2003 San Marino Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Michael Schumacher took Ferrari’s first victory of the season at Imola on a day overshadowed by the death of his mother, Elisabeth. Kimi Räikkönen finished second to retain his championship lead, with Rubens Barrichello completing the podium.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Pole time	1:22.327
Fastest lap	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	1:22.491 on lap 17
First	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Second	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren
Third	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

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

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

Championship background

Kimi Räikkönen arrived at round 4 leading the 2003 F1 World Championship on 24 points, with David Coulthard on 15. McLaren headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 39 points.

Before practice, Kimi Räikkönen and McLaren handed the Brazilian Grand Prix winners’ trophies to Giancarlo Fisichella and Jordan following the corrected result. Ferrari still raced the F2002, seeking its first victory of the 2003 F1 World Championship as the championship returned to Europe.

Race entries

The regular race line-ups were unchanged. Ferrari and Minardi competed at their home circuit, while Giancarlo Fisichella arrived as a newly confirmed Grand Prix winner after the FIA’s review of the Interlagos timing evidence.

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

Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya gave Williams the fastest Friday times. Michael Schumacher damaged his Ferrari’s rear suspension on the kerbs, while Rubens Barrichello also ran off and Jacques Villeneuve stopped with a mechanical problem. Olivier Panis struggled with braking and grip, prompting Toyota to make substantial set-up changes before the afternoon’s qualifying run.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2003 San Marino Grand Prix FP1, 18 April 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:21.335	20
2	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.074s	18
3	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+0.721s	21
4	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.786s	22
5	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.226s	17
6	17	Jenson Button	BAR	+1.334s	20
7	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+1.379s	18
8	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+1.716s	19
9	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+1.722s	26
10	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+1.722s	9
11	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+1.932s	9
12	15	Antonio Pizzonia	Jaguar	+2.091s	8
13	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+2.222s	24
14	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+2.499s	17
15	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	+2.672s	11
16	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+2.782s	23
17	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+3.230s	14
18	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+3.818s	13
19	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	+3.845s	17
20	18	Justin Wilson	Minardi	+4.371s	4

First qualifying

Michael Schumacher headed Friday qualifying, with Rubens Barrichello second and the Williams pair behind. Mark Webber again placed Jaguar in the top five. Olivier Panis improved after Toyota’s set-up changes, whereas da Cristiano da Matta lost substantial time with a mistake in the first sector.

First Qualifying Classification

2003 San Marino Grand Prix First Qualifying, 18 April 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:20.628	3
2	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:21.082	3
3	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:21.193	3
4	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:21.490	3
5	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	1:21.669	3
6	17	Jenson Button	BAR	1:21.891	3
7	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	1:21.926	3
8	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	1:22.147	3
9	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:22.326	3
10	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:22.531	3
11	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	1:22.724	3
12	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	1:22.765	3
13	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:22.809	3
14	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	1:22.911	3
15	15	Antonio Pizzonia	Jaguar	1:22.919	3
16	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	1:23.100	3
17	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	1:24.360	3
18	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	1:24.854	3
19	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	1:24.990	3
20	18	Justin Wilson	Minardi	1:25.195	3

Saturday practice

Kimi Räikkönen led the first Saturday session in cooler conditions, ahead of Ralf Schumacher. Mark Webber stopped early without a timed lap, and Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Antonio Pizzonia also abandoned their cars. Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard had excursions, while Jacques Villeneuve ended the session with a spin. The morning gave several teams more repair work than they had anticipated.

Rubens Barrichello topped the combined Saturday times after improving in the second session. Ralf Schumacher had been quickest before crashing over the kerbs into the tyre barriers, escaping injury. Mark Webber returned strongly, while Heinz-Harald Frentzen missed the session after his earlier problem. Toyota continued its tyre and handling work, with da Cristiano da Matta completing substantial mileage as the car improved.

Saturday Practice Classification — Combined

2003 San Marino Grand Prix Saturday Practice, 19 April 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:22.819	31
2	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.078s	23
3	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+0.139s	19
4	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+0.143s	35
5	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.155s	35
6	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.223s	41
7	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.379s	34
8	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.950s	33
9	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+1.279s	33
10	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+1.280s	31
11	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+1.313s	24
12	17	Jenson Button	BAR	+1.359s	40
13	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+1.503s	38
14	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+1.864s	40
15	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+1.928s	32
16	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	+1.944s	27
17	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+2.513s	7
18	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	+2.926s	25
19	18	Justin Wilson	Minardi	+3.126s	22
20	15	Antonio Pizzonia	Jaguar	+3.376s	17

The Saturday classification combines the two morning practice sessions. Times are each driver’s best across those sessions; lap totals cover both.

Warm-up

David Coulthard led the 15-minute warm-up, narrowly ahead of Michael Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya. The brief running completed the pre-qualifying checks after an incident-filled morning. It offered no substitute for the lost practice time, but allowed the repaired cars and final set-ups to be assessed before the single decisive lap.

