![]() The 2003 Monaco GP Review
By Pablo Elizalde, Spain
Atlas F1 News Editor
After 20 years without a win at Monaco, Williams revindicated themselves this year, just like their star driver Juan Pablo Montoya who, after more than 20 races without a victory, finally returned to the top step of the podium with a sensational and cool drive. Atlas F1's Pablo Elizalde reviews the entire weekend's events and results from the seventh round of the 2003 season
For both, victory was a vindication at a time where they have been the target of increasing criticism from the media, and even from their own engine suppliers.
"Everybody needed this," said a relieved Montoya after scoring only his second Formula One victory. "You've got to say that I had quite a few races where I had the chance to win. The last one was Melbourne, I threw it away, so there was quite a bit of pressure not to basically make any mistakes."
Montoya's win was all the sweeter for him as it not only ended a long wait that seemed to have no end, but also because the victory showed another side of the Colombian's driving ability. On the streets of the Mediterranean principality Montoya showed he too was capable of staying cool under immense pressure, at the same time that he stayed off the barriers and nursed his ill car to the chequered flag.
For Williams too the moment was especially sweet, not only because it ended their 20-year Monaco jinx, but also because they finally got a reward for all the hard work they have been carrying out since the start of the season to correct all the problems of the FW25.
Having lost touch with Ferrari and McLaren, and with the pressure from Renault increasing race after race, Williams needed to deliver to show they still knew how to win, and there was probably no better place to do it than in Monte Carlo. Of course, the historic race on the tight streets of the principality often shows misleading signs and a deceptive picture, and it's obvious Williams have a long way ahead to get back into the Championship fight, but with the nerves now calmed it would not be wise to rule them out.
Climbing to the top of the standings will not be easy for Williams though, and that was clear after the race, which saw the top three finishers covered by less than two seconds. In the Championship fight, McLaren and Kimi Raikkonen emerged as the winners of the Monaco Grand Prix, with the Finn putting on another solid performance to give further proof that, with almost half the season gone, he is a true challenger for this year's title.
To think that by this time last year Schumacher was over 30 points clear in the standings says a lot about how things have changed for the World Champion and his Ferrari team. In Monaco, and after three consecutive victories starting from pole, Schumacher and Ferrari were dramatically humbled, and the German never looked like a real contender.
In fact, Ferrari looked quite ordinary, with Schumacher's highlight being his fastest time in Thursday's qualifying session. After that, the five-time Monaco GP winner struggled for pace, which added to the problems Ferrari had with their Bridgestone tyres and to a strategy that proved wrong, Schumacher left a four-point deficit in the Championship and with the impression that Ferrari will have to work really hard in the coming weeks in order to beat the improving competition. The Canadian Grand Prix will probably offer them a great opportunity to get things right after the Monaco disappointment.
The rest of the field, including the teammates of the top three finishers, never looked like real contenders, and the race was especially disappointing for Ralf Schumacher who, after clinching a magnificent pole position, faded away to finish in a distant fourth place. Disappointing too was the performance of David Coulthard and Rubens Barrichello, with the Scot overshadowed by Raikkonen all weekend and the Brazilian languishing in the race to finish in eighth place, more than 50 seconds off the leaders.
As for the rest of the field, only BAR - namely Jenson Button - looked like a contender for the point-scoring positions, especially after posting the third quickest time in first qualifying. The young Briton, however, suffered a massive crash in practice that forced him to sit out the race. Fortunately he wasn't seriously injured, and will be ready to drive again in Canada.
Qualifying Analysis
The Monaco Grand Prix qualifying sessions were all about tyre performance, and although the strategic part of it was, as usual, of prime importance, the black rubber seemed to make the most difference in terms of pace. In that respect, Michelin held the upper hand most of the weekend over their Bridgestone rivals.
With lower track temperatures on Thursday the Bridgestone runners looked stronger than their Michelin-shod opponents, and Michael Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello and BAR's Jenson Button led the way, with the Ferrari World Champion more than half a second ahead of the closest of the Michelin runners.
On Saturday, however, the picture was quite different. With higher track temperatures the Bridgestones suffered from a drop in performance, and some drivers complained of graining on their flying laps. The Japanese manufacturer's problems would reflect later in the race, with Schumacher voicing his unhappiness with the performance of his rubber.
The Michelins were much stronger in the final session, and as a result, the grid was formed with eight of the top ten qualifiers using tyres from the French manufacturer. Ralf Schumacher extracted the maximum from his tyres and, perhaps aided by a lighter fuel load than some of his rivals, the German clinched a surprising pole.
