2001 Wrap-Up: Schumacher On Top of the World

Michael Schumacher never had it so good as in 2001.

The season may go down in Formula One history as the German's finest, a milestone of a year in which the Ferrari driver smashed record after record and wrapped up a fourth title with four races to spare. Next year there will be new challengers on the way up, men whose performances in 2001 suggest that Schumacher may not be quite so dominant even if he remains the favourite for a record-equalling fifth Championship.

Old sparring partner Mika Hakkinen will not be around next year, taking a sabbatical and handing over his McLaren to young thruster and fellow Finn Kimi Raikkonen after a season marked by many lows and a few highs. Hakkinen's failure in Spain in April, when his car broke down five bends from the end as he headed for victory, was a massive and heart-rending blow for the twice champion.

But McLaren's David Coulthard, bolstered by second place overall at the end of his best ever season despite several embarrassing stalls on the grid, will be taking aim at Schumacher's title as team leader. Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya was a winner in his rookie year, despite only six finishes in 17 races, and showed several times with typical directness that he knows how to deal with Schumacher in wheel-to-wheel combat.

Montoya, the personality that Formula One has been waiting for in recent years, will not be a man to mess with in 2002 now that he knows all the circuits and how to cut through the F1 politics. Williams teammate Ralf Schumacher, Michael's younger brother, has emerged with three wins under his belt along with a wife and newborn son to provide added stability as he enters a new phase in his career.

Ralf, who gave Williams their first win since 1997 and delighted tyre supplier Michelin in their comeback year, is eager to become a real nuisance to big brother.

Money Worries

Benetton have departed, replaced by Renault in 2002 when the French plan to show their true colours with a car and engine combination that could take some beating after a season of learning the hard way. Formula One is a tough business and the future, even for Ferrari with three successive Constructors' world titles and the finest car on the grid, looks more and more competitive as manufacturers pump money into the sport.

The year started with one team - Minardi - rescued at the 11th hour from potential collapse and another - Prost - seeking temporary shelter in receivership but looking increasingly unlikely to survive. Two team principals have bitten the dust - Jaguar's American CART icon Bobby Rahal and British American Racing's smooth-operating Craig Pollock - while Alain Prost could yet follow them out of the paddock inner sanctum.

Rahal went after trying and failing to lure top designer Adrian Newey from McLaren to Jaguar and then offering his driver Eddie Irvine to Jordan. Australian aviation millionaire Paul Stoddart landed at Minardi, Niki Lauda took Jaguar by the scruff of the neck and David Richards eased himself into the hot seat at BAR.

Malaysia and the Czech Republic added to the list of countries providing Formula One drivers with Alex Yoong and Tomas Enge respectively. Heinz-Harald Frentzen became the first proven race winner in a decade to be fired when Jordan abruptly showed him the door before his home race at Hockenheim.

Argentine Gaston Mazzacane was quietly dismissed by Prost after four races. French veteran Jean Alesi called it quits, replaced by Japan's Takuma Sato at Jordan to the despair of many fans enamoured of his sizzling skills.

Brazilian Luciano Burti had one accident too many in his Prost in a headlong crash at Spa in Belgium and was fortunate to escape with little more than severe concussion. Burti, who rammed into the back of Schumacher at Hockenheim, will now be able to appreciate the champion's skills from even closer range after being appointed as the Italian team's second test driver for 2002. He will have plenty to admire.

Schumacher had some big crashes too in a season that saw the return of electronic 'driver aids' such as traction control but he also won nine races in 2001, a record-equalling haul, to take him to an unrivalled 53 career victories. He clinched the title in Hungary and ended up with the biggest points tally for a single season, the greatest margin over second place and the outright record for career points scored.

He might have scored even more points had he not been seriously shaken by the tragic events of September 11, an outrage that left him a reluctant racer at Monza in Italy and with his mind on other things at Indianapolis. Technical director Ross Brawn even suggested that the driver, who renewed his contract to the end of 2004 just before the Monaco Grand Prix, had contemplated quitting.

Tragic Times

Motorsport often has tragedies of its own to come to terms with and 2001 was no exception. The season started with an Australian race overshadowed by the death of marshal Graham Beveridge, struck by a flying wheel that punched through an opening in a fence after Jacques Villeneuve and Ralf collided.

Italian Michele Alboreto, a former Formula One regular, died in testing for the Le Mans 24 Hours sportscar race while Alex Zanardi, another popular paddock face, lost both his legs in a massive CART smash at the same track in Germany.

In NASCAR, the iconic Dale Earnhardt - known as the 'Intimidator' to his fans - died of head injuries in a crash in February at Daytona Beach, Florida. Former team owner Ken Tyrrell, Formula One's favourite uncle, died of cancer and marked the passing of an era when deals were done with a shake of the hand and teams could be successful on low budgets and enthusiasm.

Throughout 2001 the talk was mostly of the major manufacturers, and their plan to set up a rival series should a deal with television rights holders Kirch fail, and the threats posed by the chill winds of recession.

Money spoke as loud as ever in Formula One in 2001.