Michael Schumacher's ninth win of 2001 set a season points record of 123, surpassing Alain Prost's all-time career points record.
Key Facts
- Race winner
- Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
- Attendance
- 150,000 spectators
- Schumacher's wins in 2001
- 9 wins
- Schumacher's season points
- 123 points
- Championship round
- 17th and final round of 2001 season
- Mika Häkkinen's final race
- 20 career wins, 2 World Championships
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 2001 Formula One World Championship reached its final round at Suzuka with Michael Schumacher already crowned World Drivers' Champion. Schumacher qualified on pole position, and Williams' Juan Pablo Montoya lined up alongside him on the front row, setting the stage for a competitive final race.
Schumacher led from pole, repelling Montoya's early challenge to control the 53-lap race. He won by 3.1 seconds over Montoya, with David Coulthard third after teammate Mika Häkkinen yielded the position in the closing laps. It was Häkkinen's final Formula One Grand Prix after a ten-year career spanning 20 victories and two world titles.
Schumacher's victory gave him a record 123 championship points for the season, surpassing Alain Prost's all-time career points record. Ferrari finished 77 points clear of McLaren in the Constructors' Championship. Coulthard ended the season as runner-up, 56 points behind Schumacher, whose nine wins equalled records held by himself (1995, 2000) and Nigel Mansell (1992).