2003 German Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Juan Pablo Montoya dominated the German Grand Prix to strengthen his championship challenge. David Coulthard and Jarno Trulli completed the podium after a first-corner collision eliminated several leading contenders and a late puncture cost Michael Schumacher valuable points.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams
Pole time	1:15.167
Fastest lap	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams
Fastest-lap time	1:14.917 on lap 14
First	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams
Second	David Coulthard	McLaren
Third	Jarno Trulli	Renault

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
1 August 2003	Optional private testing (participating teams)	08:30–10:30
1 August 2003	Practice 1	11:00
1 August 2003	First qualifying	14:00
2 August 2003	Practice 2	09:00
2 August 2003	Practice 3	10:15
2 August 2003	Warm-up	13:30
2 August 2003	Final qualifying	14:00
3 August 2003	Race	14:00

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Michael Schumacher arrived at round 12 leading the 2003 F1 World Championship on 69 points, with Kimi Räikkönen on 62. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 118 points.

Race entries

Jaguar replaced Antonio Pizzonia with Justin Wilson, who moved across from Minardi. Nicolas Kiesa took the vacant Minardi seat for his Formula 1 debut, joining Jos Verstappen. Justin Wilson therefore had to learn a new car while Nicolas Kiesa began his first Grand Prix weekend.

Renault, Jaguar, Jordan and Minardi could use the additional morning testing period under the restricted-testing agreement. This was separate from the official free-practice sessions and was not available to the whole field.

Friday practice

David Coulthard narrowly led Jarno Trulli in Friday practice, with Fernando Alonso third. Justin Wilson made an encouraging start for Jaguar in ninth after limited experience of the car, although Mark Webber remained considerably faster. Michael Schumacher and Jos Verstappen both spun during the session as the teams worked in the Hockenheim heat.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2003 German Grand Prix FP1, 1 August 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:15.523	22
2	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+0.094s	11
3	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.274s	9
4	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+0.276s	25
5	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.367s	23
6	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+0.586s	28
7	17	Jenson Button	BAR	+0.664s	26
8	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.878s	24
9	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	+1.045s	21
10	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+1.079s	21
11	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+1.291s	30
12	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+1.422s	24
13	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+1.527s	17
14	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+1.614s	23
15	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+1.761s	23
16	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+1.838s	25
17	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	+2.319s	19
18	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+2.598s	26
19	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	+3.268s	11
20	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	+3.507s	15

First qualifying

Ralf Schumacher headed Friday qualifying, giving Williams the final running slot for Saturday. The team’s recent form made it a leading contender again, with Juan Pablo Montoya looking to build on his strong Silverstone result.

First Qualifying Classification

2003 German Grand Prix First Qualifying, 1 August 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:14.427	3
2	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:14.673	3
3	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	1:15.004	3
4	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	1:15.030	3
5	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:15.214	3
6	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	1:15.276	3
7	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	1:15.373	3
8	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:15.399	3
9	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:15.456	3
10	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	1:15.471	3
11	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:15.557	3
12	17	Jenson Button	BAR	1:15.754	3
13	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:15.968	3
14	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	1:15.985	3
15	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	1:16.450	3
16	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	1:17.044	3
17	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	1:17.111	3
18	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	1:17.702	3
19	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	No time	2

Saturday practice

Juan Pablo Montoya headed the first Saturday session, but his Williams stopped on track after the chequered flag. Rubens Barrichello and the Schumacher brothers followed him in the times. Justin Wilson continued adapting to the Jaguar, while Nicolas Kiesa finished behind his experienced Minardi team-mate as he built up mileage.

