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Michael Schumacher was F1 world champion for the fourth time in a row (and sixth time overall) for Ferrari with 93 points.

Kimi Räikkönen was just two points behind Schumacher with 91 for McLaren.

Juan Pablo Montoya was third with the Williams team and 82 points.

Rubens Barrichello (pictured in 2002) placed fourth

Ralf Schumacher (pictured in 2004) placed fifth

The 2003 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 57th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It began on 9 March 2003 and ended on 12 October after sixteen races. World Championship titles were awarded for both drivers and constructors with Michael Schumacher winning the former and Ferrari awarded the latter.^[1]

The 2003 season saw the introduction of new regulations intended to increase F1's excitement and to help alleviate the financial difficulties of the smaller teams. One-lap qualifying was introduced as a way for smaller teams to get more television exposure. Optional Friday testing at Grand Prix events was introduced in exchange for fewer miles on stand-alone test days. This was intended to give smaller teams a cheaper alternative to these test days, which were to be banned in 2004. Only one type of wet weather tyre was allowed to be used in wet weather races. The points system for both the Constructors' and Drivers' titles was changed from 10–6–4–3–2–1 for the first six finishers at each round to 10–8–6–5–4–3–2–1 for the first eight finishers^[2] in an attempt to make the title contests closer.

While Ferrari's Michael Schumacher had won the 2002 championship by 67 points from his teammate Rubens Barrichello, the 2003 season was much closer. For a great part of the 2003 season, several drivers from several teams had mathematical chances of winning the world championship. Eight different drivers won a Grand Prix, amongst them three first time winners. Kimi Räikkönen, driving for McLaren-Mercedes, and Juan Pablo Montoya, driving for BMW Williams, both had a chance of claiming the 2003 championship until late in the season, with Räikkönen still mathematically in contention at the final race, the Japanese Grand Prix. Räikkönen lost the championship to Schumacher by two points, although he won only one race to Schumacher's six. It was Schumacher's sixth World Drivers' title overall, breaking Juan Manuel Fangio's 46-year-old record of five World Drivers' titles for most Drivers' Championships won. Ferrari's defence of the Constructors' title was challenged throughout the year by Williams and McLaren, one of the few seasons where there were three front-running teams but in the end, Ferrari emerged victorious once again and the team clinched their fifth consecutive World Constructors' title since 1999.

Notable races include the chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix which was hampered by monsoon conditions, and the British Grand Prix where the track was invaded by the now-defrocked priest Neil Horan, who ran onto the Hangar straight, running towards the 250 km/h train of cars, wearing a green kilt and waving religious banners.

After failing to complete the 2002 season due to financial difficulties, the Arrows team had their application for admission to the 2003 championship rejected by the FIA prior to the season start date. No reason was publicly given by the FIA and Arrows subsequently folded after 25 years in Formula One since 1978.

2003 also saw a major leap forward in Formula One safety, with the HANS device being made a mandatory requirement for drivers to wear at all races beginning from the Australian Grand Prix onwards. However, this was not without controversy, as many drivers voiced their complaints about the device, including Barrichello, Jacques Villeneuve, Justin Wilson and Nick Heidfeld.^[3][4]

Teams and drivers

The following teams and drivers competed in the 2003 FIA Formula One World Championship.

