2003 Japanese Grand Prix

The topic of 2003 Japanese Grand Prix is one that has been discussed and analyzed numerous times throughout history. From ancient times to the modern era, 2003 Japanese Grand Prix has been the subject of debate, research and reflection. Its influence extends to different areas of life, from politics to culture, the economy and society in general. Over time, 2003 Japanese Grand Prix has acquired diverse meanings and has been interpreted in different ways, which has contributed to its importance and relevance in today's world. In this article, we will explore different aspects related to 2003 Japanese Grand Prix and try to shed light on its impact and implication in our daily reality.

2003 Japanese Grand Prix
Race 16 of 16 in the 2003 Formula One World Championship
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Race details
Date 12 October 2003
Official name 2003 Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix
Location Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka, Mie, Japan
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 5.807 km (3.608 miles)
Distance 53 laps, 307.573 km (191.117 miles)
Weather Cloudy, Air: 22 °C (72 °F), Track 25 °C (77 °F)
Attendance 329,000[1]
Pole position
Driver
Ferrari
Time 1:31.713
Fastest lap
Driver Germany Ralf Schumacher Williams-BMW
Time 1:33.408
Podium
First
Ferrari
Second
McLaren-Mercedes
Third
McLaren-Mercedes
Lap leaders

The 2003 Japanese Grand Prix (formally the 2003 Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 12 October 2003 at the Suzuka Circuit. It was the sixteenth and final race of the 2003 Formula One World Championship, as well as the 29th Japanese Grand Prix. The 53-lap race was won by Rubens Barrichello driving for Ferrari after starting from pole position. Kimi Räikkönen, who started the race from eighth position, finished second in a McLaren car, with David Coulthard third in the other McLaren.

Barrichello's win saw Ferrari clinch their 13th Constructors Championship title, the team's fifth title in a row, with Barrichello's team-mate Michael Schumacher finishing eighth to secure his record-breaking 6th World Driver's Championship surpassing the record set by Juan Manuel Fangio in 1957. This was also Schumacher's fourth consecutive World Driver's title, matching the record set by Fangio in 1957.[2]

This event also notably marked the last race for cars using launch control and fully-automatic gearboxes, since their reintroduction at the 2001 Spanish Grand Prix. The FIA banned these two electronic driver aid systems ahead of the 2004 season. This was also the final Grand Prix for 3-time race winner Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jos Verstappen, father of future world champion Max Verstappen.

Report

Background

Heading into the final race of the season, Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher was leading the World Driver's Championship standings with 92 points; McLaren driver Kimi Räikkönen was second on 83 points, 9 points behind Schumacher. A maximum of 10 points were available, which meant that Räikkönen could still win the title. Schumacher only needed an eighth-place finish to become Driver's Champion even if Räikkönen won the race as Schumacher held the tiebreaker on wins over Räikkönen, 6 to 1. Räikkönen needed to win and Schumacher not to score a single point in order for him to become Driver's Champion.[3]

There was one driver change heading into the race. Having been a driver for the BAR-Honda team for most of the season, Jacques Villeneuve pulled out of the Grand Prix after asking to be released by the team and was replaced by the team's test driver Takuma Sato.[4]

Sato had been confirmed as a driver for the team for the 2004 season in the days running up to the race and would drive alongside Jenson Button.[5]

Friday drivers

Three teams in the 2003 Constructors' Championship had the right to run a third car on Friday's additional testing. These drivers did not compete in qualifying or the race.

Constructor Nat Driver
Renault United Kingdom Allan McNish
Jordan-Ford Japan Satoshi Motoyama
Minardi-Cosworth Italy Gianmaria Bruni

