At the opening round in Australia, Schumacher retired after a collision with BAR driver Jacques Villeneuve which resulted in the death of race marshal Graham Beveridge.
He scored his first points of the season with a fifth-place finish in Malaysia, and later spun off in the next race in Brazil which included a collision with Barrichello early in the race.
In the succeeding round at the San Marino Grand Prix, Schumacher started from third on the grid and led every lap of the race to take his first Formula One victory.
However, the following three races saw Schumacher failing to finish.

Schumacher won his second career victory in Canadian Grand Prix, with brother Michael finishing second and the result marked the first one-two finish by siblings.
These results were followed by a fourth-place finish at the European Grand Prix, and took second place in France.
He was unable to finish the race in Britain due to a problem with his car's engine.
In Germany, Schumacher took his third and final win of the season having started from second on the grid.
This result marked a good run of form as Schumacher scored points in three of the remaining five races, including a third-place finish in Italy.
Schumacher finished the season fourth in the Drivers' Championship, with 49 points.
At the opening round in Australia, Schumacher retired after a collision with BAR driver Jacques Villeneuve which resulted in the death of race marshal Graham Beveridge. He scored his first points of the season with a fifth-place finish in Malaysia, and later spun off in the next race in Brazil which included a collision with Barrichello early in the race. In the succeeding round at the San Marino Grand Prix, Schumacher started from third on the grid and led every lap of the race to take his first Formula One victory. However, the following three races saw Schumacher failing to finish.
Schumacher won his second career victory in Canadian Grand Prix, with brother Michael finishing second and the result marked the first one-two finish by siblings. These results were followed by a fourth-place finish at the European Grand Prix, and took second place in France. He was unable to finish the race in Britain due to a problem with his car's engine. In Germany, Schumacher took his third and final win of the season having started from second on the grid. This result marked a good run of form as Schumacher scored points in three of the remaining five races, including a third-place finish in Italy. Schumacher finished the season fourth in the Drivers' Championship, with 49 points.
Ralf Schumacher