The 2003 Australian Grand Prix (formally the 2003 Foster's Australian Grand Prix)[5] was a Formula One motor race held on 9 March 2003 at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit. The race was won by McLaren driver David Coulthard, who took the 13th and final race victory of his Formula One career.
At the front of the field, many were tipping Ferrari driver and five-time world champion Michael Schumacher as the favourite to win the 2003 World Drivers' Championship.[17][18] Bookmakers in Australia and the United Kingdom installed Michael Schumacher as the favourite to win the Australian Grand Prix for the fourth consecutive time.[19][20] He said he was expecting other teams to perform better than the season before, "It will automatically become harder because other teams hadn't done a great job last year, and I am pretty sure they will do a much better job this year and therefore competition will become harder."[21]Nigel Mansell, the 1992 world champion, said Schumacher's high level of talent combined with his strong desire to succeed, would make him quite difficult to beat.[22]
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; Formula One's governing body) president Max Mosley with Formula One head Bernie Ecclestone's support imposed sporting regulation changes in an attempt to reduce costs in Formula One, make the series more competitive, and stem the decline in television viewing figures.[23][22] The championship points system was expanded to include the first eight finishers to try and keep the title battle open for as long as possible and reward consistency.[9][24] For the first time since 1995, qualifying was separated into two one-hour sessions, conducted on Fridays and Saturdays, with cars running one at a time for one quick lap.[22][24] Drivers had to start the race with their second qualifying session fuel loads and tyres.[15][25] The Sunday morning warm-up session for teams to fine-tune their vehicle settings was ended, and cars were placed under parc fermé conditions, preventing significant changes to cars or refuelling between Saturday qualifying and the race.[26][27][28] On Friday morning, a two-hour test session was held for teams that agreed to limit their in-season testing programmes,[27] and team orders that affected race results were prohibited.[24] Spare cars could only be used if Formula One technical delegate Charlie Whiting was convinced a damaged chassis was irreparable in parc fermé;[28] drivers who did use spare cars would be required to start the race from the pit lane.[25]
Both Ferrari and McLaren delayed the debut of their new car, with Ferrari introducing a redesigned version called the F2002B and McLaren introducing the drastically altered MP4-17D, which included a completely new rear end and several aerodynamic changes to both the front and rear.[29] Among these was the adoption of revised rear wing profiles that were no longer rectangular but rounded at the ends, a solution introduced by Renault in the 2002 season to limit vortice formation, which was copied by British American Racing (BAR), Williams and Jaguar.[29] The new Williams FW25 differed significantly from the car used in winter testing. The gearbox and rear suspension used in testing on the hybrid variants of the FW24 car were installed, while the solution planned for the FW25 was temporarily discarded.[29] Renault used Friday morning's private test session to evaluate various methods for cooling the R23 car's body and aerodynamics, eventually choosing for a solution that included a chimney on the car's right side, where the oil radiator was.[29]
Private test session
The first two-hour private test session was held on Friday morning in sunny weather.[30][31] Although the track surface gave minimal grip for cars, there were small offs into the grass but no one spun.[31] Nine drivers participated in the session.[32] Renault driver Jarno Trulli was fastest with a lap time of 1:28.125, ahead of Webber and Jordan's Giancarlo Fisichella;[30] all three drivers were within one-tenth of a second of each other.[32]
Practice and warm-up sessions
There were three practice sessions preceding Sunday's race: one 60-minute session on Friday and two 45-minute sessions on Saturday.[33] The first practice session was held on Friday morning in dry and hot weather.[34][35] McLaren's Kimi Räikkönen set the fastest lap of 1:26.509 with five minutes remaining, 0.479 seconds ahead of teammate David Coulthard.[35][36] Trulli, Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello, Webber, Michael Schumacher, Renault's Fernando Alonso, Sauber's Nick Heidfeld, and the Williams duo of Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher followed in the top ten.[36] Several drivers went off the track during the session.[34][35] The engine in Jacques Villeneuve's BAR car failed 11 minutes in and he pulled off with fire licking the cockpit.[35][36] His teammate Jenson Button also had an engine failure while Fisichella's fuel pump failed.[34]
