The 2003 Spanish Grand Prix, officially known as the Gran Premio Marlboro de España 2003, was the fifth round of the 2003 FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain, on 4 May 2003.[1] The race would see Michael Schumacher sweep to a dominant victory for Ferrari, ahead of home hero Fernando Alonso of Renault.[1]
Qualifying for the race had seen Ferrari run unopposed at the head of the field, with Schumacher claiming pole position ahead of Rubens Barrichello.[1] Alonso, meanwhile, would give the home fans hope by claiming third ahead of his teammate Jarno Trulli, while an awful session for Kimi Räikkönen left the Championship leader in last place.[1]
The start of the race saw Alonso make the best start, although he was unable to exploit it as he got boxed in behind Barrichello.[1] Indeed, the Brazilian ace had also got away smartly to challenge teammate Schumacher into the first corner, although his lunge around the outside of his teammate only resulted in the #2 Ferrari clipping the grass.[1]
The lost momentum for Barrichello let Schumacher sprint clear, leaving the Brazilian racer to fend off Alonso through turn three.[1] Behind, however, there was chaos, as Trulli tried to make up for a poor start, only to slam into David Coulthard and bring out the Safety Car.[1] It was Räikkönen, however, who was the biggest victim, getting wiped out amid the chaos as the field scattered to avoid the collision.[1]
Several teams and drivers would opt to make stops during the early SC laps, hence altering their strategies from three-stops to two-stops.[1] However, none of the lead trio would stop, sticking with their three-stop plan, and would hence sprint clear together with lighter fuel when the race resumed.[1]
Indeed, the fight for the lead quickly became a battle of strategies, with Barrichello dropping back to hold up Alonso, while Schumacher established a five second lead.[1] However, the Spaniard would make an earlier stop than either of the Ferraris, and with clear air would halve Schumacher's lead and jump ahead of Barrichello.[1]
However, Alonso ultimately lacked the pace to challenge Schumacher, with the German ace steadily pulling clear of the Renault during their second and third stints.[1] Alonso himself, meanwhile, was able to keep Barrichello at arm's length, meaning the fight for the podium was effectively over with half of the race to run.[1]
Behind, Williams-BMW had used the SC to swap their strategies, and hence ran in fourth and fifth with Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya.[1] However, their race would be upset when Schumacher flew off the circuit and damaged his cooling system, allowing Cristiano da Matta in the Toyota to close in as Montoya swept past.[1]
Into the closing stages and da Matta was throwing everything at Ralf Schumacher, although the crippled Williams had enough pace in the corners to keep the Toyota at bay.[1] Mark Webber would also briefly join the fight, before fading badly as the final laps were concluded.[1]
With that the race was run, with Michael Schumacher cruising across the line to claim victory, while the home fans were jubilant as Alonso swept to second.[1] Barrichello had a lonely second half of the race to complete the podium, with Montoya, Ralf Schumacher, da Matta, Webber and Ralph Firman the remaining point scorers.[1]
Background[]
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.
Entry List[]
The full entry list for the 2003 Spanish Grand Prix is outlined below:
Pre-Race Testing[]
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 |  Jarno Trulli
|
 Renault
|
1:17.706 | 43 | |
| 2 | 11 | Giancarlo Fisichella
|
 Jordan-Ford Cosworth
|
1:17.991 | +0.285 | 39 |
| 3 | 8 |  Fernando Alonso
|
Renault
|
1:18.048 | +0.342 | 37 |
| 4 | 34 |  Allan McNish
|
Renault
|
1:18.625 | +0.919 | 52 |
| 5 | 15 |  Antônio Pizzonia
|
Jaguar-Ford Cosworth
|
1:18.699 | +0.993 | 44 |
| 6 | 14 |  Mark Webber
|
Jaguar-Ford Cosworth
|
1:18.731 | +1.025 | 53 |
| 7 | 12 | Ralph Firman
|
Jordan-Ford Cosworth
|
1:18.761 | +1.055 | 43 |
| 8 | 18 | Justin Wilson
|
Minardi-Ford Cosworth
|
1:21.036 | +3.330 | 31 |
| 9 | 19 |  Jos Verstappen
|
Minardi-Ford Cosworth
|
1:21.294 | +3.588 | 29 |
| Source:[3] | ||||||
Practice Overview[]
Qualifying[]
Q1 Report[]
Q2 Report[]
Qualifying Results[]
The full qualifying results for the 2003 Spanish Grand Prix are outlined below:
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Constructor | Time | Gap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Q2 | |||||
| 1 | 1 |  Michael Schumacher
|
Ferrari
|
1:17.130 | 1:17.762 | — |
| 2 | 2 | Rubens Barrichello
|
Ferrari
|
1:17.218 | 1:18.020 | +0.258s |
| 3 | 8 | Fernando Alonso
|
Renault
|
1:18.100 | 1:18.233 | +0.471s |
| 4 | 7 | Jarno Trulli
|
Renault
|
1:17.149 | 1:18.615 | +0.853s |
| 5 | 17 | Jenson Button
|
BAR-Honda
|
1:17.613 | 1:18.704 | +0.942s |
| 6 | 20 | Olivier Panis
|
 Toyota
|
1:17.746 | 1:18.881 | +1.049s |
| 7 | 4 | Ralf Schumacher
|
Williams-BMW
|
1:18.409 | 1:19.006 | +1.244s |
| 8 | 5 | David Coulthard
|
McLaren-Mercedes
|
1:18.060 | 1:19.128 | +1.366s |
| 9 | 3 |  Juan Pablo Montoya
|
Williams-BMW
|
1:18.607 | 1:19.377 | +1.615s |
| 10 | 10 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen
|
 Sauber-Petronas
|
1:18.909 | 1:19.427 | +1.665s |
