COMQualifying">Template:Cite web</ref> After modifying his Ferrari in the garage after his opening two runs,<ref name="SpeedQualifying">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ObserverQualifying">Template:Cite news</ref> Michael Schumacher took his third pole position of five races in the season and 46th of his career, setting a new track lap record of 1:16.364 shortly before qualifying ended,<ref name="AutosportQualifying">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="MontrealGazetteQualifying">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="SundayTimesQualifying">Template:Cite news</ref> lapping almost two seconds faster than his pole lap from 2001.<ref name="MontrealGazetteQualifying" /><ref name="BBCSportQualifying">Template:Cite web</ref> Barrichello led after his first two runs, holding pole until his teammate's final lap, starting second.<ref name="BBCSportQualifying" /> He made an error at turn 13 on his first two runs and may have run wide at turn 12 on his fastest lap, despite improved wind conditions.<ref name="SpeedQualifying" /><ref name="DailyF1SatQuotes">Template:Cite web</ref> Williams took the second row following overnight work and testing of changes in the morning free practice sessions.<ref name="DailyF1Analysis">Template:Cite web</ref> Ralf Schumacher led early on before falling to third after Williams modified his car.<ref name="AutosportQualifying" /><ref name="BBCSportQualifying" /> Montoya noticed an engine ignition misfire in his race car after leaving the garage, so Williams decided to switch him to the spare car.<ref name="DailyF1SatQuotes" /><ref name="F1MagRuReport">Template:Cite journal</ref> His fastest time on his last run in the final minute placed him fourth.<ref name="BBCSportQualifying" /> Montoya's lap demoted Räikkönen to fifth,<ref name="SpeedQualifying" /> who qualified ahead of his teammate Coulthard for the second consecutive Grand Prix.<ref name="BBCSportQualifying" /> Räikkönen ran sideways after hitting the inside kerbing at Campsa corner, but he regained control of his McLaren on the grass and resumed driving.<ref name="F1RacingNetQualifying" /><ref name="F1COMQualifying" /> Button had a minor oversteer in the high-speed turns and secured sixth in the final minute.<ref name="ObserverQualifying" /><ref name="DailyF1SatQuotes" /> Coulthard, seventh, aborted his third run owing to excess understeer in turn three and was set for a top-six finish until the last minute.<ref name="F1COMQualifying" /><ref name="DailyF1SatQuotes" /> Heidfeld's Ferrari qualifying engine and a setup change to boost his car's performance in high-speed turns were enough for eighth.<ref name="AutosportQualifying" /><ref name="DailyF1SatQuotes" />
Trulli was only ahead of the Minardi cars for most of qualifying, driving the spare Renault to ninth.<ref name="SpeedQualifying" /><ref name="AutosportQualifying" /> He made a mistake on his second run and returned to the pit lane before abandoning his next run due to a stoppage.<ref name="DailyF1SatQuotes" /> Frentzen put his faster Arrows car into tenth.<ref name="F1RacingNetQualifying" /> Despite being in the top ten for most of qualifying, Massa was 11th due to late improvements by other drivers.<ref name="AutosportQualifying" /> He made an error at turn four on his third run and again on his final run.<ref name="DailyF1SatQuotes" /> Fisichella was the fastest Honda-powered driver in 12th.<ref name="ObserverQualifying" /> Panis, 13th, lost two of his four runs due to on-track issues, and the halt and loss of track time prevented him from identifying a more suitable setup.<ref name="DailyF1SatQuotes" /> Bernoldi had some understeer but secured 14th, his best qualifying effort to date.<ref name="F1COMQualifying" /><ref name="DailyF1SatQuotes" /> Jaguar's Eddie Irvine overcame his car's major aerodynamic deficiencies and provisionally qualified 15th.<ref name="BBCSportQualifying" /> BAR's Jacques Villeneuve, 16th, lacked grip. Pedro de la Rosa, Irvine's teammate, finished 17th thanks to a better racing setup, more grip in the tyres, and warmer asphalt temperatures.<ref name="DailyF1SatQuotes" /> Toyota's Mika Salo and Allan McNish qualified 18th and 20th.