Graham Beveridge was the second marshal to die from injuries sustained during a Formula One race after Paolo Gislimberti at the 2000 Italian Grand Prix just under six months before.

[12] Many observers, including Jaguar's Eddie Irvine, Button and the president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; Formula One's governing body), Max Mosley,[13] criticised Sauber's choice to sign Räikkönen because he had competed in 23 car races prior to his debut and no F1 experience.

"[18] Häkkinen said the pressure he felt at the start of 2000 increased his desire to win the World Drivers' and Constructors' Championships in 2001 and intended to do his best to help McLaren achieve both titles.

[20] This increased the top speeds of cars during pre-season testing and drivers set lap times below 2000-levels to nullify the effect of the reduction in aerodynamic performance and downforce.

Ralf Schumacher, Jos Verstappen of the Arrows team, Jordan's Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Montoya, Heidfeld and British American Racing (BAR) driver Olivier Panis were in positions five to ten.

[29] Coulthard led the final session with a lap of 1 minute 27.540 seconds, followed by Michael Schumacher, Häkkinen, Frentzen, Trulli, Panis, Räikkönen, Irvine and Heidfeld.

[30] Burti in 21st had a left-rear suspension failure sending him into a retaining wall at turn five, stopping the session for 12 minutes to allow track marshals to clear debris.

[36][38] Occupying the last spot on the grid, Marques failed to set a lap time within the 107 per cent limit due to his unfamiliarity with the Minardi PS01's two-pedal setup.

After exiting the pit lane at the beginning of the warm-up, Bernoldi lost control of the rear of his Arrows and removed the nose cone from his car in a collision with the turn one wall.

[49] Tyre durability and grooved tread wear were predicted to affect the race and analysis suggested one pit stop was the ideal strategy for drivers and teams.

As the available space was reduced going into the turn one braking area, Frentzen hit the right-hand sidepod of Coulthard's car sending him towards Ralf Schumacher's Williams.

Villeneuve's right-front tyre struck the Williams' left-rear wheel, launching his car airborne and rotated through 180 degrees towards a retaining catchfence and concrete barrier to his left.

[53][59] It struck the chest of 51-year-old track marshal Graham Beveridge at around 175 km/h (109 mph),[60] causing the left ventricle of his heart to rupture,[61] as well as lung and liver lacerations.

[38] An ambulance was dispatched,[38] and race officials prevented nearby spectators from forcing their way through a tarpaulin to watch medical personnel tend to Beveridge or scavenge debris.

[56] Several hours later, Villeneuve admitted himself to hospital, with bruising, muscle damage, nausea and chest pains, mostly due to the pressure put upon him by his car's seat belts in the accident.

[38] Häkkinen retired from the race for the third year in a row on lap 26 with a left-front suspension failure under braking at the end of the back straight sending him backwards into the tyre barrier at Ascari corner.

[2][54] A full tank of fuel and traffic meant Michael Schumacher fell 18.1 seconds behind Coulthard until the latter entered the pit lane at the end of lap 41.

[47] Montoya stopped on the circuit due to an engine failure caused by a broken oil pipe on lap 41, prematurely ending his maiden Grand Prix.

"[69] Coulthard said he felt fortunate to finish second after starting from sixth, "I would imagine the team are disappointed, obviously, for whatever the particular problem was with Mika's car, but you've always got to expect some reliability issues in the first race.

[70] Panis argued the stewards made an incorrect decision because he felt Heidfeld was overtaken in an area where there were no yellow flags, "What makes me furious is that I was found guilty without any evidence.

"[71] Frentzen felt he missed the chance of taking a podium finish due to the collision with Barrichello albeit unangry about it, saying, "At the end of the day I took away two points for a fifth place spot which, considering how the race went for me, was still pretty good.

[73][74] The Guardian's Richard Williams wrote Räikkönen had possibly the best Formula One début of any driver since Villeneuve moved from CART and finished second at the 1996 Australian Grand Prix.

[73] Five days after the race, Frentzen wrote on his website he was suspicious that Sauber illegally used traction control (a driver aid outlawed after the 1993 championship, which was permitted from the fifth round of the 2001 season, the Spanish Grand Prix) on their cars to get an unfair advantage.

[75] He clarified his comments three days later to say the Sauber's fast acceleration out of the tight corners was achieved by an engine software package lowering its power and eliminating wheelspin, "It cannot be ignored that something like that exists, there is simply no room for discussion about that.

"[76] Michael Schumacher responded by saying Frentzen had brought Formula One into disrepute and argued the latter should concentrate on his own car and performance, "To make this stupid comment is completely unfair, he should rethink what he is saying.

[81] CAMS and National Australia Bank formed a trust fund for his family for individuals to donate to,[82] and a subsequent public auction to sell Formula One memorabilia raised more than A$100,000.

In its confidential report, the organisers of the race, the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC), were absolved of any responsibility for the death of Beveridge, which it called "a freak accident", and discovered the marshal was stationed at an incorrect position at the time of the crash.

[89] Following the Victoria Police Major Collision Investigation Unit examination lasting eight months and also absolved the AGPC, on 3 December 2001 the official inquest into the death of Beveridge opened in Melbourne.

Tim Schenken, a member of CAMS, said some of the fences were raised in height by 1 m (39 in) before the 1999 race albeit he had no knowledge if a formal risk analysis report was carried out to assess the potential danger to marshals and spectators.

It agreed with Kennan's suggestion the AGPC was the sole company responsible for Beveridge's death due to it not analysing the risks to marshals and concluded the accident was "avoidable".