Jack Christopherson's F1 career (1991-2004, 2010-????)

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 11 - 2002 FRENCH GRAND PRIX - Magny Cours

PRE-RACE
Minardi have replaced Alex Yoong with former Minardi test driver Stephane Sarrazin, effective for the next two races.

QUALIFYING
Ferrari were the team to beat once again, but for once, Rubens Barrichello got one over on Schumacher. Noah's Ark grid formation was the order at the front, until Fisichella in P10 split the Saubers. Sarrazin was unsurprisingly slower than Webber on debut, but kept the gap quite respectable.

1. Barrichello 1.13.615
2. M.Schumacher 1.13.625
3. R.Schumacher 1.13.837
4. Christopherson 1.13.876
5. Raikkonen 1.13.894
6. Coulthard 1.14.030

22. Sarrazin 1.17.365

107% time - 1.18.768

RACE
Raikkonen stalled at the start, and immediately retired from the race. Barrichello maintained his lead, that was until the Adelaide hairpin, where forceful but fair driving by Schumacher gave him the lead. I lost 4th to Coulthard at that corner. I was unable to pass Coulthard, never getting close enough to have a real go at him. Mika Salo's brakes failed on lap 14, a rare retirement for the Finn, who had the joint best reliability record this season. Just a few laps later, McLaren's misery was compounded, as Coulthard pulled across to the side of the track, gearbox issues being the reason. This gifted me 4th for the time being. Ferrari had a much superior race to Williams, as whilst Barrichello pushed his teammate hard for victory, Ralf slowly fell back, and completely out of contention for victory. Button ran wide and hit the barrier on lap 37 to cost him certain points. Nick Heidfeld went into the race with just 1 retirement from the 10 races. It was a bad time to make it 2, as his engine went whilst he was running 6th, promoting teammate Massa to the points. With 19 laps to the finish, the BMW engine in the back of my Williams went 'kaboom' so to speak, whilst running a lonely 4th. My loss was Fisichella's gain. Michael Schumacher withstood pressure from his teammate, and took a well earned victory to increase his championship lead to 33 points, with just six races to go. Behind Ralf Schumacher in 3rd, Trulli finished a solid fourth, whilst Massa scored his first points since the season opener in Australia, whilst Fisichella scored a point in the Jordan.

1. M.Schumacher 1hr 39m 44.493s
2. Barrichello +8.427s
3. R.Schumacher +26.738s
4. Trulli +50.041s
5. Massa +1m 05.369s
6. Fisichella +1 Lap
7. Frentzen +1 Lap
8. De La Rosa +1 Lap
9. Panis +1 Lap
10. Villeneuve +1 Lap
11. Irvine +2 Laps
12. Sato +2 Laps
13. McNish +2 Laps
14. Bernoldi +3 Laps
15. Webber +3 Laps
16. Sarrazin +4 Laps

Fastest Lap: Ralf Schumacher - 1.15.160

REJECT OF THE RACE: McLaren - All over in less than 20 laps.

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
M.Schumacher 79
Barrichello 46
Raikkonen 31
Christopherson 30
R.Schumacher 30
Coulthard 22
Trulli 12
Fisichella 9
Button 9
Heidfeld 5
Massa 4
Irvine 3
Panis 2
Salo 2
Villeneuve 1
De La Rosa 1

Constructors Championship
Ferrari 125
Williams 60
McLaren 53
Renault 21
Jordan 9
Sauber 9
Jaguar 4
BAR 3
Toyota 2
Arrows 0
Minardi 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 12 - 2002 GERMAN GRAND PRIX - Hockenheim

PRE-RACE
Major changes have been made to the Hockenheim circuit, with a much shorter, and a much more modern circuit. The only thing remaining is other than the first corner is the famous stadium section at the end of the lap. These significant changes were implemented to increase overtaking. We will no longer have 22 cars blasting their way through the forest at speeds of 220 mph, but we will still at least have 22 cars, as Arrows continue to march on, after Frentzen was once again heartbreakingly close to the points. The latest rumours are that Sauber are interested in bringing him back to the team that gave him his break in F1, with Massa reportedly spending 2003 testing with Ferrari.

QUALIFYING
I was confident of a big result this weekend, and I made the best start, to grab pole position by a decent margin. The only driver to post a sub-1.18 lap in the hour-long session. McLaren were clearly off the pace, and were fortunate to be near Ralf Schumacher's time. No real surprises further down the grid, so a qualifying session that generally conformed to the usual 2002 pecking order, aside from my pole position.

1. Christopherson 1.17.766
2. Barrichello 1.18.041
3. M.Schumacher 1.18.299
4. R.Schumacher 1.18.524

22. Sarrazin 1.22.690

107% time - 1.23.210

RACE
Clouds hovered over the sky, but with no rain forecast for the race. There was chaos in the lower half of the field, as both Salo and Massa failed to get off the line, whilst Sarrazin couldn't react quickly enough to avoid Salo's Toyota. 22 cars whittled down to 19 within a matter of seconds. Ralf Schumacher got a good start and passed his brother, although lost the position at the new hairpin, whilst Jenson Button was dicing with the McLarens early on. On the following lap, Trulli was trying to recover from a bad start, and tried an overambitious move on Heidfeld for 9th, it ended badly for both of them. It took until lap 10 for Michael Schumacher to move up to 2nd place, but Barrichello kept chasing hard. Coulthard made a much better start than Raikkonen, and it paid off as Raikkonen got stuck behind Button for half of the race. Frentzen retired with a hydraulics failure halfway through the race, whilst running in a promising 8th. Villeneuve endured a rare retirement in 2002, spinning off whilst chasing Fisichella. Takuma Sato in the other Jordan was on his way to a good finish, and put a move on Panis for 9th at the hairpin on lap 51, to try and secure the best finish of his career so far. After a relatively boring race for me, I drove to the chequered flag for my second win of the season, to put me back up to third in the Drivers Championship. The Ferraris rounded off the podium whilst Ralf Schumacher held off Coulthard for 4th. Raikkonen claimed the final point after a difficult race.

1. Christopherson 1hr 30m 02.349s
2. M.Schumacher +16.744s
3. Barrichello +19.083s
4. R.Schumacher +30.397s
5. Coulthard +35.601s
6. Raikkonen +47.277s
7. Button +1m 12.308s
8. Fisichella +1 Lap
9. Sato +1 Lap
10. Panis +1 Lap
11. Irvine +1 Lap
12. De La Rosa +2 Laps
13. McNish +2 Laps
14. Bernoldi +3 Laps
15. Webber +3 Laps

Fastest Lap: Jack Christopherson - 1.18.264

REJECT OF THE RACE: Jarno Trulli - Overambitious move was never going to work

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
M.Schumacher 85
Barrichello 50
Christopherson 40
R.Schumacher 33
Raikkonen 32
Coulthard 24
Trulli 12
Fisichella 9
Button 9
Heidfeld 5
Massa 4
Irvine 3
Panis 2
Salo 2
Villeneuve 1
De La Rosa 1

Constructors Championship
Ferrari 135
Williams 73
McLaren 56
Renault 21
Jordan 9
Sauber 9
Jaguar 4
BAR 3
Toyota 2
Arrows 0
Minardi 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 13 - 2002 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX - Hungaroring

PRE-RACE
Sad news for the world of Formula 1, as the Arrows team are no more, after finally succumbing to the financial troubles that had plagued their season. Is Heinz-Harald Frentzen still a coup for the smaller teams at his age, as his impressive performances this year would surelly warrant a drive for 2003. One man who does have a drive for 2003 already is Mark Webber, putting the pen to a two year contract at Jaguar to replace the retiring Eddie Irvine. Jenson Button has also signed for his third team in three years, moving to the BAR team to replace Olivier Panis, who is rumoured to be joining Toyota. Meanwhile, at Minardi, Alex Yoong returns to the team, supposedly for the remainder of the season.

QUALIFYING
I done as well as I could have, given my history of being awful at this circuit. Quicker than the Renaults, but once again slowest of the frontrunners. The only point of interest in this session was Alex Yoong missing the 107% cut, the two race break may have played a part in that. Not only will we not have 22 cars on the grid come race day, now we won't even have 20.

1. M.Schumacher 1.16.145
2. Barrichello 1.16.199
3. R.Schumacher 1.16.322
4. Raikkonen 1.16.444
5. Coulthard 1.16.602
6. Christopherson 1.16.781
7. Button 1.17.100

19. Webber 1.19.726

107% time - 1.21.475

DNQ Yoong 1.21.514

RACE
Michael Schumacher knows that a record equalling 5th World Championship could be his today, he will seal the title if he wins, and teammate Rubens Barrichello does not finish second. Ferrari will also clinch the Constructors Championship if they outscore Williams by two points. Only 18 cars got off the line, as Giancarlo Fisichella failed to do so, after qualifying 10th. I made a terrible start, and dropped to 9th, behind Heidfeld and the Renaults. At the start of lap 2, my race was over, after being hit from behind by Felipe Massa. Massa trudged around and retired when he reached the pits. Lap 17 saw one of the very few notable on track passes of the race, with Coulthard sending his car down the inside of his teammate's into turn 1, and he made it stick. Lap 29 saw a rare mistake from the maestro himself, Michael Schumacher ran wide at turn 3, and met with the barrier. Allan McNish made a bad start, and paid the price, as he was stuck behind Mark Webber, and on this track, he couldn't find a way through. Panis made a one-stop strategy work, and had the Renaults in sight, he ran ahead of them for much of the race in fifth. That became fourth when Ralf Schumacher's engine gave up on him, costing the younger brother a certain second place. Raikkonen inherited the final podium spot. Panis couldn't hold off his replacement at BAR, Jenson Button, but he managed to keep former Prost teammate Jarno Trulli at bay, and held onto fifth. Rubens Barrichello gave himself a very slim chance of winning his first World Championship, with an impressive victory. 25 points is now the deficit with four races to go, can he pull off a great comeback? Coulthard and Raikkonen joined him on the podium, whilst the points were rounded off by Button, Panis and Trulli. Barrichello's victory ensured that Ferrari were once again Constructors Champions.