Entrant	Constructor	Chassis	Engine†	Tyre	No.	Driver	Rounds	No.	Free Practice driver(s)
Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro	Ferrari	F2002B F2003-GA	Ferrari 051B Ferrari 052	B	1	Michael Schumacher	All	N/A
					2	Rubens Barrichello	All
BMW WilliamsF1 Team	Williams-BMW	FW25	BMW P83	M	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	All	N/A
					4	Ralf Schumacher	1–13, 15–16
						Marc Gené	14
West McLaren Mercedes	McLaren-Mercedes	MP4-17D	Mercedes FO110M Mercedes FO110P	M	5	David Coulthard	All	N/A
					6	Kimi Räikkönen	All
Mild Seven Renault F1 Team	Renault	R23 R23B	Renault RS23	M	7	Jarno Trulli	All	34 44	Allan McNish Franck Montagny[5]
					8	Fernando Alonso	All
Sauber Petronas	Sauber-Petronas	C22	Petronas 03A	B	9	Nick Heidfeld	All	N/A
					10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	All
Jordan Ford	Jordan-Ford	EJ13	Ford RS1	B	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	All	36	Zsolt Baumgartner Björn Wirdheim Satoshi Motoyama
					12	Ralph Firman	1–12, 15–16
						Zsolt Baumgartner	13–14
Jaguar Racing	Jaguar-Cosworth	R4	Cosworth CR-5	M	14	Mark Webber	All	N/A
					15	Antônio Pizzonia	1–11
						Justin Wilson	12–16
Lucky Strike BAR Honda	BAR-Honda	005	Honda RA003E	B	16	Jacques Villeneuve	1–15	N/A
						Takuma Sato	16
					17	Jenson Button	All
European Minardi F1 Team	Minardi-Cosworth	PS03	Cosworth CR-3	B	18	Justin Wilson	1–11	39	Matteo Bobbi Gianmaria Bruni
						Nicolas Kiesa	12–16
					19	Jos Verstappen	All
Panasonic Toyota Racing	Toyota	TF103	Toyota RVX-03	M	20	Olivier Panis	All	N/A
					21	Cristiano da Matta	All

^† All engines were required to have ten cylinders and an engine capacity not exceeding 3000 cc,^[6] and all were of V10 configuration.^[7]

Team changes

• The Arrows team folded several days after the 2002 German Grand Prix due to financial issues without contesting another Grand Prix.


• 
  Jordan switched to using Ford engines for 2003, after their previous suppliers, Honda, opted to focus on their partnership with BAR. Jordan's contract with the Japanese engine manufacturer was due to expire at the end of the 2003 season, but Honda were no longer willing to provide Jordan with free engines. A link-up with, and possible buy-out by, Asiatech was rumoured,^[8] although this did not prove to be the case, and, when funding was withdrawn from the company, Asiatech was wound down. Minardi, who had been using Asiatech engines in 2002, switched to Cosworth units for 2003.


• 
  Renault took part in Friday testing sessions. People thought it was odd because not only were they a manufacturer, they would also get fewer testing miles. However, Mike Gascoyne, the technical director for Renault in 2003, said that not only did Renault save money, they also got more testing mileage out of their cars.

Driver changes

• 
  Fernando Alonso, the team's test driver in 2002, was promoted to a full-time drive at Renault, replacing Jenson Button. Button moved to BAR, where he took the seat vacated by the Toyota-bound Olivier Panis. Panis joined Formula One debutant, and reigning CART champion, Cristiano da Matta at the Japanese team, in an all-new lineup for 2003. Allan McNish, one of the drivers replaced at Toyota, signed with Renault as a test driver, while his teammate from 2002, Mika Salo, left Formula One altogether.


• 
  Felipe Massa left his Sauber drive to assume the duties of test driver for Ferrari. His place at Sauber was taken by Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who had replaced Massa on a one-off basis for the United States Grand Prix (by which time Frentzen was already confirmed as a Sauber driver for 2003), after having driven for Arrows before the team's collapse.


• 
  Takuma Sato left the Jordan team to take the place of several others (Anthony Davidson, Darren Manning, Ryo Fukuda and Patrick Lemarié) as the sole test driver for BAR, being replaced by 2002 Formula Nippon champion Ralph Firman.


