2003 Japanese Grand Prix

Ferrari win the Race, the Drivers' Championship the Constructors' Championship and Michael wins his 6th World Champions Title!!!!

Japanese Grand Prix 2003 - Ferrari Press Release Quotes

Suzuka, 12th October - It was celebrations all around at the Scuderia Ferrari-Marlboro pit following the nail biting Japanese Grand Prix that saw Rubens Barrichello win the race in fine style and Michael Schumacher take his record breaking sixth World Championship title with an eighth place finish. Both drivers also ensured that Scuderia Ferrari-Marlboro also won a record breaking sixth consecutive Constructors' Championship title. After leading off the liner from pole position, Barrichello lost his lead half way around the first lap when Juan-Pablo Montoya passed him into the hairpin. "The track was very slippery there and the conditions in the early laps suited our opposition. The car was very twitchy," explained Rubens. Montoya looked like making things tough for Barrichello, but just nine laps into the race after his first pit stop, Montoya limped back to the pits for good with a gear-change hydraulic problem.

Barrichello, running a three stop strategy, took back the lead which he never looked like losing after Fernando Alonso's challenge also faded when his engine failed after 18 laps. However, it was anything but an easy race for him. "I had to push hard the whole race as I didn't know if it was going to rain and even though I had 16 seconds in hand I could have easily lost my advantage. I also had a problem with my visor misting up, which made things very difficult," said Rubens who took the flag.

It was an even tougher for Michael Schumacher starting from 14th on the grid following the wet end to qualifying. He carved his way through the field only to drop to the back again when he collided with Takuma Sato in the BAR as he tried to pass him into the final chicane on lap 6. "It was a tough race, perhaps my toughest ever," said Michael. "It was a messy race after the incident at the start. I had to go flat out to catch up as I could not be sure what might happen up at the front and I knew I had to finish at least eighth to keep my title. There was another incident when I had to lock up heavily to avoid running into the back of Da Matta at the chicane and Ralf ran into the back of me. After that, I had a terrible vibration from the flat spotted tyres and I could hardly see down the straight. I was worried about that and also if there was any damage or the possibility of a puncture after Ralf ran into the back of me. Right now I feel empty and exhausted, my only feelings are for the team and the fantastic job they have done all year to get us to this point. After Budapest, a lot of people were saying bad things and had written us off, but they never give up. It's a huge family and I am so proud to be part of it," said an emotional Michael.

With second place, 11 seconds behind Rubens at the flag, Kimi Raikkonen failed to win the title he wanted by just two points after an honorable end to his season. "The set-up of my car was not so good and after starting from sixth on the grid I lost time and could not challenge Rubens," said Kimi who was on a two-stop strategy unlike his team mate David Coulthard who followed him over the line in third place.

It was a good day for the BAR-Honda team at this all-important race for Honda, both cars finishing in the points with Jenson Button in fourth place and Takuma Sato a popular sixth after a great home first race for the BAR-Honda team for which he will be driving in 2004. Jarno Trulli took fifth place for Renault after a good drive through the field from the back of the grid, his team-mate Fernando Alonso beating his fist against the barrier in frustration after his engine blew up while chasing Barrichello for the lead.

Hopes of a strong finish by the Toyota team after starting from the second row of the grid faded as the race went on. Panis made a slow start and lost two places off the line and was back in tenth place by the finish, while DaMatta drove a determined race to hold on to seventh place two points just ahead of Michael Schumacher.

Besides Montoya and Alonso, only two other cars failed to make the flag, Frentzen parking his Sauber on the same lap as Montoya when the engine failed due to leaking oil cooler after being hit by Ralf Schumacher at the chicane. Fisichella ran out of fuel in his last race for Jordan after 33 of the 53-lap race, the first 11 of the sixteen finishers remaining unlapped by Barrichello at the flag.