1. Barrichello 1hr 44m 41.599s
2. Coulthard +12.313s
3. Raikkonen +19.857s
4. Button +46.301s
5. Panis +55.254
6. Trulli +59.058
7. Villeneuve +1m 12.282s
8. Heidfeld +1 Lap
9. Sato +1 Lap
10. De La Rosa +1 Lap
11. Salo +2 Laps
12. Irvine +2 Laps
13. Webber +3 Laps
14. McNish +3 Laps

Fastest Lap: Rubens Barrichello 1.17.342

REJECT OF THE RACE: Allan McNish - Spent his afternoon chasing Webber's Minardi

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
M.Schumacher 85
Barrichello 60
Christopherson 40
Raikkonen 36
R.Schumacher 33
Coulthard 30
Trulli 13
Button 12
Fisichella 9
Heidfeld 5
Massa 4
Panis 4
Irvine 3
Salo 2
Villeneuve 1
De La Rosa 1

Constructors Championship
Ferrari 145
Williams 73
McLaren 66
Renault 25
Jordan 9
Sauber 9
BAR 5
Jaguar 4
Toyota 2
Arrows 0
Minardi 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 14 - 2002 BELGIAN GRAND PRIX - Spa Francorchamps

PRE-RACE
Eddie Irvine and Jaguar have reached a mutual agreement to terminate Irvine's contract early, rendering him retired with immediate effect. His replacement for the remainder of 2002, and possibly 2003 is 21-year old Antonio Pizzonia, nicknamed 'Jungle Boy', who has spent the year in Formula 3000. Williams are very high on him, meaning he will have to be fast to deliver on his potential. Meanwhile, Jack Christopherson has signed a contract extension with Williams, meaning he'll be staying with the team for 2003.

QUALIFYING
Qualifying started out with a damp track, although the track was set to dry. The gamble was whether or not drivers would sacrifice laps in the dry and grid position for more familiarity in trickier conditions. Whilst times were mixed earlier on, the grid positions looked relatively normal by the end of the session, even though the track was still slightly damp. I took pole position, as I completely nailed the track on my best lap, and I beat the Ferraris. Barrichello joined me on the front row. The Minardis were closer to the pace than usual, whilst Pizzonia could only manage 17th on his debut, although given the tricky conditions, and that he wasn't too far off the likes of Salo, Panis and De La Rosa, people will give him some leeway.

1. Christopherson 1.51.014
2. Barrichello 1.51.232
3. M.Schumacher 1.51.342
4. R.Schumacher 1.51.565

20. Yoong 1.55.700

107% time - 1.58.785

The 107% time is just there for reference, as the session was mostly wet.

RACE
Barrichello made a superb start, and drove around the outside of me at La Source. Mika Salo caused a huge accident, taking himself, De La Rosa and Massa out of the race immediately, and requiring Pizzonia and McNish to pit for repairs. Pizzonia's race ended soon after, a disappointing race debut for Jungle Boy, through little fault of his own. My race ended on lap 16, I had tried a risky move around the outside of Barrichello at Blanchimont, and it ended in a meeting with the barrier. I learnt a valuable lesson about patience, as Rubens Barrichello retired with a hydraulics problem, which would have handed the lead. This put Michael Schumacher in a position to win a fifth World Championship, all he had to do was finish 2nd. Trulli made a terrible start and found himself battling Fisichella and the BARs, until his race ended with gearbox gremlins. Renault will be glad it was him and not Button, as he was running 5th. The latter stages of the race were very uneventful, as Michael Schumacher secured his record equalling fifth World Championship, beating his brother to the chequered flag. Raikkonen beat his teammate to the final podium position, whilst Button and Heidfeld drove anonymously to score the final points. Button's two points moved him above Trulli in the Drivers Championship, whilst Heidfeld's point moved Sauber ahead of Jordan, and up to 5th in the Constructors Championship.

1. M.Schumacher 1hr 26m 33.755s
2. R.Schumacher +15.945s
3. Raikkonen +19.770s
4. Coulthard +21.292s
5. Button +42.769s
6. Heidfeld +1m 01.310s
7. Fisichella +1m 36.869s
8. Villeneuve +1m 37.125s
9. Panis +1m 37.862s
10. Sato +1 Lap
11. Webber +1 Lap
12. Yoong +2 Laps

Fastest Lap: Kimi Raikkonen - 1.49.952

REJECT OF THE RACE: Mika Salo - Caused all the chaos at the start

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
M.Schumacher 95
Barrichello 60
Christopherson 40
Raikkonen 40
R.Schumacher 39
Coulthard 33
Button 14
Trulli 13
Fisichella 9
Heidfeld 6
Massa 4
Panis 4
Irvine 3
Salo 2
Villeneuve 1
De La Rosa 1

Constructors Championship
Ferrari 155
Williams 79
McLaren 73
Renault 27
Sauber 10
Jordan 9
BAR 5
Jaguar 4
Toyota 2
Arrows 0
Minardi 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 15 - 2002 ITALIAN GRAND PRIX - Monza

QUALIFYING
Qualifying was fairly uneventful, and I had to resort to a very low downforce setup to steal pole position from the Ferraris, although I knew it would be too much of a risk to run that setup in the race. The only unusual event in qualifying was Nick Heidfeld qualifying all the way down in 16th. At one point, it looked like Renault were going to challenge McLaren, but quick laps from Raikkonen and Coulthard prevented that from happening. Raikkonen was infact very close to the Ferraris in the end. On a circuit where they'd be expected to struggle the most, Minardi were respectable, and Webber was only a few tenths off the Toyotas.

1. Christopherson 1.24.609
2. Barrichello 1.25.013
3. M.Schumacher 1.25.281
4. Raikkonen 1.25.389
5. R.Schumacher 1.25.538

20. Yoong 1.27.922

107% time - 1.30.532

RACE
I made an okay start, but the two Ferraris were better, Barrichello in particular. Michael Schumacher lost out at the first corner to Raikkonen, and almost to his brother too. I attempted to retake the lead after a better exit out of the Roggia chicane and with the inside line through the Lesmos, but Barrichello held his nerve, held onto the lead and never looked back. Allan McNish's race ended on lap 3 with electronic problems. Webber didn't last long either, after being jumped by Yoong at the start, his Minardi only managed 12 laps before an engine failure. The main battle was over third place, as Michael Schumacher spent lap after lap chasing Raikkonen. He couldn't manage it on track, so he had to rely on strategy. Nick Heidfeld's miserable weekend ended on lap 25, a gearbox failure ending his race early, although he may be grateful for that. I couldn't keep up with Barrichello, who soared away into the distance. Michael Schumacher stayed out for two laps after Kimi Raikkonen's second stop, and it paid off, as he just about took third place from the Finn. Very few other events happened within the race, the only other event of note was Jenson Button retiring with 9 laps to go, although he was down in 8th and with very little chance of points. Barrichello went unchallenged for the final 52 laps of the race as he punched the air in celebration and took the chequered flag for the third time this season. I could only manage a distant second, and shared the podium with both Ferraris. Raikkonen will be disappointed with fourth after a good drive, whilst Ralf Schumacher and David Coulthard took the remaining scraps.

1. Barrichello 1hr 21m 49.609s
2. Christopherson +25.025s
3. M.Schumacher +31.920s
4. Raikkonen +34.188s
5. R.Schumacher +41.068s
6. Coulthard +47.594s
7. Trulli +1m 10.671s
8. Fisichella +1 Lap
9. Massa +1 Lap
10. Panis +1 Lap
11. Villeneuve +1 Lap
12. De La Rosa +2 Laps
13. Sato +2 Laps
14. Pizzonia +2 Laps
15. Salo +2 Laps
16. Yoong +3 Laps

Fastest Lap: Jack Christopherson - 1.25.791

REJECT OF THE RACE: Nick Heidfeld - Not the way to impress future employers.

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
M.Schumacher 99
Barrichello 70
Christopherson 46
Raikkonen 43
R.Schumacher 41
Coulthard 34
Button 14
Trulli 13
Fisichella 9
Heidfeld 6
Massa 4
Panis 4
Irvine 3
Salo 2
Villeneuve 1
De La Rosa 1

Constructors Championship
Ferrari 169
Williams 87
McLaren 77
Renault 27
Sauber 10
Jordan 9
BAR 5
Jaguar 4
Toyota 2
Arrows 0
Minardi 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 16 - 2002 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX - Indianapolis

PRE-RACE
Fernando Alonso is back, the young Spaniard who regularly dragged his Minardi in the midfield, where it had no right to be. He joins Jarno Trulli at Renault, in what promises to be a very intriguing intra-team battle. Only four race seats remain for 2003, one at Toyota, one at Jordan and the two Minardi seats, although CART driver Cristiano Da Matta who looks to seal the CART championship soon is set to sign for Toyota, with rumours that Jos Verstappen may well take one of the Minardi drives.

QUALIFYING
A very standard qualifying session, although I dropped to 6th after pole position previously. The Ferraris were once again separated by the smallest of margins, with Williams and McLaren lacking that little bit extra to knock them off their perch. The midfield was close, with just over half a second separating Massa in 10th from Pizzonia in 17th, although without some attrition, it could be difficult for any of these drivers to score points in the race.