• 
  Jaguar replaced both Eddie Irvine and Pedro de la Rosa for 2003. Their new drivers were Mark Webber, who signed from Minardi, and debutant Antônio Pizzonia, who drove in the International Formula 3000 series in 2002 whilst also performing test driver duties for Williams. Webber's vacated seat at Minardi was filled by Justin Wilson, who had won the International Formula 3000 title in 2001. Alex Yoong's Minardi contract from 2002 was not renewed and he moved to the CART series, albeit only for a brief stint, in 2003. He was replaced at Minardi by Jos Verstappen, who had spent a season on the sidelines after losing his Arrows drive to Heinz-Harald Frentzen in 2002.

Mid-season changes

• Minardi's Justin Wilson joined Jaguar from the German Grand Prix onwards, filling in for the under-performing Antônio Pizzonia, who was offered a test driving role at the team but turned it down. He would later resurface as a test driver at Williams. Wilson's seat at Minardi was taken by the Danish driver Nicolas Kiesa, who joined Formula One from the International Formula 3000 series.


• Ralph Firman suffered injuries as a result of a crash during practice in Hungary. He was replaced by Zsolt Baumgartner for two races before returning to finish the season for Jordan. Baumgartner, another driver who had been competing in the International Formula 3000 series, was the first Hungarian driver to race in Formula One.


• 
  Ralf Schumacher was unable to race in Italy, due to concussion. He was replaced at Williams by Marc Gené, the team's test driver, for that particular race, before returning for the following Grand Prix.


• After a string of disappointing results in 2003, Jacques Villeneuve was replaced at BAR by test driver Takuma Sato for the Japanese Grand Prix. Villeneuve would later drive for Renault in 2004 as a replacement driver, and sign a multi-year contract at Sauber for 2005 (though he was replaced in 2006).

Season calendar

The 2003 FIA Formula One World Championship was contested over the following sixteen races:

Round	Race	Date	Location
1	Australian Grand Prix	9 March	Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne
2	Malaysian Grand Prix	23 March	Sepang International Circuit, Kuala Lumpur
3	Brazilian Grand Prix	6 April	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo
4	San Marino Grand Prix	20 April	Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola
5	Spanish Grand Prix	4 May	Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona
6	Austrian Grand Prix	18 May	A1-Ring, Spielberg
7	Monaco Grand Prix	1 June	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo
8	Canadian Grand Prix	15 June	Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal
9	European Grand Prix	29 June	Nürburgring, Nürburg
10	French Grand Prix	6 July	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours
11	British Grand Prix	20 July	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone
12	German Grand Prix	3 August	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim
13	Hungarian Grand Prix	24 August	Hungaroring, Budapest
14	Italian Grand Prix	14 September	Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza
15	United States Grand Prix	28 September	Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis
16	Japanese Grand Prix	12 October	Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka

• The Belgian Grand Prix was dropped from the 2003 season because of the country's tobacco laws; several teams (Ferrari, McLaren, Renault, BAR and Jordan) were in violation of these laws due to their then sponsorship and certain clauses in their contracts. This was later rectified and F1 was allowed to return to Spa-Francorchamps in 2004.

Results and standings

Grands Prix

Rd.	Grand Prix	Pole Position	Fastest Lap	Winning Driver	Constructor	Report
1	Australian Grand Prix	Michael Schumacher	Kimi Räikkönen	David Coulthard	McLaren-Mercedes	Report
2	Malaysian Grand Prix	Fernando Alonso	Michael Schumacher	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren-Mercedes	Report
3	Brazilian Grand Prix	Rubens Barrichello	Rubens Barrichello	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan-Ford	Report
4	San Marino Grand Prix	Michael Schumacher	Michael Schumacher	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	Report
5	Spanish Grand Prix	Michael Schumacher	Rubens Barrichello	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	Report
6	Austrian Grand Prix	Michael Schumacher	Michael Schumacher	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	Report
7	Monaco Grand Prix	Ralf Schumacher	Kimi Räikkönen	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams-BMW	Report
8	Canadian Grand Prix	Ralf Schumacher	Fernando Alonso	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	Report
9	European Grand Prix	Kimi Räikkönen	Kimi Räikkönen	Ralf Schumacher	Williams-BMW	Report
10	French Grand Prix	Ralf Schumacher	Juan Pablo Montoya	Ralf Schumacher	Williams-BMW	Report
11	British Grand Prix	Rubens Barrichello	Rubens Barrichello	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	Report
12	German Grand Prix	Juan Pablo Montoya	Juan Pablo Montoya	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams-BMW	Report
13	Hungarian Grand Prix	Fernando Alonso	Juan Pablo Montoya	Fernando Alonso	Renault	Report
14	Italian Grand Prix	Michael Schumacher	Michael Schumacher	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	Report
15	United States Grand Prix	Kimi Räikkönen	Michael Schumacher	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	Report
16	Japanese Grand Prix	Rubens Barrichello	Ralf Schumacher	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	Report