Michael Schumacher
I find it difficult to say what I am feeling at the moment because, honestly, this has been a tough year, a tough last part of the season and today was one of my toughest races. But I can say what I feel about the team: they are more important and again today did an incredible job and Rubens had a fantastic drive winning in great style. After we had been written off earlier in the year, we never gave up. The team is always fighting and that is its strength. We are a big family and we can all be proud to be part of it. Personally, I feel empty and exhausted after this race. I went flat out after I lost my nose, because I knew Montoya was out and the two McLarens were behind Rubens. I was a bit messy after the accident and it was a strange race, cutting through the traffic, especially with Da Matta and Ralf. I knew I had to finish eighth, because although Rubens was in the lead, in Formula 1 you always wonder if the car will finish and think of the worst situation. After the incident with Da Matta, I had a huge flat spot on the tyre and the vibration was so bad I had vision problems down the straight. I was also worried about a puncture and was just trying to get the car to the flag. It feels strange, as usually I have won the championship with a victory, but now I am here in eighth place, so there are some mixed emotions.

Jean Todt
It has been an historic day. Rubens put on a fantastic performance, while Michael drove a defensive and cautious race to bring home the point which would guarantee him the title. We have won both championships, writing another page in the history book of this sport. No team has ever won five consecutive Constructors' titles and no driver has ever had his name at the top of the record books six times. First and foremost, I want to thank Luca di Montezemolo who has always given us his support. Thanks must also go to our shareholders who have always believed in us, even in the really difficult times. I think Gianni Agnelli would have been proud to see the car which bears his name win seven of the twelve races in which it competed. Then there are our technical partners - first and foremost Bridgestone, Shell and AMD and the commercial ones, some of whom have been with us for a long time, like Philip Morris and more recent ones such as Vodafone and Olympus. I am proud to be in charge of this dream team; which is united, determined and never gives up. Now we will enjoy this success, which comes at the end of a very difficult season, up against very strong opposition. I can assure you that we have not lost our hunger for more victories in the future. Enzo Ferrari would have been proud of what we have accomplished.

Ross Brawn
This was a very tough race, especially with so much at stake. Rubens did a fantastic job at the front, but we wanted to get Michael in the points just to be sure. It was very exciting. That early incident made life more difficult for us but we knew we still had a chance. We had a recovery strategy which worked okay. We did not catch Ralf at the second stop, as he took on less fuel than we did, but we managed to get him at the third one. It was very close and tough today. I think I am getting too old for all this excitement! But you always know with Michael that you have a chance. It was important to get that one point, because you never know what can happen at the front. It was actually tougher to get that point than it was to win the race. We were lucky to get away with the incident at the chicane with Michael and Da Matta. I guess Da Matta must have braked early as Michael almost hit him. This is a dream come true. I am so proud to be part of Ferrari. All the guys and girls have shown what kind of team they are. Our partner Bridgestone also did a great job. Now we go and karaoke!

Japanese Grand Prix 2003 - Race Results

1. 2 Barrichello Ferrari F2003-GA Bridgestone 1h25'11"740 217.136 Km/h 3 stops
2. 6 Raikonen McLaren Mercedes MP4-17 Michelin + 0'11"085 216.666 Km/h 2 stops
3. 5 Coulthard McLaren Mercedes MP4-17 Michelin + 0'11"614 216.643 Km/h 3 stops
4. 17 Button BAR Honda 005 Bridgestone + 0'33"106 215.738 Km/h 2 stops
5. 7 Trulli Renault R203 Michelin + 0'34"269 215.690 Km/h 2 stops
6. 16 Sato BAR Honda 005 Bridgestone + 0'51"692 214.962 Km/h 2 stops
7. 21 Da Matta Toyota TF103 Michelin + 0'56"794 214.750 Km/h 3 stops
8. 1 M.Schumacher Ferrari F2003-GA Bridgestone + 0'59"487 214.638 Km/h 3 stops
9. 9 Heidfeld Sauber Petronas C22 Bridgestone + 1'00"159 214.610 Km/h 2 stops
10. 20 Panis Toyota TF103 Michelin + 1'01"844 214.540 Km/h 3 stops
11. 14 Webber Jaguar Cosworth R4 Michelin + 1'11"005 214.161 Km/h 3 stops
12. 4 R.Schumacher Williams BMW FW25 Michelin 1 lap(s) 4 stops
13. 15 Wilson Jaguar Cosworth R4 Michelin 1 lap(s) 3 stops
14. 12 Firman Jordan Ford EJ13 Bridgestone 1 lap(s) 2 stops
15. 19 Verstappen Minardi Cosworth PS03 Bridgestone 2 lap(s) 2 stops
16. 18 Kiesa Minardi Cosworth PS03 Bridgestone 3 lap(s) 2 stops
17. 11 Fisichella Jordan Ford EJ13 Bridgestone 20 lap(s) 1 stops
18. 8 Alonso Renault R203 Michelin 36 lap(s) 1 stops
19. 10 Frentzen Sauber Petronas C22 Bridgestone 44 lap(s) 1 stops
20. 3 Montoya Williams BMW FW25 Michelin 44 lap(s) 0 stops