1. Barrichello 1.11.975
2. M.Schumacher 1.11.995
3. R.Schumacher 1.12.294
4. Raikkonen 1.12.305
5. Coulthard 1.12.331
6. Christopherson 1.12.555
7. Button 1.12.939

20. Yoong 1.15.796

107% time - 1.17.013

RACE
I made a decent start, but moved up to 5th as Coulthard didn't get off the line at all, whilst Pizzonia did not see him in time and ran straight into the back of him. Meanwhile, in turn 1, Fisichella and Panis were involved in an incident which caused both of them to retire as well. The blame probably lied 60/40 towards Panis. A fifth of the field already wiped out after just one corner. De La Rosa used this to his advantage, and was 9th by the end of the first lap, having started 14th, even getting ahead of Felipe Massa. The fifth retirement came on lap 19, as Mika Salo's engine blew. Could this have been a missed opportunity for points? Only time will tell. Lap 23 saw me lose my front wing when trying to lap Mark Webber. I could have picked a better moment, but I didn't want to lose ground on Raikkonen. Impatience dropped me to 13th place after my front wing change. Lap 27 saw the lead change for the only time in the race, as a very good slipstream saw Schumacher take the lead from teammate Barrichello. The second half of the race saw a group of drivers fighting over 7th place, Heidfeld led De La Rosa, Massa, Villeneuve and Sato, with only Heidfeld and Villeneuve having drives for 2003. A big chance to convince teams to give them the remaining drives for the others perhaps? I had managed to pass McNish for 12th with relative ease, and then chased down the battle over 7th. On lap 59, the prize that they were fighting for was 6th, as Jenson Button went off the track in a very lazy manner at turn 8, and cost himself what was almost a certain 5th place. Nick Heidfeld inherited 5th place, although he didn't really make the most of De La Rosa's slower car behind him, as Massa was trying, and failing to pass the Jaguar driver, much to his frustration. I caught the pack, and passed Takuma Sato for 10th with just a couple of laps to go, but couldn't do any more than that. Michael Schumacher took his ninth win of the season ahead of Barrichello, in another great Ferrari performance. Ralf Schumacher kept his hopes of third in the championship alive by finishing on the podium ahead of Kimi Raikkonen. Jarno Trulli was in no man's land after Button's crash, but brought two points home in fifth, whilst Nick Heidfeld held onto sixth for another point for Sauber.

1. M.Schumacher 1hr 34m 35.441s
2. Barrichello +8.720s
3. R.Schumacher +14.213s
4. Raikkonen +16.744s
5. Trulli +56.047s
6. Heidfeld +1 Lap
7. De La Rosa +1 Lap
8. Massa +1 Lap
9. Villeneuve +1 Lap
10. Christopherson +1 Lap
11. Sato +1 Lap
12. McNish +2 Laps
13. Webber +3 Laps
14. Yoong +3 Laps

Fastest Lap: Ralf Schumacher - 1.13.545

REJECT OF THE RACE: Jenson Button - Threw away two points with lazy accident

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
M.Schumacher 109
Barrichello 76
Christopherson 46
Raikkonen 46
R.Schumacher 45
Coulthard 34
Trulli 15
Button 14
Fisichella 9
Heidfeld 7
Massa 4
Panis 4
Irvine 3
Salo 2
Villeneuve 1
De La Rosa 1

Constructors Championship
Ferrari 185
Williams 91
McLaren 80
Renault 29
Sauber 11
Jordan 9
BAR 5
Jaguar 4
Toyota 2
Arrows 0
Minardi 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 17 - 2002 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - Suzuka

PRE-RACE
A few changes for the 2003 season were announced on the Friday before the race. The first being a change to the points system, with points now going down to 8th. The system will now be 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1. Another change is in the qualifying format. Drivers will now only get one flying lap, and will have to try and pick the right time to go out on track and set the time. The 107% rule has also been abolished.

QUALIFYING
There was a battle for third in the championship. I was level with Kimi Raikkonen on points, with Ralf Schumacher a single point behind. I didn't make the best start, as I only qualified fifth, behind both of my rivals. Ferrari were as good as they have been all season. In the final race with the 107% rule, nobody fell foul of the rule, with slowest driver Alex Yoong qualifying within the 107% time by well over 2 seconds.

1. M.Schumacher 1.34.127
2. Barrichello 1.34.152
3. R.Schumacher 1.34.423
4. Raikkonen 1.34.630
5. Christopherson 1.34.639
6. Coulthard 1.34.756

20. Yoong 1.38.392

107% time - 1.40.716

RACE
Michael Schumacher did not make a particularly good start, as Barrichello took the lead, and his younger brother Ralf challenged him for 2nd for the first half of the lap. Button made an atrocious start and dropped to 12th, behind Villeneuve, Fisichella and the Saubers. I leaped up to 4th, capitalising on a so-so start from Raikkonen. Alex Yoong retired very early on, his Asiatech engine dying after just 3 laps. Is this the last we've seen of Alex Yoong? Most likely. Ralf Schumacher's chances of third in the championship went up in smoke, literally, as his engine only lasted 14 laps. Felipe Massa's chaotic season was the next to end, a bad passing attempt on Villeneuve caused Massa to retire instantly. A season with flashed of speed and promise, compromised by over-driving. Lap 31 saw Michael Schumacher send one down the inside of the hairpin, taking the lead, as he was on the hunt for his tenth win of the season. Kimi Raikkonen spun off at Degner, and threw away any chance of third in the championship. I had already secured third on countback, as I had equal wins and more second place finishes, so I didn't even need to finish the race. Olivier Panis quietly retired on lap 42 with a gearbox failure, ending a difficult season for the Frenchman. At the end of the penultimate lap, David Coulthard passed me down the inside of the Casio Triangle chicane, although on the final lap, I retook the position by passing him at the hairpin. Although we both had nothing to fight for, other than a podium, we drove as if a championship was at stake. Michael Schumacher took the chequered flag to record a tenth win of the season, and a sixth Ferrari 1-2. I held onto that final podium position ahead of Coulthard. Trulli was fifth, whilst Heidfeld held off Fisichella and Button for the final point. Fisichella was 7th, until Button passed him at the final chicane on the very last lap. Next season, that will mean points.

1. M.Schumacher 1hr 32m 56.326s
2. Barrichello +9.327s
3. Christopherson +35.122s
4. Coulthard +35.816s
5. Trulli +1m 05.014s
6. Heidfeld +1m 26.334s
7. Button +1m 27.179s
8. Fisichella +1m 27.702s
9. De La Rosa +1 Lap
10. Villeneuve +1 Lap
11. Pizzonia +2 Laps
12. Sato +2 Laps
13. Salo +2 Laps
14. McNish +3 Laps
15. Webber +3 Laps

Fastest Lap: Jack Christopherson - 1.37.245

REJECT OF THE RACE: Kimi Raikkonen - Ended very good season on a very low note

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
Michael Schumacher 119
Rubens Barrichello 82
Jack Christopherson 50
Kimi Raikkonen 46
Ralf Schumacher 45
David Coulthard 37
Jarno Trulli 17
Jenson Button 14
Giancarlo Fisichella 9
Nick Heidfeld 8
Felipe Massa 4 (5th x 2 7th x 2)
Olivier Panis 4 (5th x 2 8th x 1)
Eddie Irvine 3
Mika Salo 2
Jacques Villeneuve 1 (6th x 1 7th x 3)
Pedro De La Rosa 1 (6th x 1 7th x 1)
Heinz-Harald Frentzen 0 (7th)
Enrique Bernoldi 0 (8th)
Takuma Sato 0 (9th)
Mark Webber 0 (11th x 2)
Antonio Pizzonia 0 (11th x 1)
Allan McNish 0 (12th x 2 13th x 3)
Alex Yoong 0 (12th x 2 14th x 2)
Stephane Sarrazin 0 (16th)

Constructors Championship
Ferrari 201
Williams 95
McLaren 83
Renault 31
Sauber 12
Jordan 9
BAR 5
Jaguar 4
Toyota 2
Arrows 0 (7th)
Minardi 0 (11th)

[FullMetalJack]

Driver Rankings
1. Michael Schumacher 9.0
2. Rubens Barrichello 8.5
3. Kimi Raikkonen 8.0
4. Jenson Button 7.0
5. Ralf Schumacher 7.0
6. Jack Christopherson 7.0
7. Jarno Trulli 7.0
8. David Coulthard 7.0
9. Heinz-Harald Frentzen 6.5
10. Nick Heidfeld 6.5
11. Giancarlo Fisichella 6.0
12. Mark Webber 6.0
13. Olivier Panis 5.5
14. Pedro De La Rosa 5.5
15. Felipe Massa 5.5
16. Mika Salo 5.5
17. Jacques Villeneuve 5.0
18. Takuma Sato 4.5
19. Enrique Bernoldi 4.5
20. Allan McNish 4.0
21. Alex Yoong 3.5
22. Eddie Irvine 3.0
N/A Stephane Sarrazin
N/A Antonio Pizzonia

Constructor Rankings
1. Ferrari 9.0
2. Williams BMW 8.0
3. McLaren Mercedes 7.5
4. Renault 7.0
5. Sauber Petronas 6.0
6. Jordan Honda 5.5
7. BAR Honda 5.0
8. Toyota 5.0
9. Jaguar 4.5
10. Minardi Asiatech 4.0
11. Arrows Cosworth 4.0

REJECT OF THE YEAR

3RD - Allan McNish
If only Allan McNish had debuted in the early 1990s like he had regularly looked like doing. How differently could his career have panned out? But we can't dwell on what ifs. Granted, age was not on his side, as he was already 32 years old at his debut. Obviously expectations were not as high as they would have been back then, and Toyota did not set the world alight, but McNish hardly registered a blip all season, and never even looked close to reaching the points. At his age, he had to make serious waves to justify Toyota keeping him long term, and i'm afraid he fell far wide of the mark.

