How Ferrari sealed the 2002 constructors’ title with a dominant Hungarian GP one-two. Rubens Barrichello beat Michael Schumacher as Ferrari sealed fourth straight team title.

Ferrari sealed the 2002 constructors’ title in commanding fashion 24 years ago today, as Rubens Barrichello led Michael Schumacher across the line in a dominant one-two at the 2002 Hungarian Grand Prix. Victory on 18 August gave the Maranello team its fourth consecutive championship with four races of the season still to be contested.

Barrichello converted pole position into victory at the Hungaroring, finishing only 0.434 seconds ahead of his teammate. The front-row lockout, controlled race and maximum points haul offered another emphatic demonstration of the advantage Ferrari enjoyed with the F2002.

Ferrari control the 2002 Hungarian Grand Prix from the opening lap

Barrichello made a clean start and retained the lead, while Schumacher settled into second place ahead of Williams driver Ralf Schumacher. Once the order had been established, the two Ferraris quickly began to pull away from the rest of the field.

Passing opportunities have traditionally been limited on the narrow and technically demanding Hungaroring circuit. Ferrari’s considerable pace advantage therefore helped the race settle into a largely processional pattern, leaving pit strategy as the principal variable.

Both Ferrari drivers followed aggressive multi-stop strategies, exploiting clear air to build their advantage instead of becoming involved in an unnecessary contest with each other. Schumacher never mounted a serious attack on Barrichello, allowing the team to manage the small gap and protect its championship-clinching result.

After the race, Barrichello credited Ferrari’s success to the quality of the car, the strength of the team and the execution of the pit stops. His assessment was that every element of the operation had performed superbly throughout the afternoon.

Rubens Barrichello’s victory makes the championship mathematically secure

Ralf Schumacher remained the closest challenger but could do no more than complete the podium for Williams. Kimi Räikkönen produced one of the race’s strongest recovery drives, advancing from 11th on the grid to finish fourth for McLaren. David Coulthard followed in fifth, while Jordan driver Giancarlo Fisichella claimed the final point in sixth.

Under the scoring system used in 2002, Ferrari collected the maximum available total of 16 points for its one-two finish. Williams earned only four through Ralf Schumacher’s third place, making it mathematically impossible for Ferrari’s closest rival to overturn the championship deficit during the remaining four rounds.

Juan Pablo Montoya’s difficult afternoon further damaged Williams’ hopes, with the Colombian finishing outside the points in 11th. Barrichello placed the team achievement above his individual victory, emphasising afterwards that securing the constructors’ championship had been the most important consequence of the result.

Michael Schumacher adds the fastest lap to Ferrari’s title celebration

Although Schumacher did not challenge his teammate for victory, the German underlined the F2002’s performance by recording the fastest lap on lap 72. He later joked that the late increase in pace had simply been intended to wake himself up during an otherwise controlled race.

Schumacher’s fifth drivers’ championship was already all but secure by the time Ferrari arrived in Hungary following his 2002 French Grand Prix triumph. That left the constructors’ crown as the principal championship objective still awaiting mathematical confirmation.

The Hungarian result was Ferrari’s fifth one-two of a season in which its drivers, engineers and F2002 package proved exceptionally difficult to beat. It also highlighted Rubens Barrichello’s value alongside Michael Schumacher, with the Brazilian delivering the victory that formally completed another title-winning campaign for the Scuderia.