September 2001

30 September 2001 Mika Häkkinen started from fourth place on the grid to win the US GP after the two Williams retired and Barrichello was taken out of the race by engine problems with one lap to go. M. Schumacher, who had been helping his team mate in the hope he would move up to second place in the Drivers Championship, finished second ahead of Coulthard, Trulli, Irvine and Heidfeld. The usually calm and controlled Häkkinen, who is taking a one year sabbatical from Formula 1 at the end of this season, was overjoyed by his victory.

The US GP finishing times:

1 HAKKINEN McLaren Mercedes 1h32m42.840s 2 M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari +11.046s 3 COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes +12.043s 4 TRULLI Jordan Honda +57.423s 5 IRVINE Jaguar +1m12.434s 6 HEIDFELD Sauber Petronas +1m12.996s 7 ALESI Jordan Honda +1 lap 8 FISICHELLA Benetton Renault +1 lap 9 BUTTON Benetton Renault +1 lap 10 FRENTZEN Prost Acer +1 lap 11 PANIS BAR Honda +1 lap 12 DE LA ROSA Jaguar +1 lap 13 BERNOLDI Arrows Asiatech +1 lap 14 ENGE Prost Acer +1 lap 15 BARRICHELLO Ferrari +2 laps 16 VILLENEUVE BAR Honda +28 laps 17 VERSTAPPEN Arrows Asiatech +29 laps 18 MONTOYA Williams BMW +35 laps 19 YOONG Minardi European +35 laps 20 R.SCHUMACHER Williams BMW +37 laps 21 ALONSO Minardi European +37 laps 22 RAIKKONEN Sauber Petronas +71 laps

30 September 2001 Ross Brawn confirmed that M. Schumacher had considered retiring from Formula 1 after the terror attacks to America. According to Brawn, M. Schumacher was really shaken by the events but, after a few days, he remembered just how much he loves racing and decided to continue. The World Champion had admitted that it had a been a "crytical week" after arriving in Indianapolis on Thursday last week.

30 September 2001 Mika Häkkinen has been handed a penalty for leaving the pit lane while the exit lights were red during qualifying for the US GP at Indianapolis. The Finn's grid position has been downgraded from second to fourth. Häkkinen's grid demotion moves R. Schumacher on the front row and Montoya to third spot on the grid. Häkkinen was furious about the penalty and said that this sort of things is exactly the reason why he is taking a sabbatical from Formula 1.

29 September 2001 M. Schumacher put in a good effort to take pole position from Häkkinen with less than ten minutes left in the qualifying session of the US GP. The second row on the grid will be dominated by Williams, with the younger Schumacher on the third spot and Montoya in fourth. Barrichello will start from fifth place alongside Heidfeld, who had already surprised in practice. A frustrated Coulthard will start from seventh place on the grid, behind his two rivals for the second place in the Drivers Championship, with Tulli in eighth place.

The US GP qualifying times:

1. M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari 1'11"708 (average 210.454 Km/h) 2. HAKKINEN McLaren Mercedes 1'11"945 3. R.SCHUMACHER Williams BMW 1'11"986 4. MONTOYA Williams BMW 1'12"252 5. BARRICHELLO Ferrari 1'12"327 6. HEIDFELD Sauber Ferrari 1'12"434 7. COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes 1'12"500 8. TRULLI Jordan Honda 1'12"605 9. ALESI Jordan Honda 1'12"607 10. BUTTON Benetton Renault 1'12"805 11. RAIKKONEN Sauber Ferrari 1'12"881 12. FISICHELLA Benetton Renault 1'12"942 13. PANIS Bar Honda 1'13"122 14. IRVINE Jaguar Ford 1'13"189 15. FRENTZEN Prost Ferrari 1'13"281 16. DE LA ROSA Jaguar Ford 1'13"679 17. ALONSO Minardi European 1'13"991 18. VILLENEUVE Bar Honda 1'14"012 19. BERNOLDI Arrows Asiatech 1'14"129 20. VERSTAPPEN Arrows Asiatech 1'14"138 21. ENGE Prost Ferrari 1'14"185 22. YOONG Minardi European 1'15"247

29 September 2001 BAR-Honda announced that they have reached a sponsorship agreement with EA Sports, the largest producer of computer games. EA Sports is currently promoting its new Formula 1 game for PlayStation 2, F1 2001, officially licensed by FIA.

