The Iceman Waiteth

This is my (Backmarker's) timeline in which I try and describe how Formula One might have looked had Enrique Bernoldi got the Sauber drive for 2001, instead of Kimi Räikkönen. I'll actually make a post on the F1 Rejects' forum when I've completed 2001.

2001

Driver changes for the 2001 season

A number of changes to the teams' line-ups were made for the 2001 season: Olivier Panis, having spent a year testing for McLaren, moved to BAR, replacing Ricardo Zonta, who became test driver at Jordan; Jenson Button moved to Benetton, making way at Williams for Colombian CART sensation Juan Pablo Montoya; Gaston Mazzacane joined Prost from Minardi, with Nick Heidfeld leaving the French team for Sauber; making debuts would be the aforementioned Montoya, a young Spaniard called Fernando Alonso at Minardi, and Enrique Bernoldi at Sauber.

The Sauber decision had been a contentious one. Team Principal Peter Sauber had preferred a young Finnish driver called Kimi Räikkönen, but sponsors Red Bull had lobbied for their driver, Enrique Bernoldi to get the seat. In the end, with doubts circulating about the Finn's ability to cope with the reality of Formula One competition, given that he had only driven in 23 events so far, money talked, and Bernoldi got the drive.

As a result, the line-ups for the 2001 Formula One Season were as follows:

Team	#	Driver
Ferrari
	1	Michael Schumacher
	2	Rubens Barrichello
McLaren-Mercedes
	3	Mika Häkkinen
	4	David Coulthard
Williams-BMW
	5	Ralf Schumacher
	6	Juan Pablo Montoya
Benetton-Renault
	7	Giancarlo Fisichella
	8	Jenson Button
BAR-Honda
	9	Olivier Panis
	10	Jacques Villeneuve
Jordan-Honda
	11	Heinz-Harald Frentzen
	12	Jarno Trulli
Arrows-Asiatech
	14	Jos Verstappen
	15	Pedro de la Rosa
Sauber-Petronas
	16	Nick Heidfeld
	17	Enrique Bernoldi
Jaguar-Cosworth
	18	Eddie Irvine
	19	Luciano Burti
Minardi-European
	20	Tarso Marques
	21	Fernando Alonso
Prost-Acer
	22	Jean Alesi
	23	Gastón Mazzacane

The Debut Down Under

At the sharp end of the grid there was a signal of intent from Ferrari, with Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello qualifying first and second on the grid. Nick Heidfeld managed a credible tenth place, with his team-mate Enrique Bernoldi down in sixteenth, just ahead of the Benettons.

In the race Schumacher converted pole position into a win, with David Coulthard second, and Rubens Barrichello in third. Nick Heidfeld performed very credibly, finishing fourth, their highest finish since 1998. Enrique Bernoldi's race ended a lot sooner, spinning off on the second lap.

Race

Pos	Driver	Constructor	Points
1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	10
2	David Coulthard	McLaren-Mercedes	6
3	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	4
4	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber-Petronas	3
5	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan-Honda	2
6	Olivier Panis	BAR-Honda	1

Malaysia

For the top teams it was more of the same in Malaysia. Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello put their Ferraris on the front row of the grid. Nick Heidfeld would start from eleventh, while Enrique Bernoldi could only manage nineteenth.

The race did not get any better for Sauber. Bernoldi had a driveshaft issue that prevented him from even leaving the grid, and with rain falling Heidfeld spun out on the third lap. Despite losing positions because of the rain, Schumacher and Barrichello pulled off a series of overtakes in order to finish first and second respectively.

Race

Pos	Driver	Constructor	Points
1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	10
2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	6
3	David Coulthard	McLaren-Mercedes	4
4	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan-Honda	3
5	Ralf Schumacher	Williams-BMW	2
6	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren-Mercedes	1

Drivers' Championship standings

Pos	Driver	Constructor	Points
1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	20
2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	10
2	David Coulthard	McLaren-Mercedes	10
4	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan-Honda	5
5	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber-Petronas	3
6	Ralf Schumacher	Williams-BMW	2
7	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren-Mercedes	1
7	Olivier Panis	BAR-Honda	1

Brazil

At Interlagos there was hope for the other teams that they wouldn't have to endure further Ferrari domination. While Michael Schumacher was on pole again, Rubens Barrichello was in sixth behind the Williams and the McLarens. Qualifying also went well for Sauber, with Nick Heidfeld and Enrique Bernoldi qualifying ninth and tenth respectively.

Just like Malaysia before, the Brazilian Grand Prix was beset by rain, with the lead changing hands between Michael Schumacher, Juan Pablo Montoya and David Coulthard on multiple occasions, with Coulthard ultimately prevailing. Heidfeld managed to finish fourth, a lap behind the lead trio. Hopes for a double points finish were dashed when Enrique Bernoldi span off the track.

Race

Pos	Driver	Constructor	Points
1	David Coulthard	McLaren-Mercedes	10
2	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams-BMW	6
3	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	4
4	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber-Petronas	3
5	Olivier Panis	BAR-Honda	2
6	Jarno Trulli	Jordan-Honda	1

Drivers' Championship standings

Pos	Driver	Constructor	Points
1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	24
2	David Coulthard	McLaren-Mercedes	20
3	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	10
4	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams-BMW	6
5	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber-Petronas	6
6	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan-Honda	5
7	Olivier Panis	BAR-Honda	3
8	Ralf Schumacher	Williams-BMW	2
9	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren-Mercedes	1
9	Jarno Trulli	Jordan-Honda	1

San Marino

For the first time of the season, Michael Schumacher was not on pole, instead qualifying fourth. Pole was instead taken by David Coulthard, with Mika Häkkinen lining up just behind him in the sister McLaren. For Sauber, Enrique Bernoldi out-qualified Nick Heidfeld for the first time, starting the race from tenth, one position ahead of his team-mate.

In the race the McLarens were not as quick off the line as Ralf Schumacher's Williams, the German going from third to first before Tamburello. Ralf Schumacher held on for the win, making him and Michael the first grand prix-winning brothers. David Coulthard finished second, and, with Michael Schumacher suffering a suspension failure, took the lead in the championship. Enrique Bernoldi's good qualifying performance was undermined by a steering issue during the race, and Nick Heidfeld finished just outside the points in seventh.

Race

Pos	Driver	Constructor	Points
1	Ralf Schumacher	Williams-BMW	10
2	David Coulthard	McLaren-Mercedes	6
3	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	4
4	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren-Mercedes	3
5	Jarno Trulli	Jordan-Honda	2
6	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan-Honda	1

Driver's Championship standings

Pos	Driver	Constructor	Points
1	David Coulthard	McLaren-Mercedes	26
2	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	24
3	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	14
4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams-BMW	12
5	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams-BMW	6
6	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber-Petronas	6
7	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Jordan-Honda	6
8	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren-Mercedes	4
9	Olivier Panis	BAR-Honda	3
9	Jarno Trulli	Jordan-Honda	3