The second practice session was held on Saturday morning.[34][37] The track was slick and dirty from overnight rainstorms,[38] but it dried quickly.[34] Button lapped fastest at 1:27.415 towards the conclusion of the session, going almost two-tenths of a second faster than second-placed Barrichello.[38] Ralf Schumacher, Michael Schumacher, Trulli, Coulthard, Montoya, Alonso, Webber and Villeneuve rounded out the top ten.[37] Montoya's oil valve malfunctioned, leaking oil into the airbox and emitting smoke.[34][39] His engine was not replaced because it was undamaged.[39] Michael Schumacher lost control of his Ferrari in Ascari corner, removing the nose cone and left-front wheel against the barrier. Pizzonia experienced a braking issue and spun backwards at turn three near the sports centre.[34][37] He returned to the garage and exited his car unhurt.[40] With ten minutes left, Räikkönen lost control of his McLaren at the fast right-hand Whiteford corner, severely damaging the car's left-front corner.[34][37][39] Räikkönen was unhurt,[37] but officials stopped practice for nine minutes as marshals secured his damaged car on the grass verge.[38][40] Villeneuve stopped at the end of the session with an hydraulic system mechanical issue.[34][39]
The final practice session was held later that morning in cool, cloudy weather, with the majority of teams experimenting with fuel loads and car settings in preparation for the second qualifying session that afternoon.[41][42] Räikkönen sat out the session as McLaren were working on his car,[43] while Michael Schumacher's Ferrari was repaired.[44] Trulli was fastest with a 1:26.928 lap set with five minutes remaining. Button's fastest time remained unchanged, dropping to second.[42] Alonso, the Ferrari duo of Michael Schumacher and Barrichello, the Williams pair of Montoya and Ralf Schumacher, Heidfeld, Couthard and Da Matta completed the top ten.[41] Coulthard had a right-rear puncture and returned slowly to the pit lane before experiencing a fuel pump failure upon entry.[34][39] A 15-minute warm-up session saw Barrichello lap fastest at 1:27.738, followed by teammate Michael Schumacher, the Renaults of Alonso and Trulli, Coulthard, Villeneuve, Ralf Schumacher, Räikkönen, Button and Panis.[33][45]
Qualifying
There were two one-hour qualifying sessions on both Friday and Saturday afternoons. The final 2002 World Drivers' Championship standings determined the running order for the first session (first to last), with the second reversed (slowest to quickest). In each session, each driver recorded one timed lap with no other cars on track, and the starting order was determined by the quickest laps in the second session.[26][33] The first qualifying session took place in cloudy but warm weather.[46][47] Barrichello was the second driver to set a lap and the fastest at 1:26.372.[48] Räikkönen ran wide at the first corner and was second,[49][50] 0.179 seconds slower than Barrichello.[51] Villeneuve drove the spare BAR car after his engine failed in the first practice session, claiming third with a clean lap that set the session's final sub-1:27 lap.[47][48] He had no time to locate his racing setup and was unfamiliar with the racing line and braking points.[49] Michael Schumacher was the first to set a lap and took fourth, having ran on dirt from the circuit for other drivers, slowing him.[51][52] Button was third but was demoted to fifth by his teammate Villeneuve following a slow middle sector and understeering at the final turn.[50][53] Coulthard ran an mistake-free lap to go sixth despite an unbalanced car.[49][53] Alonso took seventh after braking too deeply for turn three in the first sector, losing momentum.[47][53] Panis took eighth after losing time to understeer at turn one.[50] He was marginally faster than Trulli in ninth.[53] Montoya lacked speed,[54] ran conservatively and finished 10th despite losing time in some corners.[49][50] Da Matta missed a braking point and took 11th.[53] Heidfeld made some driver errors en route to 12th.[49][50] His Sauber teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen drove the spare car but lost time after running wide in turn four, taking 13th.[47][49][50] Fisichella, 14th, had some graining on his front tyres, forcing his car to behave inconsistently throughout the final part of the lap.[50] Webber almost lost control of his Jaguar through the first two turns and drove uncleanly for 15th. Ralf Schumacher ran wide and into the grass at turn one after pushing too hard, claiming 16th as his car understeered significantly in slow-speed turns.[47][49][52] Firman understeered into the turn 13 gravel trap,[46][47] and his rear wheels slewed but rejoined the circuit.[47][55] The understeer increased towards the end of the lap as the tyres wore, going 17th.[49][50] Verstappen was 18th and his car stopped after completing his lap due to a minor technical fault.[50] Pizzonia, 19th, had understeer.[47] Wilson in 20th found driving a car with a light fuel load was a major difference but was the slowest driver in the field.[49][50][55]
The second qualifying session was held in warm, sunny weather with patchy clouds.[56][57] An hour before the session began, light rain fell, although the circuit was dry.[58] Michael Schumacher copied his teammate Barrichello's setup,[59] taking the 51st pole position of his career with a lap time of 1:27.173.[58][60] His teammate Barrichello was 0.245 seconds slower in second.[60][61] He was distracted by debris from Räikkönen's McLaren in turn six,[62][63] forcing him to pass him in the second sector.[57] Although his warm-up lap was slow,[64] Montoya lost some time at turn one after a racing setup change and took third. Frentzen qualified fourth in a more balanced car despite an error at the second chicane.[56][59][63] Panis, fifth, appeared to be stable and fuel-heavy.[62] Although he ran wide onto dust,[64] Villeneuve took sixth, the faster BAR driver.