Friday drivers
The bottom 6 teams in the 2003 Constructors' Championship were entitled to run a third car in free practice on Friday. These drivers drove on Friday but did not compete in qualifying or the race.
Background
Michael Schumacher in the drivers' championship with twelve points ahead of Rubens Barrichello and with 18 points ahead of Jenson Button. In the constructors' championship, Ferrari led Renault with 36 points and BAR-Honda with 48 points. Earlier in the week, Williams announced important changes to its technical organization chart. After 26 years, in fact, Patrick Head left the position of technical director, being replaced by Sam Michael , previously responsible for track operations. The replacement was also due to growing tensions between the English team and the BMW engine engineer, dissatisfied with the negative results in the first part of the season.
Race
At the start, Michael Schumacher retained the lead, behind the German driver Trulli overtook Sato, who, however, gave the place back to his rival in the first corner. Further back, Montoya was too late when braking for the corner: the Colombian ended up ramming his teammate Ralf Schumacher, who in turn hit da Matta's Toyota. The latter and the German driver had to abandon the race, while Montoya returned to the pits with a damaged front wing and rejoined the race in last place. A few corners after the start, Sato braked and Trulli took the opportunity to take second place. However, the Japanese didn't give up and continued to have a heated duel with Trulli, in which he ultimately got the upper hand and Trulli lost places. At the end of the first lap, Michael Schumacher crossed the finish line ahead of Räikkönen, Alonso, Sato, Barrichello, Button and Trulli. The German Ferrari driver was significantly faster than Räikkönen, on whom he gained almost two seconds per lap. ... Michael Schumacher opened the first series of pit stops on the 8th lap. A lap later, Räikkönen also refueled, and shortly after leaving the pits he parked his McLaren at the side of the track with a broken engine. In the following laps, all drivers made their first stop, with the exception of Barrichello, Coulthard and Fisichella, who started with a two-stop strategy. The Brazilian then led for a few laps before refueling on lap 16. The last driver to make his first stop was Fisichella on lap 24... The second set of stops allowed Barrichello to overtake Sato; Behind the Japanese were Button, Trulli, Alonso and Webber. Virtually nothing happened until lap 42, when Alonso opened the third and final series of pit stops. Barrichello overtook Sato again, but the Japanese driver, who had less fuel on board, attacked him on lap 46. Sato's action was unsuccessful and in the end the two came into contact: the BAR driver damaged his front wing, while Barrichello's car suffered no significant damage.... Schumacher and Barrichello left the champagne unsprayed after the death of former Fiat chairman Umberto Agnelli , who had died of lymphatic cancer aged 69 on 27 May.
References
50°20′08″N 6°56′51″E / 50.33556°N 6.94750°E / 50.33556; 6.94750
Race Result
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 Time | Q2 Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 1:28.278 | 1:28.351 |
| 2 | 10 | Takuma Sato | BAR-Honda | 1:27.691 | 1:28.986 |
| 3 | 7 | Jarno Trulli | Renault | 1:29.905 | 1:29.135 |
| 4 | 6 | Kimi Räikkönen | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:28.897 | 1:29.137 |
| 5 | 9 | Jenson Button | BAR-Honda | 1:28.816 | 1:29.245 |
| 6 | 8 | Fernando Alonso | Renault | 1:29.069 | 1:29.313 |
| 7 | 2 | Rubens Barrichello | Ferrari | 1:29.014 | 1:29.353 |
| 8 | 3 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Williams-BMW | 1:29.092 | 1:29.354 |
| 9 | 4 | Ralf Schumacher | Williams-BMW | 1:28.655 | 1:29.459 |
| 10 | 17 | Olivier Panis | Toyota | 1:29.243 | 1:29.697 |
The Paddock Breakdown
Barry · Gary · KatGary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues
Hold on to your helmets! The Nürburgring is a cauldron tonight, and Schumacher—that relentless titan—is already building a fortress. Ferrari's 3. 0-liter V10, churning out a monstrous 890 horsepower, is a predator stalking the asphalt, and Barrichello is a shadow mirroring his teammate's every move. This isn't just a race; it's a psychological battle waged at 190 mph, and the slightest misstep could shatter the championship.
Hold on to your helmets! The Nürburgring is a cauldron tonight, and the air crackles with the raw hunger for victory. Schumacher, twelve points clear, stalks Barrichello—a psychological chessboard unfolding beneath the German skies. Just observe the numbers; Ferrari's dominance in the constructors' standings—36 points—is a brutal statement, a relentless pressure on their rivals. This isn't merely a race; it's a calculated assault on the championship, and the slightest misstep could shatter the Red team's stranglehold.
Kat — 30 · Technical journalist
The Nürburgring seethes! Barrichello, a fraction of a second separating him from the lead – can he hold onto it? Schumacher stalks, a predator sensing weakness. This isn't just a race; it's a psychological war waged at 190mph. The tension is a tangible thing, you can almost taste the desperation. A slight misjudgment from Rubens…and the German will be right on his tail! This is what F1 is *built* on.
The rain…it's a devil, isn't it? Watching Luca Brivio, the Ferrari engineer, practically vibrate with contained fury as he watches that first lap unfold. The man's a furnace, fueled by ambition and the relentless pressure of Red Bull's surge. Schumacher, meanwhile, seems almost… detached. A predator assessing the terrain, calculating the angles. Twelve points. Twelve points separating him from the abyss. This isn't just a race; it's a war of attrition, a psychological chess match played out on a sodden, unforgiving circuit. The tension here…it's palpable, a thick, electric current running through the Nürburgring.