Japanese Grand Prix 2003 - Qualifying Times

1 2 Barrichello Ferrari F2003-GA Bridgestone 1:31:713
2 3 Montoya Williams FW25 Michelin 1:32:412 +00:00:699
3 21 Da Matta Toyota TF103 Michelin 1:32:419 +00:00:706
4 20 Panis Toyota TF103 Michelin 1:32:862 +00:01:149
5 8 Alonso Renault R203 Michelin 1:33:044 +00:01:331
6 14 Webber Jaguar R4 Michelin 1:33:106 +00:01:393
7 5 Coulthard McLaren MP4-17 Michelin 1:33:137 +00:01:424
8 6 Raikkonen McLaren MP4-17 Michelin 1:33:272 +00:01:559
9 17 Button B.A.R 005 Bridgestone1:33:474 +00:01:761
10 15 Wilson Jaguar R4 Michelin 1:33:558 +00:01:845
11 9 Heidfeld Sauber C22 Bridgestone 1:33:632 +00:01:919
12 10 Frentzen Sauber C22 Bridgestone 1:33:896 +00:02:183
13 16 Sato B.A.R 005 Bridgestone 1:33:924 +00:02:211
14 1 M Schumacher Ferrari F2003-GA Bridgestone 1:34:302 +00:02:589
15 12 Firman Jordan EJ13 Bridgestone 1:34:771 +00:03:058
16 11 Fisichella Jordan EJ13 Bridgestone 1:34:912 +00:03:199
17 19 Verstappen Minardi PS03 Bridgestone 1:34:975 +00:03:262
18 18 Kiesa Minardi PS03 Bridgestone 1:37:226 +00:05:513
19 7 Trulli Renault R203 Michelin no time
20 4 R Schumacher Williams FW25 Michelin no time

Japanese Grand Prix 2003 - Free Practice 3 Times

1 4 R Schumacher Williams FW25 Michelin 1:31:149
2 3 Montoya Williams FW25 Michelin 1:31:422
3 1 M Schumacher Ferrari F2003-GA Bridgestone 1:31:705
4 7 Trulli Renault R203 Michelin 1:32:343
5 2 Barrichello Ferrari F2003-GA Bridgestone 1:32:796
6 6 Raikkonen McLaren MP4-17 Michelin 1:32:930
7 20 Panis Toyota TF103 Michelin 1:33:082
8 8 Alonso Renault R203 Michelin 1:33:107
9 21 Da Matta Toyota TF103 Michelin 1:33:133
10 17 Button B.A.R 005 Bridgestone 1:33:411
11 16 Sato B.A.R 005 Bridgestone1:33:662
12 10 Frentzen Sauber C22 Bridgestone 1:33:694
13 14 Webber Jaguar R4 Michelin 1:33:807
14 15 Wilson Jaguar R4 Michelin 1:33:952
15 9 Heidfeld Sauber C22 Bridgestone 1:34:558
16 11 Fisichella Jordan EJ13 Bridgestone 1:35:476
17 12 Firman Jordan EJ13 Bridgestone 1:35:620
18 19 Verstappen Minardi PS03 Bridgestone 1:37:379
19 18 Kiesa Minardi PS03 Bridgestone 1:37:884
20 5 Coulthard McLaren MP4-17 Michelin no time