29 September 2001 Despite suffering a car beak down with 10 minutes left in the second hour of the Saturday practice session at Indianapolis, M. Schumacher still managed to clock the fastest lap time ahead of Häkkinen. A surprisingly good Heidfeld bagged the third time in front of the likes of R. Schumacher and Barrichello. Montoya maintained the sixth best time had had achieved in the first hour.

The US GP Saturday combined practice session times:

1. M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari 1'12"078 (average 209.373 Km/h) 2. HAKKINEN McLaren Mercedes 1'12"330 3. HEIDFELD Sauber Ferrari 1'12"407 4. R.SCHUMACHER Williams BMW 1'12"454 5. BARRICHELLO Ferrari 1'12"463 6. MONTOYA Williams BMW 1'12"668 7. FISICHELLA Benetton Renault 1'12"672 8. COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes 1'12"724 9. BUTTON Benetton Renault 1'12"955 10. RAIKKONEN Sauber Ferrari 1'13"186 11. TRULLI Jordan Honda 1'13"205 12. PANIS Bar Honda 1'13"521 13. ALESI Jordan Honda 1'13"675 14. DE LA ROSA Jaguar Ford 1'13"753 15. FRENTZEN Prost Ferrari 1'13"870 16. BERNOLDI Arrows Asiatech 1'13"978 17. IRVINE Jaguar Ford 1'14"052 18. ENGE Prost Ferrari 1'14"205 19. VILLENEUVE Bar Honda 1'14"346 20. ALONSO Minardi European 1'14"867 21. VERSTAPPEN Arrows Asiatech 1'14"902 22. YOONG Minardi European 1'15"604

29 September 2001 In sun-splashed Indianapolis, M. Schumacher topped the lap times table in the first free practice session for the US GP. The German clocked the fastest time ahead of his brother Ralf, team mate Barrichello, Häkkinen, Coulthard and Montoya.

The US GP Saturday first free practice session times:

1. M.SCHUMACHER (Ferrari) 1'12"078 (average 209.373 Km/h) 2. R. SCHUMACHER (Williams-BMW) 1'12"454 3. BARRICHELLO (Ferrari) 1'12"463 4. HAKKINEN (McLaren-Mercedes) 1'12"617 5. COULTHARD (McLaren-Mercedes) 1'12"724 6. MONTOYA (Williams-BMW) 1'12"787 7. BUTTON (Benetton-Renault) 1'12"955 8. HEIDFELD (Sauber-Ferrari) 1'13"079 9. FISICHELLA (Benetton-Renault) 1'13"283 10. TRULLI (Jordan-Honda) 1'13"429 11. RAIKKONEN (Sauber-Ferrari) 1'13"520 12. PANIS (Bar-Honda) 1'13"521 13. ALESI (Jordan-Honda) 1'13"931 14. FRENTZEN (Prost-Ferrari) 1'14"122 15. DE LA ROSA (Jaguar-Ford) 1'14"126 16. IRVINE (Jaguar-Ford) 1'14"212 17. BERNOLDI (Arrows-Asiatech) 1'14"390 18. VILLENEUVE (Bar-Honda) 1'14"460 19. ENGE (Prost-Ferrari) 1'14"675 20. VERSTAPPEN (Arrows-Asiatech) 1'15"005 21. ALONSO (Minardi-European) 1'15"271 22. YOONG (Minardi-European) 1'15"718

28 September 2001 On the day of his 33rd birthday Mika Häkknen showed off by clocking the fastest lap time ahead of Drivers Champion M. Schumacher, Barrichello, Coulthard, Irvine and Heidfeld.

The US GP Friday combined free practice session times:

1 HAKKINEN McLaren Mercedes 1m13.387s 2 M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari 1m13.552s 3 BARRICHELLO Ferrari 1m13.584s 4 COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes 1m13.656s 5 IRVINE Jaguar 1m13.806s 6 HEIDFELD Sauber Petronas 1m13.827s 7 FRENTZEN Prost Acer 1m13.858s 8 DE LA ROSA Jaguar 1m13.917s 9 R.SCHUMACHER Williams BMW 1m13.919s 10 MONTOYA Williams BMW 1m13.983s 11 RAIKKONEN Sauber Petronas 1m14.027s 12 ALESI Jordan Honda 1m14.057s 13 BUTTON Benetton Renault 1m14.186s 14 TRULLI Jordan Honda 1m14.215s 15 PANIS BAR Honda 1m14.368s 16 ENGE Prost Acer 1m14.767s 17 FISICHELLA Benetton Renault 1m14.911s 18 VILLENEUVE BAR Honda 1m14.999s 19 ALONSO Minardi European 1m15.131s 20 BERNOLDI Arrows Asiatech 1m15.449s 21 VERSTAPPEN Arrows Asiatech 1m15.547s 22 YOONG Minardi European 1m16.318s

27 September 2001 Alex Zanardi has been declared out of danger by the medical team that has been looking after him. Zanardi is now being monitored to decide when he will be able to be taken out of intensive care.