| 11 | 16 |  Jacques Villeneuve
|
BAR-Honda
|
1:18.461 | 1:19.563 | +1.801s |
| 12 | 14 | Mark Webber
|
Jaguar-Ford Cosworth
|
1:17.793 | 1:19.615 | +1.853s |
| 13 | 21 | Cristiano da Matta
|
Toyota
|
1:17.443 | 1:19.623 | +1.861s |
| 14 | 9 | Nick Heidfeld
|
Sauber-Petronas
|
1:19.050 | 1:19.646 | +1.884s |
| 15 | 12 | Ralph Firman
|
Jordan-Ford Cosworth
|
1:19.195 | 1:20.215 | +2.453s |
| 16 | 15 | Antônio Pizzonia
|
Jaguar-Ford Cosworth
|
1:18.528 | 1:20.308 | +2.546s |
| 17 | 11 | Giancarlo Fisichella
|
Jordan-Ford Cosworth
|
1:18.879 | 1:20.976 | +3.214s |
| 18 | 18 | Justin Wilson
|
Minardi-Ford Cosworth
|
1:21.100 | 1:22.104 | +4.342s |
| 19 | 19 | Jos Verstappen
|
Minardi-Ford Cosworth
|
1:20.822 | 1:22.237 | +4.475s |
| 20 | 6 |  Kimi Räikkönen
|
McLaren-Mercedes
|
1:17.862 | 1:31.900 | +14.138s |
| 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 | |
| ______________ | Rubens Barrichello | |
| Row 2 | 3 | ______________ |
| Fernando Alonso | 4 | |
| ______________ | Jarno Trulli | |
| Row 3 | 5 | ______________ |
| Jenson Button | 6 | |
| ______________ | Olivier Panis | |
| Row 4 | 7 | ______________ |
| Ralf Schumacher | 8 | |
| ______________ | David Coulthard | |
| Row 5 | 9 | ______________ |
| Juan Pablo Montoya | 10 | |
| ______________ | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | |
| Row 6 | 11 | ______________ |
| Jacques Villeneuve | 12 | |
| ______________ | Mark Webber | |
| Row 7 | 13 | ______________ |
| Cristiano da Matta | 14 | |
| ______________ | Nick Heidfeld | |
| Row 8 | 15 | ______________ |
| Ralph Firman | 16 | |
| ______________ | Antônio Pizzonia | |
| Row 9 | 17 | ______________ |
| Giancarlo Fisichella | 18 | |
| ______________ | Justin Wilson | |
| Row 10 | 19 | ______________ |
| Jos Verstappen | 20 | |
| ______________ | Kimi Räikkönen |
Race[]
Report[]
Results[]
The full results for the 2003 Spanish Grand Prix are outlined below:
- T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
Milestones[]
- Jarno Trulli made his 100th Grand Prix start.[8]
- Michael Schumacher claimed his 66th career victory.[8]
- Ferrari secured their 161st win as a constructor and engine supplier.[8]
- Maiden points finish for Cristiano da Matta and Ralph Firman.
- This was also Firman's only points finish of his career.
- Rubens Barrichello recorded his tenth fastest lap.[8]
Standings[]
A second victory in a row for Michael Schumacher carried the German ace right to the head of the field, leaving him just four off the lead after a slow start. Indeed, a non-score for Kimi Räikkönen had left him looking vulnerable at the head of the pack, with Fernando Alonso also moving within striking distance in third. Elsewhere, David Coulthard had slipped to fifth behind Rubens Barrichello, with sixteen drivers on the scoresheet.
In the Constructors Championship it had been a very strong afternoon for Ferrari, as they demolished the gap between themselves and early leaders McLaren-Mercedes. The double failure to score in Spain had been very costly for the Anglo-German alliance, leaving them just three ahead of the Scuderia as their strong start to the season faded. Behind, Renault had kept Williams-BMW at bay, while Minardi-Ford Cosworth were left as the only non-scorers.
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Only point scoring drivers are shown.
References[]
Images and Videos:
References:
- ↑ 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 1.19 1.20 'Spanish GP, 2003', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr702.html, (Accessed 10/12/2019)
- ↑ 'Spain 2003: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2003/espagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/12/2019)
- ↑ 'Spanish 2003: Friday Testing', pitpass.com, (Pitpass, 2003), https://web.archive.org/web/20211104025856/https://www.pitpass.com/src/seasons/2003/gp/spain/times/fri_test.html, (Accessed 04/11/2021)
- ↑ 'Gran Premio Marlboro de España 2003 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2003/races/741/spain/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 10/12/2019)
- ↑ 'Gran Premio Marlboro de España 2003 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2003/races/741/spain/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 10/12/2019)
- ↑ 'Spain 2003: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2003/espagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 10/12/2019)
- ↑ 'Spain 2003: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2003/espagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/12/2019)
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 '5. Spain 2003', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2003/espagne.aspx, (Accessed 10/12/2019)
| V T E | Spanish Grand Prix
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Circuits | Pedralbes (1951, 1954), Jarama (1967-1968, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976-1981), Montjuïc (1969, 1971, 1973, 1975), Jerez (1986-1990), Catalunya (1991-Present) |  |
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| Non-Championship Races | 1923 • 1924–1925 • 1926 • 1927 • 1928–1929 • 1930 • 1931–1932 • 1933 • 1934 • 1935 • 1936–1966 • 1967 • 1968–1979 • 1980 |
| V T E | Promotional Trophy | |
|---|---|---|
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