2003 French Grand Prix
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| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 10 of 16 in the 2003 Formula One season | |||
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| Date | 6 July 2003 | ||
| Official name | LXXXIX Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France | ||
| Location | Magny-Cours, France | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 4.411 km (2.74 mi) | ||
| Distance | 70 laps, 308.77 km (191.8 mi) | ||
| Weather | Fine | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Williams-BMW | ||
| Time | 1:15.019 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |  Juan Pablo Montoya |
Williams-BMW | |
| Time | 1:15.512 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Williams-BMW | ||
| Second | Williams-BMW | ||
| Third | Ferrari | ||
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The 2003 French Grand Prix (formally the Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France) was a Formula One motor race held on 6 July 2003 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours. It was the tenth race of the 2003 Formula One season. The race, contested over 70 laps, was won by Ralf Schumacher driving for the Williams team after starting from pole position. Juan Pablo Montoya finished second in the other Williams car, with Michael Schumacher third driving for Ferrari. Ralf Schumacher's victory was his second consecutive win of the season having won the preceding European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring.
As a consequence of the race, Michael Schumacher extended his lead in the World Drivers' Championship to eight points over Kimi Räikkönen, with Ralf Schumacher a further three points behind. In the World Constructors' Championship, Williams reduced the gap to Ferrari from thirteen points to three points.
This was the first French Grand Prix held at the upgraded version of Magny-Cours, having made Château d'Eau a sharper right hand corner, and a complete modification of the Lycée section, becoming a very sharp right hand turn after the back straight which then leads to a difficult final chicane next to the pit entrance. The pit lane was also significantly shortened as a result of the upgrades.
Contents
Classification
Qualifying
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 Time | Q2 Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 |  Ralf Schumacher |
Williams-BMW | 1:29.327 | 1:15.019 | |
| 2 | 3 | Juan Pablo Montoya |
Williams-BMW | 1:28.988 | 1:15.136 | +0.117 |
| 3 | 1 | Michael Schumacher |
Ferrari | 1:27.929 | 1:15.480 | +0.461 |
| 4 | 6 |  Kimi Räikkönen |
McLaren-Mercedes | 1:29.120 | 1:15.533 | +0.514 |
| 5 | 5 |  David Coulthard |
McLaren-Mercedes | 1:28.937 | 1:15.628 | +0.609 |
| 6 | 7 |  Jarno Trulli |
Renault | 1:29.024 | 1:15.967 | +0.948 |
| 7 | 8 |  Fernando Alonso |
Renault | 1:29.455 | 1:16.087 | +1.068 |
| 8 | 2 |  Rubens Barrichello |
Ferrari | 1:27.095 | 1:16.166 | +1.147 |
| 9 | 14 |  Mark Webber |
Jaguar-Cosworth | 1:25.178 | 1:16.308 | +1.289 |
| 10 | 20 |  Olivier Panis |
Toyota | 1:24.175 | 1:16.345 | +1.326 |
| 11 | 15 | Antonio Pizzonia |
Jaguar-Cosworth | 1:24.642 | 1:16.965 | +1.946 |
| 12 | 16 |  Jacques Villeneuve |
BAR-Honda | 1:24.651 | 1:16.990 | +1.971 |
| 13 | 21 | Cristiano da Matta |
Toyota | 1:26.975 | 1:17.068 | +2.049 |
| 14 | 17 | Jenson Button |
BAR-Honda | 1:30.371 | 1:17.077 | +2.058 |
| 15 | 9 | Nick Heidfeld |
Sauber-Petronas | 1:24.042 | 1:17.445 | +2.426 |
| 16 | 10 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen |
Sauber-Petronas | 1:26.151 | 1:17.562 | +2.543 |
| 17 | 11 | Giancarlo Fisichella |
Jordan-Ford | 1:28.502 | 1:18.431 | +3.412 |
| 18 | 12 |  Ralph Firman |
Jordan-Ford | 1;23.496 | 1:18.514 | +3.495 |
| 19 | 19 |  Jos Verstappen |
Minardi-Cosworth | 1:20.817 | 1:18.709 | +3.690 |
| 20 | 18 | Justin Wilson |
Minardi-Cosworth | Time deleted | 1:19.619 | +4.600 |
Race
Notes
- This race was Ralf Schumacher's 6th and final victory of his Formula One career.
- This race ended David Coulthard's 5 consecutive fastest laps in France, which began in the 1998 race.
- Jos Verstappen ended up quickest after the first qualifying session due to a drying track. This was the only time a Minardi topped the timesheets at a race weekend.[2]
- Justin Wilson's time after Q1 was deleted after scrutineering found his car was 2 kg underweight. It was 1:20.968 which at the time was good enough for 2nd place giving Minardi a 1-2.
Championship standings after the race
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- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2003 French Grand Prix. |
| Previous race: 2003 European Grand Prix |
FIA Formula One World Championship 2003 season |
Next race: 2003 British Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 2002 French Grand Prix |
French Grand Prix | Next race: 2004 French Grand Prix |
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