June 25, 2002

by Erik C. Nielsen
Pictures courtesy and copyright Ferrari Media

After a lackluster performance in qualifying, Ferrari showed once again that they have momentum to capture the third driver's championship, and fourth manufacturer's championship in a row.

The cars of the Scuderia started on the second row, behind the pair of BMW-Williams and ahead of the McLarens. After a sprint that was almost four wide going into the reconfigured off-camber right turn, the field bunched up, with only the hapless Jordans bumping into each other. After the first lap, it was Rubens leading the way with Schumacher close behind.

The red cars were on a two stop strategy and the light fuel load allowed them to gain a gigantic lead over the rest of the field. Michael passed his brother on the third lap, and then it was Ferrari 1-2 all the way to the finish. It was actually tense to see if team orders would have the Brazilian wave Schumacher by, but with the FIA inquiry later this week, Ross Brawn figured that Rubens could get the big trophy. This time.

Juan-Pablo captured his third pole in a row, but most F1 fans now realize that he can't do anything with it. To finish first, ahh, you know the rest...

The Columbian also collected DC in a turn one spin on the 29th lap, allowing both to escape to their trailers and avoid explaining why their respective teams weren't competitive this weekend. Raikkonen managed to get the most out of his car and finished best of the rest, followed by Michael's younger brother, Ralf.

Jenson Button brought the Renault home in 5th place after a hard fight over the last two points-paying positions. The privateer Ferrari team (Sauber) had a good finish: both cars running and one in the points. Neither was on the lead lap at the end.

The top ten were rounded out by Trulli in the other Renault, Panis in the BAR (showing once again that Villeneuve is a one-hit wonder), and De La Rosa in the worthless Jag. Arrows could do no better than 11th, Toyota 14th, and Minardi 15th.

Alex Yoong showed his driving brilliance by spinning on the pit lane. After roaring on the floor laughing, I pulled myself back into my seat only to see Edmund do the same thing with his Jaguar. It's a bit early for the silly season, but who ever wants to waste away a lot of money should have these two as partners. Are you listening to me Jaguar?

With the season more than half finished, the math starts getting easier. With 8 races left and 80 points up for grabs, Michael has a 46 point lead over his brother. A couple of more wins and it's all wrapped up. The constructor's championship is a much closer battle. Ferrari has a lead of only 45 points over BMW-Williams. The team needs to maximize the number of 1-2 finishes to run away with this one too. If they can keep the momentum from the Nurburgring going, it is not asking too much. The next event on the calendar is the British GP in two weeks.

Race Results

1	BARRICHELLO	Ferrari	1h35m07.426s
2	M.SCHUMACHER	Ferrari	+0.294s
3	RAIKKONEN	McLaren Mercedes	+46.435s
4	R.SCHUMACHER	Williams BMW	+1m06.963s
5	BUTTON	Renault	+1m16.943s
6	MASSA	Sauber Petronas	+1 lap
7	HEIDFELD	Sauber Petronas	+1 lap
8	TRULLI	Renault	+1 lap
9	PANIS	BAR Honda	+1 lap
10	DE LA ROSA	Jaguar Cosworth	+1 lap
11	BERNOLDI	Arrows Cosworth	+1 lap
12	VILLENEUVE	BAR Honda	+1 lap
13	FRENTZEN	Arrows Cosworth	+1 lap
14	MCNISH	Toyota	+1 lap
15	WEBBER	Minardi Asiatech	+2 laps
16	SATO	Jordan Honda	+2 laps
17	SALO	Toyota	+9 laps
18	YOONG	Minardi Asiatech	+12 laps
19	IRVINE	Jaguar	+19 laps
20	MONTOYA	Williams BMW	+33 laps
21	COULTHARD	McLaren Mercedes	+33 laps
22	FISICHELLA	Jordan Honda	+34 laps