2002 Formula One Season _hot_ [Edge]

For 71 laps, Rubens Barrichello had driven the race of his life, leading comfortably. But Ferrari, desperate to secure Schumacher’s championship mathematically as early as possible, ordered a swap on the final straight. Barrichello slowed. Schumacher passed. The crowd erupted in boos. On the podium, Schumacher pushed Barrichello onto the top step and later called the move a “disgrace.”

It was the season that forced the FIA to rewrite the rules: new qualifying formats, points system changes, and eventually, the V8 era to cut costs. Ferrari had become so good, they broke the game. 2002 formula one season

Welcome to the season of the Scarlet Steamroller. On paper, 2002 should have been a thriller. The 2001 season had ended with a resurgent Williams-BMW pairing of Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya promising to dethrone the red empire. McLaren-Mercedes, with David Coulthard and a young Kimi Räikkönen, looked sharp in pre-season testing. For 71 laps, Rubens Barrichello had driven the