[Race] The GROAT - Round 3 - 2000 Suzuka vs 1979 Dijon

[crmalcolm]

2000 Suzuka
The start saw Häkkinen, who had to finish ahead of Schumacher to keep his title hopes alive, make a strong start, sweeping across the nose of Schumacher to claim the lead. Schumacher was hence forced to settle for second, while Ralf Schumacher charged past teammate Jenson Button and Barrichello to claim fourth behind Coulthard.

Unsurprisingly Häkkinen and Michael Schumacher would be the class of the field during the early stages, sprinting away from Coulthard and co. as they set about deciding the World Championship. Indeed, Häkkinen was particularly impressive in the opening stages, dancing his McLaren-Mercedes around Suzuka in his bid to try and escape from Schumacher as well.

By lap twenty both Häkkinen and Schumacher, split by three seconds, had enough time in hand to pit and rejoin ahead of Ralf Schumacher in fourth, with the younger Schumacher coming in himself at that point. Häkkinen duly stayed out until lap 22, handing the lead to the elder Schumacher, before the #3 Ferrari peeled off to hand the lead to Coulthard.

Coulthard's stop a lap later restored Häkkinen to the lead ahead of Schumacher, while the Scot himself returned to a lonely third. It was at this point, however, that the race began to move to Schumacher's favour, with the German ace slowly creeping onto the back of Häkkinen.

Indeed, when Schumacher too a glancing blow from Ricardo Zonta without sustaining damage there was a certain air of inevitability that it was now his race to lose. Häkkinen would, however continue to lead through to his second stop, coming in on lap 37 to rejoin ahead of Coulthard in second.

With Häkkinen out of the way Schumacher made his bid for victory, upping his pace with a string of quick laps. Ultimately Schumacher's two lap burst in clear air proved decisive, with the German ace emerging from the pits four seconds clear of Häkkinen with thirteen laps to go.

Häkkinen threw everything he had at Schumacher in the closing stages, but ultimately ran out of time to catch his rival. Schumacher hence flashed across the line to claim victory and the World Championship with a race to spare, while Häkkinen had to console himself with second ahead of Coulthard.

Schumacher became the first driver to win the Championship for Ferrari since Jody Scheckter in 1979, ending a 21 year barren run for the Scuderia. Häkkinen, meanwhile, would officially be declared as runner-up for the campaign, although the Constructors Championship would have to be settled at the finale in Malaysia.


1979 Dijon
Renault would start the weekend in a rather dominant mood, with Jabouille edging out teammate René Arnoux to grab pole as the yellow-black cars locked out the front row. Gilles Villeneuve in the #12 Ferrari was their closest challenger, with Nelson Piquet the best of those on Goodyear tyres in fourth.

Things would not go Renault's way at the start of the race, however, for Villeneuve would charge past the two yellow-black cars to claim the lead into turn one. Jabouille would go sprinting after the Canadian in second, while a miserable start for Arnoux saw the #16 Renault tumble to ninth.

The early stages would soon come to be dominated by Arnoux's recovery through the field, with the Frenchman weaving back up to third by lap fifteen. By that stage Villeneuve and Jabouille had disappeared into the distance, with Arnoux himself soon on his to leave Jody Scheckter to defend fourth from Piquet.

Villeneuve's time in the lead would come to an end shortly after the halfway point, the Canadian having burned through the best of his tyres early on. Jabouille duly went screaming past and disappeared into the distance, while Villeneuve began a slow tumble back towards Arnoux.

Arnoux would catch the Canadian with a handful of laps to go, and duly went charging through with three laps to run, only for an engine issue on the penultimate tour to gift second back to Villeneuve. The duo subsequently engaged in a thrilling duel across the entire final lap, with Villeneuve just hanging onto second by two tenths.

Out front, meanwhile, Jabouille secured an imperious maiden victory for himself and Renault, fifteen seconds clear of the fight behind him. Elsewhere, Alan Jones would inherit fourth after Piquet and Scheckter hit trouble, with Jean-Pierre Jarier and Clay Regazzoni completing the scorers list.