<ref name="SpeedQualifying" /> McNish lost control of his Toyota's rear exiting the final corner after hititng a bump; he avoided hitting the inside concrete barrier at the pit lane entry and continued.<ref name="SpeedQualifying" /><ref name="DailyF1SatQuotes" /> Sato in 19th failed to match his teammate's pace because he drove a nervous car and had traffic on his second run in the second sector.<ref name="F1COMQualifying" /><ref name="DailyF1SatQuotes" /> The Minardi pair of Webber and Alex Yoong qualified 21st and 22nd.<ref name="SpeedQualifying" /> Yoong ran wide through the final corner and his front wing detached from the car on the kerbs, lifting the car into the air.<ref name="AutosportQualifying" /> The wing was on the racing line, so qualifying was stopped for four minutes to clear debris from Yoong's car, which returned to the pit lane.<ref name="F1RacingNetQualifying" /><ref name="F1COMQualifying" /><ref name="SundayTimesQualifying" />
Post-qualifying
After qualifying, the stewards deleted all of Irvine's qualifying lap times after the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's (FIA; motor sport's governing body) technical delegate discovered a discrepancy between the fuel in his car on Saturday and that of a control sample approved two weeks before the Grand Prix.<ref name="IrvineFuel">Template:Cite news
Template:Cite news</ref> The FIA regulations mandated that he begin from the back of the starting grid.<ref name="F1MagRuReport" />
Qualifying classification
Notes
- Template:Note – Eddie Irvine was dropped to the rear of the grid after a fuel analysis revealed that the fuel was not the same as that approved for use two weeks before the Grand Prix.<ref name="IrvineFuel" />
Warm-up
On race morning, a half-hour warm-up session was held in cool and cloudy weather conditions.<ref name="F1RacingNetWarmUp">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="AtlasF1WarmUp">Template:Cite web</ref> Barrichello led with a 1:20.229 lap set shortly before warm-up ended.<ref name="AtlasF1WarmUp" /><ref name="AutosportWarmUp">Template:Cite web</ref> Heidfeld, Michael Schumacher, Massa, Frentzen, Ralf Schumacher, Bernoldi, Panis, Sato and Button occupied positions second through tenth.<ref name="AtlasF1WarmUp" /> Michael Schumacher stopped his Ferrari at the side of the track at Banc Sabadell corner with an hydraulics failure.<ref name="AtlasF1WarmUp" /><ref name="F1COMWarmUp" /> With more than a minute remaining, Webber's rear wing detached from his car on the start/finish straight due to a component failure.<ref name="AutosportWarmUp" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He braked for turn one and spun into the gravel trap close to the barrier at high speed due to the lack of downforce.<ref name="F1RacingNetWarmUp" /><ref name="AutosportWarmUp" /><ref name="F1COMWarmUp">Template:Cite web</ref> Webber was unhurt and warm-up restarted after nearly five minutes.<ref name="F1COMWarmUp" />
After warm-up, because of the three wing failures on both of the Minardi cars that were returned to the team's headquarters in Faenza, Italy for analysis and modification, team owner Paul Stoddart withdrew the team from the Grand Prix on safety grounds because of the lack of time and facilities to analyse the remaining wings for manufacturing defects.<ref name="AtlasF1Tech" /><ref name="F1MagRuReport" /><ref name="MinardiWithdrawn">Template:Cite web
Template:Cite web</ref>
Race
The 65-lap race began before 100,000 spectators at 14:00 local time.<ref name="F1MagRuReport" /><ref name="TimesRaceReport">Template:Cite news</ref> It took place in bright, dry and overcast conditions ranging from Template:Convert and the track temperature was between Template:Convert.<ref name="F1MagRuReport" /><ref name="F1COMRaceLive">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="APReport">Template:Cite news</ref> Following the Minardi team's withdrawal, 20 cars were scheduled to start,<ref name="CrashRaceReport">Template:Cite web</ref> but Barrichello's Ferrari was stationary on the grid at the start of the formation lap due to a gearbox selection fault.<ref name="AtlasF1Review">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="GuardianRace">Template:Cite news</ref> Although the engine was running, marshals pushed the Ferrari into the pit lane,<ref name="F1RacingNetRace2">Template:Cite web</ref> but Ferrari were unable to rectify the problem and Barrichello failed to start the event since switching to a spare car was prohibited during the race.<ref name="BBCLapwatch">Template:Cite web</ref>
