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| 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Race 13 of 16 in the2003 Formula One World Championship
| |||||
 The Hungaroring after being modified in 2003. | |||||
| Race details[1][2] | |||||
| Date | 24 August 2003 | ||||
| Official name | Marlboro Magyar Nagydíj 2003 | ||||
| Location | Hungaroring,Mogyoród,Pest, Hungary[3] | ||||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||||
| Course length | 4.381 km (2.722 miles) | ||||
| Distance | 70 laps, 306.663 km (190.552 miles) | ||||
| Weather | Warm, dry and sunny, 28 °C (82 °F) | ||||
| Pole position | |||||
| Driver | Renault | ||||
| Time | 1:21.688 | ||||
| Fastest lap | |||||
| Driver |  Juan Pablo Montoya | Williams-BMW | |||
| Time | 1:22.095 on lap 37 | ||||
| Podium | |||||
| First | Renault | ||||
| Second | McLaren-Mercedes | ||||
| Third | Williams-BMW | ||||
Lap leaders | |||||
The2003 Hungarian Grand Prix (formally theMarlboro Magyar Nagydíj 2003) was aFormula One motor race held on 24 August 2003 at theHungaroring,Mogyoród,Pest, Hungary. It was the thirteenth round of the2003 Formula One season. The 70-lap race was won byRenault'sFernando Alonso after starting from pole position, scoring his first F1 win and becoming at the time the youngest ever driver to win a Grand Prix, beating the previous record ofBruce McLaren.[4] This record lasted for over five years until it was beaten bySebastian Vettel at the2008 Italian Grand Prix. Alonso also became the first Spaniard to win an F1 Grand Prix. It was the first Formula One win for Renault as a constructor since the1983 Austrian Grand Prix. It was the first Formula One win for the Enstone-based Formula One team since the1997 German Grand Prix and also the first win for a Renault engine since the1997 Luxembourg Grand Prix. It is also the first Formula One win for a French-licensed Formula One team since1996 Monaco Grand Prix.[citation needed]
It was the first to be held under the newly revamped Hungaroring, with the main straight lengthened and the first hairpin tightened, as well as further alterations near the latter stages of the lap in order to encourage more overtaking.
Three teams in the2003 Constructors' Championship had the right to run a third car on Friday's additional testing. These drivers were not scheduled to compete in qualifying or the race.
| Constructor | Nat | Driver |
|---|---|---|
| Renault |  | Allan McNish |
| Jordan-Ford |  | Zsolt Baumgartner |
| Minardi-Cosworth |  | Gianmaria Bruni |
During practiceJordan driverRalph Firman suffered a horrendous crash when his rear wing failed, causing his car to swap ends immediately and collide backwards into the crash barriers with such force that he was knocked unconscious and had to sit out the race. He was replaced by local driverZsolt Baumgartner making his Formula One debut at his home Grand Prix.
Alonso, starting from pole on the clean side of the track, made a clean start and lead into the first corner, while the twoWilliams ofRalf Schumacher andJuan Pablo Montoya, who had started second and fourth respectively on the dirty line had difficulty getting away and were down to around tenth place by the first corner, being compounded by Schumacher's spin at the second corner.
TheMcLaren-Mercedes ofKimi Räikkönen managed to climb to third on the opening lap from his grid position of seventh. WithMark Webber struggling in second place, Alonso managed to gain 7s in the first three laps and 21s in the first 13 laps before being forced to pit for fuel. Webber, who had also light-fueled to a high qualifying position, also pitted. Alonso reentered the track in second place, just behind Räikkönen, while Webber dropped much further down the field. At the end of the 16th lap, Räikkönen, Barrichello and Montoya all pitted, allowing Alonso to resume his lead.
On lap 17Jacques Villeneuve'sBAR came to a halt with a hydraulic failure before Michael Schumacher pitted, and was passed by Montoya while in the pits, who had been able to do a quicker lap while not being held up by Schumacher. On the following lap,David Coulthard, the last of the front-runners, who had been in front of both Schumacher and Montoya, pitted for a very long fuel stop, re-entering behind both. On lap 19, the Ferrari ofRubens Barrichello suffered a left rear suspension failure, causing his Ferrari’s left rear wheel to detach, sending him straight on at the first corner hairpin, into the wall. The race stewards decided against deploying the safety car, preserving Alonso's 24s lead over Räikkönen, who rejoined ahead of Webber and proceeded to pull away from the Australian.
