2003 Japanese Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Rubens Barrichello won the Japanese Grand Prix as Michael Schumacher secured a record sixth drivers’ title. Kimi Räikkönen finished second ahead of David Coulthard, while Ferrari also sealed the constructors’ championship in a tense Suzuka finale.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari
Pole time	1:31.713
Fastest lap	Ralf Schumacher	Williams
Fastest-lap time	1:33.408 on lap 43
First	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari
Second	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren
Third	David Coulthard	McLaren

Weekend Schedule

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

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 16 leading the 2003 F1 World Championship on 92 points, with Kimi Räikkönen on 83. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 147 points.

Race entries

Takuma Sato replaced Jacques Villeneuve at BAR after the Canadian asked to be released from the final race. Takuma Sato had already been confirmed alongside Jenson Button for the following season and now made his BAR race debut in front of his home crowd.

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

Jarno Trulli led Friday practice ahead of Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard. The revised chicane caught out several drivers, who used the old route, while Fernando Alonso spun into the gravel late in the session. Jenson Button stopped with an engine failure, and da Cristiano da Matta’s Toyota also ground to a halt in the pits.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2003 Japanese Grand Prix FP1, 10 October 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	1:30.727	15
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.282s	18
3	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.292s	21
4	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.490s	19
5	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.549s	19
6	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+0.576s	21
7	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.927s	9
8	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+1.250s	23
9	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+1.284s	21
10	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+1.406s	25
11	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.481s	18
12	16	Takuma Sato	BAR	+1.568s	20
13	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+1.695s	18
14	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+1.967s	17
15	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	+2.008s	21
16	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	+2.579s	18
17	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+3.229s	17
18	17	Jenson Button	BAR	+3.718s	9
19	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	+4.453s	13
20	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	+5.173s	14

First qualifying

Jarno Trulli headed Friday qualifying with Ralf Schumacher second. Their reward was the final two running slots on Saturday, normally an advantage but one that would prove costly when the weather turned against them.

First Qualifying Classification

2003 Japanese Grand Prix First Qualifying, 10 October 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	1:30.281	3
2	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:30.343	3
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:30.464	3
4	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:30.482	3
5	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	1:30.558	3
6	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:30.624	3
7	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:30.758	3
8	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:31.201	3
9	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	1:31.305	3
10	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	1:31.783	3
11	16	Takuma Sato	BAR	1:31.832	3
12	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:31.892	3
13	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	1:31.908	3
14	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	1:32.256	3
15	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	1:32.291	3
16	17	Jenson Button	BAR	1:32.374	3
17	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	1:33.057	3
18	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	1:33.313	3
19	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	1:34.836	3
20	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	1:36.181	3

Saturday practice

Ralf Schumacher headed the first Saturday session, but Kimi Räikkönen’s crash was the major development for the title contest. The McLaren went off at the second corner and damaged its front suspension against the barriers. Takuma Sato also lost running with a problem, completing only eight laps as he prepared for his home race.

Free Practice 2 Classification

2003 Japanese Grand Prix FP2, 11 October 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:32.931	15
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.058s	14
3	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.419s	15
4	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.474s	13
5	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+0.818s	19
6	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+1.032s	19
7	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	+1.188s	17
8	17	Jenson Button	BAR	+1.240s	18
9	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+1.378s	15
10	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+1.418s	13
11	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.467s	15
12	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+1.592s	7
13	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+1.610s	14
14	16	Takuma Sato	BAR	+1.623s	8
15	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+1.668s	20
16	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+1.787s	13
17	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	+3.437s	13
18	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+3.774s	10
19	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	+3.997s	13
20	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	+5.144s	14

Ralf Schumacher led Juan Pablo Montoya in the second Saturday session. Kimi Räikkönen used David Coulthard’s car while the Scot remained in the garage. Fernando Alonso’s engine then failed and spread oil near Turn 8, sending Juan Pablo Montoya and Mark Webber across the gravel; both avoided a serious collision or impact with the barriers.

Free Practice 3 Classification

2003 Japanese Grand Prix FP3, 11 October 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:31.149	10
2	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.273s	15
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.556s	12
4	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+1.194s	19
5	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+1.647s	11
6	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+1.781s	7
7	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+1.933s	16
8	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.958s	15
9	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+1.984s	17
10	17	Jenson Button	BAR	+2.262s	22
11	16	Takuma Sato	BAR	+2.513s	10
12	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+2.545s	16
13	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+2.658s	15
14	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	+2.803s	18
15	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+3.409s	19
16	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+4.327s	15
17	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	+4.471s	15
18	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	+6.230s	6
19	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	+6.735s	18

Warm-up

Juan Pablo Montoya led da Cristiano da Matta and Rubens Barrichello in the warm-up. The short session completed preparations after an incident-filled morning, with McLaren having reorganised its running around Kimi Räikkönen’s damaged car. The afternoon’s changing weather would soon give qualifying another twist.

Warm-up Classification

2003 Japanese Grand Prix Warm-up, 11 October 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:33.211	5
2	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+0.270s	5
3	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.752s	7
4	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.761s	4
5	16	Takuma Sato	BAR	+0.927s	6
6	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+1.293s	5
7	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.539s	5
8	17	Jenson Button	BAR	+1.546s	6
9	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+1.579s	6
10	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+1.658s	5
11	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+2.239s	4
12	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	+2.567s	6
13	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	+2.642s	5
14	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	+3.304s	4
15	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	+5.718s	4
16	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+13.851s	5
17	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	No time	4
18	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	No time	3
19	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	No time	6
20	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	No time	2

Final qualifying

Rubens Barrichello took pole ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya as late rain mixed up the grid. Da Cristiano da Matta and Olivier Panis secured the second row for Toyota, while Kimi Räikkönen qualified eighth and Michael Schumacher fourteenth. Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher abandoned their attempts in the heaviest rain and occupied the back row.