Free Practice 2 Classification

2003 German Grand Prix FP2, 2 August 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:15.668	20
2	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.185s	19
3	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.222s	21
4	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.388s	21
5	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+0.525s	15
6	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+0.607s	18
7	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.703s	14
8	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+0.892s	21
9	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+1.285s	17
10	17	Jenson Button	BAR	+1.289s	14
11	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+1.479s	18
12	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+1.512s	19
13	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+1.677s	15
14	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+1.685s	17
15	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+1.751s	18
16	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+1.994s	17
17	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	+2.415s	18
18	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	+2.625s	19
19	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	+3.765s	15
20	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	+4.098s	15

Ralf Schumacher led an incident-filled second Saturday session. David Coulthard clipped the grass approaching the Sachs Kurve and hit the barriers heavily, while Michael Schumacher spun into the gravel and then struck the tyre barrier trying to rejoin. Nicolas Kiesa also went off at Sachs, and Fernando Alonso and Justin Wilson spun at the hairpin.

Free Practice 3 Classification

2003 German Grand Prix FP3, 2 August 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:15.387	13
2	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.108s	16
3	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.329s	7
4	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.890s	19
5	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+0.918s	13
6	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+0.933s	15
7	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+1.087s	17
8	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+1.106s	17
9	17	Jenson Button	BAR	+1.567s	24
10	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+1.570s	25
11	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+1.782s	11
12	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+1.947s	17
13	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+2.039s	22
14	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+2.196s	16
15	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+2.260s	25
16	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	+2.379s	11
17	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	+3.016s	18
18	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	+4.146s	20
19	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	+5.021s	4
20	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	No time	2

Warm-up

Juan Pablo Montoya set the fastest warm-up lap ahead of Fernando Alonso and Olivier Panis. Williams recovered from its earlier stoppage to approach qualifying with strong pace. For the teams repairing cars after the second practice session, the short interval before the decisive runs left little room for further setbacks.

Warm-up Classification

2003 German Grand Prix Warm-up, 2 August 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:15.385	5
2	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.316s	6
3	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+0.373s	5
4	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.443s	6
5	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.539s	6
6	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+0.579s	5
7	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+0.956s	4
8	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+1.112s	4
9	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+1.147s	7
10	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+1.191s	6
11	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+1.523s	6
12	17	Jenson Button	BAR	+1.745s	7
13	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+1.938s	4
14	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+2.022s	6
15	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.036s	8
16	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+2.411s	5
17	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	+2.455s	6
18	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	+2.518s	6
19	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	+6.844s	6
20	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	No time	6

Final qualifying

Juan Pablo Montoya claimed pole ahead of Ralf Schumacher, securing another Williams front-row lockout. Rubens Barrichello and Jarno Trulli filled the second row. Michael Schumacher qualified sixth, while David Coulthard’s tenth place left him needing a strong recovery on Sunday.

Final Qualifying Classification

2003 German Grand Prix Final Qualifying, 2 August 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:15.167	3
2	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:15.185	3
3	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:15.488	3
4	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	1:15.679	3
5	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	1:15.874	3
6	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:15.898	3
7	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	1:16.034	3
8	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:16.483	3
9	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	1:16.550	3
10	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:16.666	3
11	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	1:16.775	3
12	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	1:16.831	3
13	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	1:17.090	3
14	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:17.169	3
15	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	1:17.557	3
16	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	1:18.021	3
17	17	Jenson Button	BAR	1:18.085	3
18	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	1:18.341	3
19	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	1:19.023	3
20	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	1:19.174	3

Jacques Villeneuve was left without time in Q1 after spinning off the track and abandoning the attempt.

Nicolas Kiesa was left without a time in Q1, due to an anti-stall system issue in the car.

What happened in the 2003 German Grand Prix?

Juan Pablo Montoya retained the lead, but the fight behind him ended in a major first-corner collision. Ralf Schumacher moved left as Rubens Barrichello and Kimi Räikkönen challenged, and all three were eliminated by the resulting contact. Further incidents involved several midfield cars, and the Safety Car was deployed to clear the damage.

