2003 United States Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Michael Schumacher mastered a rain-hit United States Grand Prix to move within one point of a sixth world title. Kimi Räikkönen kept his championship hopes alive with second, while Heinz-Harald Frentzen claimed a remarkable podium for Sauber.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren
Pole time	1:11.670
Fastest lap	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	1:11.473 on lap 13
First	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Second	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren
Third	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber

Weekend Schedule

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

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 15 leading the 2003 F1 World Championship on 82 points, with Juan Pablo Montoya on 79. Williams headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 141 points.

Race entries

Ralf Schumacher returned to Williams after missing the Monza race, and Ralph Firman resumed his Jordan seat following his Hungarian practice accident. Both teams therefore restored their regular pairings for the penultimate round.

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 before increasingly heavy rain complicated the running. Giancarlo Fisichella’s engine failed and left oil on the banked final corner, causing a lengthy stoppage for the clean-up. The FIA permitted extreme-wet tyres as conditions worsened, and Ralph Firman finished the session in the gravel.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2003 United States Grand Prix FP1, 26 September 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	1:11.153	18
2	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.186s	22
3	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+0.235s	20
4	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.346s	22
5	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.503s	22
6	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.539s	24
7	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+0.641s	21
8	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.689s	19
9	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+0.723s	26
10	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.814s	27
11	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+0.931s	23
12	17	Jenson Button	BAR	+1.178s	28
13	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	+1.234s	18
14	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+1.503s	29
15	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+1.696s	8
16	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	+2.014s	19
17	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	+2.384s	19
18	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+2.448s	20
19	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+2.728s	22
20	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	+7.102s	15

First qualifying

Jarno Trulli headed Friday qualifying ahead of Rubens Barrichello and Mark Webber. Rain arrived during the session and intensified for the later runners, making their single attempts increasingly difficult. The FIA again permitted extreme-wet tyres as conditions deteriorated.

First Qualifying Classification

2003 United States Grand Prix First Qualifying, 26 September 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	1:09.566	3
2	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:09.835	3
3	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	1:10.081	3
4	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:10.222	3
5	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:10.372	3
6	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:10.450	3
7	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:10.556	3
8	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:10.736	3
9	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	1:10.756	3
10	17	Jenson Button	BAR	1:11.847	3
11	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	1:11.949	3
12	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	1:12.227	3
13	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:13.541	3
14	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	1:17.666	3
15	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	1:17.768	3
16	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	1:18.547	3
17	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	1:19.383	3
18	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	1:19.491	3
19	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	1:21.973	3
20	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	No time	1

Saturday practice

Jarno Trulli remained fastest in the first Saturday session on a circuit still damp after overnight storms. Michael Schumacher stopped on his installation lap with a fuel-pressure problem, losing valuable preparation time. The track gradually dried as the sun appeared, making the later running more representative.

Free Practice 2 Classification

2003 United States Grand Prix FP2, 27 September 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	1:12.408	6
2	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.060s	15
3	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.087s	15
4	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.102s	14
5	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.333s	6
6	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+0.690s	17
7	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+0.898s	10
8	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+0.955s	7
9	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+1.165s	14
10	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	+1.373s	8
11	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+1.552s	7
12	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	+2.003s	7
13	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+2.031s	9
14	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	+2.085s	6
15	17	Jenson Button	BAR	+2.503s	7
16	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+5.859s	4
17	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	No time	1
18	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	No time	3
19	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	No time	1
20	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	No time	1

Rubens Barrichello narrowly beat Jarno Trulli in the second Saturday session, while Michael Schumacher returned to third. Ralf Schumacher ran across wet grass and hit the tyre barrier after braking too late at Turn 8. Da Cristiano da Matta’s engine failure then left oil near the final part of the lap and pit entry.

Free Practice 3 Classification

2003 United States Grand Prix FP3, 27 September 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:11.112	18
2	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+0.012s	23
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.027s	16
4	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.120s	17
5	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.243s	20
6	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+0.381s	22
7	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+0.646s	21
8	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+0.688s	27
9	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.948s	11
10	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.023s	18
11	17	Jenson Button	BAR	+1.074s	23
12	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+1.268s	22
13	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+1.559s	15
14	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+1.568s	17
15	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+1.819s	19
16	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	+2.163s	27
17	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+2.346s	15
18	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	+2.637s	20
19	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	+3.223s	12
20	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	+3.669s	20

Warm-up

Fernando Alonso led Juan Pablo Montoya in the warm-up, but Jarno Trulli damaged his Renault in two incidents against the Turn 11 tyre wall. The team faced repairs before qualifying after its strong earlier sessions. Da Cristiano da Matta also had engine overheating trouble and subsequently used the spare Toyota for his timed lap.