Alonso's teammateJarno Trulli led a train of Montoya, Michael and Ralf Schumacher in a train of cars battling for fourth place, when Ralf overtook his brother on the 28th lap. Alonso and Webber were again the first to have a second fuel stop, on lap 30 and 31 respectively but this time Alonso had enough of a lead to re-enter the track ahead of Räikkönen while Webber dropped to ninth after his stop.
Trulli pitted on the next lap, allowing the faster Williams duo of Montoya and Ralf Schumacher into clear air to set fast laps required to jump him, after Räikkönen rejoined after his pit stop behind them, therefore not causing any impedance. Ralf Schumacher immediately pitted on the next lap and rejoined ahead of Trulli but behind Webber who set a fast lap. Montoya set the fastest lap of the race on the next lap, and pitted on the next, exiting in front of Webber as well as Ralf Schumacher and with a clear track in front of him, became the fastest driver on the circuit. On lap 38 Michael Schumacher was in third place, with Coulthard in fourth, followed by Montoya, Webber, Ralf Schumacher and Trulli. Michael Schumacher then pitted, rejoining close behind Trulli, while Webber attempted to hold off Ralf Schumacher.
After a long first stop, third-placed Coulthard was the last to pit on lap 43, again with a long stop, indicating that he has switched to a two-stop strategy and rejoined between Trulli and Michael Schumacher. On lap 46, Ralf Schumacher finally passed Webber for fourth place, but was too far behind third-placed Montoya who had not been held up by Webber. The third round of pit stops saw no change in the order, aside from Coulthard who moved up to fifth behind Ralf Schumacher as a result of not having to pit. Alonso eventually lapped Schumacher, while Montoya spun in the latter stages of the race and had to fend off his teammate in the final laps. Alonso ended with a comfortable 16.8s lead over the second-placed Räikkönen.[5]
In the process, reigning world champion and the championship leaderMichael Schumacher was lapped by the Spaniard, and only managed to salvage one point for an eighth-place finish. The second and third-place finishers Räikkönen and Montoya respectively cut his championship lead over his two rivals to just two and one point respectively.[6]
After the race, Alonso described the win as "..a dream come true. I am 22 years old and I have my first victory. I hope I have a long career with lots more victories".[7]Jean Todt, the Ferrari team's manager, referred to their performance as "disappointing".[8]
Following the Hungarian GP, Ferrari complained aboutMichelin front tyres used by its competitors, which, according to the complaint, were wider than allowed towards the end of the race and thereafter. Michelin had to narrow its tyres by thenext race.[clarification needed][citation needed]
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 Time | Q2 Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 |  Fernando Alonso | Renault | 1:22.953 | 1:21.688 | — |
| 2 | 4 |  Ralf Schumacher | Williams-BMW | 1:22.413 | 1:21.944 | +0.256 |
| 3 | 14 |  Mark Webber | Jaguar-Cosworth | 1:22.625 | 1:22.027 | +0.339 |
| 4 | 3 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Williams-BMW | 1:23.305 | 1:22.180 | +0.492 |
| 5 | 2 |  Rubens Barrichello | Ferrari | 1:22.892 | 1:22.180 | +0.492 |
| 6 | 7 | Jarno Trulli | Renault | 1:22.358 | 1:22.610 | +0.922 |
| 7 | 6 |  Kimi Räikkönen | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:23.695 | 1:22.742 | +1.054 |
| 8 | 1 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 1:23.430 | 1:22.755 | +1.067 |