26 September 2001 Former Sauber designer Sergio Rinland has just signed a contract with Arrows. Rinland, who designed the C20, left Sauber at the start of the year after disagreements with the team over working practices.

25 September 2001 Today's Bild says that the details of M. Schumacher's trip to Indianapolis for the US GP are being kept secret. It is not known whether the German will leave on Wednesday or Thursday. The only detail known is that he will use his own private jet, leaving probably from Geneva, with two pilots on board. The plane is too small to cover the whole distance, so it will have to stop over somewhere for refuelling, but it is not known where. Apparently the only possible four locations are Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland or Halifax. R. Schumacher is supposed to have already left yesterday in secrecy for Canada, whence he will travel to Indianapolis tomorrow.

24 September 2001 Rubens Barrichello and Silvana's first child was born today in Säo Paulo in Brazil. The baby boy, named Eduardo, was born at 3.00am local time, weights 3.6 kg and is 50 cm tall. The birth was normal and both the mother and the baby are doing fine. According to his press officer Barrichello, who was present at the birth, will stay in Brazil with the family for the next two days, then he will go to Indianapolis for the US GP.

23 September 2001 The organisers of the French Grand Prix have confirmed that their 2002 fixture has been moved to 21 July in order to avoid clashing with the World Cup finals.

22 September 2001 Niki Lauda said that all the teams will be present in Indianapolis for the US GP. Lauda said that the teams have signed contracts with FIA and the organisers of the GP. The only way to have the GP cancelled would be for all the partecipants to agree not to race.

22 September 2001 Rear stop lights on Formula 1 cars were supposed to be tested for the first time during the US GP, but it has now been decided to postpone the experiment to a later date.

22 September 2001 extra security will be implemented at Indianapolis for the US GP. The public will have to arrive early to allow comprehensive security checks at the gates and people will only be allowed to bring small-size coolers for their drinks.

21 September 2001 Alessandro Zanardi has been brought out of induced coma and his wife has informed him that his legs have been amputated. The Italian driver said that he was happy to be alive and that things would be alright as long as his wife Daniela and his son Niccolo are with him. The doctors who operated on hims said that he presented wounds similar to those of a someone stepping on a landmine.

20 September 2001 The season is over for Luciano Burti. The Brazilian is taking medical advice to rest until at least December, as he is at risk of serious consequences should he suffer another hit to the head before being completely healed. Prost took on their option on Tomas Enge, who will replace Burti in the last two races of the year.

19 September 2001 According to German paper Bild, M. Schumacher is considering retiring from racing because of the psychological pressure of personal problems and worries. Bild says that M. Schumacher's main worries are the recent terror attacks in America, the serious accidents he and other drivers have been involved in, family happiness, Häkkinen's break from the sport and Ecclestone's threats.

19 September 2001 Ferrari have started shipping material to the US for the Grand Prix at Indianapolis. The move indicates that the US GP is to go ahead as planned.

18 September 2001 According to German paper Motorsport, Heinz-Harald Frentzen's lawyers have asked the Jordan team for 7.5 million US dollars for breach of contract. Frentzen, who was sacked by the team on 25 July, was supposed to drive for Jordan until 2002.

18 September 2001 Freight air traffic in the US has normalised. It will therefore be possible to move Formula 1 equipment from Europe for the US GP scheduled for the 30th of September at Indianapolis.

18 September 2001 M. Schumacher has been given permission by Ferrari not to race in Indianapolis if he so wished. Despite the permission, M. Schumacher has announced that he intends to take part in the US GP. Bernie Ecclestone had threatened to strip M. Schumacher of his Drivers Championship title if the German did not race in the US.

17 September 2001 The doctors at the Marzahn hospital in Berlin are planning to take Zanardi out of induced coma in the next couple of days.

