Impossible in today’s Formula One was possible in the past of Formula One. There was a time that any time could test on any time he liked. To improve their cars, to give youngsters their first taste of Formula One, or simply to cash. Because testing was all about talent and money back in the days. Most of the drivers that tested are long forgotten or never arrived in the Formula One. As there isn’t really a database around, just bits and pieces, I started these overviews. Here are the test-drivers of 2000.
Luckily, there are a lot of test times available from the late 1990s and early 2000s. AtlasF1 is one of those sites that kept the testing times and published them on a special page dedicated to testing.
West Mclaren Mercedes
In 2000 it seemed McLaren had the best cards. With Mika winning the world championship in 1998 and 1999. Having David Coulthard to become quicker every year, add to it the powerful Mercedes engine and their new challenger the MP4/15 it was near picture perfect. The team was dominant in 2000 though not as dominant as Ferrari would be.
Mika Häkkinen: Tested with the McLaren MP4/15.
David Coulthard: Tested with the McLaren MP4/15.
Alexander Wurz: Tested with the McLaren MP4/15.
Olivier Panis: Tested with the McLaren MP4/15 on Magny-Cours.
Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
Ferrari won in 1999 the constructors ‘championship and showed the grid who would become dominant in 2000. With Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello behind the wheel of their new challenger, the F2000 all signs were on green. Eventually would win 10 out of 17 races that season.
Michael Schumacher: Tested with the Ferrari F2000.
Rubens Barrichello: Tested with the Ferrari F2000.
Luca Badoer: Tested with the Ferrari F200 on Mugello.
Benson & Hedges Jordan
One of the best teams of 1999 would become one of the flops of 2000. While their driver line up was strong with Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jarno Trulli the total packaged seemed not the best of the rest anymore. Even while they were powered by Honda. The team appeared with the EJ10 on the grid. Later on, they came with the improved EJ10B. With only two podium finishes by Frentzen there was not much to celebrate.
Heinz-Harald Frentzen: Tested with the EJ10 and the EJ10B.
Jarno Trulli: Tested with the EJ10 and the EJ10B.
Takuma Sato: Tested with the Jordan EJ10 on Jerez.
Ricardo Zonta: Tested in pre-season with the Jordan EJ10 on a wet Silverstone.
Tomáš Enge: Seems to have tested the Jordan EJ10 in pre-season testing.
Jaguar Racing F1 Team
Jaguar was the newcomer on the grid. In 1999, Ford announced they purchased the Stewart Grand Prix team from Jackie Stewart. The R1 was Jaguars’ attempt to score podiums in 2000. It was a good-looking car though it was just not quickly enough. Eddie Irvine managed to score four points with his finishes in Monaco and Malaysia. For Johnny Herbert it would be his last season in the Formula One. Luciano Burti replaced Irvine for one race.
Eddie Irvine: Tested with the Jaguar R1.
Johnny Herbert: Tested with the Jaguar R1.
Luciano Burti: Tested with the Jaguar R1.
André Lotterer: Tested with the Jaguar R1.
Dario Franchitti: Tested with the Jaguar R1.
Tomas Scheckter: Tested with the Jaguar R1 the 15th of August on Silverstone.
BMW WilliamsF1 Team
The 2000 season meant for Williams a fresh start in the Formula One. After two disappointing seasons, the team ditched the Supertec engine and replaced them with BMW’s new V10 engine. Ralf his new teammate was the Brit Jenson Button. Williams appeared with the elegant FW22 on the grid and did a decent job.
Ralf Schumacher: Tested with the Williams FW22.
Jenson Button: Tested with the Williams FW22.
Marc Gené: Tested with the Williams FW22.
Bruno Junqueira: Tested with the Williams FW22 the 15th of January on Jerez. As well the 29th of August on Monza.
Jaime Melo: Tested with the Williams FW22 during an aero test on Keevil
Warren Hughes: Tested with the Williams FW22.
Juan Pablo Montoya: Tested with the Williams FW22 on Silverstone.
Mild Seven Benetton Playlife
Benetton wasn’t the team that I once was, around 2000 the rumours even went that the team was for sale. Previous season was far from good for the team only scoring points in the first half of the season. For 2000, the team came with the B200 still powered by the Playlife V10 engines. Fisichella would do a decent job. While Alexander Wurz failed to impress.
Giancarlo Fisichella: Tested with the Benetton B200.
Alexander Wurz: Tested with the Benetton B200.
Giorgio Pantano: Tested with the Benetton B200.
Antonio Pizzonia: Tested with the Benetton B200.
Fernando Alonso: Tested with the Benetton B200.
Mark Webber: Tested with the Benetton B200 the 1st of December.
Hidetoshi Mitsusada: Was signed as Benetton test driver for 2000. He only did some straight aero testing before he was sacked in May 2000 due to his poor results in the F3000.
Gauloises Prost Peugeot
The expectations were high at Prost when they appeared on the grid years before. They recovered in 1999 from 1998 and there was a positive vibe around the team. The new Prost AP03 was fitted with the Peugeot V10 engine. Prost managed to seal the deal with Jean Alesi, next to him was youngster Nick Heidfeld. It would become the teams’ worst season with lots of retirements and no points.
Jean Alesi: Tested with the Prost AP03.
Nick Heidfeld: Tested with the Prost AP03.
Enrique Bernoldi: Tested with the Prost AP03 on Circuito Catalunya.
Oriol Servià: Tested with the Prost AP03 on Jerez.
Stéphane Sarrazin: Seems to have tested with the AP03.
