The 2001 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 14, 2001 at the Suzuka Circuit. The race was won by Michael Schumacher who started from pole position.
Häkkinen was running in third place shortly before the end of the race. However, he let his team-mate Coulthard past and took fourth place instead. The reason for this is unknown. It could be speculated that it was his way of repaying Coulthard for what he did in the 1998 Australian Grand Prix and avoiding the press and the inevitable questions about his sabbatical.
Enrique Bernoldi and Alex Yoong started the race from the pit lane. The race would also mark Jean Alesi's last Formula One race before switching to DTM for 2002. Kimi Räikkönen collided with Alesi after spinning and collecting the Jordan car on lap five. It was Alesi's only retirement of the season. It was also last race to broadcast on RCTI before switch to TPI in Indonesia.
Following the race, the Prost team went bankrupt and closed down.
Read more about 2001 Japanese Grand Prix: Classification, Standings After The Race
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