When the race began, Michael Schumacher, in the spare Ferrari due to hydraulic troubles in warm-up, maintained the race lead into the first corner, holding off Ralf Schumacher on the inside.<ref name="AtlasF1Review" /><ref name="AutosportRaceReport">Template:Cite web</ref> Button made a quick start, passing Räikkönen for fourth, but the latter recaptured the position on the outside at the first corner.<ref name="BBCLapwatch" /><ref name="GPCOMEntry">Template:Cite web</ref> His teammate Trulli moved from ninth to seventh by the conclusion of lap one,<ref name="BBCLapwatch" /> while Massa overtook Frentzen for ninth.<ref name="F1LiveCOMReport">Template:Cite web
Template:Cite web</ref> At the conclusion of the first lap, Michael Schumacher led Ralf Schumacher by 1.5 seconds.<ref name="GuardianRace" /> They were followed by Montoya, Räikkönen, Button and Coulthard.<ref name="AtlasF1Review" /> On lap three, De La Rosa lost control of the Jaguar's rear during braking and retired from the race after becoming stuck in the turn seven gravel trap.<ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /><ref name="F1RacingNetRace2" /> Raikkonen's rear wing failed from the McLaren's rear bodywork on the pit lane straight on lap four due to a fatigue-related lower wing element failure acting as a mount for the wing.<ref name="AtlasF1Tech" /><ref name="DailyF1Analysis" /><ref name="AutosportRaceReport" /> He maintained control of his car but his rear wing narrowly avoided Button,<ref name="IHTRaceReport">Template:Cite news</ref> who served to avoid being decapitated.<ref name="DailyF1Analysis" /> Raikkonen returned to the pit lane and retired from the race.<ref name="CrashRaceReport" /> McLaren chose not to withdraw Coulthard after reviewing its database and determining that his wing assembly was new and not at risk.<ref name="GPCOMEntry" /><ref name="DailyTelegraphRace">Template:Cite news</ref>
Fisichella retired in the garage on lap six due to him losing hydraulic pressure.<ref name="DailyF1Analysis" /><ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /> Frentzen and Panis battled for ninth place but Panis was unable to pass Frentzen. By lap 12, Michael Schumacher had increased his advantage over Ralf Schumacher to 10.4 seconds.<ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /><ref name="F1LiveCOMReport" /> Sato ran widethrough turn 12 and held the subsequent slide long enough to reach New Holland corner, but was unable to avoid the gravel trap and retired from the Grand Prix.<ref name="CrashRaceReport" /><ref name="F1RacingNetRace2" /> The race became processional as Michael Schumacher set a series of fastest laps to pull away more from Ralf Schumacher and was more than 20 seconds ahead by the 23rd lap.<ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /><ref name="AtlasF1Review" /> The first round of pit stops began on lap 24.<ref name="CrashRaceReport" /><ref name="BBCLapwatch" /> Trulli made his first pit stop from sixth and rejoined the track in 11th.<ref name="AtlasF1Review" /> Ralf Schumacher in second and Button in fourth made their first pit stops on the next lap. Ralf Schumacher fell to seventh while Button dropped to eighth. On lap 26, Montoya made his first pit stop from second and rejoined the circuit in seventh after a minor delay installing the front-right wheel.<ref name="CrashRaceReport" /><ref name="AtlasF1Review" /><ref name="F1LiveCOMReport" />