2ND - Alex Yoong
Expectations were not high for Alex Yoong. He performed respectably in his only outing in 2001, but did nothing to show that he was there on merit. Only once in 15 attempts did he not qualify last, and that was in the wet at Melbourne. He was well over half a second off Mark Webber's pace on a regular basis, sometimes being over a second slower than the Aussie, even DNQing in Hungary. For all his shortcomings, particularly pace-wise, Alex was a fairly safe pair of hands, bringing the car home 10 times in 14 starts, but he completely failed to make a positive impression on pundits team bosses. A throwback to the likes of Giovanni Lavaggi in the mid 1990s, even if not quite to that extent, Yoong proved to be out of his depth in the top echelon of motorsport.

1ST - Eddie Irvine
The third year of the Irvine-Jaguar experiment was without a shadow of a doubt, the worst of the three. Jaguar spent yet another year treading water, with seemingly no direction to speak of. If anything, they may have slid even further down the grid with Renault's surge up the grid. In situations like this, Jaguar needed their team leader Eddie Irvine to show leadership, and push Jaguar further up the grid than they had a right to be, but he didn't show any signs of doing that. His season had 'can't be bothered' written all over it, aside from his superb 4th place finish at Monaco. What reflected on him worse was the way Pedro De La Rosa gave it his all to try and get some results, and although he failed to score outside of Canada, his determination to make the best of a bad situation only made Irvine look worse. His fate of the top step on our 'Reject of the Year' podium was sealed with his mutual termination of his contract. It's a glaring sign that things were going bad when a team agree to terminate a driver's contract early when the team was built around said driver.

[FullMetalJack]

2003 SEASON PREVIEW
Change is the big buzzword floating around the paddock in the build up to 2003. The big change being for points system, that will now give out points to the top 8 drivers rather than just the top 6. Qualifying is also now different, with drivers getting just one chance to post a time, although the session still being an hour long may prove unpopular with spectators.

Ferrari took what was relative dominance in 2001, and cranked it up a few notches in 2002. All the signs from testing suggest that the Maranello mob may not have it all their way if Williams and McLaren can do anything about it. Barrichello will be keen to upstage his teammate and prevent him from winning a record 6th World Championship. The Williams duo of Christopherson and Schumacher looked evenly matched last year, and with a more competitive package, one of them could bring that championship to Grove. Coulthard will be keen to return to his title winning form of 2000, whilst Kimi Raikkonen has emerged as a big time player. Fernando Alonso has a big opportunity at Renault, and can learn from the experience Jarno Trulli, as the team look to improve further. Sauber have a strong driver line-up, with a potentially exciting intra-team battle. Jenson Button is still trying to find a long-term home in Formula 1, could BAR be just that? Matching or beating Jacques Villeneuve would do his chances no harm. Jaguar will be desperate for improvements from an appalling 2002, and Mark Webber could be the man for the job. Toyota have signed a major coup in Olivier Panis, and with reigning CART champion Cristiano Da Matta joining the fold, improvement will be noticeable. Jos Verstappen is an unusual signing for Minardi, and Justin Wilson, who will become the tallest driver to ever race in Formula 1 is unlikely to repeat Alonso's heroics, or even Webber's, but he could well surprise, and earn a move up the grid too.

It would take a brave man to make any bold predictions for 2003. Even though the Schumacher/Ferrari combination are still favourites, don't rule out a six-way fight for the championship if Ferrari, Williams and McLaren are on a near-equal footing. Renault emerged as a clear best-of-the-rest in 2002, and that will continue, where they will most likely give major headaches to the big three teams. Expect an all-out battle royale over fifth in the Constructors Championship between BAR, Jordan and Sauber, with Toyota and Jaguar potentially in the mix too, although they may need a bit more luck. Minardi will most likely languish at the back as usual, but Cosworth engines should at least bring them closer to the rest of the grid, and with more points on offer, this is their best chance yet to score their first points since 1999.

2003 DRIVER LINEUP

Ferrari
1. Michael Schumacher
2. Rubens Barrichello

Williams BMW
3. Jack Christopherson
4. Ralf Schumacher

McLaren Mercedes
5. David Coulthard
6. Kimi Raikkonen

Renault
7. Jarno Trulli
8. Fernando Alonso

Sauber Petronas
9. Nick Heidfeld
10. Heinz-Harald Frentzen

Jordan Ford
11. Giancarlo Fisichella
12. Ralph Firman

BAR Honda
14. Jacques Villeneuve
15. Jenson Button

Jaguar
16. Mark Webber
17. Antonio Pizzonia

Toyota
18. Olivier Panis
19. Cristiano Da Matta

Minardi Cosworth
20. Justin Wilson
21. Jos Verstappen

REJECTS IN 2003
Ralph Firman
Justin Wilson
The absence of Spa-Francorchamps
Qualifying still lasting an hour
Dare we say it? The new points system
Jaguar again?

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 1 - 2003 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX

QUALIFYING
The single-lap qualifying system claimed two victims immediately. Rubens Barrichello and Mark Webber, who both made mistakes on their only laps. Webber's may not have been such a huge mistake, as Pizzonia in the other Jaguar was not at all competitive, even slower than Verstappen. I was second fastest, behind Michael Schumacher. Alonso was very impressive on his Renault debut, setting the 5th fastest time. Minardi look like they had made big progress, ending the session in 16th and 18th. Other debutants Da Matta and Firman qualified 14th and 15th respectively.

Code: Select all

1. M.Schumacher 1.28.592
2. Christopherson 1.28.950
3. Raikkonen 1.29.003
4. R.Schumacher 1.29.167
5. Alonso 1.29.282
6. Coulthard 1.29.354
7. Frentzen 1.29.702
8. Heidfeld 1.29.954
9. Button 1.29.985
10. Fisichella 1.30.016
11. Panis 1.30.154
12. Villeneuve 1.30.205
13. Trulli 1.30.215
14. Da Matta 1.30.340
15. Firman 1.30.640
16. Verstappen 1.31.027
17. Pizzonia 1.31.339
18. Wilson 1.31.536
19. Webber 1.31.586
20. Barrichello 1.32.068

RACE
Ralf Schumacher made a great start, and leaped ahead of me. Button and Frentzen both squandered their grid positions by stalling at the start, and both Jaguars were also out after neither could avoid them. A torrid weekend for Jaguar. Villeneuve moved up to 7th at the start from 12th, but the biggest winner was Jos Verstappen, who was already up to 10th. Coulthard was a man on a charge, and on lap 4 passed Alonso for 5th. Alonso's early pace was good, but not long after being passed by Coulthard, he dropped back from the McLarens. Barrichello worked his way up to 10th in the early laps, before his gearbox gave up on him on lap 11. Michael Schumacher controlled the race at the front, whilst I pursued my teammate over 2nd place. I attempted a pass down the inside at turn 13 on lap 22, but ran slightly wide and Ralf held position. Lap 26 saw the end of Da Matta's race, his suspension collapsed whilst in 12th place. Debut points were unlikely, but Da Matta still had a solid debut, and was always within a respectable gap to Panis. That lap also saw Heidfeld overtake Fisichella for the final point. Trulli's disappointing weekend ended one lap later, gearbox gremlins ending a disappointing race. Coulthard passed Raikkonen for 4th place on lap 39, and the McLaren duo were slowly closing in on Ralf and myself. Justin Wilson had spent almost the whole race in last, but he done a pretty good job until his engine blew on lap 42. A good battle over 7th was the main talking point in the second half of the race, Heidfeld was applying the pressure to Villeneuve, with Fisichella ready to capitalise on any mistakes to get back into the points. Michael Schumacher controlled the race, and took the chequered flag to make a perfect start to 2003, with Ralf Schumacher and myself rounding off the podium positions and beating the McLarens. Alonso finished 6th on his Renault debut, whilst Jacques Villeneuve held off Nick Heidfeld for the final points positions.

1. M.Schumacher 1hr 34m 50.301s
2. R.Schumacher +20.664s
3. Christopherson +21.648s
4. Coulthard +23.012s
5. Raikkonen +25.832s
6. Alonso +34.846s
7. Villeneuve +53.082s
8. Heidfeld +54.425s
9. Fisichella +58.965s
10. Panis +1m 06.353s
11. Verstappen +1 Lap
12. Firman +1 Lap

Fastest Lap: Michael Schumacher 1.29.734

REJECT OF THE RACE: Jaguar - Nightmare start to the season

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
M.Schumacher 10
R.Schumacher 8
Christopherson 6
Coulthard 5
Raikkonen 4
Alonso 3
Villeneuve 2
Heidfeld 1

Constructors Championship
Williams 14
Ferrari 10
McLaren 9
Renault 3
BAR 2
Sauber 1
Jordan 0
Toyota 0
Minardi 0
Jaguar 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 2 - 2003 MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX - Sepang

QUALIFYING
It was raining early on in the session, with the track set to dry later on in the hour. There was potential for a really mixed up grid, and that was exactly what happened. Some of the less experienced drivers went out early, with the four rookies occupying the bottom four grid slots. Ralf Schumacher was the only top driver who went out really early, and he suffered because of it, qualifying down in 11th. I was only 7th fastest, alongside Mark Webber who qualified in his best grid position. Could he kickstart Jaguar's season? Barrichello and Coulthard became the pacesetters, but Kimi Raikkonen trumped them both and took provisional pole, with only one man standing in his way, Fernando Alonso. Alonso put in a great lap, but it was not enough to beat Raikkonen's time.