Juan Pablo Montoya pulled away after the restart and controlled the race despite a throttle problem. Michael Schumacher passed Fernando Alonso and later Jarno Trulli to reach second, only for a rear tyre to fail with four laps remaining. The Ferrari needed an extra stop, dropping him down the order.

Juan Pablo Montoya won by more than a minute from David Coulthard, with Jarno Trulli taking his first podium of the season. Fernando Alonso was fourth, followed by Olivier Panis and da Cristiano da Matta in Toyota’s first double points finish. Michael Schumacher salvaged seventh ahead of Jenson Button, leaving Juan Pablo Montoya just six points behind in the championship.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 71 points, followed by Juan Pablo Montoya on 65. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 120, with Williams on 118.

2003 German Grand Prix race results

The 2003 German Grand Prix was held on 3 August 2003, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	67	1:28:48.769	10
2	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	67	+1:05.459	8
3	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	67	+1:09.060	6
4	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	67	+1:09.344	5
5	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	66	+1 Lap	4
6	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	66	+1 Lap	3
7	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	66	+1 Lap	2
8	17	Jenson Button	BAR	66	+1 Lap	1
9	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	65	+2 Laps	0
10	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	65	+2 Laps	0
11	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	64	Accident	0
12	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	62	+5 Laps	0
13	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	60	Engine	0
Ret	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	23	Hydraulics	0
Ret	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	6	Gearbox	0
Ret	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1	Collision damage	0
Ret	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1	Collision damage	0
Ret	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	0	Collision	0
Ret	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	0	Collision	0
Ret	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	0	Collision	0

2003 German Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	14	1:14.917	219.795
2	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	13	1:15.740	217.406
3	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	34	1:15.883	216.997
4	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	14	1:16.003	216.654
5	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	35	1:16.051	216.517
6	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	16	1:16.060	216.492
7	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	36	1:16.081	216.432
8	17	Jenson Button	BAR	41	1:17.430	212.661
9	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	46	1:17.754	211.775
10	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	10	1:18.036	211.010
11	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	51	1:18.145	210.715
12	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	65	1:18.235	210.473
13	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	3	1:19.441	207.278
14	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	26	1:20.171	205.390
15	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	6	1:20.399	204.808
16	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	0
17	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	0

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. Average speeds are in km/h. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

2003 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2003 German Grand Prix.

2003 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	71
2	Juan Pablo Montoya	Colombian	Williams	65
3	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	McLaren	62
4	Ralf Schumacher	German	Williams	53
5	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Ferrari	49
6	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	44
7	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	41
8	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Renault	22
9	Jenson Button	British	BAR	12
10	Mark Webber	Australian	Jaguar	12
11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Jordan	10
12	Cristiano da Matta	Brazilian	Toyota	8
13	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Sauber	7
14	Olivier Panis	French	Toyota	6
15	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	BAR	3
16	Nick Heidfeld	German	Sauber	2
17	Ralph Firman	Irish	Jordan	1
18	Antônio Pizzonia	Brazilian	Jaguar	0
19	Jos Verstappen	Dutch	Minardi	0
20	Justin Wilson	British	Minardi / Jaguar	0
21	Nicolas Kiesa	Danish	Minardi	0

2003 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	120
2	Williams	118
3	McLaren	103
4	Renault	66
5	BAR	15
6	Toyota	14
7	Jaguar	12
8	Jordan	11
9	Sauber	9
10	Minardi	0

2003 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2003 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	9 March
2	2003 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	23 March
3	2003 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	6 April
4	2003 San Marino Grand Prix	Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola	20 April
5	2003 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	4 May
6	2003 Austrian Grand Prix	A1-Ring, Spielberg	18 May
7	2003 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	1 June
8	2003 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	15 June
9	2003 European Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	29 June
10	2003 French Grand Prix	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours	6 July
11	2003 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	20 July
12	2003 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	3 August
13	2003 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	24 August
14	2003 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	14 September
15	2003 United States Grand Prix	Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis	28 September
16	2003 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	12 October