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The 2003 San Marino Grand Prix, officially advertised as the Gran Premio Foster's di San Marino 2003, was the fourth race of the 2003 FIA Formula One World Championship, which took place at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy, on 20 April 2003.[1] The race would see Michael Schumacher kick-start his title defence with a first victory of the season, just hours after himself and brother Ralf lost their mother Elizabeth.[1]

Qualifying had seen the two Schumacher brothers duel for pole position, with Michael emerging ahead in the #1 Ferrari by 0.014s.[1] Rubens Barrichello was next ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya, while Championship leader Kimi Räikkönen started from sixth behind Mark Webber.[1]

The start of the race saw their fight continue, with the #4 Williams-BMW scrambling ahead of the Ferrari to claim the lead.[1] THe rest of the field were led by Barrichello and Montoya, while a software glitch for Webber saw his Jaguar-Ford Cosworth crawl off the grid, sending the field scattering across the circuit.[1]

The big winner from Webber's issue was David Coulthard, who leapt from twelfth to eighth in the chaos despite having to take to the grass.[1] Fortunately there were no collisions or incidents, with the field making it through the rest of the opening lap without issue.[1]

The early stages of the race was all about the duel for victory between the two Schumachers, with Ralf putting up a ferocious defence from Michael.[1] Indeed, the two were in a league of their own in the early stages, with Barrichello and Montoya left to have a half-hearted fight for third with Räikkönen.[1]

Unfortunately the Schumacher battle would only last until the first round of stops, with Michael stopping two laps later to leap ahead of his brother to claim the lead.[1] With that the #1 Ferrari was away, pulling clear by a second a lap to leave Ralf looking in his mirrors at Barrichello.[1]

Behind there was little action to be had, despite the efforts of Giancarlo Fisichella, who would elbow his way past Cristiano da Matta before setting up a move on Jarno Trulli.[1] Unfortunately, the Italian's lunge at the Renault at Rivazza on lap 34 would end with the pair clattering together, allowing da Matta to sweep back ahead.[1] This would be the only series of on-track overtakes after the opening lap.[1]

Out front, meanwhile, Ralf Schumacher and Barrichello played pit-stop leap-frog, with three-stop strategies for both seeing Barrichello briefly get ahead by stopping later, only for an issue on everyone of his stops to put him behind the Williams.[1] Ultimately, however, it was not to be for either driver, as Räikkönen emerged in second on a superior two-stop strategy, before Barrichello pounced on a Williams blunder in Ralf's second stop to claim third.[1]

With that the race was run, with Michael Schumacher cruising across the line to claim victory ahead of Räikkönen.[1] Barrichello completed a rather sombre podium, which saw no champagne spraying as a mark of respect, with Ralf Schumacher claiming fourth ahead of Coulthard, Fernando Alonso, Montoya and Jenson Button.[1]

Background[]

Kimi Räikkönen extended his Championship lead despite his late demotion in Brazil, leaving São Paulo with 24 points. David Coulthard had likewise retained second, but slipped nine behind his teammate, while Fernando Alonso was up to third, and cleared to race in San Marino. Race winner Giancarlo Fisichella, meanwhile, was the big winner as he leapt up into fourth, with Jarno Trulli completing the top five.

In the Constructors Championship it was McLaren-Mercedes who continued to lead the way, holding 39 points after three races in 2003. Renault, meanwhile, had moved into second on 23 points, while Ferrari had slipped back to third, only ahead of Williams-BMW on countback. Jordan-Ford Cosworth were next after their rare win, with Sauber-Petronas and BAR-Honda the other scorers.

Entry List[]

The full entry list for the 2003 San Marino Grand Prix is outlined below:

