2003 Hungarian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Fernando Alonso became Formula 1’s youngest Grand Prix winner with a commanding victory in Hungary. Kimi Räikkönen and Juan Pablo Montoya completed the podium, while Michael Schumacher was lapped on an afternoon that left the three championship contenders separated by just two points.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Fernando Alonso	Renault
Pole time	1:21.688
Fastest lap	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams
Fastest-lap time	1:22.095 on lap 37
First	Fernando Alonso	Renault
Second	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren
Third	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
22 August 2003	Optional private testing (participating teams)	08:30–10:30
22 August 2003	Practice 1	11:00
22 August 2003	First qualifying	14:00
23 August 2003	Practice 2	09:00
23 August 2003	Practice 3	10:15
23 August 2003	Warm-up	13:30
23 August 2003	Final qualifying	14:00
24 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 13 leading the 2003 F1 World Championship on 71 points, with Juan Pablo Montoya on 65. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 120 points.

Race entries

The weekend began with the same line-ups as Germany, but Ralph Firman’s heavy Saturday practice accident forced Jordan into a change. Zsolt Baumgartner stepped in for his Formula 1 debut at his home race after receiving approval to replace the injured driver.

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

Olivier Panis led Friday practice as dust and dirt made the Hungaroring particularly unforgiving. Michael Schumacher spun directly ahead of the Toyota, forcing Olivier Panis to brake sharply. Justin Wilson lost running with a gearbox cooling problem, while Nicolas Kiesa missed the session as Minardi replaced the engine that had failed during private testing.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2003 Hungarian Grand Prix FP1, 22 August 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	1:21.770	24
2	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+0.694s	13
3	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.822s	25
4	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.824s	21
5	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+0.930s	25
6	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+0.971s	23
7	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.987s	25
8	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+1.027s	24
9	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+1.072s	20
10	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.444s	4
11	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+1.762s	23
12	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+1.816s	25
13	17	Jenson Button	BAR	+1.953s	26
14	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.047s	23
15	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+2.704s	16
16	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	+2.732s	21
17	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+2.765s	23
18	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	+2.899s	5
19	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	+3.809s	18

First qualifying

Jarno Trulli set the fastest Friday lap ahead of Ralf Schumacher and Mark Webber. The dirty track rewarded later runners, while championship leader Michael Schumacher had to go first and finished ninth. Kimi Räikkönen also made a mistake and ended the session twelfth.

First Qualifying Classification

2003 Hungarian Grand Prix First Qualifying, 22 August 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	1:22.358	3
2	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:22.413	3
3	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	1:22.625	3
4	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:22.786	3
5	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:22.892	3
6	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:22.953	3
7	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	1:22.986	3
8	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:23.305	3
9	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:23.430	3
10	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	1:23.482	3
11	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:23.660	3
12	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	1:23.695	3
13	17	Jenson Button	BAR	1:24.313	3
14	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	1:24.333	3
15	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	1:24.343	3
16	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	1:24.725	3
17	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	1:25.223	3
18	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	1:26.052	3
19	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	1:27.023	3
20	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	1:55.138	3

Saturday practice

Fernando Alonso topped the first Saturday session, but Ralph Firman’s accident overshadowed the running. A rear-wing failure sent the Jordan into a heavy impact with the barriers, stopping practice while he received medical attention. Jordan also held Giancarlo Fisichella back as a precaution, and Zsolt Baumgartner was later approved to take over Ralph Firman’s car.

Free Practice 2 Classification

2003 Hungarian Grand Prix FP2, 23 August 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:22.950	7
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.324s	12
3	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.482s	12
4	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.808s	15
5	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+0.846s	9
6	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+1.192s	16
7	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+1.301s	14
8	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+1.378s	10
9	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+1.667s	9
10	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+1.784s	10
11	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	+1.850s	12
12	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+1.887s	10
13	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+2.429s	11
14	17	Jenson Button	BAR	+2.447s	11
15	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+2.595s	16
16	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+2.616s	6
17	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.865s	19
18	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	+3.668s	6
19	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	+4.026s	8
20	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	+4.238s	11

Ralf Schumacher led the second Saturday session ahead of Michael Schumacher, while Kimi Räikkönen’s engine failed near the end. Da Cristiano da Matta spun into the gravel and Jos Verstappen stopped early with a cracked rear wing. The dusty surface continued to punish drivers who strayed from the racing line.

Free Practice 3 Classification

2003 Hungarian Grand Prix FP3, 23 August 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:21.939	18
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.374s	16
3	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.528s	12
4	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.555s	13
5	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+0.909s	23
6	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+0.937s	14
7	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.963s	18
8	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+1.135s	13
9	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+1.354s	13
10	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+1.850s	17
11	17	Jenson Button	BAR	+1.866s	22
12	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+1.899s	22
13	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	+1.914s	22
14	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+2.067s	19
15	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.215s	25
16	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+2.404s	14
17	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+2.462s	13
18	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	+4.559s	15
19	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	+5.356s	13

Warm-up

Michael Schumacher headed Fernando Alonso and Juan Pablo Montoya in the warm-up. The short session offered a final check before qualifying after a disrupted morning, with Jordan having to prepare its substitute driver for a first competitive single-lap attempt in front of the home crowd.