17 September 2001 There is still no confirmation that the US GP will go ahead. Mosley and Ecclestone want the race to take place, but some drivers, including the Schumacher brothers, are against it. On the other hand other drivers, such as Montoya, are in favour of the US GP going ahead as planned. Ecclestone recently told a British tabloid that M. Schumacher could lose his Drivers Championship title if he does not race in Indianapolis. Currently all freight flights to the US are still grounded. Passenger flights are now allowed to travel to America.

16 September 2001 Alex Zanardi has been put in induced coma at the Marzahn hospital in Berlin. The doctors said that the driver is not in immediate danger, but that it is necessary to wait another 24-48 hours before they can say how long it will take him to recover.

16 September 2001 Montoya started from pole to experience his first Formula 1 GP win after fuel hose problems during a pit stop took Barrichello out of the lead. The Brazilian still managed to finish second to reduce the gap between himself and Coulthard (who suffered a blown engine) to only three points. The two Schumacher brothers finished third and fourth, with Ralf ahead of Michael. De La Rosa and Villeneuve completed the points finisher. There were no champagne celebrations on the podium as a mark of respect to the victims of the terror attacks to America and to Alessandro Zanardi, who suffered an horrific accident yesterday.

The Italian GP finishing times:

1. MONTOYA (Williams-BMW) 1h16'58"493 2. BARRICHELLO (Ferrari) + 5"175 3. R.SCHUMACHER (Williams-BMW) + 17"335 4. M.SCHUMACHER (Ferrari) + 24"991 5. DE LA ROSA (Jaguar-Cosworth) + 1'14"984 6. VILLENEUVE (Bar-Honda) + 1'22"469 7. RAIKKONEN (Sauber-Ferrari) + 1'23"107 8. ALESI (Jordan-Honda) + 1 lap 9. PANIS (Bar-Honda) + 1 lap 10. FISICHELLA (Benetton-Renault) + 1 lap 11. HEIDFELD (Sauber-Ferrari) + 1 lap 12. ENGE (Prost-Ferrari) + 1 lap 13. ALONSO (Minardi-European) + 2 laps

16 September 2001 In today's Italian GP, Ferrari will run without sponsors logos and with a black nosecone. Jaguar will sport black too and Jordan will have an American flag on the car. Meanwhile it has been announced that the GP will take place regularly, after several team owners ordered their drivers to do a normal start. All drivers with the exception of Villeneuve had previously signed a paper agreeing to a "staged" start, in which the drivers stick to their grid position without trying to overtake until they are past the second bend. The move was intended to avoid having a shunt at the start.

16 September 2001 The Italian GP, scheduled for a couple of hours from now, could be cancelled. The GP organisation is currently talking to the drivers, who want the race cancelled because of the terror attacks to America and also because of yesterday's Formula Cart accident in which Alessandro Zanardi lost his legs.

15 September 2001 Surgeons could do nothing to save former Formula 1 driver Alessandro Zanardi's legs following the accident he suffered at Lausitzring. One leg was amputated above the knee and the other below. The Italian driver also suffered a broken pelvis.

15 September 2001 Alessandro Zanardi has regained consciousness and is undergoing emergency surgery.

15 September 2001 Former Formula 1 driver Alessandro Zanardi is in a coma after a frightful accident at Lausitzring, the same circuit where Michele Alboreto lost his life in April. The accident occurred during the first European Formula Cart race, renamed American Memorial as a mark of respect for the victims of this week's terror attacks on America. Zanardi's car went into a spin after coming out of a pit stop on lap 143 out of 154 and was hit by Tagliani's car. Zanardi's car cracked into halves and stopped on the track. The Italian was taken to a specialistic medical center in Doberlug-Kirchhain, where his conditions were found to be extremely serious, with massive loss of blood and damage to the legs.

15 September 2001 Montoya put in another good effort in the qualifying session and took pole position for the third time this season. Barrichello overqualified team mate M. Schumacher for the first time this year to take the second spot on the front row. The two Schumacher brothers will share the second row, while Trulli's fifth place relegated Coulthard, who is fighting to keep second place in the Drivers Championship, to sixth. Häkkinen, who span into the barrier with four minutes to go to the end of the session, will start from seventh spot on the grid.