No. Driver Entrant Constructor Chassis Engine Model Tyre
1 Germany Michael Schumacher Italy Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro Ferrari F2002 Ferrari 051 3.0 V10 B
2 Brazil Rubens Barrichello Italy Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro Ferrari F2002 Ferrari 051 3.0 V10 B
3 Colombia Juan Pablo Montoya United Kingdom BMW Williams F1 Team Williams FW25 BMW P83 3.0 V10 M
4 Germany Ralf Schumacher United Kingdom BMW Williams F1 Team Williams FW25 BMW P83 3.0 V10 M
5 United Kingdom David Coulthard United Kingdom West McLaren Mercedes McLaren MP4-17D Mercedes FO 110P 3.0 V10 M
6 Finland Kimi Räikkönen United Kingdom West McLaren Mercedes McLaren MP4-17D Mercedes FO 110P 3.0 V10 M
7 Italy Jarno Trulli France Mild Seven Renault F1 Team Renault R23 Renault RS23 3.0 V10 M
8 Spain Fernando Alonso France Mild Seven Renault F1 Team Renault R23 Renault RS23 3.0 V10 M
9 Germany Nick Heidfeld Switzerland Sauber Petronas Sauber C22 Petronas 03A 3.0 V10 B
10 Germany Heinz-Harald Frentzen Switzerland Sauber Petronas Sauber C22 Petronas 03A 3.0 V10 B
11 Italy Giancarlo Fisichella Ireland Jordan Ford Jordan EJ13 Ford Cosworth RS1 3.0 V10 B
12 Ireland Ralph Firman Ireland Jordan Ford Jordan EJ13 Ford Cosworth RS1 3.0 V10 B
14 Australia Mark Webber United Kingdom Jaguar Racing Jaguar R4 Ford Cosworth CR-5 3.0 V10 M
15 Brazil Antônio Pizzonia United Kingdom Jaguar Racing Jaguar R4 Ford Cosworth CR-5 3.0 V10 M
16 Canada Jacques Villeneuve United Kingdom Lucky Strike BAR Honda BAR 005 Honda RA003E 3.0 V10 B
17 United Kingdom Jenson Button United Kingdom Lucky Strike BAR Honda BAR 005 Honda RA003E 3.0 V10 B
18 United Kingdom Justin Wilson Italy European Minardi F1 Team Minardi PS03 Ford Cosworth CR-3 3.0 V10 B
19 Netherlands Jos Verstappen Italy European Minardi F1 Team Minardi PS03 Ford Cosworth CR-3 3.0 V10 B
20 France Olivier Panis Japan Panasonic Toyota Racing Toyota TF103 Toyota RVX-03 3.0 V10 M
21 Brazil Cristiano da Matta Japan Panasonic Toyota Racing Toyota TF103 Toyota RVX-03 3.0 V10 M
Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only
34 United Kingdom Allan McNish France Mild Seven Renault F1 Team Renault R23 Renault RS23 3.0 V10 M
39 Italy Matteo Bobbi Italy European Minardi F1 Team Minardi PS03 Ford Cosworth CR-3 3.0 V10 B
Source:[2]

Pre-Race Testing[]

Pos. No. Driver Team Time Gap Laps
1 15 Brazil Antonio Pizzonia United Kingdom Jaguar-Ford Cosworth 1:23.099 33
2 11 Italy Giancarlo Fisichella Ireland Jordan-Ford Cosworth 1:23.239 +0.140 31
3 14 Australia Mark Webber United Kingdom Jaguar-Ford Cosworth 1:23.457 +0.358 37
4 12 Ireland Ralph Firman Ireland Jordan-Ford Cosworth 1:23.885 +0.786 30
5 7 Italy Jarno Trulli France Renault 1:24.003 +0.904 25
6 8 Spain Fernando Alonso France Renault 1:24.298 +1.199 45
7 34 United Kingdom Allan McNish France Renault 1:25.264 +2.165 20
8 19 Netherlands Jos Verstappen Italy Minardi-Ford Cosworth 1:25.905 +2.806 24
9 18 United Kingdom Justin Wilson Italy Minardi-Ford Cosworth 1:26.374 +3.275 30
10 39 Italy Matteo Bobbi Italy Minardi-Ford Cosworth 1:29.433 +6.334 17
Source:[3]

Practice Overview[]

Qualifying[]

Q1 Report[]

Q2 Report[]

Qualifying Results[]

The full qualifying results for the 2003 San Marino Grand Prix are outlined below:

Pos. No. Driver Constructor Time Gap
Q1 Q2
1 1 Germany Michael Schumacher Italy Ferrari 1:20.628 1:22.327
2 4 Germany Ralf Schumacher United Kingdom Williams-BMW 1:21.193 1:22.341 +0.014s
3 2 Brazil Rubens Barrichello Italy Ferrari 1:21.082 1:22.557 +0.230s
4 3 Colombia Juan Pablo Montoya United Kingdom Williams-BMW 1:21.490 1:22.789 +0.462s
5 14 Australia Mark Webber United Kingdom Jaguar-Ford Cosworth 1:21.669 1:23.015 +0.688s
6 6 Finland Kimi Räikkönen United Kingdom McLaren-Mercedes 1:22.147 1:23.148 +0.821s
7 16 Canada Jacques Villeneuve United Kingdom BAR-Honda 1:21.926 1:23.160 +0.833s
8 8 Spain Fernando Alonso France Renault 1:22.809 1:23.169 +0.842s
9 17 United Kingdom Jenson Button United Kingdom BAR-Honda 1:21.891 1:23.381 +1.054s
10 20 France Olivier Panis Japan Toyota 1:22.765 1:23.460 +1.133s
11 9 Germany Nick Heidfeld Switzerland Sauber-Petronas 1:22.911 1:23.700 +1.373s
12 5 United Kingdom David Coulthard United Kingdom McLaren-Mercedes 1:22.326 1:23.818 +1.491s
13 21 Brazil Cristiano da Matta Japan Toyota 1:24.854 1:23.838 +1.511s
14 10 Germany Heinz-Harald Frentzen Switzerland Sauber-Petronas 1:22.531 1:23.932 +1.605s
15 15 Brazil Antônio Pizzonia United Kingdom Jaguar-Ford Cosworth 1:22.919 1:24.147 +1.820s
16 7 Italy Jarno Trulli France Renault 1:23.100 1:24.190 +1.863s
17 11 Italy Giancarlo Fisichella Ireland Jordan-Ford Cosworth 1:22.724 1:24.317 +1.990s
18 18 United Kingdom Justin Wilson Italy Minardi-Ford Cosworth 1:25.195 1:25.826 +3.499s
19 12 Ireland Ralph Firman Ireland Jordan-Ford Cosworth 1:24.360 1:26.357 +4.030s
20 19 Netherlands Jos Verstappen Italy Minardi-Ford Cosworth 1:24.990 2:01.007 +38.680s
Source:[4][5][6]
  • T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session.
  • Bold indicates a driver's best/qualifying time.

Grid[]

Pos. Pos.
Driver Driver
______________
Row 1 1 ______________
Michael Schumacher 2
______________ Ralf Schumacher
Row 2 3 ______________
Rubens Barrichello 4
______________ Juan Pablo Montoya
Row 3 5 ______________
Mark Webber 6
______________ Kimi Räikkönen
Row 4 7 ______________
Jacques Villeneuve 8
______________ Fernando Alonso
Row 5 9 ______________
Jenson Button 10
______________ Olivier Panis
Row 6 11 ______________
Nick Heidfeld 12
______________ David Coulthard
Row 7 13 ______________
Cristiano da Matta 14
______________ Heinz-Harald Frentzen
Row 8 15 ______________
Antônio Pizzonia 16
______________ Jarno Trulli
Row 9 17 ______________
Giancarlo Fisichella 18
______________ Justin Wilson*
Row 10 19 ______________
Ralph Firman* 20
______________ Jos Verstappen*
  • * Wilson, Firman and Verstappen all started the race from the pitlane.[4]

Race[]

Report[]

Results[]

The full results for the 2003 San Marino Grand Prix are outlined below:

Pos. No. Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 1 Germany Michael Schumacher Italy Ferrari 62 1:28:12.058 1 10
2 6 Finland Kimi Räikkönen United Kingdom McLaren-Mercedes 62 +1.882s 6 8
3 2 Brazil Rubens Barrichello Italy Ferrari 62 +2.291s 3 6
4 4 Germany Ralf Schumacher United Kingdom Williams-BMW 62 +8.803s 2 5
5 5 United Kingdom David Coulthard United Kingdom McLaren-Mercedes 62 +9.411s 12 4
6 8 Spain Fernando Alonso France Renault 62 +43.689s 8 3
7 3 Colombia Juan Pablo Montoya United Kingdom Williams-BMW 62 +45.271s 4 2
8 17 United Kingdom Jenson Button United Kingdom BAR-Honda 61 +1 Lap 9 1
9 20 France Olivier Panis Japan Toyota 61 +1 Lap 10
10 9 Germany Nick Heidfeld Switzerland Sauber-Petronas 61 +1 Lap 11
11 10 Germany Heinz-Harald Frentzen Switzerland Sauber-Petronas 61 +1 Lap 14
12 21 Brazil Cristiano da Matta Japan Toyota 61 +1 Lap 13
13 7 Italy Jarno Trulli France Renault 61 +1 Lap 16
14 15 Brazil Antônio Pizzonia United Kingdom Jaguar-Ford Cosworth 60 +2 Laps 15
15* 11 Italy Giancarlo Fisichella Ireland Jordan-Ford Cosworth 57 Engine 17
Ret 14 Australia Mark Webber United Kingdom Jaguar-Ford Cosworth 54 Driveshaft 5
Ret 12 Ireland Ralph Firman Ireland Jordan-Ford Cosworth 51 Oil line 19
Ret 19 Netherlands Jos Verstappen Italy Minardi-Ford Cosworth 38 Electrical 20
Ret 18 United Kingdom Justin Wilson Italy Minardi-Ford Cosworth 23 Fuel rig 18
Ret 16 Canada Jacques Villeneuve United Kingdom BAR-Honda 19 Engine 7
Source:[7]
  • T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
  • * Fisichella was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance.[7]

Milestones[]

Standings[]

Kimi Räikkönen once again extended his early grip on the Championship lead after a second straight second place, leaving San Marino on 32 points. David Coulthard remained in his younger teammate's shadow, slipping thirteen behind, while victory for Michael Schumacher had catapulted the German ace into third, a point behind the Scot. Fernando Alonso was one of those to make way for Schumacher, slipping to fourth, with Rubens Barrichello moving into fifth.