Code: Select all

1. Raikkonen 1.42.348
2. Alonso 1.42.747
3. Barrichello 1.43.024
4. Coulthard 1.43.137
5. Trulli 1.43.425
6. M.Schumacher 1.43.596
7. Christopherson 1.44.088
8. Webber 1.44.952
9. Fisichella 1.45.139
10. Frentzen 1.45.867
11. R.Schumacher 1.46.048
12. Villeneuve 1.46.108
13. Heidfeld 1.46.966
14. Panis 1.47.158
15. Button 1.47.233
16. Verstappen 1.47.237
17. Firman 1.47.571
18. Da Matta 1.47.951
19. Pizzonia 1.48.396
20. Wilson 1.48.470

RACE
We were set for a superb race. I made a pretty good start, but Barrichello was even better. Heading into turn 1, I was spun by Trulli, and the effect of it was collisions between Frentzen, Da Matta and Verstappen, with all three retiring. I lost my front wing, as did Ralph Firman. Alonso retired with clutch problems on the first lap too, so for the second consecutive race, four drivers were out on the first lap. I had an awful pitstop, and even dropped behind Firman, although I passed him on lap 6. Firman's race ended after just 15 laps, clutch problems also ended his race early. Ralf Schumacher worked his way through the field, passing both Webber and Fisichella on the same lap, leaving them to battle with Panis over 8th place, and that final points paying position. Lap 29 saw me spin off and damage my suspension, ending a very difficult race. Barrichello was under constant pursuit by teammate Michael Schumacher, but didn't show any signs of cracking under pressure. Raikkonen was a driver who did crack though, as he spun off on lap 44, costing himself what was most likely a podium finish. Ralf Schumacher worked his way up to 5th, but was unable to move up to 4th at Trulli's expense. Rubens Barrichello led a Ferrari 1-2 home in Malaysia, with David Coulthard on the podium. Trulli done well to finish 4th, with Ralf Schumacher 5th after a difficult qualifying. Heidfeld scored points again with a solid 6th place. Fisichella finished 7th for Jordan, whilst Mark Webber scored his first ever world championship point. Ferrari may have won both races so far, but all the signs are suggesting that we are still in for a great season.

1. Barrichello 1hr 37m 42.048s
2. M.Schumacher +7.350s
3. Coulthard +12.428s
4. Trulli +25.668s
5. R.Schumacher +40.839s
6. Heidfeld +44.979s
7. Fisichella +1m 11.433s
8. Webber +1m 12.256s
9. Panis +1m 14.852s
10. Villeneuve +1 Lap
11. Button +1 Lap
12. Pizzonia +1 Lap
13. Wilson +2 Laps

Fastest Lap: Jarno Trulli - 1.38.859

REJECT OF THE RACE: Kimi Raikkonen - Threw away podium with lazy spin.

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
M.Schumacher 18
R.Schumacher 12
Coulthard 11
Barrichello 10
Christopherson 6
Trulli 5
Raikkonen 4
Heidfeld 4
Alonso 3
Fisichella 2
Villeneuve 2
Webber 1

Constructors Championship
Ferrari 28
Williams 18
McLaren 15
Renault 8
Sauber 4
Jordan 2
BAR 2
Jaguar 1
Toyota 0
Minardi 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 3 - 2003 BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX - Interlagos

QUALIFYING
If anyone was hoping that Michael Schumacher would be beaten again, then they're in for some bad news. The 5-time World Champion was almost half a second quicker than nearest challenger Kimi Raikkonen. Jacques Villeneuve made a bad mistake which caused him to post the slowest time in qualifying. Coulthard lost a potentially good lap after being obstructed by Mark Webber in the twisty section. Trulli lost out in simillar circumstances, but with Justin Wilson. Trulli and Coulthard qualified 13th and 14th respectively Behind Schumacher, less than two tenths separated Raikkonen in 2nd to Alonso in 6th, with the midfield battle behind them also being ultra close. Ferrari and Williams were the only teams to get both cars in the top 10, whilst Jordan and Minardi were the only teams to get neither car in that top 10.

Code: Select all

1. M.Schumacher 1.13.540
2. Raikkonen 1.14.075
3. R.Schumacher 1.14.122
4. Barrichello 1.14.154
5. Christopherson 1.14.190
6. Alonso 1.14.264
7. Button 1.14.806
8. Frentzen 1.14.844
9. Panis 1.14.886
10. Webber 1.14.969
11. Heidfeld 1.15.144
12. Da Matta 1.15.167
13. Trulli 1.15.218
14. Coulthard 1.15.253
15. Fisichella 1.15.324
16. Firman 1.15.396
17. Pizzonia 1.15.452
18. Verstappen 1.15.858
19. Wilson 1.16.094
20. Villeneuve 1.17.026

RACE
I made a decent start, and gained one position, at the expense of Raikkonen who made an awful start, although his race was about to get worse. The Schumacher brothers held position. Mark Webber dropped like a stone at the start, dropping to 16th by the end of the first lap. On lap 2, Raikkonen ran wide at turn 7 and smashed into the barriers and back on the track, collecting Pizzonia in the process. Jaguar's weekend ended on lap 15 with engine failure ending Mark Webber's race. A mistake heading into Juncao dropped me to 6th, and cost me any shot of a podium finish. Button didn't take too long to pass, as I was back up to 5th on lap 20, with Alonso taking until lap 28 to repass. There was very little on-track action throughout the race, with the only other notable event being Fisichella losing his front wing trying to re-pass Villeneuve. Fisichella later retired from the race. Michael Schumacher was a lot less dominant in the race compared to qualifying, but he still beat his brother to the chequered flag with teammate Rubens Barrichello finishing on the podium. I finished fourth, and I am still yet to win at Interlagos. Alonso scored the best result of his career, whilst Button, Panis and Frentzen finally got onto the 2003 scoreboard.

1. M.Schumacher 1hr 33m 12.405s
2. R.Schumacher +4.862s
3. Barrichello +7.252s
4. Christopherson +26.711s
5. Alonso +57.061s
6. Button +1m 09.955s
7. Panis +1 Lap
8. Frentzen +1 Lap
9. Heidfeld +1 Lap
10. Coulthard +1 Lap
11. Da Matta +2 Laps
12. Villeneuve +2 Laps
13. Firman +3 Laps
14. Verstappen +4 Laps
15. Wilson +4 Laps

Fastest Lap: Michael Schumacher - 1.15.368

REJECT OF THE RACE: McLaren - Crash and a lapped 10th causes them to lose ground on rivals

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
M.Schumacher 28
R.Schumacher 20
Barrichello 16
Coulthard 11
Christopherson 11
Alonso 7
Trulli 5
Raikkonen 4
Heidfeld 4
Button 3
Panis 2
Fisichella 2
Villeneuve 2
Frentzen 1
Webber 1

Constructors Championship
Ferrari 44
Williams 31
McLaren 15
Renault 12
BAR 5
Sauber 5
Toyota 2
Jordan 2
Jaguar 1
Minardi 0

[gnrpoison]

Just noticed this thread and career has passed the 5 year mark since the first post. Well done on maintaining it for this long, I think since the demise of Dagnall's career this makes yours the longest running one on here. How many more seasons do you think Mr Christopherson has left in him now?

[FullMetalJack]

Just noticed this thread and career has passed the 5 year mark since the first post. Well done on maintaining it for this long, I think since the demise of Dagnall's career this makes yours the longest running one on here. How many more seasons do you think Mr Christopherson has left in him now?

The main reason i've maintained it so long is that I want to see it through to the end.

I'm not going to say until I decide to call it a day, even if you happen to guess correctly. I have already decided when i'm finishing this though. Bear in mind that Christopherson turned 35 in 2003.

[dr-baker]

Just noticed this thread and career has passed the 5 year mark since the first post. Well done on maintaining it for this long, I think since the demise of Dagnall's career this makes yours the longest running one on here. How many more seasons do you think Mr Christopherson has left in him now?

The main reason i've maintained it so long is that I want to see it through to the end.

I'm not going to say until I decide to call it a day, even if you happen to guess correctly. I have already decided when i'm finishing this though. Bear in mind that Christopherson turned 35 in 2003.

And don't forget his brief half-season in F1RWRS in 2014!

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 4 - 2003 SAN MARINO GRAND PRIX - Imola

PRE-RACE
As a result of his crash last time out in Brazil, Kimi Raikkonen will sit this race out as a safety precaution. New McLaren test driver Pedro De La Rosa will stand in, a perfect opportunity for him to show other teams what he can do, and show Jaguar why replacing him was a mistake.

QUALIFYING
Michael Schumacher and myself were in a different class to the rest of the field, and I hooked my lap up perfectly. I was slightly cautious heading into the Variante Alta chicane, otherwise I could have broke into the high 1m22s. De La Rosa was 4th in his one-off McLaren drive, whilst Alonso ran wide at the Villeneuve chicane and could only manage 18th. Da Matta outqualified Panis for the first time in his career.