The Italian GP qualifying times:

1. MONTOYA (Williams-BMW) 1'22"216 (average 253.659 Km/h) 2. BARRICHELLO (Ferrari) 1'22"528 3. M.SCHUMACHER (Ferrari) 1'22"624 4. R.SCHUMACHER (Williams-BMW) 1'22"841 5. TRULLI (Jordan-Honda) 1'23"126 6. COULTHARD (McLaren-Mercedes) 1'23"148 7. HAKKINEN (McLaren-Mercedes) 1'23"394 8. HEIDFELD (Sauber-Ferrari) 1'23"417 9. RAIKKONEN (Sauber-Ferrari) 1'23"595 10. DE LA ROSA (Jaguar-Cosworth) 1'23"693 11. BUTTON (Benetton-Renault) 1'23"892 12. FRENTZEN (Prost-Ferrari) 1'23"943 13. IRVINE (Jaguar-Cosworth) 1'24"031 14. FISICHELLA (Benetton-Renault) 1'24"090 15. VILLENEUVE (Bar-Honda) 1'24"164 16. ALESI (Jordan-Honda) 1'24"198 17. PANIS (Bar-Honda) 1'24"677 18. BERNOLDI (Arrows-Asiatech) 1'25"444 19. VERSTAPPEN (Arrows-Asiatech) 1'25"511 20. ENGE (Prost-Ferrari) 1'26"039 21. ALONSO (Minardi-European) 1'26"218 22. YOONG (Minardi-European) 1'27"463

14 September 2001 Williams came back to their usual form in the second hour, as R. Schumacher and Montoya went ahed of M. Schumacher, De La Rosa, Barrichello and Häkkinen. Räikkonen and Heidfeld, who had damaged their cars in the first hour, could not take part in the second session.

The Italian GP combined practice times:

1. R. SCHUMACHER (Williams-BMW) 1'24"667 (average 246.316 Km/h) 2. MONTOYA (Williams-BMW) 1'25"067 3. M. SCHUMACHER (Ferrari) 1'25"131 4. DE LA ROSA (Jaguar-Cosworth) 1'25"205 5. BARRICHELLO (Ferrari) 1'25"311 6. HAKKINEN (McLaren-Mercedes) 1'25"343 7. COULTHARD (McLaren-Mercedes) 1'25"544 8. HEIDFELD (Sauber-Ferrari) 1'25"740 9. ALESI (Jordan-Honda) 1'25"849 10. FRENTZEN (Prost-Ferrari) 1'25"860 11. FISICHELLA (Benetton-Renault) 1'25"911 12. TRULLI (Jordan-Honda) 1'25"987 13. BUTTON (Benetton-Renault) 1'26"197 14. PANIS (Bar-Honda) 1'26"354 15. VILLENEUVE (Bar-Honda) 1'26"521 16. RAIKKONEN (Sauber-Ferrari) 1'26"701 17. ALONSO (Minardi-European) 1'26"972 18. BERNOLDI (Arrows-Asiatech) 1'27"217 19. IRVINE (Jaguar-Cosworth) 1'27"401 20. ENGE (Prost-Ferrari) 1'27"662 21. VERSTAPPEN (Arrows-Asiatech) 1'27"900 22. YOONG (Minardi-European) 1'28"250

14 September 2001 M. Schumacher clocked the fastest time in the first free parctice for the Italian GP at Monza. All sponsors logos have been removed from his car and that of team mate Barrichello and a black nosecone was used as a mark of respect to the people killed in the terrorist attacks to America on Tuesday 11 September. Coulthard, Barrichello, Heidfeld, Häkkinen and Button had the other top six times. Räikkonen and Heidfeld span out and damaged their cars.

The Italian GP first free practice times:

1. M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari 1'25"524 (average 243.847 km/h) 2. COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes 1'25"592 3. BARRICHELLO Ferrari 1'25"728 4. HEIDFELD Sauber Petronas 1'25"740 5. HAKKINEN McLaren Mercedes 1'26"053 6. BUTTON Benetton Renault 1'26"197 7. RAIKKONEN Sauber Petronas 1'26"701 8. R.SCHUMACHER Williams BMW 1'26"843 9. TRULLI Jordan Honda 1'27"001 10. DE LA ROSA Jaguar 1'27"066 11. PANIS BAR Honda 1'27"259 12. FISICHELLA Benetton Renault 1'27"276 13. IRVINE Jaguar 1'27"401 14. VILLENEUVE BAR Honda 1'27"502 15. FRENTZEN Prost 1'27"644 16. MONTOYA Williams BMW 1'27"667 17. ALESI Jordan Honda 1'28"148 18. BERNOLDI Arrows Asiatech 1'28"866 19. ALONSO Minardi European 1'29"184 20. ENGE Prost 1'29"948 21. YOONG Minardi European 1'31"192 22. VERSTAPPEN Arrows Asiatech 5'43"120

14 September 2001 All engines will be switched off today in Monza for ten minutes from 12:00pm to 12:10pm as a mark of respect for the victims of the terrorist attacks in the US.

