Edisi Khusus: Michael Schumacher

Grand Prix Formula 1 - 2001

 
  GP F1 2001
  Home
  Tim F1 2001 
  Pembalap
  Jadwal Grand Prix
  Hasil Grand Prix
  Foto Grand Prix (R1, R2, R3)
  Sirkuit Grand Prix
  Statistik
 

http://boykhe.tripod.com

 

  Grand Prix San Marino -- 15 April 2001
 
Jum'at - 13/4
Latihan Bebas 1
Latihan Bebas 2
Sabtu - 14/4
Latihan Bebas 1
Latihan Bebas 2
Kualifikasi
Minggu - 15/4
Pemanasan
Balapan

Circuit information:

Round Number: 4  
Race Date: 15-04-2001  
Country: San Marino  
City: Imola (click for location map)  

Circuit Name: Imola  
Circuit Length: 4933 m.  
Number of Laps: 62  
Race Length: 305.609 m  

2000 Pole Position: Mika Häkkinen  
2000 Winner: Michael Schumacher  
2000 Fastest Lap: Mika Häkkinen  


Location map powered by expedia.com

 

Circuit Description, History, Facts and Figures  
This will be the 21st Grand Prix held at Imola: 19 San Marino Grands Prix have already taken place, but the first Grand Prix at Imola was the Italian in 1980.

There's an interesting needle match developing at Imola between Williams and McLaren. Williams have won seven times to McLaren's six, but McLaren have finished 1-2 on three occasions whereas Williams have finished 1-2 only once. Ferrari has finished 1-2 twice, including last year.

Renault, however, have an extraordinary record at the circuit, with six victories including a 1-2 in 1992 while Honda have four wins - but all of them are 1-2s! One person who was very much involved in that record is Ayrton Senna, and he tends to be associated with Imola for the saddest of reasons. But don't forget that he also holds a remarkable record at the circuit: he started from pole position an incredible eight times and seven of those were in succession.

Several drivers have good reason to favour Imola. Reigning World Champion Mika Hakkinen, for instance, scored his first World Championship points there in 1991 with fifth for Lotus. Heinz-Harald Frentzen scored his one and only World Championship win there in 1997. Giancarlo Fisichella is another who scored his first World Championships points there: fourth for Jordan in 1997. And among the milestones on this occasion should be Rubens Barrichello's 100th Grand Prix.

In terms of margin of victory, the smallest margin was when Gilles Villeneuve harried Didier Pironi all the way to the line in 1982 in their Ferraris, and Pironi was the unscheduled winner by just 0.366s.

The largest margin of victory was a full lap in 1985, but then that was an odd race anyway: Ayrton Senna was heading for victory when his Lotus ran out of fuel. That put Stefan Johansson into the lead but he, too, ground to a halt for the same reason. Alain Prost took the chequered flag followed by Elio de Angelis's Lotus. The Italian was a lap ahead of Thierry Boutsen's Arrows which freewheeled across the line with empty fuel tanks. But then Prost's car was found to be under weight, so de Angelis was declared the winner - a lap ahead of Boutsen.

For most motor racing enthusiasts, Imola arrived on the map in 1980 with its first Grand Prix. But as with any circuit, there is a long history which goes way back: 1953, 1950, 1947 or even 80 B.C. were all significant. However, it's perhaps stretching it a little to suggest that Imola's motor racing heritage stems from the 15,000 seat amphitheatre built in 80 B. C. on the Via Emilia towards Bologna.

Fast forward to 1947: Imola was already the scene of motocross events and unsophisticated street races. One was washed out by a severe storm, and those involved started searching for a more suitable, even permanent location.

In the Acque Minerali Park on the quiet, southern banks of the River Santerno, a local engineer had begun to lay out roads as part of an unemployment scheme. Four young men fantasised about building a motorcycle racing circuit there, well away from the town centre. And when Enzo Ferrari visited Imola and saw what was happening, he began to take an interest. He would eventually compare the circuit to a mini-Nurburgring.

And so, like all good fantasies, the young men's dream eventually became reality. The track comprised three straights interspersed by 16 bends whose radii varied from 36 to six meters, a total of 5017 long and winding, fast and picturesque meters. The first sod was turned in March 1950.

In 1952, the track was tested by Ascari, Villoresi and Marzotto driving Ferrari 340 sports cars. They averaged 149 kph while a trio of motorcycle racers averaged 138 kph. On April 25th, 1953 Imola hosted its first event, a motorcycle meeting organised by the 4047 strong Motor Club of Imola, the biggest club in Italy.

After the initial success, the organisers set up a huge fund in order to make their Gold Cup motorcycle meeting permanent, resulting in a motorcycle festival which spread through the whole region. At the same time, Imola's first event for sports cars was won by Umberto Maglioli in a Ferrari.

However, Imola was very much a motorcycle circuit during its formative years and one Bernard Charles Ecclestone remembers racing a Manx Norton there in the mid-fifties. He would return a few years later to race a Cooper.

Little development took place during those early days as officialdom and politics prevented progress. Owners of nearby land made claims and counter-claims while parishioners using a church within the circuit had to be issued with special passes. In 1959, however, development restarted.

Four years later came the big day when Grand Prix cars first raced at Imola, a non-championship event but lacking two vital ingredients: Ferrari and excitement. It was so dominated by Jim Clark in a Lotus that it was 13 years before Formula One returned to the circuit.

In the meantime, Ferrari had become very much involved in Imola. A motion by the city council was passed in 1970 to name the circuit after Enzo Ferrari's son Dino who had died in 1956 aged 24. And a couple of years later, control of the circuit passed to the Bologna Automobile Club and SAGIS, securing its future to the present day.

In 1979, Formula One returned to Imola for a non-championship race. This was in order to test the organisation and infrastructure so that a Grand Prix could be run there. The idea was that Imola would alternate with Monza to host the Italian Grand Prix. This time Ferrari was the big draw; Villeneuve and Scheckter were first and second on the grid, but beaten by ex-Ferrari driver Niki Lauda in the race.

Those who had raced in the non-championship event knew what to expect when Imola held the 51st Italian Grand Prix in September the next year. Newcomers were amazed by the facilities, whether for mechanics, teams or journalists, although they were less enamoured by the very tight Acque Minerali chicane. The two turbocharged Renaults of Rene Arnoux and Jean-Pierre Jabouille held the front row, but dropped back and Nelson Piquet won in a Brabham, although eventual champion Alan Jones was second.

Enzo Ferrari's status in motor racing meant that he was able to persuade motor racing's governing body and those in charge of promotion to adopt Imola as the venue for a San Marino Grand Prix, having particularly close links with the Republic. Thus Imola hosted its first San Marino Grand Prix in the spring of 1981, won by Piquet again in poor conditions.

Since then, there has been a San Marino Grand Prix every year. There have been memorable moments: the Renault versus Ferrari battle in 1982, won by Didier Pironi who grabbed victory from Gilles Villeneuve in his last race. In 1983, both Patrese and Arnoux went off to hand victory to Tambay and Ferrari. Prost won on his last drops of petrol in 1986.

Piquet had a frightening accident at Tamburello in 1987 and two years later Berger crashed in flames at the same corner, the driver miraculously unhurt. In 1994, Imola's black weekend was marked by the tragic deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna. The circuit was substantially changed for 1995; since then Hill has won twice for Williams, Frentzen scored his maiden victory, Coulthard won in 1998 and M. Schumacher was last year's winner.

Location map powered by expedia.com

  Sirkuit - 2001

 _Kurniawan Computerized Feature Production, © 2001s