Code: Select all

1. Christopherson 1.23.100
2. M.Schumacher 1.23.547
3. R.Schumacher 1.24.209
4. De La Rosa 1.24.280
5. Trulli 1.24.386
6. Coulthard 1.24.557
7. Barrichello 1.24.915
8. Heidfeld 1.24.939
9. Button 1.25.054
10. Fisichella 1.25.079
11. Frentzen 1.25.219
12. Da Matta 1.25.324
13. Villeneuve 1.25.342 
14. Panis 1.25.370
15. Webber 1.25.553
16. Firman 1.25.564
17. Pizzonia 1.25.691
18. Alonso 1.26.893
19. Verstappen 1.27.134
20. Wilson 1.27.323

RACE
I just about held onto my lead at the start, but De La Rosa had a shocking getaway, dropping from 4th to 10th at the start. Everyone got through the start safely, with no incidents in the early laps, unlike the previous races. Alonso was the first retirement, with gearbox problems ending a poor weekend. De La Rosa put a move on Fisichella for 9th, and chased down Heidfeld shortly after. I had a lead of just under 10 seconds, but my lead was extended when Ralf Schumacher hit into his brother, and took both of them out of the race. Trulli was promoted to second, but was being hounded by Coulthard and Barrichello. Lap 27 saw De La Rosa pass Heidfeld for 6th, and but he could only pull away very slowly. Mark Webber's engine went up in smoke at the halfway stage, the Aussie is yet to really catch a break this season. Jenson Button was the next retirement, his suspension collapsing whilst he was running in 5th position. This promoted Da Matta up to 9th, although Villeneuve and Panis were catching him. The incentive became greater, as Trulli's hydraulics system failed with 8 laps to go, costing him a possible 2nd place. I won my first race of the season, and win number 20 of my career, ahead of Coulthard and Barrichello. Pedro De La Rosa recovered to finish 4th. Sauber had a very good weekend, Heidfeld and Frentzen finishing 5th and 7th respectively, separated by Fisichella. Da Matta staved off Villeneuve and Panis to score his first ever World Championship point.

1. Christopherson 1hr 30m 24.901s
2. Coulthard +35.198s
3. Barrichello +36.774s
4. De La Rosa +1m 01.286s
5. Heidfeld +1m 07.093s
6. Fisichella +1m 09.488s
7. Frentzen +1m 14.712s
8. Da Matta +1 Lap
9. Villeneuve +1 Lap
10. Panis +1 Lap
11. Firman +2 Laps
12. Pizzonia +2 Laps
13. Verstappen +3 Laps
14. Wilson +3 Laps

Fastest Lap: Jack Christopherson - 1.25.276

REJECT OF THE RACE: Ralf Schumacher - Cost him and his brother a chance of victory

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
M.Schumacher 28
Barrichello 22
Christopherson 21
R.Schumacher 20
Coulthard 19
Heidfeld 8
Alonso 7
Trulli 5
De La Rosa 5
Fisichella 5
Raikkonen 4
Button 3
Frentzen 3
Panis 2
Villeneuve 2
Da Matta 1
Webber 1

Constructors Championship
Ferrari 50
Williams 41
McLaren 28
Renault 12
Sauber 11
BAR 5
Jordan 5
Toyota 3
Jaguar 1
Minardi 0

[gnrpoison]

Just noticed this thread and career has passed the 5 year mark since the first post. Well done on maintaining it for this long, I think since the demise of Dagnall's career this makes yours the longest running one on here. How many more seasons do you think Mr Christopherson has left in him now?

The main reason i've maintained it so long is that I want to see it through to the end.

I'm not going to say until I decide to call it a day, even if you happen to guess correctly. I have already decided when i'm finishing this though. Bear in mind that Christopherson turned 35 in 2003.

It will probably be very close to the start of Vettel and Hamilton's careers, hopefully he gets to show those young upstarts a thing or two by not retiring.

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 5 - 2003 SPANISH GRAND PRIX - Barcelona

PRE-RACE
Much earlier than last year, Jack Christopherson has already signed for 2004. The win at Imola, which he believes will kickstart his championship challenge was the incentive he needed to immediately put pen to paper to stay at Williams for another year. At McLaren, Kimi Raikkonen in back after one race out.

QUALIFYING
I went into this race with low expectations, as despite all the laps I do at this circuit, i've never been good at hooking a lap up, especially compared to Imola. The session started with a wet track, and several drivers made the mistake of going out early, most notably Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso. My lap was pretty bad, despite being one of the last drivers to set a time. However, 5th on the grid is pretty good. Jos Verstappen in the Minardi put in a good lap to qualify 12th, ahead of Alonso and Schumacher, on what isn't an easy circuit to pass, could we see Jos the Boss score Minardi's first points?

Code: Select all

1. Barrichello 1.28.992
2. Raikkonen 1.29.353
3. R.Schumacher 1.29.482
4. Trulli 1.30.010
5. Christopherson 1.31.383
6. Coulthard 1.31.868
7. Fisichella 1.31.997
8. Panis 1.32.304
9. Frentzen 1.32.542
10. Villeneuve 1.33.124
11. Heidfeld 1.33.314
12. Verstappen 1.33.453
13. Alonso 1.33.677
14. M.Schumacher 1.33.718
15. Button 1.33.958
16. Webber 1.34.666
17. Da Matta 1.34.770
18. Firman 1.34.863
19. Pizzonia 1.35.629
20. Wilson 1.35.992

RACE
The track was damp come race day, so every driver started on inters. Coulthard stalled at the start, but miraculously nobody hit the back of him. I passed Trulli in turn 1, and sent one down the inside of Ralf Schumacher at turn 5. Villeneuve was a man on a mission, and was up to 6th at the end of lap 1 after starting 10th, and was hounding Trulli for 5th. Villeneuve, Ralf and Trulli regularly exchanged positions in the early laps, that was until Ralf Schumacher tried an unlikely move down the inside of me, although I closed the door on him, and damaged my suspension. Ralf developed a gearbox problem not long afterwards. It was time for the drivers to pit for dries, and by staying out, Pizzonia, Firman and Wilson ran in the points briefly, whilst Frentzen and Da Matta ran 2nd and 3rd for a while. Raikkonen was stuck behind them, and lost any chance of winning the race. Fisichella benefitted greatly from the tyre changes, whilst the biggest loser was Panis, a terrible stop costing him a shot at points, and caused him to rejoin behind Verstappen. Fisichella briefly ran 4th, although with Trulli hounding him, it wasn't to last. Villeneuve spent the rest of the afternoon in 3rd, which was fully deserved. Despite running 2nd at one point, Frentzen dropped like a stone on the dry tyres, and Da Matta got ahead. Meanwhile, Jaguar finally had something to smile about, as Webber was running 8th, but Alonso was closing in on him. Fisichella and Heidfeld were 5th and 6th, with Michael Schumacher chasing them down, although Schumacher easily inherited 5th after they tangled. Barrichello cruised to victory, giving himself a potential championship challenge, whilst Raikkonen will rue the bad timing of his pitstop. Villeneuve finished 3rd, and was the unquestionable driver of the day according to James Allen. Trulli was 4th, whilst Michael Schumacher recovered to 5th after a difficult qualifying. Webber held off Alonso for 6th, whilst Da Matta benefitted from Panis' misfortune, and took the final point for Toyota.

1. Barrichello 1hr 37m 34.716s
2. Raikkonen +10.279s
3. Villeneuve +31.549s
4. Trulli +53.140s
5. M.Schumacher +56.441s
6. Webber +1m 11.089s
7. Alonso +1m 12.645s
8. Da Matta +1 Lap
9. Panis +1 Lap
10. Button +1 Lap
11. Frentzen +1 Lap
12. Verstappen +1 Lap
13. Wilson +2 Laps
14. Firman +2 Laps
15. Pizzonia +2 Laps

Fastest Lap: Kimi Raikkonen - 1.22.767

REJECT OF THE RACE: Nick Heidfeld - Clumsy tangle could prove costly at the end of the season

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
M.Schumacher 32
Barrichello 32
Christopherson 21
R.Schumacher 20
Coulthard 19
Raikkonen 12
Trulli 10
Alonso 9
Villeneuve 8
Heidfeld 8
De La Rosa 5
Fisichella 5
Webber 4
Button 3
Frentzen 3
Panis 2
Da Matta 2

Constructors Championship
Ferrari 64
Williams 41
McLaren 36
Renault 19
BAR 11
Sauber 11
Jordan 5
Jaguar 4
Toyota 4
Minardi 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 6 - 2003 AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX - A1 Ring

QUALIFYING
I was hoping for another strong performance here, after not winning this race since 1999. I made the perfect start, by grabbing pole position. I knew I was quicker than Coulthard in the first two sectors, he was in provisional pole at the time, but Schumacher moved the goalposts, and made my challenge more difficult. Trulli and Villeneuve struggled a bit, as in a lap as short as this, the smallest mistakes can cost anyone multiple positions. Justin Wilson outqualified his teammate for the first time this season, as did David Coulthard, leaving Fisichella as the only driver to outqualify his teammate at every race, excluding De La Rosa who has only raced once this season.

Code: Select all

1. Christopherson 1.10.083
2. M.Schumacher 1.10.196
3. Coulthard 1.10.618
4. Barrichello 1.10.645
5. R.Schumacher 1.10.694
6. Raikkonen 1.10.876
7. Alonso 1.10.976
8. Frentzen 1.11.282
9. Button 1.11.326
10. Heidfeld 1.11.424
11. Panis 1.11.429
12. Fisichella 1.11.449
13. Trulli 1.11.496
14. Webber 1.11.540
15. Villeneuve 1.11.555
16. Da Matta 1.11.657
17. Firman 1.11.871
18. Pizzonia 1.12.274
19. Wilson 1.12.455
20. Verstappen 1.13.428

RACE
I made a bad start, and dropped to second, but Ralf made an even worse one and dropped to 8th, although that was in part thanks to Coulthard getting bogged down at the start. Trulli's difficult season continued, as a slow start saw him collected by Firman in turn 1. Panis was the third retirement, his race only lasting until lap 14, leaving Villeneuve as the only driver to finish every race this season. I was constantly on Schumacher's tail, and chased him hard for the first lap of the race. Ralf Schumacher struggled to work his way back through the field, and spent the majority of the race stuck behind Frentzen in the Sauber. My race ended when I was trying to lap Da Matta. Schumacher worked his way past him and I was simply too keen to follow him through. A bad weekend for Toyota over. Button was promoted up to 8th place. Schumacher posted fastest lap after fastest lap, making his intentions clear to Barrichello. Coulthard re-passed Raikkonen on lap 40, but Raikkonen's second pitstop was better, and he stayed ahead, but the McLarens remained in close proximity for the remainder of the race. Ralf Schumacher hounded Frentzen, but was not successful in passing him. It was a good day for Sauber, as Heidfeld passed Button for the final point on the penultimate lap. Michael Schumacher led home a Ferrari 1-2, and took his third win of 2003. McLarens were 3rd and 4th, ahead of Alonso who drove a very quiet race to 5th. Frentzen held onto 6th, whilst Heidfeld beat Button and Fisichella to 8th.