Warm-up Classification

2003 San Marino Grand Prix Warm-up, 19 April 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:23.349	4
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.103s	5
3	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.160s	5
4	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.165s	4
5	17	Jenson Button	BAR	+0.401s	8
6	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+0.544s	4
7	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.653s	4
8	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+0.670s	4
9	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+0.679s	5
10	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+0.882s	5
11	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+0.983s	7
12	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+1.028s	4
13	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+1.178s	7
14	15	Antonio Pizzonia	Jaguar	+1.680s	5
15	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+1.842s	4
16	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+2.205s	3
17	18	Justin Wilson	Minardi	+2.820s	4
18	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	+2.842s	4
19	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+2.849s	3
20	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	+3.397s	7

Final qualifying

Michael Schumacher took pole by just 0.014 seconds from Ralf Schumacher, with Rubens Barrichello and Juan Pablo Montoya on the second row. Mark Webber was fifth and Kimi Räikkönen sixth. Jos Verstappen crashed without setting a time. The Schumacher brothers then returned to Germany to visit their seriously ill mother before coming back to race on Sunday.

Final Qualifying Classification

2003 San Marino Grand Prix Final Qualifying, 19 April 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:22.327	3
2	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:22.341	3
3	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:22.557	3
4	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:22.789	3
5	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	1:23.015	3
6	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	1:23.148	3
7	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	1:23.160	3
8	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:23.169	3
9	17	Jenson Button	BAR	1:23.381	3
10	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	1:23.460	3
11	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	1:23.700	3
12	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:23.818	3
13	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	1:23.838	4
14	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:23.932	3
15	15	Antônio Pizzonia	Jaguar	1:24.147	3
16	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	1:24.190	3
17	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	1:24.317	3
18	18	Justin Wilson	Minardi	1:25.826	3
19	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	1:26.357	3
20	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	No time	2

What happened in the 2003 San Marino Grand Prix?

Ralf Schumacher beat his brother away from the grid and led the opening stint. Michael Schumacher stayed close, then used the laps after the Williams’s first stop to establish the margin needed to emerge ahead. Mark Webber’s poor start and Antonio Pizzonia’s stall damaged Jaguar’s hopes immediately.

Ferrari and Williams ran three-stop strategies, while McLaren chose two. That brought Kimi Räikkönen into second, ahead of Rubens Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher. Rubens Barrichello eventually passed the Williams on track and closed on Kimi Räikkönen, but could not find a way past. Juan Pablo Montoya lost time to refuelling difficulties and needed an additional stop.

Michael Schumacher won from Kimi Räikkönen and Rubens Barrichello, followed by Ralf Schumacher, David Coulthard, Fernando Alonso, Juan Pablo Montoya and Jenson Button. Ferrari’s first victory of the year was a subdued occasion after Elisabeth Schumacher’s death earlier that day. Kimi Räikkönen’s second place limited the damage to his championship lead.

After the race, Kimi Räikkönen headed the drivers’ standings with 32 points, followed by David Coulthard on 19. McLaren led the constructors’ table on 51, with Ferrari on 32.

2003 San Marino Grand Prix race results

The 2003 San Marino Grand Prix was held on 20 April 2003, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	62	1:28:12.058	10
2	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	62	+1.882	8
3	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	62	+2.291	6
4	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	62	+8.803	5
5	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	62	+9.411	4
6	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	62	+43.689	3
7	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	62	+45.271	2
8	17	Jenson Button	BAR	61	+1 Lap	1
9	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	61	+1 Lap	0
10	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	61	+1 Lap	0
11	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	61	+1 Lap	0
12	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	61	+1 Lap	0
13	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	61	+1 Lap	0
14	15	Antônio Pizzonia	Jaguar	60	+2 Laps	0
15	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	57	Engine	0
Ret	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	54	Driveshaft	0
Ret	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	51	Oil line	0
Ret	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	38	Electrical	0
Ret	18	Justin Wilson	Minardi	23	Fuel rig	0
Ret	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	19	Engine	0

Ralph Firman and Jos Verstappen and Justin Wilson started the race from the pitlane.

2003 San Marino Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	17	1:22.491	215.281
2	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	49	1:22.775	214.543
3	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	21	1:22.810	214.452
4	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	32	1:22.946	214.100
5	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	20	1:23.200	213.447
6	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	29	1:23.265	213.280
7	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	60	1:23.844	211.807
8	17	Jenson Button	BAR	15	1:23.972	211.484
9	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	16	1:24.108	211.142
10	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	30	1:24.258	210.766
11	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	15	1:24.705	209.654
12	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	27	1:24.730	209.592
13	15	Antonio Pizzonia	Jaguar	36	1:24.733	209.585
14	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	34	1:24.874	209.237
15	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	36	1:25.123	208.625
16	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	38	1:25.329	208.121
17	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	13	1:25.444	207.841
18	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	45	1:25.539	207.610
19	18	Justin Wilson	Minardi	23	1:26.354	205.651
20	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	35	1:26.835	204.512

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 San Marino Grand Prix.

2003 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	McLaren	32
2	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	19
3	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	18
4	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	17
5	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Ferrari	14
6	Ralf Schumacher	German	Williams	13
7	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Jordan	10
8	Juan Pablo Montoya	Colombian	Williams	10
9	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Renault	9
10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Sauber	7
11	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	BAR	3
12	Jenson Button	British	BAR	3
13	Nick Heidfeld	German	Sauber	1
14	Olivier Panis	French	Toyota	0
15	Mark Webber	Australian	Jaguar	0
16	Cristiano da Matta	Brazilian	Toyota	0
17	Ralph Firman	Irish	Jordan	0
18	Jos Verstappen	Dutch	Minardi	0
19	Antônio Pizzonia	Brazilian	Jaguar	0
–	Justin Wilson	British	Minardi	0

2003 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	McLaren	51
2	Ferrari	32
3	Renault	26
4	Williams	23
5	Jordan	10
6	Sauber	8
7	BAR	6
8	Toyota	0
9	Jaguar	0
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