The Grid
1. Ralf Schumacher
Saturday time: 1:15.259
Not even Ralf Schumacher himself, let alone his rivals, were really expecting him to be a top contender for pole position on a track where he hadn't qualified higher than fourth in the past. But the German surprised everybody with a blistering lap that shot him to the top of the timesheets. "I'm very surprised," said the Williams driver, whose previous pole came at the French GP in 2001. "I never thought it would be possible."
2. Kimi Raikkonen
Saturday time: 1:15.295
Just when it looked like Raikkonen would be overshadowed by his teammate Coulthard, the Finn pulled a great qualifying lap that came within a whisker of securing him his first career pole position. Having lost to Coulthard in first qualifying and in all practice sessions, Raikkonen raised his game in the final session and, like in Austria, he was very close to pole. Had he not hit the kerb at the swimming pool chicane quite as hard he could have found the necessary time.
3. Juan Pablo Montoya
Saturday time: 1:15.415
Like his teammate Ralf Schumacher, Montoya's pace in final qualifying came as a surprise. Although the Colombian had already started from pole last year, he had been very unspectacular most of the weekend. However, the combination of his Michelin tyres and the right amount of fuel onboard did the trick for him, and despite complaining of his car bottoming during the flying lap, he put himself in a strong position to fight for victory.
4. Jarno Trulli
Saturday time: 1:15.500
Always one to shine at Monte Carlo, Trulli performed as expected in both qualifying sessions, dominating his less experienced teammate Fernando Alonso. Renault, who introduced a new aerodynamic package to cope with the demands of the twisty track, were tipped for victory ahead of the weekend, and the Italian driver lived up to the expectations, finishing less than three tenths of a second off pole despite the French cars' lack of top speed at the exit of the tunnel.
5. Michael Schumacher
Saturday time: 1:15.644
6. David Coulthard
Saturday time: 1:15.700
Sixth place was a blow to the hopes of the winner of two of the last three Monaco Grands Prix. On the same strategy as his teammate Raikkonen, Coulthard failed to match the pace of the young Finn, finishing more than four tenths of a second behind his teammate. Coulthard was faster than Raikkonen on Thursday, and topped the times in Saturday free practice, but it all came to nothing in final qualifying. Some set-up changes prior to the session proved wrong, and he then made a mistake at the swimming pool complex which cost him valuable time.
7. Rubens Barrichello
Saturday time: 1:15.820
Despite carrying more fuel than his rivals Barrichello's qualifying showing, like Schumacher's, was disappointing. He too blamed his Bridgestone tyres, which seemed unable to hold the grip for a whole lap and struggled most on the new section of the circuit. With that in mind, Barrichello did the best he could, but seventh position compromised all his chances of a good result on a track where overtaking is virtually impossible.
8. Fernando Alonso
Saturday time: 1:15.884
9. Mark Webber
Saturday time: 1:16.237
Webber began his second Monaco Grand Prix in spectacular fashion, setting the fastest time in opening practice, but the Australian failed to get close to repeating the feat in either of the two qualifying sessions. Like many drivers the Jaguar star was hampered by Frentzen's engine failure in first qualifying on a track that was very slippery after the Petronas blew up. Nonetheless Webber showed his speed and placed himself in a good position to score points again.
10. Cristiano da Matta
Saturday time: 1:16.744
Despite being at his first race on the tricky Monte Carlo circuit da Matta felt at home from very early on, and his pace was quite impressive considering his machinery. Although, in common with his teammate Panis, he struggled to get to terms with his car the Brazilian's TF103 improved vastly in final qualifying, especially in terms of grip, something which hampered Panis all weekend. A top ten spot in qualifying for his first ever race at the principality was a good effort from the CART champion.
11. Jacques Villeneuve
Saturday time: 1:16.755
12. Giancarlo Fisichella
Saturday time: 1:16.967
Higher track temperatures have probably affected Jordan more than their rivals this year, so qualifying was always going to be something of a struggle for Fisichella, who like the majority of Bridgestone runners complained about the graining of his tyres. Despite his talent the Italian was unable to make it into the top ten, claiming his Ford-powered EJ13 was very nervous during his flying lap.
13. Antonio Pizzonia
Saturday time: 1:17.103
Pizzonia found out soon enough that, in his own words, "driving an F1 car around Monaco for the first time is not an easy task," crashing in the testing session and later touching the barrier during his flying lap in first qualifying. On Saturday he enjoyed a better afternoon, but nonetheless finished nearly a second behind Webber.