Red Bull Sauber Petronas
Sauber is Sauber since their entry in the Formula One the team had been a stable factor on the grid. Powered by the Petronas engines, badged Ferrari’s, the team appeared with the C19 on the grid in 2000. With Pedro Diniz and Mika Salo as their drivers, they had a decent driver’s duo. Salo managed to finish four times in the points while Pedro Diniz failed to score points that season.
Pedro Diniz: Tested with the Sauber C19.
Mika Salo: Tested with the Sauber C19.
Kimi Räikkönen: Tested with the Sauber C19, in an all blue livery, later on during the season he would test with the C19 on a wet Jerez and a chilly Mugello in September.
Enrique Bernoldi: Tested with the Sauber C19 somewhere in May. On the military airfield of Bouchs in Luzern. He did straight-line aero & data logging testing.
Arrows F1 Team
You could say that 1999 was a terrible season for the team. With a sponsor that didn’t exist, lots of promises that never were. It was time for a fresh start for the British team. For 2000, Walkinshaw managed to get the Supertec engines. Jos Verstappen and Pedro de la Rosa were the drivers for the team. It would be one of the better seasons in the team’s existence.
Pedro de la Rosa: Tested with the Arrows A21.
Jos Verstappen: Tested with the Arrows A21.
Antonio Pizzonia: Tested with the Arrows A21.
Gastón Mazzacane: Tested with the Arrows A21 the 1st of December on a wet Silverstone.
Paul Stoddart: Tested with the Arrows A21 on Vairano where he did straight line aero testing.
Telefónica Minardi Fondmetal
What if Badoer finished fourth, what if. It is one of the stories, if you ask me, about the Minardi team in 2000. They would struck a financial disaster with almost cost them their place on the grid in 2000. The team came with the beautiful Minardi M02 on the grid. Powered by the Fondmetal V10 engine.
Marc Gené and Gastón Mazzacane were the drivers for the team.
Marc Gené: Tested with the Minardi M02.
Gastón Mazzacane: Tested with the Minardi M02.
Fernando Alonso: Tested with the Minardi M02.
Giorgio Vinella: Tested with the Minardi M02.
Matteo Bobbi: Tested with the Minardi M02 the 11th of September on Vairano
Lucky Strike BAR Honda
Their first year in the Formula One became a complete disaster. While having unlimited sources the team failed to score points and even ended the season as last. For 2000, the team appeared with the BAR 002 on the grid. Powered by the Honda engine. Jacques Villeneuve and Ricardo Zonta completed the driver’s line up.
Jacques Villeneuve: Tested with the BAR 002.
Ricardo Zonta: Tested with the BAR 002.
Patrick Lemarié: Tested with the BAR 002.
Takuma Sato: Tested with the BAR 002.
Darren Manning: Tested with the BAR 002 on Jerez the 11th of May.
Marc Hynes: Tested with the BAR 002 on Circuito de Catalunya.
Olivier Panis: Tested with the BAR 002 the 5th of December on Jerez.
Jaguar SF03B/SF04/R1 hybrid
It is unsure if it was the SF03B or if it was the SF03. Anyways, the 10th of January 2000 Eddie Irvine appeared with the Jaguar SF03B/SF04/R1 hybrid on the circuit in Barcelona.
Eddie Irvine: Tested only with this hybrid.
Ferrari F399
During the Marlboro Masters in Zandvoort in 2000 Rubens Barrichello drove around with the Ferrari F399. It is said that these events were also used to try out some new updates on the cars by using the one-year-old cars.
Ruben Barrichello: Tested with the Ferrari F399 on Zandvoort.
Michelin SF03
In 2000 Michelin was heavily testing and developing their Formula One tyres. The manufacturer would make it’s return in the Formula One as a supplier in 2001. The company used an old Stewart SF03 chassis to test in 2000.
Tom Kirstensen: Tested with the Michelin SF03.
Michelin FW21B
Like the Stewart SF03, Michelin used another car to test their new tyres. It was the Williams FW21B.
Tom Kristensen: Tested with the Michelin FW21B.
Jorg Müller: Tested with the Michelin FW21B.
Arrows A21 Repsol livery
In the early days of 2000 the Arrows team tested for the first time their Arrows A21 at Montmelo with Pedro de la Rosa behind the wheel. It was a regular test. Though the livery the team used was no were close to what they eventually would use on the car.
Pedro de la Rosa: Tested with the Arrows A21 Repsol livery on Montmelo.
Arrows AMT-Peugeot A21
During the 2000 season Arrows was looking for a new engine supplier for 2001. One of the teams that attracted the interest was AMT. AMT was a company established by Enrique Scalabroni that were to improve the Peugeot V10 engines they acquired in the summer of 2000. At some point it was said that a deal was signed between AMT and Arrows. Eventually on Valencia a white Arrows A21 with Pedro behind the wheel arrived on the track.
Pedro de la Rosa: Tested with the AMT Powered Arrows A21.
Arrows A20
Because the Arrows A21 was not ready yet the very first test in 2000 was done with the Arrows A20.
Mark Webber: Tested with the Arrows A20 the 13th of January on Silverstone.
Honda RA099
The biggest what if project in the Formula One in decades. Honda was focussing on enter the Formula One with their own team. Jos Verstappen was to be one of their drivers. Sadly, the team stalled their plans after Harvey Postlethwaite died. However, it did not mean that a little testing continued in 2000.
Nicolas Minassian: Tested with the RA099.
Toyota TF101
While Toyota planned their debut in the Formula One for 2002, the team came with the TF101 (AM01). It seems that they already tested with the car in December 2000.
Allan McNish: Tested with the TF101.