| 9 | 5 | David Coulthard | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:22.786 | 1:23.060 | +1.372 |
| 10 | 20 |  Olivier Panis | Toyota | 1:22.986 | 1:23.369 | +1.681 |
| 11 | 9 | Nick Heidfeld | Sauber-Petronas | 1:23.482 | 1:23.621 | +1.933 |
| 12 | 15 | Justin Wilson | Jaguar-Cosworth | 1:24.343 | 1:23.660 | +1.972 |
| 13 | 11 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Jordan-Ford | 1:24.725 | 1:23.726 | +2.038 |
| 14 | 17 | Jenson Button | BAR-Honda | 1:24.313 | 1:23.847 | +2.159 |
| 15 | 21 | Cristiano da Matta | Toyota | 1:55.138 | 1:23.982 | +2.294 |
| 16 | 16 |  Jacques Villeneuve | BAR-Honda | 1:24.333 | 1:24.100 | +2.412 |
| 17 | 10 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | Sauber-Petronas | 1:23.660 | 1:24.569 | +2.881 |
| 18 | 19 |  Jos Verstappen | Minardi-Cosworth | 1:26.052 | 1:26.423 | +4.735 |
| 19 | 12 | Zsolt Baumgartner | Jordan-Ford | No time1 | 1:26.678 | +4.990 |
| 20 | 18 |  Nicolas Kiesa | Minardi-Cosworth | 1:27.023 | 1:28.907 | +7.219 |
| Sources:[9][10][11] | ||||||
Notes
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Fernando Alonso | Renault | 70 | 1:39:01.460 | 1 | 10 |
| 2 | 6 | Kimi Räikkönen | McLaren-Mercedes | 70 | +16.768 | 7 | 8 |
| 3 | 3 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Williams-BMW | 70 | +34.537 | 4 | 6 |
| 4 | 4 | Ralf Schumacher | Williams-BMW | 70 | +35.620 | 2 | 5 |
| 5 | 5 | David Coulthard | McLaren-Mercedes | 70 | +56.535 | 9 | 4 |
| 6 | 14 | Mark Webber | Jaguar-Cosworth | 70 | +1:12.643 | 3 | 3 |
| 7 | 7 | Jarno Trulli | Renault | 69 | +1 Lap | 6 | 2 |
| 8 | 1 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 69 | +1 Lap | 8 | 1 |
| 9 | 9 | Nick Heidfeld | Sauber-Petronas | 69 | +1 Lap | 11 | |
| 10 | 17 | Jenson Button | BAR-Honda | 69 | +1 Lap | 14 | |
| 11 | 21 | Cristiano da Matta | Toyota | 68 | +2 Laps | 15 | |
| 12 | 19 | Jos Verstappen | Minardi-Cosworth | 67 | +3 Laps | 18 | |
| 13 | 18 | Nicolas Kiesa | Minardi-Cosworth | 66 | +4 Laps | 20 | |
| Ret | 10 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | Sauber-Petronas | 47 | Out of fuel | 17 | |
| Ret | 15 | Justin Wilson | Jaguar-Cosworth | 42 | Engine | 12 | |
| Ret | 12 | Zsolt Baumgartner | Jordan-Ford | 34 | Engine | 19 | |
| Ret | 20 | Olivier Panis | Toyota | 33 | Gearbox | 10 | |
| Ret | 11 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Jordan-Ford | 28 | Engine | 13 | |
| Ret | 2 | Rubens Barrichello | Ferrari | 19 | Suspension/Accident | 5 | |
| Ret | 16 | Jacques Villeneuve | BAR-Honda | 14 | Hydraulics | 16 | |
Source:[12] | |||||||
Arguably Michael Schumacher's worst race in the 2003 season so far, coupled with a podium for both Montoya and Räikkönen, meant that the top three were separated by just two points heading into the final three races of the season. Alonso's maiden win promoted him to fifth in the standings with 54 points, only four behind Ralf Schumacher. In the Constructors' Championship, Williams claimed the top spot for the first time this season with 129 points, eight ahead of Ferrari, with McLaren only 14 points behind Williams in third. Fourth-placed Renault had to overcome a 51-points-deficit in the final three points in order to maintain a slim chance of winning the Constructors' title.
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| Previous race: 2003 German Grand Prix | FIA Formula One World Championship 2003 season | Next race: 2003 Italian Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 2002 Hungarian Grand Prix | Hungarian Grand Prix | Next race: 2004 Hungarian Grand Prix |
47°34′56″N19°14′59″E / 47.58222°N 19.24972°E /47.58222; 19.24972
