Michael Schumacher won from pole position for the sixth consecutive time, breaking a record jointly held by Nigel Mansell and Alberto Ascari.
Key Facts
- Race winner
- Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
- Pole position
- Michael Schumacher
- Race length
- 55 laps (shortened from 56)
- Attendance
- 75,000 spectators
- Schumacher career victories
- 46th career win
- Championship round
- 2nd of 2001 Formula One World Championship
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following his Australian Grand Prix victory, Schumacher arrived in Malaysia leading both the Drivers' and Constructors' championships. He qualified on pole position during the one-hour session. A misaligned Benetton car on the grid delayed and shortened the race by one lap, while a tropical monsoon created hazardous wet conditions.
Schumacher led early but skidded on oil from Olivier Panis' BAR car as rain fell, briefly ceding the lead to Jarno Trulli. After pit stops for wet-weather tyres, Coulthard led for 11 laps before Schumacher passed him on lap 16 and led every subsequent lap to claim victory, with Barrichello second and Coulthard third.
The win was Schumacher's sixth consecutive victory from pole position, surpassing a record shared by Mansell and Ascari. He moved ten points clear in the Drivers' Championship over Barrichello and Coulthard. Ferrari extended its lead over McLaren in the Constructors' Championship, while Jordan overtook Sauber for third place.