Michael Schumacher’s 2002 Australian Grand Prix-Winning F2001b

This is a hugely significant Ferrari Formula 1 car, Michael Schumacher’s 2002 Australian Grand Prix-winning F2001b. Built to contest the first three races of the 2002 Formula 1 season, chassis 215 carried Michael Schumacher to victory in the opening race of the 2002 campaign in Australia, propelling him to the top of the Drivers’ World Championship standings and providing the foundation for a historic fifth Championship that drew him level with the great Juan Manuel Fangio.

The 2002 Formula 1 season was hugely significant not only for ace driver Michael Schumacher but also for Scuderia Ferrari. Utterly dominant from start to finish, Schumacher and his Ferrari team clinched the Drivers’ World Championship after just 11 races, almost three months before the conclusion of the season. Schumacher’s historic fifth Championship victory drew him level with the great Juan Manuel Fangio, a record that had stood since 1957. in addition to delivering Ferrari its fourth consecutive and 12th overall Constructors’ World Championship. Such dominance could not have been achieved without the prodigious talent of Michael Schumacher, nor the engineering brilliance of Ferrari F2001b chassis 215, a car that provided the springboard for one of the most incredible displays of supremacy in the Scuderia’s rich history.

Despite a thorough program of testing, the F2002 that was being prepared for the 2002 Formula 1 season proved something of a problem child for Ferrari. Plagued by gearbox reliability issues, the team took the unusual decision to delay the introduction of that year’s new model and instead developed the outgoing F2001 model from the previous season. Not only had the F2001 proved to be incredibly reliable, but it was also one of the most successful single-seaters to wear a Prancing Horse badge, having outclassed the competition with Schumacher winning nine out of 17 races on his way to a total points haul of 123.

The new car, dubbed the F2001b, combined the best of the F2001 model, with its proven Gilles Simon-designed Tipo 050 V-10 engine and sequential electro-hydraulic seven-speed gearbox, with several innovations from the upcoming F2002. A new aerodynamic package increased downforce considerably, while the drivetrain featured several upgrades borrowed from the still-in-development Tipo 051 engine.

While Schumacher remained the bookies’ favorite to capture a historic fifth title, the team’s expectations for the F2001b were more subdued, with Schumacher targeting a conservative points finish at the season opener in Melbourne. Hopes were raised during free practice, where the German ace posted the fastest lap in three successive sessions. He looked odds-on to repeat the trick in qualifying, were it not for a heavy rainstorm that effectively prevented any improvement at the halfway point of the session; in the end, Schumacher was pipped to pole position by his teammate Barrichello by just five-hundredths of a second.

THE FIRST GRAND PRIX OF 2002

The 2002 Australian Grand Prix took place on March 3, 2002, proving a dramatic and somewhat chaotic start to the season. During an early challenge for the race lead, Schumacher’s brother, Ralf, collided under braking with the race leader, Barrichello, before going airborne, destroying the Ferrari’s rear wing and grazing the Brazilian’s helmet. Michael Schumacher managed to avoid trouble by taking to the grass, though eight cars were caught in the melee and the safety car stayed out until the end of the fifth lap. Schumacher managed to steal 3rd from great rival Juan Pablo Montoya shortly after, with the German taking the outright lead following a crash by Jarno Trulli on lap nine and a fumbled gearchange by David Coulthard two laps later. Spilled oil continued to cause problems for the field, and after dicing with Schumacher for several laps, Montoya began to drop off the pace. Schumacher maintained the lead for the final 39 laps, finishing more than 18 seconds ahead of his Colombian rival to seal a spectacular 54th career victory. Chassis 215 had not only proved its competitiveness, it catapulted Schumacher to the top of the Drivers’ World Championship standings with a haul of 10 points, delivering an early lead for Ferrari in the Constructors’ World Championship ahead of Williams-BMW.

Two weeks later, the Formula 1 circus decamped to the Sepang International Circuit for the 2002 Malaysian Grand Prix. For the second race weekend in a row, Ferrari opted to field F2001bs, with Schumacher once again piloting chassis 215. The pairing carried their winning pace into practice and qualifying, where Schumacher scored a spectacular pole position—his first of the 2002 campaign and the 150th in Ferrari’s Formula 1 history. Such was his superiority that only three drivers managed to get within a second of his fastest lap.

The race, which took place on March 17, 2002, proved just as tumultuous as the season opener in Australia. Again, drama unfolded going into the first turn, where the three-way battle for supremacy between Schumacher, Montoya, and Barrichello resulted in Schumacher’s Ferrari coming into contact with the Williams, the German losing his front wing and edging Montoya off track. As a result of the accident, Schumacher was forced to pit, while Montoya was controversially issued a drive-through penalty—the first in Formula 1 history. At the sharp end of the race, both McLarens suffered engine problems and were forced to retire, while Barrichello ceded the lead to Ralf Schumacher on lap 35 following his second pit stop. The Brazilian looked certain to regain the lead when his Ferrari also suffered a mechanical failure, promoting Jenson Button to 2nd, chased by Montoya, Nick Heidfeld, and Michael Schumacher. Montoya eventually overcame Button to move into 2nd, sealing the first Williams 1-2 finish since the 1996 Portuguese Grand Prix, while the Briton was denied 3rd place in the dying moments of the race by none other than Michael Schumacher. Schumacher had battled from 21st place to put chassis 215 on the podium for the second consecutive race, in the process maintaining his lead in the Drivers’ Championship.

By late March, progress on the new F2002 was sufficient for the model to make its race debut, with Michael Schumacher being assigned chassis 220. Though chassis 215 made the journey to South America, its 3rd-place finish in Malaysia marked the end of its competition career; after returning from Brazil, it was used predominantly for tire testing. At the hands of Luciano Burti, chassis 215 completed five days of testing throughout April and May 2002, covering a cumulative total of 384 laps before being retired. The car entered private hands the following year, having been acquired by a Swiss collector, who entered the car regularly in track events. The F2001b was acquired from him by the consigning owner in 2011. Before being taken on track, the car will need to return to Maranello for an engine, gearbox, and clutch refresh; an assessment of the car’s mechanical components is available to view on file.

The F2001 is among the most successful and dominant of all Ferrari Formula 1 cars. The F2001b that succeeded it continued that winning tradition, bridging the gap between its predecessor and the new F2002. A potent cocktail utilizing technology from both machines, the model was hugely effective in the hands of Michael Schumacher, who used the success it brought early in the 2002 season as the foundation to capture his historic fifth World Drivers’ Championship. Chassis 215 is one of few machines to never finish outside the podium positions during its competition career. That it was raced to victory by perhaps the greatest Formula 1 driver of all time, driving for arguably the most famous team in the world of motorsport, ranks it among the most desirable modern grand prix cars in existence.

Images and Text courtesy of RM Sotheby’s