1. M.Schumacher 1hr 26m 26.638s
2. Barrichello +17.435s
3. Raikkonen +30.722s
4. Coulthard +31.177s
5. Alonso +45.888s
6. Frentzen +53.816s
7. R.Schumacher +54.176s
8. Heidfeld +1 Lap
9. Button +1 Lap
10. Fisichella +1 Lap
11. Villeneuve +2 Laps
12. Webber +2 Laps
13. Pizzonia +3 Laps
14. Verstappen +3 Laps
15. Wilson +3 Laps

Fastest Lap: Michael Schumacher - 1.10.649

REJECT OF THE RACE: Ralph Firman - Over-opportunistic attempt was unnecessary

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
M.Schumacher 42
Barrichello 40
Coulthard 24
R.Schumacher 22
Christopherson 21
Raikkonen 18
Alonso 13
Trulli 10
Heidfeld 9
Villeneuve 8
Frentzen 6
De La Rosa 5
Fisichella 5
Webber 4
Button 3
Panis 2
Da Matta 2

Constructors Championship
Ferrari 82
McLaren 47
Williams 43
Renault 23
Sauber 15
BAR 11
Jordan 5
Jaguar 4
Toyota 4
Minardi 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 7 - 2003 MONACO GRAND PRIX - Monte Carlo

QUALIFYING
My lap was bad, a mistake heading into the Loews hairpin cost me time, and in the end I was only 12th fastest, although only 15 of us set lap times, with David Coulthard being the slowest thanks to being held up by a slow Alonso. The drivers who set no lap time were Ralf Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Ralph Firman, Jacques Villeneuve and Jenson Button. All this did was make Ferrari's job easier, although they did not have a big gap over the likes of Sauber, Jordan and Toyota. Sauber were particularly impressive, with both drivers in the top 6. Da Matta, Pizzonia and Wilson all achieved the best qualifying positions of their career, largely by default.

Code: Select all

1. M.Schumacher 1.16.723
2. Barrichello 1.16.869
3. Raikkonen 1.16.989
4. Frentzen 1.17.250
5. Fisichella 1.17.254
6. Heidfeld 1.17.444
7. Panis 1.17.493
8. Trulli 1.17.564
9. Da Matta 1.17.568
10. Webber 1.17.582
11. Pizzonia 1.17.858
12. Christopherson 1.18.351
13. Verstappen 1.18.657
14. Wilson 1.18.892
15. Coulthard 1.19.401
16. R.Schumacher - No Time
17. Alonso - No Time
18. Firman - No Time
19. Villeneuve - No Time
20. Button - No Time

RACE
Monaco always throws up a few surprises, and with the grid as mixed up as this, we were surely in for a cracking race. Raikkonen made a dreadful start, and was down to 8th at the start, and lost a further position to Da Matta at turn 5. The Minardis were quick off the line too, Verstappen up to 11th, whilst Justin Wilson catapulted his Minardi up to 10th. Pizzonia lost his front wing at the start, as he hit the back of a slow starting Mark Webber, just what Jaguar didn't want. I didn't last that long, as my engine went on lap 19, putting an end to any chance of points, and my third retirement in a row. Verstappen was running well for Minardi, until he binned his Minardi at the Swimming Pool chicane, and threw away a shot at points. Raikkonen worked his way back up the field well, passing Da Matta down the inside of the Nouvelle Chicane, and later on in the race, trying a daring move down the inside of Fisichella into the first turn. Jordan lacked mid race pace, and it stopped Fisichella from having a real shot at a podium. The most unfortunate man of the day was Nick Heidfeld, as clutch problems cost him at least fifth place, and possibly fourth. Sauber were still optimistic as Frentzen was running a comfortable third, and looked good for a podium. One team benefitting from everything going wrong for others was Toyota, with both cars inside the points for the whole race. Trulli's clutch cost him 7th place, more misery for his difficult season, this promoted Da Matta to a potential career best 7th. Villeneuve's engine blew on lap 60, ending his perfect finishing record of 2003, the last driver left with one. With just 10 drivers remaining, and chaos in qualifying, Ferrari still emerged as top dogs, as Michael Schumacher won for the fourth time in 2003, but another second place by Rubens Barrichello keeps the pressure on him in the championship battle. Frentzen's impressive form in 2003 finally culminates in a big result, with Panis delivering for Toyota. Raikkonen could only work his way up to 5th, whilst Fisichella will be slightly disappointed with 6th for Jordan. Da Matta was 7th whilst BAR's bad weekend was somewhat salvaged by Jenson Button scoring a point.

1. M.Schumacher 1hr 47m 27.031s
2. Barrichello +16.855s
3. Frentzen +28.967s
4. Panis +1m 13.413s
5. Raikkonen +1 Lap
6. Fisichella +1 Lap
7. Da Matta +1 Lap
8. Button +1 Lap
9. Firman +2 Laps
10. Wilson +2 Laps

Fastest Lap: Michael Schumacher - 1.16.933

REJECT OF THE RACE: Williams - Targeted both championships but are currently falling very wide of the mark

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
M.Schumacher 52
Barrichello 48
Coulthard 24
R.Schumacher 22
Raikkonen 22
Christopherson 21
Alonso 13
Frentzen 12
Trulli 10
Heidfeld 9
Villeneuve 8
Fisichella 8
Panis 7
De La Rosa 5
Webber 4
Button 4
Da Matta 4

Constructors Championship
Ferrari 100
McLaren 51
Williams 43
Renault 23
Sauber 21
BAR 12
Toyota 11
Jordan 8
Jaguar 4
Minardi 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 8 - 2003 CANADIAN GRAND PRIX - Montreal

PRE-RACE
Word is getting around that Jaguar are starting to consider replacing Antonio Pizzonia if his performances do not improve. Highly rated by Williams, Jungle Boy is currently dead last in the championship with a best finish of 12th so far, with Firman and both Minardi drivers achieving better than that in the first seven races of the season. Despite throwing away a certain win on the streets of Monaco, Formula 3000 driver Bjorn Wirdheim has been linked to drive for them, although as current championship leader, that may not happen, as a F3000 championship could see his stock rise more.

QUALIFYING
For the second race in succession, Jacques Villeneuve failed to set a lap time, as he was involved in a violent crash involving Giancarlo Fisichella, with Fisichella failing to move out of the way when Villeneuve was on a hot lap. Fisichella's lap would have put him 14th, but he has been disqualified from the race weekend as a result of his role in the crash. Meanwhile, I was on pole position, despite not putting in a lap I was in any way happy with, aside from sector 1.

Code: Select all

1. Christopherson 1.17.341
2. M.Schumacher 1.17.412
3. Barrichello 1.17.632
4. Raikkonen 1.17.774
5. Coulthard 1.18.163
6. Alonso 1.18.320
7. R.Schumacher 1.18.366
8. Button 1.18.370
9. Trulli 1.18.474
10. Frentzen 1.18.840
11. Panis 1.18.843
12. Webber 1.18.869
13. Heidfeld 1.18.909
14. Da Matta 1.19.144
15. Firman 1.19.383
16. Pizzonia 1.19.628
17. Verstappen 1.20.164
18. Wilson 1.20.360
19. Villeneuve - No Time
DSQ. Fisichella - Time deleted

RACE
The start was chaotic, with Frentzen failing to get off the line, and Villeneuve being unable to avoid him. Da Matta was stranded too, but got away eventually, whilst further up the grid, Raikkonen and Ralf Schumacher came together at the start, with Kimi having to retire. Panis and Coulthard both lost their front wings in the chaos too. Alonso made a great start, and immediately leaped to 4th, with Button following him closely up to 5th. Barrichello made a costly error on lap 6, and hit the Wall of Champions from 3rd place, could that be a sign for later on in the season? I slowly started to pull away from Michael Schumacher, and so I had a pretty boring and uneventful race. Ralf Schumacher had only scored two points in the previous four races, and that became five races, as a hydraulics failure put pay to his race whilst in fifth. After Barrichello's retirement, Fernando Alonso was on course to score his first ever podium, but Jenson Button wasn't giving up on giving BAR six points, much needed in their effort to catch Sauber and pull away from the other midfield teams. Coulthard was left at the back of the drivers still running after the opening lap, and the second half of the race was focused on him catching the other drivers, Verstappen was no challenge but Pizzonia proved to be one. Wilson was disposed of soon after Pizzonia which saw Coulthard up to 9th place, and with an opportunity to catch Firman for 8th. Webber passed Heidfeld in their dispute over 6th place, which was a battle with Trulli over 5th until he used his superior car to pull away. Heidfeld soon pursued the Aussie and retook that position. I won what was a very eventful race, although I had no involvement in any of them. Michael Schumacher extended his championship lead to 12 points, whilst Alonso held off Button for the first podium finish of his career. Trulli completed a very good day for Renault, whilst Heidfeld beat Webber home. Firman withstood pressure well to score his first world championship point.