In the Constructors Championship McLaren-Mercedes had continued their bid to build a lead, and would leave Italy with nineteen points in hand. Ferrari had moved up to be the Anglo-German squad's closest challengers, with Renault slipping six behind the Italian squad. Williams-BMW also made some minor ground in fourth, with Jordan-Ford Cosworth completing the top five.

World Championship for Drivers
Pos. Driver Pts. +/-
1 Finland Kimi Räikkönen 32
2 United Kingdom David Coulthard 19
3 Germany Michael Schumacher 18 ▲5
4 Spain Fernando Alonso 17 ▼1
5 Brazil Rubens Barrichello 14 ▲2
6 Germany Ralf Schumacher 13 ▲3
7 Italy Giancarlo Fisichella 10 ▼3
8 Colombia Juan Pablo Montoya 10 ▼2
9 Italy Jarno Trulli 9 ▼4
10 Germany Heinz-Harald Frentzen 7
11 Canada Jacques Villeneuve 3
12 United Kingdom Jenson Button 3
13 Germany Nick Heidfeld 1
World Championship for Constructors
Pos. Team Pts. +/-
1 United Kingdom McLaren-Mercedes 51
2 Italy Ferrari 32 ▲1
3 France Renault 26 ▼1
4 United Kingdom Williams-BMW 23
5 Ireland Jordan-Ford Cosworth 10
6 Switzerland Sauber-Petronas 8
7 United Kingdom BAR-Honda 6

Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.

References[]

Images and Videos:

References:

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 'San Marino GP, 2003', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr701.html, (Accessed 10/12/2019)
  2. 'San Marino 2003: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2003/saint-marin/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/12/2019)
  3. 'San Marino 2003: Friday Testing', pitpass.com, (Pitpass, 2003), https://web.archive.org/web/20211104023001/https://www.pitpass.com/src/seasons/2003/gp/sanmarino/times/fri_test.html, (Accessed 04/11/2021)
  4. 4.0 4.1 'San Marino: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2003/saint-marin/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 10/12/2019)
  5. 'Gran Premio Foster's di San Marino 2003 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2003/races/740/san-marino/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 10/12/2019)
  6. 'Gran Premio Foster's di San Marino 2003 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2003/races/740/san-marino/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 10/12/2019)
  7. 7.0 7.1 'San Marino 2003: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2003/saint-marin/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/12/2019)
  8. 8.0 8.1 '4. San Marino 2003', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2003/saint-marin.aspx, (Accessed 10/12/2019)
V T E 2003 Formula One Season
Teams Ferrari • Williams • McLaren • Renault • Sauber • Jordan • Jaguar • BAR • Minardi • Toyota
Engines BMW • Cosworth • Ferrari • Ford • Honda • Mercedes • Petronas • Renault • Toyota
Drivers M. Schumacher • 2 Barrichello • 3 Montoya • 4 R. Schumacher • 4 Gené • 5 Coulthard • 6 Räikkönen • 7 Trulli • 8 Alonso • 9 Heidfeld • 10 Frentzen • 11 Fisichella • 12 Firman • 12 Baumgartner • 14 Webber • 15 Pizzonia • 15 Wilson • 16 Villeneuve • 16 Sato • 17 Button • 18 Wilson • 18 Kiesa • 19 Verstappen • 20 Panis • 21 Da Matta
Other Drivers Badoer • Beretta • Bruni • Davidson • De la Rosa • Lotterer • Massa • McNish • Montagny • Paffett • Wurz • Zonta
Cars Ferrari F2002B • Ferrari F2003-GA • Williams FW25 • McLaren MP4-17D • Renault R23 • Renault R23B • Sauber C22 • Jordan EJ13 • Jaguar R4 • BAR 005 • Minardi PS03 • Toyota TF103
Tyres Bridgestone • Michelin
Races Australia • Malaysia • Brazil • San Marino • Spain • Austria • Monaco • Canada • Europe • France • Britain • Germany • Hungary • Italy • United States • Japan
See also 2002 Formula One Season • 2004 Formula One Season • Category
V T E San Marino San Marino Grand Prix
Circuits Imola (1981-2006)
Imola 1981
Races 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 • 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006
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