Michael Schumacher made his first pit stop at the end of the lap. Despite a slight fuel nozzle issue, he rejoined in first place with an 11-second lead over Montoya after a 9.4-second pit stop.<ref name="AtlasF1Review" /><ref name="GuardianRace" /><ref name="F1LiveCOMReport" /> On lap 29,<ref name="AtlasF1Review" /> Ralf Schumacher ran wide onto the grass at Campsa corner, causing damage to his car's front wing and removing the left-hand side bargeboard.<ref name="CrashRaceReport" /><ref name="F1RacingNetRace2" /><ref name="GPCOMEntry" /> This required him to make an unscheduled pit stop for a replacement front wing and a new front-left tyre.<ref name="CrashRaceReport" /><ref name="F1RacingNetRace2" /> Ralf Schumacher was stationary for 28.3 seconds,<ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /> falling from third to 13th.<ref name="CrashRaceReport" /> He dropped out of contention for a points-paying result.<ref name="SpeedRace">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="IndependentRace">Template:Cite news</ref> This promoted Montoya to second and Button to third.<ref name="DailyTelegraphRace" /> Meanwhile, Coulthard took his first pit stop from second on that lap, rejoining the track in fourth, behind Button.<ref name="F1LiveCOMReport" /> Coulthard's later pit stop allowed him to set a sequence of quick lap times, closing in on Button, who was slowing due to handling issues.<ref name="CrashRaceReport" /><ref name="AtlasF1Review" /><ref name="SpeedRace" /> On lap 34, Coulthard slipstreamed Button on the start/finish straight, passing him on the inside into turn one for third after braking later than Button and a small wheel touch.<ref name="F1RacingNetRace2" /><ref name="F1LiveCOMReport" /><ref name="SpeedRace" />
Trulli soon caught up to Button,<ref name="AtlasF1Review" /> who was told to allow his teammate pass into fourth place on lap 36 due to a hydraulic issue that caused his Renault to stick in gear and then shut down in left-hand curves.<ref name="CrashRaceReport" /><ref name="AutosportRaceReport" /> Two laps later, Villeneuve passed Bernoldi on the inside into turn one for tenth.<ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /><ref name="AtlasF1Review" /> Bernoldi retired at the conclusion of lap 41 with an hydraulics leak.<ref name="AtlasF1Review" /><ref name="GPCOMEntry" /> On that lap, Ralf Schumacher made a third pit stop for a new front wing to replace the old one that had failed to generate car handling for him, in an attempt to regain aerodynamic efficiency and performance.<ref name="F1RacingNetRace2" /><ref name="GPCOMEntry" /> Irvine went slowly into the pit lane on lap 43 due to a hydraulics system failure, then moved out of the way for Button in fifth and Heidfeld in sixth.<ref name="AtlasF1Tech" /><ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /> Heidfeld's pit stop was eight-tenths of a second faster than Button.<ref name="F1LiveCOMReport" /> After running alongside each other in the pit lane, Heidfeld passed Button at the pit lane exit for fifth after Button ceded the place.<ref name="CrashRaceReport" /><ref name="AtlasF1Review" /><ref name="IHTRaceReport" /> Panis pulled over on the grass at the pit lane exit due to an exhaust failure, forcing him to retire on lap 45.<ref name="AtlasF1Tech" /><ref name="F1COMRaceLive" />
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Montoya made his second scheduled pit stop on lap 46.<ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /><ref name="AtlasF1Review" /> His pit stop became difficult since chief mechanic and lollipop holder Carl Gaden signalled Montoya to exit on the front-left side before removing the fuel nozzle from the car's rear.<ref name="SpeedRace" /><ref name="IndependentRace" /> Gaden dropped the lollipop on the front of Montoya's car to stop him. Montoya disengaged the hand clutch before stalling, running over Gaden's left foot with his front-left wheel. Montoya stopped before the fuel pipe was removed from the filler and was moved back slightly before being allowed to drive away.<ref name="GuardianPractice" /><ref name="DailyF1Analysis" /> Gaden, the refueller, and a right-front tyre changer were knocked sideways to the ground, and a mechanic took the wheel off Gaden's foot.<ref name="DailyF1Analysis" /><ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /><ref name="GPCOMEntry" /> Nevertheless, Montoya was able to rejoin the race in second because to his substantial lead over Coulthard in third.<ref name="CrashRaceReport" /><ref name="BBCLapwatch" /> Coulthard made his second pit stop on lap 47, and Michael Schumacher followed from the lead on the same lap, following advice from Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn to avoid being baulked by slower cars ahead of him for the rest of the race.<ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /><ref name="APReport" /><ref name="IndependentRace" /> Both drivers retained third and first, respectively;<ref name="AtlasF1Review" /> Michael Schumacher was 41.8 seconds ahead of Montoya.<ref name="BBCLapwatch" />