Warm-up Classification

2003 United States Grand Prix Warm-up, 27 September 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:12.079	7
2	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.004s	4
3	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+0.048s	5
4	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+0.098s	4
5	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.458s	5
6	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.609s	4
7	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+0.620s	5
8	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.872s	6
9	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.879s	3
10	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+0.940s	5
11	17	Jenson Button	BAR	+1.124s	6
12	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	+1.521s	7
13	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	+1.533s	4
14	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	+1.846s	4
15	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	+1.903s	6
16	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	+2.268s	8
17	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	+2.429s	7
18	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	+2.906s	6
19	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	+3.179s	5
20	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	No time	3

Final qualifying

Kimi Räikkönen claimed pole in dry conditions on Saturday, with Rubens Barrichello alongside. Olivier Panis secured third for Toyota ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher. Michael Schumacher could manage only seventh, leaving the championship leader with work to do if he wanted to settle the title at Indianapolis.

Final Qualifying Classification

2003 United States Grand Prix Final Qualifying, 27 September 2003

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	1:11.670	3
2	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:11.794	3
3	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	1:11.920	3
4	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:11.948	3
5	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:12.078	3
6	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:12.087	3
7	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:12.194	3
8	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:12.297	3
9	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	1:12.326	3
10	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	1:12.566	3
11	17	Jenson Button	BAR	1:12.695	3
12	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	1:13.050	3
13	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	1:13.083	3
14	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	1:13.269	3
15	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	1:13.447	3
16	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	1:13.585	3
17	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	1:13.798	3
18	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	1:14.027	3
19	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	1:15.360	3
20	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	1:15.644	3

Jos Verstappen was left without a time in Q1, due to an electronic issue in the car.

What happened in the 2003 United States Grand Prix?

Kimi Räikkönen led away as intermittent rain made tyre choices difficult. Juan Pablo Montoya collided with Rubens Barrichello, putting the Ferrari out and eventually receiving a drive-through penalty. Early switches to wet tyres proved premature when the circuit briefly dried, before a heavier shower transformed the race again.

Bridgestone’s wet-weather performance helped Jenson Button, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Michael Schumacher move to the front. Ralf Schumacher and Mark Webber crashed out, while Juan Pablo Montoya lost more ground between his penalty and tyre stops. Schumacher passed Heinz-Harald Frentzen and then Jenson Button for the lead; Jenson Button’s promising race subsequently ended with a mechanical failure.

Michael Schumacher won as Kimi Räikkönen recovered second ahead of Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Nick Heidfeld completed a superb Sauber result in fourth, followed by Jarno Trulli, Giancarlo Fisichella, Justin Wilson and Juan Pablo Montoya. The result ended Juan Pablo Montoya’s title challenge and left Kimi Räikkönen nine points behind Schumacher with only the Japanese finale remaining.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 92 points, followed by Kimi Räikkönen on 83. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 147, with Williams on 144.

2003 United States Grand Prix race results

The 2003 United States Grand Prix was held on 28 September 2003, with a scheduled start of 13:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	73	1:33:35.997	10
2	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	73	+18.258	8
3	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	73	+37.964	6
4	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	73	+48.329	5
5	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	73	+56.403	4
6	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	72	+1 Lap	3
7	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	72	+1 Lap	2
8	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	71	+2 Laps	1
9	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	71	+2 Laps	0
10	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	69	+4 Laps	0
11	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	69	+4 Laps	0
Ret	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	63	Engine	0
Ret	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	48	Spun off	0
Ret	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	45	Gearbox	0
Ret	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	44	Engine	0
Ret	17	Jenson Button	BAR	41	Engine	0
Ret	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	27	Accident	0
Ret	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	21	Spin	0
Ret	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	21	Accident	0
Ret	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	2	Collision/Spun off	0

2003 United States Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	13	1:11.473	211.145
2	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	9	1:11.525	210.991
3	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	9	1:11.595	210.785
4	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	9	1:11.617	210.720
5	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	13	1:11.655	210.609
6	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	12	1:12.009	209.573
7	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	14	1:12.015	209.556
8	17	Jenson Button	BAR	10	1:13.038	206.621
9	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber	13	1:13.085	206.488
10	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	12	1:13.099	206.448
11	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	13	1:13.231	206.076
12	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar	12	1:13.324	205.815
13	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber	71	1:13.338	205.775
14	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	12	1:13.340	205.770
15	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR	62	1:13.538	205.216
16	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan	13	1:13.630	204.959
17	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	2	1:13.905	204.197
18	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan	11	1:14.687	202.059
19	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi	67	1:14.737	201.924
20	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi	68	1:15.257	200.528

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 United States Grand Prix.

2003 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	92
2	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	McLaren	83
3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Colombian	Williams	82
4	Ralf Schumacher	German	Williams	58
5	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Ferrari	55
6	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	55
7	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	45
8	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Renault	29
9	Mark Webber	Australian	Jaguar	17
10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	German	Sauber	13
11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Jordan	12
12	Jenson Button	British	BAR	12
13	Cristiano da Matta	Brazilian	Toyota	8
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	Ralph Firman	Irish	Jordan	1
19	Justin Wilson	British	Minardi / Jaguar	1
20	Antônio Pizzonia	Brazilian	Jaguar	0
21	Jos Verstappen	Dutch	Minardi	0
22	Nicolas Kiesa	Danish	Minardi	0
23	Zsolt Baumgartner	Hungarian	Jordan	0

2003 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	147
2	Williams	144
3	McLaren	128
4	Renault	84
5	Sauber	19
6	BAR	18
7	Jaguar	18
8	Toyota	14
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