14. Nick Heidfeld
Saturday time: 1:17.176
Following a promising start on Thursday despite going out on track after his teammate Frentzen had blown his engine, Heidfeld had to settle for a disappointing 14th position on Saturday. Although he still managed to outqualify Frentzen, the German was not happy with his performance, for which he blamed the tyre graining and a mistake in the middle sector of his flying lap.
15. Heinz-Harald Frentzen
Saturday time: 1:17.402
16. Ralph Firman
Saturday time: 1:17.452
Racing for the first time in Monaco and with an uncompetitive car Firman could do little to shine, and problems with the grip of his Jordan did not help either. He complained the car was too understeery in the final part of his flying lap, and although he managed to stay relatively in touch with Fisichella's pace, the British rookie's position did not offer too much hope of scoring points.
17. Olivier Panis
Saturday time: 1:17.464
Panis had a torrid time all weekend at one of his favourite tracks. The Frenchman, winner of the Monaco GP in 1996, could never get rid of a serious problem that affected his Toyota's grip, a problem that didn't seem to affect da Matta so much. Panis, who suffered a similar problem in Austria, languished in all the timed sessions and decided to qualify with a very heavy load of fuel to have a shot in the race. In the end it didn't pay off, as he continued to struggle for grip.
18. Jos Verstappen
Saturday time: 1:18.706
19. Justin Wilson
Saturday time: 1:20.063
Wilson's qualifying time did not reflect his actual speed, as he made a mess of his flying lap, most notably having a big moment when going over the chicane at the entry of the swimming pool. In practice he was able to lap two seconds quicker, and his qualifying time on Thursday was very close to the more experienced Verstappen.
*. Jenson Button
Saturday time: -
Despite missing the final qualifying session and the race Button had the chance to prove his good form, clearly outperforming his teammate Villeneuve by over a second both in Thursday's practice and later in opening qualifying. Unfortunately for the young Brit, that was all he could do, as a massive crash in Saturday's practice forced him out of the race.
The Race
The ever so crucial start took place without too much drama, in part thanks to the revised St. Devote corner, which now gives the drivers more room for error. The changes worked, as the whole field went through the first corner without incidents.
Ralf Schumacher led the pack with a perfect start, while Montoya also had a flawless getaway and was able to overtake Raikkonen, who was third followed by Trulli, Michael Schumacher, Alonso, and Coulthard and Barrichello, who both lost out to the fast-starting Spanish Renault driver.
As usual at Monte Carlo and despite the clean start, there was some drama on the first lap courtesy of Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who was too aggressive when going over the new chicane after the swimming pool, his car flying straight into the barriers after using the kerb as a ramp. The damaged Sauber came to a stop in the middle of the road, and before the end of the lap the Safety Car was already on track.
With Trulli running considerably slower than the leading trio, it was not long before that gap was opened. By lap 10, Ralf and Montoya led Raikkonen by some three seconds, with Trulli almost seven behind. Like Schumacher, Coulthard also looked faster than the Renault in front of him, but with Alonso not making any mistakes there was no way for the Scot to find a way to overtake him before the pitstops.
The Williams duo continued in the lead as the first round of stops drew closer. Montoya began to apply pressure on Ralf, running less than half a second behind the German before he made his first pitstop on lap 21. Ralf returned to the track in eighth position after standing still for 7.8 seconds.
All Montoya needed to emerge ahead of Ralf was one clear lap, on which the Williams driver set the fastest time of the race so far before coming into the pits. He rejoined after 8.2 seconds right in front of his teammate, in a move that would prove vital for Montoya's aspirations.
Trulli was next to pit, leaving Michael Schumacher in the lead. The Ferrari driver was finally able to run in free air, immediately lowering his laptimes. His first free lap was his fastest of the race until that moment, and he followed it with another two flying laps before coming into the pits on lap 31. The three laps he ran without Trulli in front were enough to come back out in front of the Renault driver as well as his brother Ralf. Trulli was fifth ahead of Coulthard, Alonso and Barrichello, who continued to languish in eighth place after the first round of stops was completed.
At the top of the field, Montoya managed to open a comfortable gap to Raikkonen, with Schumacher following more than 14 seconds behind by the half point of the race. The Ferrari driver's pace was not good enough to close the gap to the leading duo, and Ralf was even moving nearer.
Behind the leaders, Trulli, Coulthard and Alonso formed a very tight group, although none could do anything to alter the running order. With little action on track the laps went by quietly, and the second round of pitstops began on lap 48 when Ralf came in for the second time. He was soon followed by Montoya, who had a lead of nearly five seconds to Raikkonen, the Colombian returning to the track in third place.