Two laps later, Massa passed Button on the inside at Elf corner but Button retook sixth at Seat corner. Both drivers continued to battle, allowing Frentzen to close up.<ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /> Button's faster speed on the straights allowed him to keep Massa behind him.<ref name="F1RacingNetRace2" /> On lap 57,<ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /> Button ran wide in turns seven and eight, allowing Massa to pass him for sixth, followed by Frentzen for seventh.<ref name="CrashRaceReport" /><ref name="F1RacingNetRace2" /> Five laps later,<ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /> Trulli abruptly slowed due to a deteriorating engine problem beyond his control.<ref name="AtlasF1Tech" /> This allowed Heidfeld to move up to fourth, Massa to fifth, and Frentzen to sixth.<ref name="F1RacingNetRace2" /> Button retired at the side of the track on lap 63, while Trulli did the same on the final lap in the pit lane.<ref name="F1COMRaceLive" /><ref name="BBCLapwatch" /> Ralf Schumacher pulled over to the side of the track on the final lap, with smoke spewing from his car's rear.<ref name="AtlasF1Tech" /><ref name="F1COMRaceLive" />
Michael Schumacher slowed in the final laps, but he maintained the lead he had held since starting the race from pole position, securing his fourth victory of the season and 57th of his career.<ref name="APReport" /><ref name="GuardianRace" /><ref name="DailyTelegraphRace" /> He achieved a Grand Slam (start from pole position, set the fastest lap, lead every lap and win the race).<ref name="F1MagRuReport" /> Montoya finished second, 35.630 seconds behind Michael Schumacher, and Coulthard took third place for his second podium finish of the season.<ref name="SpeedRace" /> Sauber was the only team to have both drivers gain championship points, with Heidfeld finishing fourth and Massa fifth.<ref name="AtlasF1Tech" /> Frentzen completed the points-paying positions in sixth,<ref name="GuardianRace" /> registering his and Arrows's first championship point of 2002 and finishing 1.4 seconds behind Massa.<ref name="AutosportRaceReport" /> Villeneuve was dissatisfied with the feel of his car but finished seventh,<ref name="AtlasF1Tech" /> approximately seven seconds behind Frentzen.<ref name="F1MagRuReport" /> McNish and Salo's Toyotas finished eighth and ninth, with the latter stopping on the final lap due to a technical issue. Trulli, Ralf Schumacher and Button were the final classified finishers despite retiring from the Grand Prix.<ref name="AtlasF1Review" />
Post-race
The top three drivers appeared on the podium to collect their trophies and spoke to the media in the subsequent press conference.<ref name="regulations2" /> Michael Schumacher, who received the winners' trophy from Juan Carlos I,<ref name="TorontoStarReport">Template:Cite news</ref> praised the Bridgestone tyres for being consistent during the race and said it was the correct circuit for the Ferrari, adding, "The guys in our team have done a tremendous job over the winter and again, this circuit shows what our engineers have done."<ref name="PressConference">Template:Cite web</ref> Montoya said Williams battled with pace during the race weekend because the Ferrari was too fast for him, but he was pleased to finish second, "It was clearly a difficult race for us. I think we made the best of what we had."<ref name="PressConference" /> Coulthard said he was pleased to benefit from other cars' reliability issues,, saying, "I benefited from other people's misfortune, but you accept that because that's motor racing."<ref name="PressConference" />
