managed to lap quicker than Barrichello. He received a pit board message three laps later which advised him to refill his car's fluids. Fisichella went off the circuit on lap 43 while catching Villeneuve, and both Arrows drivers avoided a collision for eighth. With his closest challenger more than 46 seconds behind, Ralf Schumacher crossed the finish line on lap 45 to secure his third victory of the season and of his career in a time of 1 hour 18 minutes and 17.873 seconds, at an average speed of . Barrichello finished in second 46.1 seconds behind, ahead of Villeneuve in third for his second podium at Hockenheim. Fisichella was fourth due to the high retirement rate, Michelin's hard tyre compound and better engine reliability. His teammate Button was close behind in fifth, and Alesi was 0.496 seconds behind in the final points-paying position of sixth; his car's wing pods prevented him from attacking on the long straights. Panis, seventh, was the final driver on the lead lap, with Bernoldi, Verstappen and Alonso the final classified finishers. Due to the warm weather and the circuit's long length stressing the machinery a lot, the attrition rate was high, with ten of the twenty-two starters finishing the race. Post-race The top three drivers appeared on the podium to collect their trophies and in the subsequent press conference. Ralf Schumacher said that it was "a great feeling" when he asked to describe how he felt by winning his "home" Grand Prix. He also revealed that he had brakes issues during the start of the race and that he was ensuring that his engine would last the full race distance. Barrichello said that he was "happy" with finishing in second and revealed that before the race he believed that he would finish no higher than third. Villeneuve stated that he was "surprised" that he achieved a podium position. Furthermore, he believed that more work was undertaken to improve his car than his previous third place in the . Both Benetton drivers managed to finish both their cars in the points for the first time in the season. Fisichella said he was "very happy, for Jenson and myself" and thanked members of his team for his result. Button believed that his team's good result was because of improved changes to the balance on his Benetton. He later revealed that he accidentally removed his water bottle