1. Christopherson 1hr 36m 08.511s
2. M.Schumacher +22.484s
3. Alonso +46.242s
4. Button +47.411s
5. Trulli +1m 12.253s
6. Heidfeld +1 Lap
7. Webber +1 Lap
8. Firman +1 Lap
9. Coulthard +1 Lap
10. Pizzonia +2 Laps
11. Wilson +2 Laps
12. Verstappen +2 Laps
13. Da Matta +2 Laps

Fastest Lap: Jack Christopherson - 1.17.928

REJECT OF THE RACE: Giancarlo Fisichella - First driver to be disqualified in a long time

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
M.Schumacher 60
Barrichello 48
Christopherson 31
Coulthard 24
R.Schumacher 22
Raikkonen 22
Alonso 19
Trulli 14
Frentzen 12
Heidfeld 12
Button 9
Villeneuve 8
Fisichella 8
Panis 7
Webber 6
De La Rosa 5
Da Matta 4
Firman 1

Constructors Championship
Ferrari 108
Williams 53
McLaren 51
Renault 33
Sauber 24
BAR 17
Toyota 11
Jordan 9
Jaguar 6
Minardi 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 9 - 2003 EUROPEAN GRAND PRIX - Nurburgring

PRE-RACE
Giancarlo Fisichella had not been given a suspension for his dangerous driving in Canada. It was rumoured that Jaguar were still looking for a replacement for Antonio Pizzonia. It was rumoured that Alexander Wurz could be given the race seat for a few races, as the team may have been looking for someone experienced to try and lift them up the standings. For now however, Pizzonia remained at Jaguar.

QUALIFYING
Not much to say in qualifying, except that Michael Schumacher was the only man to dip into the 1m32s. As his nearest challenger, I was six tenths off pole. Two teams had a particularly bad session, Sauber and Jordan, who both languished towards the back of the grid.

Code: Select all

1. M.Schumacher 1.32.609
2. Christopherson 1.33.216
3. Raikkonen 1.33.307
4. R.Schumacher 1.33.389
5. Barrichello 1.33.455
6. Alonso 1.33.582
7. Trulli 1.33.833
8. Coulthard 1.33.908
9. Button 1.34.126
10. Webber 1.34.147
11. Panis 1.34.317
12. Villeneuve 1.34.478
13. Da Matta 1.34.683
14. Heidfeld 1.34.742
15. Frentzen 1.34.904
16. Fisichella 1.34.982
17. Firman 1.35.037
18. Pizzonia 1.35.652
19. Verstappen 1.36.637
20. Wilson 1.37.122

RACE
I made a decent start, and my initial getaway was better than Michael's, but Ralf was very quick off the line, and passed me down the inside of turn 1. Alonso spun at the final chicane at the end of the first lap, after a great start that launched him up to 4th. He had spent the first lap challenging me for 3rd as well. Renault's race went from bad to worse, as he lost his front wing after hitting the back of Coulthard at the same place. Fortunately, Coulthard's race was not compromised. After Renault's race was ruined, the next retirement was Jacques Villeneuve, a gearbox failure costing him 7th place. Lap 23 saw Coulthard pass Barrichello for 5th place, which soon became 4th when Kimi Raikkonen's McLaren developed an engine failure, his season being marred by poor luck yet again. He kept the car going until lap 32, where he finally parked up. I was third, and just like in Australia I was unable to pass Ralf Schumacher, although this time, my chase didn't last as long as I slowly drifted away. Trulli passed Fisichella for 9th down the inside of Dunlop-Kerhe on lap 40, and on the following lap moved up to 8th by passing the BAR of Jenson Button at the final chicane. Webber and Da Matta had quietly stayed out of trouble and moved up to 6th and 7th respectively, equalling their best ever results. Their days got even better, as suspension problems ended Michael Schumacher's race on lap 46, costing him another victory. Ralf Schumacher inherited the lead for the first time this season, and never looked back, taking the chequered flag to win the European Grand Prix, ahead of myself, completing a Williams 1-2. Coulthard scored a podium thanks to that pass on Barrichello. Webber and Da Matta scored their career best results, whilst Trulli and Button rounded off the points.

1. R.Schumacher 1hr 37m 47.280s
2. Christopherson +15.662s
3. Coulthard +34.169s
4. Barrichello +38.307s
5. Webber +1m 23.643s
6. Da Matta +1m 27.809s
7. Trulli +1 Lap
8. Button +1 Lap
9. Fisichella +1 Lap
10. Panis +1 Lap
11. Firman +1 Lap
12. Pizzonia +2 Laps
13. Heidfeld +2 Laps
14. Frentzen +2 Laps
15. Verstappen +3 Laps
16. Wilson +3 Laps

Fastest Lap: Ralf Schumacher - 1.35.040

REJECT OF THE RACE: Sauber - Big drop off in performance

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
M.Schumacher 60
Barrichello 53
Christopherson 39
R.Schumacher 32
Coulthard 30
Raikkonen 22
Alonso 19
Trulli 16
Frentzen 12
Heidfeld 12
Button 10
Webber 10
Villeneuve 8
Fisichella 8
Panis 7
Da Matta 7
De La Rosa 5
Firman 1

Constructors Championship
Ferrari 113
Williams 71
McLaren 57
Renault 35
Sauber 24
BAR 18
Toyota 14
Jaguar 10
Jordan 9
Minardi 0

[FullMetalJack]

ROUND 10 - 2003 FRENCH GRAND PRIX - Magny Cours

QUALIFYING
Michael Schumacher looked to build a strong lead in the championship heading into the closing stages of the season, and he made the best start at it, with pole position. I was second fastest, whilst Ralf was amongst the Renaults as he didn't quite hook his lap up. Nor did Coulthard, who would start 13th, amongst the ultra-tight midfield battle. For the first time this season, Ralph Firman outqualified Giancarlo Fisichella on merit, the point he scored amongst his recent results seem to be giving him more confidence. Panis qualified an excellent 8th in his home grand prix, giving Toyota a slight chance of still fighting for 5th in the Constructors Championship.

Code: Select all

1. M.Schumacher 1.15.200
2. Christopherson 1.15.566
3. Barrichello 1.15.665
4. Raikkonen 1.15.670
5. Alonso 1.16.012
6. R.Schumacher 1.16.140
7. Trulli 1.16.204
8. Panis 1.16.544
9. Webber 1.16.607
10. Button 1.16.701
11. Frentzen 1.16.885
12. Villeneuve 1.16.919
13. Coulthard 1.16.948
14. Da Matta 1.16.984
15. Heidfeld 1.17.076
16. Firman 1.17.089
17. Fisichella 1.17.196
18. Pizzonia 1.17.219
19. Verstappen 1.18.173
20. Wilson 1.18.324

RACE
The track was damp, and several drivers decided to start on intermediate tyres. I was amongst those that went with dries. There was one incident at the start, Fisichella lost his front wing trying to pass other drivers, as Heidfeld pulled out to make a pass of his own. Barrichello was on the intermediate tyres, with this being the best tyre for the very early laps, as drivers like Panis and Villeneuve ran very well early on too. Pizzonia had a great early part of the race too, working his way up to 11th despite being on dry tyres. A brake failure ended his race very early though, costing him possible points. Those on the wets were forced to pit early. Amongst those were the aforementioned Barrichello, Panis and Villeneuve, with the other notable drivers being Coulthard and Ralf Schumacher. They would have to fight their way through the order to try and pick up points.
After drivers pitted, the order was M.Schumacher, Raikkonen, Christopherson, Alonso, Trulli, Button, Webber and Firman. Barrichello didn't take long to carve through the traffic, whilst Coulthard pulled off on lap 19 with an engine failure. Kimi Raikkonen took the lead on lap 23, taking advantage of slow acceleration on Schumacher's part. Barrichello had worked his way up to the points on lap 31, although at roughly the halfway stage, he was stuck in 5th gear whilst chasing Webber for 7th. This wasn't enough to promote Firman back up to the points, as he had already lost another position to Ralf Schumacher. Button and Trulli were having a great scrap over 5th place, with Trulli eventually coming out on top, but another good result for BAR was helping them catch Sauber. Michael Schumacher capitalised on a good pitstop and passed Raikkonen at the hairpin on lap 49, although two laps later saw him lose the lead at the Chateaux d'Eau bend. Their consistent exchanging of the lead allowed me to catch up slightly, but not by enough to make a serious challenge for the race win. Kimi Raikkonen took his first victory of 2003, as McLaren finally broke their duck, just beating Schumacher and myself home. Alonso was a solid 4th, holding onto the back of the leading trio for a good chunk of the race. Renault enjoyed a good home race, as Trulli beat Button to 5th. Ralf Schumacher could only work his way up to 7th, whilst Mark Webber enjoyed a solid afternoon, and was rewarded with a point.

1. Raikkonen 1hr 36m 14.233s
2. M.Schumacher +3.638s
3. Christopherson +9.045s
4. Alonso +16.223s
5. Trulli +54.273s
6. Button +59.155s
7. R.Schumacher +1 Lap
8. Webber +1 Lap
9. Firman +1 Lap
10. Villeneuve +1 Lap
11. Heidfeld +2 Laps
12. Panis +2 Laps
13. Fisichella +2 Laps
14. Wilson +3 Laps
15. Verstappen +3 Laps

Fastest Lap: Rubens Barrichello - 1.15.798

REJECT OF THE RACE: Intermediate starters - Fortune favoured the brave on this occasion

[FullMetalJack]

Drivers Championship
M.Schumacher 68
Barrichello 53
Christopherson 45
R.Schumacher 34
Raikkonen 32
Coulthard 30
Alonso 24
Trulli 20
Button 13
Frentzen 12
Heidfeld 12
Webber 11
Villeneuve 8
Fisichella 8
Panis 7
Da Matta 7
De La Rosa 5
Firman 1

Constructors Championship
Ferrari 121
Williams 79
McLaren 67
Renault 44
Sauber 24
BAR 21
Toyota 14
Jaguar 11
Jordan 9
Minardi 0