Gaden was not seriously injured.<ref name="GazetteNotes">Template:Cite news</ref> He told The Times, "I'm mad with myself. I wanted to stop the car but instinctively put my foot out and you don't stop a racing car with your foot."<ref name="TimesRaceReport" /> Williams technical director Patrick Head commented, "He's a hard man, he'll survive. I think his pride is more damaged than his body."<ref name="AutosportRaceReport" /> Montoya apologised for running over Gaden's foot.<ref name="GazetteNotes" /> He stated the accident would have been worse had he not stopped his car fast enough.<ref name="BirminghamPostRaceReport">Template:Cite news</ref> Ralf Schumacher expressed his displeasure over making an error that damaged his car and dropped him out of contention for a strong result.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Barrichello said "I don't think it's bad luck...it's something that could happen to me or to Michael. It happened to me" after retiring for the fourth time in five races while his teammate Michael Schumacher expressed sympathy for Barrichello, "Everything that has gone wrong this year so far has gone wrong for him. You can't really think it will always go that way. You know that one day it's going to hit you."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Head commented Michael Schumacher had "lady luck on his side" and added Barrichello was "like a magnet for bad luck."<ref name="TimesRaceReport" />
Heidfeld stated that it had been "a really good weekend" and that his fourth-place finish was indicative of Sauber's car improvements.<ref name="SauberDoublePoints">Template:Cite web</ref> Massa, his teammate, hailed it "a fabulous race" for himself after finishing fifth and earning his second championship point in five Grands Prix.<ref name="SauberDoublePoints" /> Frentzen earned his first championship point since the 2001 San Marino Grand Prix and Arrows's first since Jos Verstappen finished sixth in the 2001 Austrian Grand Prix.<ref name="ArrowsPoints">Template:Cite web</ref> He was ecstatic, saying, "That was great! The team has done a superb job all weekend so they thoroughly deserve this point."<ref name="ArrowsPoints" /> Arrows team principal Tom Walkinshaw noted that the outcome highlighted why it invested in Frentzen.<ref name="ArrowsPoints" /> Räikkönen stated that he did not know what caused his rear wing failure on lap four, but was unconcerned because such failures were rare.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The result increased Michael Schumacher's lead in the World Drivers' Championship to 21 championship points. Montoya finishing second moved him ahead of his teammate Ralf Schumacher for second. Coulthard's third-place finish put him up to fourth, while Button fell to fifth after retiring from the race.<ref name="2002points" /> Ferrari increased their lead in the World Constructors' Championship to seven championship points over Williams. McLaren and Renault retained third and fourth while Sauber moved into fifth with twelve races remaining in the season.<ref name="2002points" />
Race classification
Drivers who scored championship points are denoted in bold.
Championship standings after the race
Template:Col-start Template:Col-2
- Drivers' Championship standings
| Template:Abbr | Template:Abbr | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| File:1rightarrow blue.svg | 1 | Template:Flagicon Michael Schumacher | 44 |
 1
|
2 | Template:Flagicon Juan Pablo Montoya | 23 |
 1
|
3 | Template:Flagicon Ralf Schumacher | 20 |
| 2
|
4 | Template:Flagicon David Coulthard | 9 |
| 1
|
5 | Template:Flagicon Jenson Button | 8 |
| Sources:<ref name=2002points/><ref name="Championship">Template:Cite web</ref> | |||
- Constructors' Championship standings
| Template:Abbr | Template:Abbr | Constructor | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| File:1rightarrow blue.svg | 1 | Template:Flagicon Ferrari | 50 |
| File:1rightarrow blue.svg | 2 | Template:Flagicon Williams-BMW | 43 |
| File:1rightarrow blue.svg | 3 | Template:Flagicon McLaren-Mercedes | 13 |
| File:1rightarrow blue.svg | 4 | Template:Flagicon Renault | 8 |
| 1
|
5 | Template:Flagicon Sauber-Petronas | 8 |
| Sources:<ref name=2002points/><ref name="Championship"/> | |||
- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
References
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