Japanese Grand Prix 2003 - Free Practice 2 Times

1 4 R Schumacher Williams FW25 Michelin 1:32:931
2 1 M Schumacher Ferrari F2003-GA Bridgestone 1:32:989
3 2 Barrichello Ferrari F2003-GA Bridgestone 1:33:350
4 3 Montoya Williams FW25 Michelin 1:33:405
5 9 Heidfeld Sauber C22 Bridgestone 1:33:749
6 21 Da Matta Toyota TF103 Michelin1:33:963
7 15 Wilson Jaguar R4 Michelin 1:34:119
8 17 Button B.A.R 005 Bridgestone 1:34:171
9 5 Coulthard McLaren MP4-17 Michelin 1:34:309
10 7 Trulli Renault R203 Michelin 1:34:349
11 8 Alonso Renault R203 Michelin 1:34:398
12 6 Raikkonen McLaren MP4-17 Michelin 1:34:523
13 20 Panis Toyota TF103 Michelin 1:34:541
14 16 Sato B.A.R 005 Bridgestone 1:34:554
15 14 Webber Jaguar R4 Michelin1:34:599
16 10 Frentzen Sauber C22 Bridgestone 1:34:718
17 12 Firman Jordan EJ13 Bridgestone 1:36:368
18 11 Fisichella Jordan EJ13 Bridgestone 1:36:705
19 19 Verstappen Minardi PS03 Bridgestone 1:36:928
20 18 Kiesa Minardi PS03 Bridgestone 1:38:075

Japanese Grand Prix 2003 - Ferrari Post Qualifying 1 Quotes

Michael Schumacher
I am quite happy with my lap and my time, considering that, yet again going out first is a slight disadvantage. Although, here it was less penalising than at some other circuits. The car seems to be handling very well and is very competitive. Looking at the times, the top runners are all very close, which means that tomorrow's fight for pole will be good fun and the outcome will be hard to predict. I am looking forward to the rest of the weekend.

Rubens Barrichello
I am happy with the handling of the car. It's a shame about the mistake at the chicane. I came in a bit too quick and had to brake very hard, losing around three tenths. On the old layout at this point, the braking area was a bit longer. Now it has a different feel to it, but I think the turns are more fun and flow better. Both this morning and in qualifying, the times of all the top teams are very close, so I think we can be very competitive for the rest of the weekend.

Jean Todt
As usual on Friday, we have worked on set-up and on tyre choice. We know this is the decisive weekend of the season, but we do not want this factor to put us under any extra pressure. Along with Bridgestone on the tyre side and Shell as regards fuels and lubricants, we are as well prepared as possible. Things went pretty well for us in this afternoon's qualifying, even if Rubens lost some time in the final sector. But for this, he could have finished higher than seventh. Tomorrow, we have to make the final choices as far as set-up, tyres and fuel levels for the start of the race are concerned. In the afternoon, we will then tackle the final qualifying session of the season and the relative positions on the grid will be very important come Sunday afternoon.

Ross Brawn
We adopted a rather cautious approach to this qualifying and, given how things went, I think we can expect to be pretty competitive tomorrow. The drivers are happy with the balance of their cars and the performance of the tyres. In tomorrow's free practice, we still have a bit of work to do in terms of choosing between the two types of tyre available. Overall, we can expect both qualifying and the race to be very close.