14 September 2001 Mika Häkkinen has announced that he intends to take a break from the sport at the end of the current season. The Finn said that he is not retiring and could be back in Formula 1 in the future. His place at McLaren-Mercedes next season will be taken by Kimi Räikkönen.

14 September 2001 Ferrari will remove the logos of all its sponsors from the cars for the Italian GP and will also use black nosecones. The move is a mark of respect for the people who died in Tuesday's terrorist attacks in America. Ferrari wants the Italian GP to be a pure sporting event, with no commercial implications. Ferrari's move has the support of the financial and technical sponsors whose logos are being removed. Ferrari also cancelled the celebrations and party they had planned to celebrate clinching the Drivers and Constructors Championship with the Italian supporters.

13 September 2001 According to German paper Bild, twice World Champion Mika Häkkinen will anounce his retirement from Formula 1 on Saturday in Monza. Fellow Finn Räikkönen is rumoured to be in line to take his place at McLaren next season.

13 September 2001 Jaguar might not take part in the Italian GP. A team spokeperson told British paper the Times that they are evalueating the situation all the time and that they want to do what is best.

13 September 2001 Fred Nation, of the organisation of the US GP, said that they intend to hold the race despite the attack on New York and Washington of last Tuesday.

12 September 2001 Ferrari, who have already clinched this season's Drivers and Constructors Championships, have cancelled their planned celebrations at Monza as a sign of respect for those who died on Tuesday in the terrorist attack to the USA.

12 September 2001 A spokeperson for FIA said that there are no plans to cancel this weekend's Italian GP at Monza. The US GP, on the other hand, is still in danger of being cancelled, depending on how the situation in America evolves in the next couple of weeks. Currently the US GP, scheduled for the 30th of September, has not been officially cancelled so it must considered as going ahead as planned.

12 September 2001 Following yesterday's tragic events in the USA it is possible that the Italian GP, scheduled for the coming weekend, could be cancelled. Max Mosley will arrive in Italy later on today and will make an official statement. There also are rumours that the US GP at Indianapolis, scheduled for the 30th of Spetember, could be moved to an European venue.

12 September 2001 Marc Gené will carry on working as test driver for Williams next season.

10 September 2001 John Walton, sporting director of the Prost Acer team, has announced that Czech driver Tomas Enge will replace Luciano Burti in the Italian GP. The Brazilian driver was released from hospital today.

10 September 2001 An official communication is expected to be published today by the medical staff of the University Hospital of Liege, where Luciano Burti is recovering. It is expected that the driver will be able to leave the hospital tomorrow or Wednesday. Meanwhile, no statement has been made as to whether Burti will drive again this season.

10 September 2001 Bernie Ecclestone has hinted that car manufacturers will be able to influence future decisions on Formula 1 regulations. Mercedes, Renault, Ford, Toyota and Ferrari have a large capital invested in the sport and want to have more control on their investment. In the future the sport's regulation could be agreed by a committee formed by the technical directors of the partecipating teams, rather than by FIA. The move is seen as an attempt at reconciliation after some of the manufacturers threatened to break away and create a parallel racing series.

10 September 2001 China will not host a Formula 1 Grand Prix for a few years yet. Bernie Ecclestone said that he is interested in having a GP in China, but not until a suitable circuit is built. The changes required at the Zhuhai complex to bring the track up to Formula 1 standard would take two to three yeas to complete.

10 September 2001 The Luciano Burti saga continues, as the Prost Acer team have denied that the Brazilian will miss the rest of the season following his accident in Belgium. Burti is still in hospital and he will almost certainly miss the Italian GP scheduled for the coming weekend. The team is expected to announce Burti's replacement for Monza either later today or tomorrow, but it is not yet official that he will be replaced in the following races too.

9 September 2001 Formula 1 cars will sport brake lights for the first time during practice in the US GP this season. The low-visibility lights are being introduced as a measure to reduce the number of rear-end collisions and will be used only in practice to start with. If the brake lights prove to work, their use will be extended to the race itslef.

