2001 F1 Season

In 2001, no longer burdened by the pressure of ending a historic drought, Ferrari and Michael Schumacher unfurled a calm, crushing dominance. The F2001 combined speed, reliability and a perfect match with Bridgestone tyres, leaving the opposition almost no openings.

Schumacher won nine races and secured his fourth world championship in Hungary with four rounds to spare, an early clinch that was then a record. The emergence of young Juan Pablo Montoya with Williams brought sparks and bold overtakes, but nothing could stop the red machine.

It was also the anticipated farewell of an era: Mika Häkkinen chose to take a break that proved permanent, closing the chapter of the great Finnish rival and leaving Schumacher without his benchmark adversary.