The 2003 French Grand Prix (formally the LXXXIX 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 70-lap race was won by Ralf Schumacher driving for the Williams team after starting from pole position, which would turn out to be his last race win in Formula One. 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.
| 2003 French Grand Prix | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Race 10 of 16 in the 2003 Formula One World Championship
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| Race details | |||||
| 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[1] km (2.741 miles) | ||||
| Distance | 70 laps, 308.586[1] km (191.746 miles) | ||||
| Weather | Cloudy, Air: 26 °C (79 °F), Track 35 °C (95 °F) | ||||
| Attendance | 101,537 | ||||
| Pole position | |||||
| Driver | Williams-BMW | ||||
| Time | 1:15.019 | ||||
| Fastest lap | |||||
| Driver |
 Juan Pablo Montoya | Williams-BMW | |||
| Time | 1:15.512 on lap 36 | ||||
| Podium | |||||
| First | Williams-BMW | ||||
| Second | Williams-BMW | ||||
| Third | Ferrari | ||||
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Lap leaders | |||||
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.
Classification edit
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] His teammate 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.
Qualifying edit
| 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
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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 | Antônio Pizzonia
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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
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Sauber-Petronas | 1:24.042 | 1:17.445 | +2.426 |
| 16 | 10 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen
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Sauber-Petronas | 1:26.151 | 1:17.562 | +2.543 |
| 17 | 11 | Giancarlo Fisichella
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Jordan-Ford | 1:28.502 | 1:18.431 | +3.412 |
| 18 | 12 |  Ralph Firman
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Jordan-Ford | 1:23.496 | 1:18.514 | +3.495 |
| 19 | 19 |  Jos Verstappen
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Minardi-Cosworth | 1:20.817 | 1:18.709 | +3.690 |
| 20 | 18 | Justin Wilson
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Minardi-Cosworth | Time deleted | 1:19.619 | +4.600 |
| Sources:[3][4][5] | ||||||
Race edit
Championship standings after the race edit
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- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
References edit
- ^ a b "Grand Prix de France". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. Archived from the original on 2010-09-15. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
- ^ "Provisional pole for Verstappen in French GP qualifying". Motorsport.com. 15 May 2013. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ^ "2003 Mobil 1 Grand Prix of France – Qualifying 1". Formula1.com. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
- ^ "2003 Mobil 1 Grand Prix of France – Qualifying 2". Formula1.com. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
- ^ "2003 French Grand Prix Classification Grid". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
- ^ "2003 French Grand Prix". Formula1.com. Formula1.com Limited. Archived from the original on 26 December 2014. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
- ^ a b "France 2003 - Championship • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
External links edit