8 September 2001 Following Alex Yoong move to Minardi, the team is negotiating an engine deal with Malaysian firm Proton. Minardi recently announced that they will use Asiatech encgines next season. It is likely that Asiatech will build the egine, which will be rebadged as Proton. As part of the deal Proton will offer Asiatech the financial and engineering backing to develop the engine.

7 September 2001 Kimi Räikkönen suffered a massive crash during private Sauber tests at Magny Cours. The car was completely destroyed after the Finn left the track at 170 km/h. According to Sauber spokeperson Agnes Carlier, Räikkönen was taken to hospital for tests before returning home, but there are no doubts that he will race in Monza. Peter Sauber also confirmed that Mercedes have contacted him asking for permission to talk to the Finn, who has a two-year contract with the Sauber team.

7 September 2001 The season is probably over for Luciano Burti. Gary Hartstein, a member of FIA's medical team, said in a BBC radio interview that the Brazilian driver needs at least two months to be completely fit again. Hartstein does not think that Burti can compete in Monza and he believes that the Brazilian will miss the rest of the season too.

6 September 2001 After a very good testing session with Prost Acer, Czech driver Tomas Enge is the favourite to replace Luciano Burti in the Italian GP. The Brazilian driver has now been moved out of intensive care, but it is unlikely that he will be fit enough to race in Monza on 16 September.

5 September 2001 Flavio Briatore, patron of the Benetton team, has proposed that rivers who make mistakes during a Grand Prix should receive a two-race suspension. Prost's driver Luciano Burti is still in hospital with brain bruising following an accident during the Belgian GP.

5 September 2001 Czech driver Tomas Enge, 25, will test for Prost Acer at Magny-Cours.

4 September 2001 After visiting Burti in hospital, Rubens Barrichello reported that Irvine did most of the work of organising the rescue of Burti from under the tyre barrier at Spa. The Brazilian also commented on how the safety of Formula 1 has increased in the past few years.

4 September 2001 Luciano Burti is doing well despite brain buising, according to the Prost team. He will probably be moved out of intensive care tomorrow.

3 September 2001 Luciano Burti will probably stay in hospital in Liege under observation until the end of the week, possibly longer, according to a Prost team spokeperson. Eddie Irvine, who was involved in the accident, today went to the hospital to see Burti, but the doctors did not let him into the Emergency department and the Jaguar driver left after a couple of hours leaving a message with Burti's assistant.

3 September 2001 According to the Italian and French press, Luca Badoer could replace Luciano Burti in the Prost in the Italian GP if the unlucky Brazilian is not fit for driving in the race. Prost currently use Ferrari engines and could use that link to borrow Badoer, who is Ferrari's test driver.

3 September 2001 The doctors of the Liege University Hospital said that Burti's condition is unchanged from yesterday. The driver had a quiet night and is going to remain in hospital for further observation.

2 September 2001 The Liege University Hospital confirmed that Luciano Burti is out of danger and does not have any broken bones. The Brazilian has undergone a series of tests, including an encephalogram. All tests were negative, except for two bruise spots on his brain. Burti is being kept in the hospital for observation and tomorrow he will have another encephalogram. Burti has apparently suffered only cuts and a severe concussion as the front part of his helmet was smashed in during the accident. The FIA has released an official statement saying that Luciano Burti is fine. Barrichello, who has visited Burti in hospital, said that his fellow countryman is furious with Irvine and wishes he could leave the hospital so that he could "thump" the Jaguar driver.

2 September 2001 The Belgian GP was full of surprises before it even started, as first Frentzen, who had qualified fourth, then Montoya, who was in pole posisiton, stalled their cars and were relagated to the back of the grid. On lap four Irvine tried to overtake Burti and the two cars touched, sending the Brazilian careering head-on into the tyre barrier. The race was red flagged on lap six as the stewards and the medical personnel worked to extract Burti from the debris of his car. The race restarted some 15 minutes later, having been reduced to 36 laps. On the second start it was R. Schumacher's time to have problems as the Wiliams mechanics were caught by the 15 seconds rule and left the unfortunate German's car jacked up while the other cars set off for the installation lap. Like team mate Montoya, R. Schumacher was relegated to the back of the grid for the start. M. Schumacher took the lead and kept it unchallenged for the whole race to win his 52nd GP, the new absolute record of victories by one driver. Coulthard managed to go past an exceptioanlly good Fisichella to finish second and consolidate his position in the Drivers Championship. Häkkinen finished fourth ahead of Barrichello, who jeopardised his bid to overtake Coulthard in the Championship by making too many mistakes, aided by a good dose of bad luck. Alesi kept R. Schumacher at bay to finish in sixth place, bringing home a point for Jordan only in his second race for the team. Towards the end of the GP word was received from the hospital in Liege, where Burti had been taken, that the Brazilian had suffered concussion but had no broken bones.