[62][65] He ran wide and lost control of his car at turn four.[57][65] Heidfeld said he pushed his car to the limit without driving off the track, taking seventh.[56][59] Button's car became twitchy when the wind intensified during the warm-up session, leaving him eighth. Ralf Schumacher was the slower Williams driver in ninth.[62] He lost time by running slightly wide at turn one due to poor track conditions.[59] Alonso, 10th, lost control of the rear of his Renault between turns nine and 10.[57][62] Coulthard in 11th ran slightly wide at turn one.[56] Trulli appeared to run a heavy fuel load and was 12th after heavy understeer.[59][62] Fisichella was the faster Jordan driver in 13th.[66] Webber made an error at the first corner and was 14th.[56] Räikkönen drove the spare car to 15th.[67] He pushed too hard and put a wheel onto the grass towards the end of his quick lap,[57][61] damaging his left-rear tyre.[63] Da Matta missed the warm-up session due to a clutch issue and was 16th.[56] Firman took 17th with some minor understeer in his car.[59] Pizzonia was the final driver to set a lap, qualifying 18th after running wide at turn five.[59][66] After reviewing the team's strategy with the FIA, Minardi owner Paul Stoddart instructed his drivers Verstappen and Wilson to complete their fast laps early and enter the pit lane to avoid being impounded under the closed parc fermé regime.[66][68] This allowed the team's mechanics to work on the cars;[67] Verstappen and Wilson were both allowed to start the race due to their lap times in the first qualifying session.[66][68]
It rained heavily before the race, and the track started in half-wet conditions. Räikkönen stopped for dry tyres at the end of the formation lap. Montoya and Panis also started on dry tyres, while the Ferraris, Saubers and BARs were on wet tyres. Barrichello jumped the start, and received a drive-through penalty. Schumacher led at the end of lap 1, with Barrichello in close company. Montoya was 6 seconds behind in third, followed by Frentzen and Villeneuve. Panis struggled on dry tyres, with the Renaults, Ralf Schumacher and Coulthard climbing quickly.
However, the track dried quickly and abnormal tire wear soon occurred on the two Ferraris. After two laps Coulthard, who started on wet tyres, returned to the pits to replace them with dry ones. Barrichello took his penalty, and on his in-lap, lost traction on a quickly drying track, crashing at Turn Five on lap five, followed by rookie Ralph Firman, who had climbed to eighth by lap seven on his dry Bridgestones.
Meanwhile Räikkönen quickly recovered from the back, while Coulthard, on dry tyres, set the fastest lap of the race. Despite this, Ferrari chose not to immediately call Schumacher back to the pits. Da Matta’s debut also came to a premature end when he spun into the gravel at turn 3. Schumacher dropped to eighth, pitting for dry tyres, with the leaders pitting just before a safety car to clear the stranded cars. Mark Webber's Jaguar had climbed to sixth, but his rear suspension broke just after the restart and he stopped in an awkward place, prompting a second appearance of the safety car.
Montoya, Trulli and Ralf Schumacher took advantage of the interruption to refuel, but the German driver lost a lot of time due to a spin and restarted at the back of the group. The safety car returned to the pits at the end of lap 20, with Räikkönen in the lead threatened by Michael Schumacher, who was in turn followed by Coulthard, Villeneuve, Button, Montoya, Panis and Frentzen. On lap 25 Villeneuve, who was having problems with the radio, entered the pits together with his teammate Button, causing a lot of confusion in the team garage and causing the Englishman to lose almost twenty seconds. Meanwhile Michael Schumacher unsuccessfully attacked Räikkönen. Unable to pass him, the German driver returned to the pits on lap 29, imitated three laps later by the McLaren drivers. Montoya then moved on to lead, followed by Räikkönen, Schumacher, Coulthard, Trulli and Alonso. Räikkönen had his turn leading the race until he received a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Räikkönen served the penalty on lap 39, returning to the track behind the two Renaults. When Montoya refueled for the last time on lap 42, Michael Schumacher found himself in the lead.
The German driver, however, damaged the flow diverters of his Ferrari by driving too violently over a curb. Some pieces of the damaged aerodynamic appendages broke off and slipped under the body. The race direction then displayed the black-orange flag to the German, which indicates the obligation to return to the pits within three laps for repairs. Schumacher, who still had to make another pit stop, was therefore forced to do so during the 46th lap. He missed out on the podium for the first time since the 2001 Italian Grand Prix and ending Ferrari's 53 consecutive podium finishes. It was the first time since the 1999 European Grand Prix that neither of the Ferraris finished on the podium. When Williams seemed to have the first victory of the year in their pocket, Montoya spun after entering the first corner too fast, with eight laps from the end and without any pressure from his rivals.[citation needed] Montoya returned to the track, but lost first place to Coulthard, who won what turned out to be his last race victory.[72] Montoya was visibly frustrated on the podium.
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Kimi Räikkönen 
