David Coulthard won from fifth on the grid, cutting Ferrari's championship lead and marking McLaren's first victory of the 2001 season.
Key Facts
- Race winner
- David Coulthard (McLaren)
- Victory margin
- 16.1 seconds over Schumacher
- Race distance
- 71 laps laps
- Spectators
- 70,000
- Championship round
- 3rd of 17 races
- Coulthard career wins
- 10th career Formula One victory
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Mika Häkkinen's McLaren stalled on the starting grid, triggering a safety car deployment. When the safety car withdrew after lap two, Williams driver Juan Pablo Montoya passed pole-sitter Michael Schumacher for the lead, controlling the race until lap 39 when Arrows' Jos Verstappen collided with him, forcing both to retire.
The 2001 Brazilian Grand Prix was held on 1 April 2001 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in São Paulo before 70,000 spectators. Starting fifth, David Coulthard inherited the lead after Montoya's retirement, briefly lost it to Schumacher during wet-weather tyre stops, then reclaimed it on lap 50 and drove to victory by 16.1 seconds.
Coulthard's win was his tenth career Formula One victory and reduced Michael Schumacher's Drivers' Championship lead to six points, elevating Coulthard to second overall. McLaren also trimmed Ferrari's Constructors' Championship advantage to 15 points with 14 races remaining in the season.