The Belgian GP finishing times:

1. M.SCHUMACHER (Ferrari) in 1h08'05"002 2. COULTHARD (McLaren-Mercedes) + 10"0 3. FISICHELLA (Benetton-Renault) + 27"7 4. HAKKINEN (McLaren-Mercedes) + 36"0 5. BARRICHELLO (Ferrari) + 54"5 6. ALESI (Jordan-Honda) + 59"6 7. R.SCHUMACHER (Williams-BMW) + 59"9 8. VILLENEUVE (Bar-Honda) + 1'04"9 9. FRENTZEN (Prost-Ferrari) + 1 lap 10. VERSTAPPEN (Arrows-Asiatech) + 1 lap 11. PANIS (Bar-Honda) + 1 lap 12. BERNOLDI (Arrows-Asiatech) + 1 lap 13. MARQUES (Minardi-European) + 4 laps 14. TRULLI (Jordan-Honda) + 5 laps (retired but classified)

2 September 2001 Fernando Alonso has been given the all-clear by doctors at the Blanchimont medical center, where his right leg was examined following this morning's accident. The driver, who admitted that the crash was caused by his own mistake, will take part in the Belgian GP.

2 September 2001 M. Schumacher was fastest in the morning warm-up ahead of the Belgian GP. In the closing stages of the session Alonso suffered a huge crash and completely destroyed his car. Alonso walked out of the accident on his own legs, but was seen to be limping. If he is found to be not fit enough to drive, newly-signed driver Alex Yoong will take his place.

2 September 2001 After the end of yesterday's qualifying session European-Minardi announced that they will be using Asiatech V10 engines next season. The team will have an exclusive engine deal for 2002, with an option to extend the contract.

1 September 2001 The race stewards of the Belgian GP rejected Ron Dennis' complaint that several drivers had clocked their fastest time under yellow flag conditions. The starting grid positions are now official.

1 September 2001 The starting grid for tomorrow's Belgian GP has not yet been officialised. Ron Dennis presented a formal complaint saying that 12 drivers, including the Williams drivers, clocked their qualifying times under yellow flag conditions. The race officers are investigating the claim.

1 September 2001 Montoya put in a last-minute effort to take pole position from team mate R. Schumacher for the Belgian GP under very changeable weather conditions. Current World Champion M. Schumacher had to settle for third place and will line up alongside Frentzen, who managed to place his Prost car in fourth place on the grid. Barrichello, who hopes to overtake Coulthard for second place in the Drivers Championship, could do no better than the third row alongside Villeneuve. Coulthard had a less than ideal session and qualified in the nineth spot. The Scot blamed his poor performance in qualifying on the team, who sent him out with the wrong type of tyre for the track conditions. The two Arrows and the two Minardi qualified outside the 107% time but will be allowed to take part in the GP because of exceptional circumstances (the weather situation).

The Belgian GP qualifying times:

1. Montoya (Williams) 1'52"072 (average 223.828 Km/h) 2. R.Schumacher (Williams) 1'52"959 3. M.Schumacher (Ferrari) 1'54"685 4. Frentzen (Prost) 1'55"233 5. Barrichello (Ferrari) 1'56"116 6. Villeneuve (Bar) 1'57"038 7. Häkkinen (McLaren) 1'57"043 8. Fisichella (Benetton) 1'57"668 9. Coulthard (McLaren) 1'58"008 10. De La Rosa (Jaguar) 1'58"519 11. Panis (Bar) 1'58"838 12. Räikkönen (Sauber) 1'59"050 13. Alesi (Jordan) 1'59"128 14. Heidfeld (Sauber) 1'59"302 15. Button (Benetton) 1'59"587 16. Trulli (Jordan) 1'59"647 17. Irvine (Jaguar) 1'59"689 18. Burti (Prost) 1'59"900 19. Verstappen (Arrows) 2'02"039 20. Alonso (Minardi) 2'02"594 21. Bernoldi (Arrows) 2'03"048 22. Marques (Minardi) 2'04"204

Last updated on by Federica Massagrande