Final Qualifying Classification

2003 Japanese Grand Prix Final Qualifying, 11 October 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:31.713	3
2	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:32.412	3
3	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	1:32.419	3
4	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	1:32.862	3
5	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:33.044	3
6	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	1:33.106	3
7	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:33.137	3
8	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	1:33.272	3
9	17	Jenson Button	BAR	1:33.474	3
10	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	1:33.558	3
11	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	1:33.632	3
12	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:33.896	3
13	16	Takuma Sato	BAR	1:33.924	3
14	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:34.302	3
15	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	1:34.771	3
16	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	1:34.912	3
17	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	1:34.975	3
18	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	1:37.226	3
19	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	No time	2
20	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	No time	1

Ralf Schumacher did not set a time in Q2 because he spun in the final corner and did not complete his flying lap.

Jarno Trulli did not set a time in Q2 because Renault decided to save fuel when the track was wet and he did not even complete his flying lap.

What happened in the 2003 Japanese Grand Prix?

Juan Pablo Montoya passed Rubens Barrichello at Spoon on the opening lap, with Fernando Alonso quickly moving into contention. Michael Schumacher’s recovery was interrupted when contact with Takuma Sato damaged his front wing and forced an extra stop. Juan Pablo Montoya then retired with a hydraulic problem, returning the lead to Rubens Barrichello.

Fernando Alonso’s engine failure removed another challenger, leaving Rubens Barrichello ahead of the McLarens. Kimi Räikkönen needed victory to have any chance of taking the championship, but the Ferrari remained out of reach. Further back, Michael Schumacher survived contact from Ralf Schumacher during their fight around da Cristiano da Matta.

Rubens Barrichello won from Kimi Räikkönen and David Coulthard. Jenson Button and Takuma Sato delivered fourth and sixth for BAR, separated by Jarno Trulli, with da Cristiano da Matta seventh. Michael Schumacher collected the final point in eighth, enough to secure his sixth drivers’ championship, while Rubens Barrichello’s victory helped Ferrari retain the constructors’ crown.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 93 points, followed by Kimi Räikkönen on 91. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 158, with Williams on 144.

2003 Japanese Grand Prix race results

The 2003 Japanese Grand Prix was held on 12 October 2003, with a scheduled start of 14:30 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	53	1:25:11.743	10
2	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	53	+11.085	8
3	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	53	+11.614	6
4	17	Jenson Button	BAR	53	+33.106	5
5	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	53	+34.269	4
6	16	Takuma Sato	BAR	53	+51.692	3
7	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	53	+56.794	2
8	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	53	+59.487	1
9	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	53	+1:00.159	0
10	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	53	+1:01.844	0
11	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	53	+1:11.005	0
12	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	52	+1 Lap	0
13	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	52	+1 Lap	0
14	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	51	+2 Laps	0
15	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	51	+2 Laps	0
16	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	50	+3 Laps	0
Ret	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	33	Out of fuel	0
Ret	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	17	Engine	0
Ret	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	9	Engine	0
Ret	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	9	Hydraulics	0

2003 Japanese Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	43	1:33.408	223.805
2	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	14	1:33.416	223.786
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	14	1:33.553	223.458
4	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	18	1:33.703	223.100
5	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	2	1:33.830	222.798
6	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	8	1:34.255	221.794
7	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	12	1:34.488	221.247
8	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	26	1:34.546	221.111
9	17	Jenson Button	BAR	14	1:34.605	220.973
10	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	24	1:34.635	220.903
11	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	31	1:34.991	220.075
12	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	11	1:35.014	220.022
13	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	53	1:35.023	220.001
14	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	16	1:35.192	219.610
15	16	Takuma Sato	BAR	28	1:35.290	219.385
16	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	33	1:35.824	218.162
17	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	7	1:36.601	216.407
18	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	15	1:36.662	216.271
19	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	51	1:37.869	213.603
20	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	6	1:38.754	211.689

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 Japanese Grand Prix.

2003 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	93
2	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	McLaren	91
3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Colombian	Williams	82
4	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Ferrari	65
5	Ralf Schumacher	German	Williams	58
6	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	55
7	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	51
8	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Renault	33
9	Jenson Button	British	BAR	17
10	Mark Webber	Australian	Jaguar	17
11	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Sauber	13
12	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Jordan	12
13	Cristiano da Matta	Brazilian	Toyota	10
14	Nick Heidfeld	German	Sauber	6
15	Olivier Panis	French	Toyota	6
16	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	BAR	6
17	Marc Gené	Spanish	Williams	4
18	Takuma Sato	Japanese	BAR	3
19	Ralph Firman	Irish	Jordan	1
20	Justin Wilson	British	Minardi / Jaguar	1
21	Antônio Pizzonia	Brazilian	Jaguar	0
22	Jos Verstappen	Dutch	Minardi	0
23	Nicolas Kiesa	Danish	Minardi	0
24	Zsolt Baumgartner	Hungarian	Jordan	0

2003 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	158
2	Williams	144
3	McLaren	142
4	Renault	88
5	BAR	26
6	Sauber	19
7	Jaguar	18
8	Toyota	16
9	Jordan	13
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