Although Michael Schumacher established himself as a Ferrari legend by the end of 2004, it all began in 2000 when he won his first championship with the team. Alongside the drivers’ title, the German also helped the Prancing Horse clinch the Constructors’ Championship. It was a historic day for the team as it had been 21 years since they had lifted both titles in the same season. To celebrate the momentous occasion, they wore red hair wigs.
The Italian outfit clinched the Constructors’ title at the season finale in Malaysia that year, with Schumacher having sealed the drivers’ championship two weeks ago in Japan. Ferrari did finish the season on a high as well since Schumacher won the Malaysian GP. Meanwhile, Rubens Barrichello in the other Ferrari finished third.
McLaren’s David Coulthard, who finished second, also joined Ferrari in their red hair celebration during the presser. Although the Briton pushed Schumacher to the limit in Malaysia, he couldn’t beat the newly crowned three-time champion.
Schumacher eventually crossed the line just 0.732 seconds ahead of Coulthard, with Barrichello finishing 17 seconds further behind the two. After a hard-fought victory, Schumacher expressed his delight in helping Ferrari seal both championships.
As quoted by atlasf1.com, he said, “We wanted to win the Constructors’ Championship and we have done it, not just by getting three points, but by winning and by coming third. It was a very tight and a very tough race and DC (Coulthard) was pushing me all the way“.
Ferrari secured the 2000 Constructors Championship in Malaysia with a 1-3 finish for Schumacher and Barrichello. pic.twitter.com/sQxpJcUJMK
— Parc Fermé (@PFF1) September 28, 2016
Schumacher then concluded his remarks by explaining how it was a shame that he wouldn’t get to celebrate with the rest of his team since they were flying out the next day. Meanwhile, the congratulatory messages for Schumacher and Ferrari also came from their rivals.
McLaren CEO Ron Dennis was quick to congratulate Michael Schumacher
Even though McLaren was Ferrari‘s primary challenger for the title in 2000, team CEO Ron Dennis was yet quick to give the Italian team credit where it was due. He explained how Michael Schumacher and Ferrari deserved to celebrate as they achieved something together that the team had not done in the past two decades.
However, Dennis also made sure to add some humor to his remarks. He stated that he hoped Schumacher and the rest of the Ferrari team partied for at least three months to help McLaren get a “head start” for the 2001 campaign.
Similarly to Schumacher, Ferrari team principal Jean Todt was also delighted with the way his side performed. Todt explained how their campaign could not have finished much better.
#OnThisDay in 2000, Michael Schumacher ended Ferrari’s 21-year drivers’ championship drought by sealing his 3rd title with a win at Suzuka, Japan
Schumi beat rival Mika Hakkinen by just 1.8s, declaring it “the race of his life” in later years #F1 #Autosport #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/8hHvuUW6Ge
— Autosport (@autosport) October 8, 2022
He believes it was a historic day for them as they not only won both championships but also won 10 of the 17 races. Schumacher won nine while Barrichello also registered a victory.
When put into context, Todt’s role in helping Ferrari cannot be understated. He led the team to five consecutive drivers’ and constructors’ championships from 2000 to 2004, something that only Mercedes have recently bettered.
Moreover, when it comes to Ferrari, the team has won only one drivers’ and two constructors’ titles since this golden era under Todt. Kimi Raikkonen won the Drivers’ Championship in 2007 while Ferrari won the Constructors’ title both in 2007 (due to McLaren’s disqualification) and 2008.