World Drivers' Championship standings

Pos Driver AUS MAL BRA SMR ESP AUT MON CAN EUR FRA GBR GER HUN ITA USA JPN Points 1 Michael Schumacher 4 6 Ret 1 1 1 3 1 5 3 4 7 8 1 1 8 93 2 Kimi Räikkönen 3 1 2 2 Ret 2 2 6 Ret 4 3 Ret 2 4 2 2 91 3 Juan Pablo Montoya 2 12 Ret 7 4 Ret 1 3 2 2 2 1 3 2 6 Ret 82 4 Rubens Barrichello Ret 2 Ret 3 3 3 8 5 3 7 1 Ret Ret 3 Ret 1 65 5 Ralf Schumacher 8 4 7 4 5 6 4 2 1 1 9 Ret 4 WD Ret 12 58 6 Fernando Alonso 7 3 3 6 2 Ret 5 4 4 Ret Ret 4 1 8 Ret Ret 55 7 David Coulthard 1 Ret 4 5 Ret 5 7 Ret 15† 5 5 2 5 Ret Ret 3 51 8 Jarno Trulli 5 5 8 13 Ret 8 6 Ret Ret Ret 6 3 7 Ret 4 5 33 9 Jenson Button 10 7 Ret 8 9 4 DNS Ret 7 Ret 8 8 10 Ret Ret 4 17 10 Mark Webber Ret Ret 9† Ret 7 7 Ret 7 6 6 14 11† 6 7 Ret 11 17 11 Heinz-Harald Frentzen 6 9 5 11 Ret DNS Ret Ret 9 12 12 Ret Ret 13† 3 Ret 13 12 Giancarlo Fisichella 12† Ret 1 15† Ret Ret 10 Ret 12 Ret Ret 13† Ret 10 7 Ret 12 13 Cristiano da Matta Ret 11 10 12 6 10 9 11† Ret 11 7 6 11 Ret 9 7 10 14 Nick Heidfeld Ret 8 Ret 10 10 Ret 11 Ret 8 13 17 10 9 9 5 9 6 15 Olivier Panis Ret Ret Ret 9 Ret Ret 13 8 Ret 8 11 5 Ret Ret Ret 10 6 16 Jacques Villeneuve 9 DNS 6 Ret Ret 12 Ret Ret Ret 9 10 9 Ret 6 Ret 6 17 Marc Gené 5 4 18 Takuma Sato 6 3 19 Ralph Firman Ret 10 Ret Ret 8 11 12 Ret 11 15 13 Ret DNS Ret 14 1 20 Justin Wilson Ret Ret Ret Ret 11 13 Ret Ret 13 14 16 Ret Ret Ret 8 13 1 21 Antônio Pizzonia 13† Ret Ret 14 Ret 9 Ret 10† 10 10 Ret 0 22 Jos Verstappen 11 13 Ret Ret 12 Ret Ret 9 14 16 15 Ret 12 Ret 10 15 0 23 Nicolas Kiesa 12 13 12 11 16 0 24 Zsolt Baumgartner Ret 11 0 Pos Driver AUS MAL BRA SMR ESP AUT MON CAN EUR FRA GBR GER HUN ITA USA JPN Points

Key Colour Result Gold Winner Silver 2nd place Bronze 3rd place Green Other points position Blue Other classified position Not classified, finished (NC) Purple Not classified, retired (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Excluded (EX) Did not arrive (DNA) Withdrawn (WD) Bold – Pole Italics – Fastest lap

^† Driver did not finish the Grand Prix, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.

