The 2001 Canadian Grand Prix (formally the Grand Prix Air Canada 2001) was a Formula One motor race held on 10 June 2001 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec in front of a crowd of 111,000 people. It was the eighth round of the 2001 Formula One season and the 33rd Canadian Grand Prix as part of the Formula One World Championship. The 69-lap race was won by Williams driver Ralf Schumacher after starting from the second position. Michael Schumacher finished second in a Ferrari and McLaren driver Mika Häkkinen came third.
Michael Schumacher won the thirty-eighth pole position of his career by posting the fastest lap in qualifying and he maintained his lead going into the first corner. He opened up his lead to 1.1 seconds until Ralf Schumacher's tyres reached their optimum operating temperatures and he lowered his advantage to four-tenths of a second until a safety car was required on lap twenty for separate accidents for Rubens Barrichello and Juan Pablo Montoya. It was on track for the next three laps although Michael Schumacher extended his lead once again at the restart, Ralf Schumacher again reduced it as he sought his way past on the track but he did so after the pit stop cycle on lap fifty-one. Ralf Schumacher held the lead for the last eighteen laps to claim his second victory of the season and it marked the first time siblings had finished first and second in Formula One.
The result of the race meant Michael Schumacher increased his lead at the top of the Drivers' Championship to eighteen points ahead of David Coulthard who retired due to an engine failure in the final fifteen laps of the race. Barrichello maintained third position despite his crash, Ralf Schumacher stayed in fourth and Häkkinen rounded out the top five. Ferrari increased their advantage over McLaren in the Constructors' Championship to 38 points and Williams retained third with nine rounds left in the season.
Background
The 2001 Canadian Grand Prix was the eighth of seventeen scheduled races of the 2001 Formula One World Championship and the thirty-third edition of the event as part of the Formula One World Championship. It was held on 10 June at the thirteen-turn Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec. Going into the eighth round of the season, Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher led the Drivers' Championship with 52 points, ahead of his nearest championship rival David Coulthard of McLaren (40) and Rubens Barrichello in the second Ferrari (24). Williams' Ralf Schumacher was in fourth on twelve points and Nick Heidfeld of Sauber was fifth with eight points. Ferrari led the Constructors' Championship with 76 points; McLaren and Williams were second and third with 44 and 18 points respectively. Jordan with 13 points and Sauber with twelve contended for fourth place in the standings.
Michael Schumacher had won the Canadian Grand Prix four times in his career up until the 2001 race and spoke of his confidence that he could win at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for the fifth time despite his dislike of the track due to his preference of high-speed corners, "The records I have in Montreal are good but that means nothing now as it is a new challenge. We need to be prepared to do a good job. It will be a tight competition between us and probably McLaren and Williams, and anyone else who has improved a lot." His brother Ralf Schumacher stated that he hoped to extend his points tally after a poor performance at the preceding Monaco Grand Prix, "I think the Circuit Giles Villeneuve could be pretty favourable to our car as we have a powerful engine, which is essential there. It's not particularly demanding on the drivers, as it is basically a "stop-and-go" track. I like Montreal and I am looking forward to being there, hoping this time I will be able to finish my race and be in the points."