Belgian GP preview
BY JUSTIN LACY | 29th Aug 2001
The race for the constructors' championship has also been run and won, with Schumacher's Ferrari team taking the honours in Hungary courtesy of Rubens Barrichello's second place finish - their second successive constructors title.
As the championship heads into the 14th round this weekend, the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, the only race left is for the minor placings, with Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher now within seven points of second placed David Coulthard - who until recently had looked certain for a top-two finish.
And Ferrari has said they will now throw their full support behind Barrichello in a bid to get him into the runner-up position. They are keen to continue their recent domination as they build toward another golden era for the Italian marque and do not want to relax just because the titles are safe.
By the same token Coulthard is determined to win the remaining four events in the championship, but is facing an uphill battle with the reliability of his McLaren still in question.
The McLaren team are also under pressure to hold onto second spot in the constructors' championship, as Williams are now just 13 points behind following five point scoring performances from Ralf Schumacher in the last six races, including two wins.
Williams' second driver Juan Pablo Montoya has also been threatening to break through for his maiden F1 victory in recent events, scoring pole position at Hockenheim and leading until the first round of pit stops.
The only other title that remains unclaimed for this season is a one horse race...for Schumacher to become the most successful driver. He has now equalled Alain Prost's record of 51 victories and, on current form, looks certain to set a new all-time win record before the season ends.
Spa-Francorchamps is another circuit where the weather has the potential to play an important role in the overall result, as the conditions at the circuit are unpredictable and can change from hot sunshine to a heavy downpour in a matter of minutes.
* Spa-Francorchamps is located close to the town of Liege, deep in the Ardennes forest. It is the third fastest track on the calendar but is considered by many drivers to be one of the finest and demands a medium-low downforce configuration.
Circuit length is 6.968 kilometres, with the race run over 44 laps for a total distance of 306.592km.
Alain Prost holds the lap record of 1 minute 51.095 seconds, set in a Williams-Renault in 1993, while last year's podium comprised Hakkinen, Michael Schumacher and Ralf Schumacher.
DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP
1 M Schumacher (GER) 94
2 D Coulthard (SCO) 51
4 R Barrichello (BRA) 46
3 R Schumacher (GER) 44
5 M Hakkinen (FIN) 21
6 J-P Montoya (COL) 15
=7 J Villeneuve (CAN) 11
=7 N Heidfeld (GER) 11
=9 K Raikkonen (FIN) 9
=9 J Trulli (ITA) 9