Warm-up Classification

2003 Hungarian Grand Prix Warm-up, 23 August 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:22.210	6
2	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.250s	6
3	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.311s	5
4	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+0.444s	6
5	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.556s	6
6	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+0.892s	4
7	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+1.247s	6
8	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+1.372s	6
9	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+1.612s	4
10	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+1.836s	4
11	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+2.040s	5
12	17	Jenson Button	BAR	+2.058s	7
13	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+2.579s	5
14	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+2.856s	5
15	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	+2.896s	5
16	12	Zsolt Baumgartner	Jordan	+4.136s	7
17	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	+4.152s	4
18	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	+9.166s	4
19	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+10.967s	5
20	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+27.039s	4

Final qualifying

Fernando Alonso took pole ahead of Ralf Schumacher and Mark Webber. Juan Pablo Montoya qualified fourth with the same time as Rubens Barrichello, gaining priority because he had recorded it first. Michael Schumacher could manage only eighth, leaving the championship leader facing a difficult race at a circuit where passing was rarely straightforward.

Final Qualifying Classification

2003 Hungarian Grand Prix Final Qualifying, 23 August 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:21.688	3
2	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:21.944	3
3	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	1:22.027	3
4	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:22.180	3
5	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:22.180	3
6	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	1:22.610	3
7	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	1:22.742	3
8	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:22.755	3
9	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:23.060	3
10	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	1:23.369	3
11	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	1:23.621	3
12	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	1:23.660	3
13	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	1:23.726	3
14	17	Jenson Button	BAR	1:23.847	3
15	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	1:23.982	3
16	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	1:24.100	3
17	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:24.569	3
18	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	1:26.423	3
19	12	Zsolt Baumgartner	Jordan	1:26.678	3
20	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	1:28.907	3

Zsolt Baumgartner did not set a time in the first qualifying session because he had little time to prepare for the second session after learning that Ralph Firman would not be driving due to a heavy accident.

What happened in the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix?

Fernando Alonso made a clean start and quickly escaped as Mark Webber held up the chasing pack. Both Williams drivers lost ground from the dirty side of the grid, and Ralf Schumacher spun at Turn 2. Rubens Barrichello’s attempt to pass Mark Webber at the chicane cost him places when he had to give back the position.

Fernando Alonso built enough of a cushion to control the race through his stops. Rubens Barrichello later crashed after a rear-suspension failure, while the Williams drivers recovered strongly. Ralf Schumacher passed several rivals, including Michael Schumacher, and Juan Pablo Montoya survived a late spin without losing third.

Fernando Alonso won comfortably from Kimi Räikkönen and Juan Pablo Montoya, becoming the first Spanish driver to win a World Championship Grand Prix. Ralf Schumacher recovered to fourth ahead of David Coulthard, Mark Webber and Jarno Trulli. Michael Schumacher finished a lap down in eighth; his championship advantage was reduced to one point over Juan Pablo Montoya and two over Kimi Räikkönen, while Williams moved ahead of Ferrari in the constructors’ standings.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 72 points, followed by Juan Pablo Montoya on 71. Williams led the constructors’ table on 129, with Ferrari on 121.

2003 Hungarian Grand Prix race results

The 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix was held on 24 August 2003, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	70	1:39:01.460	10
2	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	70	+16.768	8
3	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	70	+34.537	6
4	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	70	+35.620	5
5	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	70	+56.535	4
6	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	70	+1:12.643	3
7	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	69	+1 Lap	2
8	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	69	+1 Lap	1
9	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	69	+1 Lap	0
10	17	Jenson Button	BAR	69	+1 Lap	0
11	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	68	+2 Laps	0
12	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	67	+3 Laps	0
13	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	66	+4 Laps	0
Ret	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	47	Out of fuel	0
Ret	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	42	Engine	0
Ret	12	Zsolt Baumgartner	Jordan	34	Engine	0
Ret	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	33	Gearbox	0
Ret	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	28	Engine	0
Ret	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	19	Suspension/Accident	0
Ret	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	14	Hydraulics	0

2003 Hungarian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	37	1:22.095	192.114
2	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	55	1:22.319	191.591
3	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	66	1:22.372	191.467
4	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	47	1:22.565	191.020
5	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	36	1:23.040	189.927
6	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	49	1:23.156	189.662
7	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	40	1:23.193	189.578
8	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	38	1:23.207	189.546
9	17	Jenson Button	BAR	65	1:23.376	189.162
10	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	34	1:24.100	187.533
11	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	54	1:24.267	187.162
12	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	17	1:24.414	186.836
13	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	45	1:24.450	186.756
14	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	13	1:24.583	186.463
15	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	26	1:24.936	185.688
16	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	13	1:25.081	185.371
17	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	13	1:25.278	184.943
18	12	Zsolt Baumgartner	Jordan	22	1:26.464	182.406
19	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	60	1:26.559	182.206
20	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	47	1:27.641	179.956

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 Hungarian Grand Prix.

2003 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	72
2	Juan Pablo Montoya	Colombian	Williams	71
3	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	McLaren	70
4	Ralf Schumacher	German	Williams	58
5	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	54
6	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Ferrari	49
7	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	45
8	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Renault	24
9	Mark Webber	Australian	Jaguar	15
10	Jenson Button	British	BAR	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
–	Zsolt Baumgartner	Hungarian	Jordan	0

2003 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Williams	129
2	Ferrari	121
3	McLaren	115
4	Renault	78
5	BAR	15
6	Jaguar	15
7	Toyota	14
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