Points were awarded to the top eight classified finishers.

World Constructors' Championship standings

Ferrari won the 2003 FIA Formula One World Championship for Constructors

Williams placed second in the Constructors' Championship

McLaren finished third in the Constructors' Championship, only two points behind Williams

Pos	Constructor	Car no.	AUS	MAL	BRA	SMR	ESP	AUT	MON	CAN	EUR	FRA	GBR	GER	HUN	ITA	USA	JPN	Points
1	Ferrari	1	4	6	Ret	1	1	1	3	1	5	3	4	7	8	1	1	8	158
		2	Ret	2	Ret	3	3	3	8	5	3	7	1	Ret	Ret	3	Ret	1
2	Williams-BMW	3	2	12	Ret	7	4	Ret	1	3	2	2	2	1	3	2	6	Ret	144
		4	8	4	7	4	5	6	4	2	1	1	9	Ret	4	5	Ret	12
3	McLaren-Mercedes	5	1	Ret	4	5	Ret	5	7	Ret	15	5	5	2	5	Ret	Ret	3	142
		6	3	1	2	2	Ret	2	2	6	Ret	4	3	Ret	2	4	2	2
4	Renault	7	5	5	8	13	Ret	8	6	Ret	Ret	Ret	6	3	7	Ret	4	5	88
		8	7	3	3	6	2	Ret	5	4	4	Ret	Ret	4	1	8	Ret	Ret
5	BAR-Honda	16	9	DNS	6	Ret	Ret	12	Ret	Ret	Ret	9	10	9	Ret	6	Ret	6	26
		17	10	7	Ret	8	9	4	DNS	Ret	7	Ret	8	8	10	Ret	Ret	4
6	Sauber-Petronas	9	Ret	8	Ret	10	10	Ret	11	Ret	8	13	17	10	9	9	5	9	19
		10	6	9	5	11	Ret	DNS	Ret	Ret	9	12	12	Ret	Ret	13	3	Ret
7	Jaguar-Cosworth	14	Ret	Ret	9	Ret	7	7	Ret	7	6	6	14	11	6	7	Ret	11	18
		15	13	Ret	Ret	14	Ret	9	Ret	10	10	10	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	8	13
8	Toyota	20	Ret	Ret	Ret	9	Ret	Ret	13	8	Ret	8	11	5	Ret	Ret	Ret	10	16
		21	Ret	11	10	12	6	10	9	11	Ret	11	7	6	11	Ret	9	7
9	Jordan-Ford	11	12	Ret	1	15	Ret	Ret	10	Ret	12	Ret	Ret	13	Ret	10	7	Ret	13
		12	Ret	10	Ret	Ret	8	11	12	Ret	11	15	13	Ret	Ret	11	Ret	14
10	Minardi-Cosworth	18	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	11	13	Ret	Ret	13	14	16	12	13	12	11	16	0
		19	11	13	Ret	Ret	12	Ret	Ret	9	14	16	15	Ret	12	Ret	10	15
Pos	Constructor	Car no.	AUS	MAL	BRA	SMR	ESP	AUT	MON	CAN	EUR	FRA	GBR	GER	HUN	ITA	USA	JPN	Points

• Constructors' Championship points were awarded on a 10–8–6–5–4–3–2–1 basis to the first eight finishers in each race.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2003 in Formula One.

• 
  formula1.com – 2003 drivers standings (archived)


• 
  formula1.com – 2003 teams standings (archived)