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A Look at Michael Schumacher’s Best Car and How It Dominated the 2002 F1 Season

One of the best racing machines ever built, the Ferrari F2002 obliterated its competition in the 2002 Formula One season, crossing the finish line first on fourteen occasions - nine out of which were one-two finishes.
Ferrari F2002 11 photos
Photo: Ferrari S.p.A.
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Back in those days, Michael Schumacher was chasing his fifth title after winning the previous two seasons, and to help him secure it Ferrari built a car that would become legendary in just a few months.

Though it looked much like its predecessor, the F2002 was a completely new design. It was much lighter and more aerodynamically efficient.

Its new honeycomb and carbon-fiber monocoque chassis was the work of legendary designer Rory Byrne who made it lighter, more rigid and improved its independent suspension system. It resulted in a big smile on Schumacher’s face after the first test, who was quick to praise the car’s excellent handling.

Ferrari F2002 Engine
Photo: Ferrari S.p.A.
Power came from the Tipo 051, a naturally aspirated 3.0-liter (183 cu in) 90-degree V10, which was an improved version of the powerplant used in the championship-winning F2001. It produced 835 hp (623 kW) at 17,800 rpm and was capable of revving to a maximum of 18,500 rpm.

The car was so revolutionary that development had to be extended by two months, delaying its debut for the third race of the season.

Much of the time and focus initially went into the development of the gearbox, which used a new clutchless direct-shift technology that was difficult to calibrate. Extensive work also went into developing a new casing that was eventually manufactured from high strength titanium, reducing the overall weight by 15%.

After using an upgraded version of the F2001 for the first two races, Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher finally got to race the new car in Brazil.

Ferrari F2002
Photo: Ferrari S.p.A.
The German came second in qualifying behind Juan Pablo Montoya, but in the race, he overtook the Columbian around the inside of the first corner. An hour and a half later, he crossed the finish line first, pleased with how the new car had performed.

Next came Imola, Ferrari’s home turf, where the F2002 dominated the qualifying session recording the two fastest laps. The race was also a no-contest, with Schumacher winning and Barrichello finishing second.

The following two races held in Spain and Austria were also won by the legendary Ferrari driver. He was followed by his teammate on the podium at Spielberg after the Brazilian retired in the previous race due to problems with the new gearbox.

In Monaco, Ferrari would lose its only race of the season as Schumacher was not able to catch McLaren's David Coulthard, finishing the Grand Prix in second place.

Ferrari F2002
Photo: Ferrari S.p.A.
The competition moved to Montreal, where the reigning champion won comfortably and then returned to Europe, where Barrichello was victorious followed by his teammate. The two would swap podium places at the next event held on the famous Silverstone circuit, proving that the F2002 had no real competition.

On the 21st of July, Michael Schumacher secured his fifth World Drivers' Championship title after a victorious French Grand Prix, setting a record for the shortest time in which the title had been clinched.

The German also won the next race held in his homeland and repeated the dominant performance in Hungary, where Barrichello came second. That meant that Ferrari had almost twice the points of its nearest rivals Williams-BMW, and secured their fourth consecutive Constructors' Championship.

Ferrari F2002
Photo: Ferrari S.p.A.
By this time, Ferrari put an end to further development of the F2002 and started designing its predecessor. The car would continue its dominance in the last four races, helping Ferrari win them all and secure three 1-2 finishes.

It would remain competitive the following season, as Ferrari uses it for its first five races as they continued to refine its successor, the F2003-GA. The F2002 was retired after Schumacher drove it to victory at Imola for a fairytale ending.

The F2002 is the best race car Scuderia Ferrari has built in the modern era, helping them secure the 2002 Constructors' Championship with a 221-point total that equaled the combined points gained by all other constructors, collectively.
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About the author: Vlad Radu
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Vlad's first car was custom coach built: an exotic he made out of wood, cardboard and a borrowed steering wheel at the age of five. Combining his previous experience in writing and car dealership years, his articles focus in depth on special cars of past and present times.
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