Japanese Grand Prix 2003 - Friday Qualifying 1 Times

1. 7 Trulli Renault Michelin 1'30"281 231.557 Km/h 3 laps
2. 4 R.Schumacher Williams BMW Michelin 1'30"343 + 0'00"062 3 laps
3. 1 M.Schumacher Ferrari Bridgestone 1'30"464 + 0'00"183 3 laps
4. 5 Coulthard McLaren Mercedes Michelin 1'30"482 + 0'00"201 3 laps
5. 6 Raikkonen McLaren Mercedes Michelin 1'30"558 + 0'00"277 3 laps
6. 8 Alonso Renault Michelin 1'30"624 + 0'00"343 3 laps
7. 2 Barrichello Ferrari Bridgestone 1'30"758 + 0'00"477 3 laps
8. 3 Montoya Williams BMW Michelin 1'31"201 + 0'00"920 3 laps
9. 14 Webber Jaguar Cosworth Michelin 1'31"305 + 0'01"024 3 laps
10. 9 Heidfeld Sauber Petronas Bridgestone 1'31"783 + 0'01"502 3 laps
11. 16 Sato BAR Honda Bridgestone 1'31"832 + 0'01"551 3 laps
12. 10 Frentzen Sauber Petronas Bridgestone 1'31"892 + 0'01"611 3 laps
13. 20 Panis Toyota Michelin 1'31"908 + 0'01"627 3 laps
14. 21 Da Matta Toyota Michelin 1'32"256 + 0'01"975 3 laps
15. 15 Wilson Jaguar Cosworth Michelin 1'32"291 + 0'02"010 3 laps
16. 17 Button BAR Honda Bridgestone 1'32"374 + 0'02"093 3 laps
17. 12 Firman Jordan Ford Bridgestone 1'33"057 + 0'02"776 3 laps
18. 11 Fisichella Jordan Ford Bridgestone 1'33"313 + 0'03"032 3 laps
19. 19 Verstappen Minardi Cosworth Bridgestone 1'34"836 + 0'04"555 3 laps
20. 18 Kiesa Minardi Cosworth Bridgestone 1'36"181 + 0'05"900 3 laps

Japanese Grand Prix 2003 - Friday Free Practice 1 Times

1. 7 Trulli Renault Michelin 1'30"727 230.419 Km/h 15 laps
2. 1 M.Schumacher Ferrari Bridgestone 1'31"009 + 0'00"282 18 laps
3. 5 Coulthard McLaren Mercedes Michelin 1'31"019 + 0'00"292 21 laps
4. 2 Barrichello Ferrari Bridgestone 1'31"217 + 0'00"490 19 laps
5. 8 Alonso Renault Michelin 1'31"276 + 0'00"549 19 laps
6. 6 Raikkonen McLaren Mercedes Michelin 1'31"303 + 0'00"576 21 laps
7. 3 Montoya Williams BMW Michelin 1'31"654 + 0'00"927 9 laps
8. 14 Webber Jaguar Cosworth Michelin 1'31"977 + 0'01"250 23 laps
9. 20 Panis Toyota Michelin 1'32"011 + 0'01"284 21 laps
10. 21 Da Matta Toyota Michelin 1'32"133 + 0'01"406 25 laps
11. 4 R.Schumacher Williams BMW Michelin 1'32"208 + 0'01"481 18 laps
12. 16 Sato BAR Honda Bridgestone 1'32"295 + 0'01"568 20 laps
13. 10 Frentzen Sauber Petronas Bridgestone 1'32"422 + 0'01"695 18 laps
14. 9 Heidfeld Sauber Petronas Bridgestone 1'32"694 + 0'01"967 17 laps
15. 15 Wilson Jaguar Cosworth Michelin 1'32"735 + 0'02"008 21 laps
16. 12 Firman Jordan Ford Bridgestone 1'33"306 + 0'02"579 18 laps
17. 11 Fisichella Jordan Ford Bridgestone 1'33"956 + 0'03"229 17 laps
18. 17 Button BAR Honda Bridgestone 1'34"445 + 0'03"718 9 laps
19. 19 Verstappen Minardi Cosworth Bridgestone 1'35"180 + 0'04"453 13 laps
20. 18 Kiesa Minardi Cosworth BridgestoneB 1'35"900 + 0'05"173 14 laps