Classification

Qualifying

Pos No Driver Constructor Q1 Time Q2 Time Gap
1 2 Brazil Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 1:30.758 1:31.713
2 3 Colombia Juan Pablo Montoya Williams–BMW 1:31.201 1:32.412 +0.699
3 21 Brazil Cristiano da Matta Toyota 1:32.256 1:32.419 +0.706
4 20 France Olivier Panis Toyota 1:31.908 1:32.862 +1.149
5 8 Spain Fernando Alonso Renault 1:30.624 1:33.044 +1.331
6 14 Australia Mark Webber Jaguar–Cosworth 1:31.305 1:33.106 +1.393
7 5 United Kingdom David Coulthard McLaren–Mercedes 1:30.482 1:33.137 +1.424
8 6 Finland Kimi Räikkönen McLaren–Mercedes 1:30.558 1:33.272 +1.559
9 17 United Kingdom Jenson Button BAR–Honda 1:32.374 1:33.474 +1.761
10 15 United Kingdom Justin Wilson Jaguar–Cosworth 1:32.291 1:33.558 +1.845
11 9 Germany Nick Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas 1:31.783 1:33.632 +1.919
12 10 Germany Heinz-Harald Frentzen Sauber-Petronas 1:31.892 1:33.896 +2.183
13 16 Japan Takuma Sato BAR–Honda 1:31.832 1:33.924 +2.211
14 1 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1:30.464 1:34.302 +2.589
15 12 Republic of Ireland Ralph Firman Jordan–Ford 1:33.057 1:34.771 +3.058
16 11 Italy Giancarlo Fisichella Jordan–Ford 1:33.313 1:34.912 +3.199
17 19 Netherlands Jos Verstappen Minardi–Cosworth 1:34.836 1:34.975 +3.262
18 18 Denmark Nicolas Kiesa Minardi–Cosworth 1:36.181 1:37.226 +5.513
19 4 Germany Ralf Schumacher Williams–BMW 1:30.343 No time
20 7 Italy Jarno Trulli Renault 1:30.281 No time
Source:[6]

Race

Pos No Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 2 Brazil Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 53 1:25:11.743 1 10
2 6 Finland Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 53 +11.085 8 8
3 5 United Kingdom David Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes 53 +11.614 7 6
4 17 United Kingdom Jenson Button BAR-Honda 53 +33.106 9 5
5 7 Italy Jarno Trulli Renault 53 +34.269 20 4
6 16 Japan Takuma Sato BAR-Honda 53 +51.692 13 3
7 21 Brazil Cristiano da Matta Toyota 53 +56.794 3 2
8 1 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari 53 +59.487 14 1
9 9 Germany Nick Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas 53 +1:00.159 11  
10 20 France Olivier Panis Toyota 53 +1:01.844 4  
11 14 Australia Mark Webber Jaguar-Cosworth 53 +1:11.005 6  
12 4 Germany Ralf Schumacher Williams-BMW 52 +1 Lap 19  
13 15 United Kingdom Justin Wilson Jaguar-Cosworth 52 +1 Lap 10  
14 12 Republic of Ireland Ralph Firman Jordan-Ford 51 +2 Laps 15  
15 19 Netherlands Jos Verstappen Minardi-Cosworth 51 +2 Laps 17  
16 18 Denmark Nicolas Kiesa Minardi-Cosworth 50 +3 Laps 18  
Ret 11 Italy Giancarlo Fisichella Jordan-Ford 33 Out of fuel 16  
Ret 8 Spain Fernando Alonso Renault 17 Engine 5  
Ret 10 Germany Heinz-Harald Frentzen Sauber-Petronas 9 Engine 12  
Ret 3 Colombia Juan Pablo Montoya Williams-BMW 9 Hydraulics 2  
Source:[7]

Championship standings after the race

  • Bold text and an asterisk indicates the World Champions.
  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

References

  1. ^ "Formula 1 Honda Japanese Grand Prix 2022 – Media Kit" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 5 October 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  2. ^ "Japanese GP - Sunday - Race Notes". grandprix.com. 12 October 2003. Archived from the original on 2014-04-29. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
  3. ^ "Deciding the World Championship". grandprix.com. 7 October 2003. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
  4. ^ "Villeneuve pulls out of Japan's GP". CNN International. 9 October 2003. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
  5. ^ "Sato replaces Villeneuve". BBC Sport (BBC). 7 October 2003. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
  6. ^ "2003 Japanese Grand Prix – Qualifying". Motorsport Stats. 30 October 2019.
  7. ^ "2003 Japanese Grand Prix". Formula1.com. Formula1.com Limited. Archived from the original on 26 December 2014. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  8. ^ a b "Japan 2003 - Championship • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 18 March 2019.


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34°50′35″N 136°32′26″E / 34.84306°N 136.54056°E / 34.84306; 136.54056