Raikkonen pitted four laps after Montoya, and although the Finn was flying before he dived into the pits, he emerged right behind the Colombian. Meanwhile, Trulli and Coulthard continued with their personal battle, which almost ended up in tears when they were inches from crashing in the pitlane after their second stop. As it was, Trulli managed to continue ahead of the frustrated Scot.
Schumacher finally made his second stop on lap 59, having managed to open a gap of around 11 seconds to Montoya. When he came back out, the German was some 12 behind the Williams driver.
Alonso was the last of the front runners to pit, having taken full advantage of his bigger fuel load to run free for some laps and jump ahead of Trulli and Coulthard after his pitstop, in which the Spaniard only changed his rear tyres.
After all the pitstops were completed Montoya was in the lead, followed by Raikkonen and Schumacher, who began to push to get closer to the top duo. Fifteen laps from the end, the gap to Montoya and Raikkonen began to decrease at a rate of around seven tenths per lap, and although it looked like Schumacher would be able to catch them, passing them would be a different story.
"I'm so happy, it's just unreal," said the delighted Colombian. "It wasn't only bringing this race to Williams but trying to get another win for myself. I was more concerned about that than Williams, to be honest, but as we are in the same team I guess it was well worth it."
Raikkonen had to settle for second - his fourth of the season - which was good enough to increase his Championship lead over Schumacher who, despite finishing less than two seconds behind the winner, was not so pleased with the result or the performance of his tyres.
"I think it is nothing to do with the car honestly," said the German. "There is no surprise if sometimes we don't win a race, that's the way it goes. In these certain conditions, probably it is fair to say that on the tyre side we didn't look too good this weekend. If you look at our pace we were not far off but we were not in front, and I would put that down to the tyres."
With the pressure to win again now off their shoulders, and with the Championship still open for everyone, Williams and Montoya will get to Canada - the half point of the season - wanting to prove that Monaco was not a fluke.
Lap 1: At the start of the race Jarno Trulli makes a good start but his progress is blocked by Kimi Raikkonen but the result of this is that Juan Pablo Montoya moves into second. Raikkonen is third ahead of Trulli, Michael Schumacher, a fast-starting Fernando Alonso, who overtakes David Coulthard and Rubens Barrichello. Further back Jacques Villeneuve drops behind Giancarlo Fisichella and Nick Heidfeld. At the exit of the Swimming Pool Heinz-Harald Frentzen hits the inside kerb and slides into the barriers on the outside. This results in a Safety Car being sent out.
Lap 5: The race restarts but the order remains unchanged.
Lap 11: The lead has remained at around two seconds, while Raikkonen closes in slightly. In the midfield Antonio Pizzonia retires from 14th place with an electrical problem.
Lap 14: Webber comes into the pits with a pneumatic problem on his engine. The team puts more air into the system and Webber rejoins in 15th place.
Lap 16: Ralf Schumacher has set four fastest laps in a row but Montoya is almost as quick and the gap remains at 1.6 seconds. Raikkonen is the same distance behind and then there is a six second gap back to Trulli and Michael Schumacher.
Lap 17: Webber pits and retires with the same pneumatic problem. Jaguar's afternoon of racing is over.
Lap 19: Montoya starts to pile on the pressure and moves to within one second of his team mate.
Lap 21: Ralf Schumacher comes into the pits for his first stop. Montoya goes into the lead. Ralf rejoins in eighth place.
Lap 22: Montoya sets the fastest lap of the race as he tries to gain an advantage over Ralf. Further back da Matta and Heidfeld both pit.
Lap 23: Montoya pits and emerges from the pits ahead of Ralf and in seventh place. Raikkonen moves into the lead.
Lap 24: Raikkonen is nearly 10 seconds ahead of Trulli and M Schumacher. There is then a gap back to Alonso, Coulthard and Barrichello. In the midfield Firman pits.
Lap 25: Raikkonen pits and Trulli moves into the lead but Michael Schumacher is right behind him. Further back Fisichella pits and drops from ninth to 11th.
Lap 27: Trulli pits and Michael takes the lead and gets a clear track for the first time. Also pitting in is Coulthard. Trulli rejoins in seventh place, behind Montoya but ahead of R Schumacher. Coulthard rejoins in eighth.
Lap 29: Michael Schumacher has set a series of fast laps to win back time. Alonso pits and falls back from second to eighth. At the back of the field Jos Verstappen pulls off and retires.
Lap 30: Barrichello, who has run second for a lap, pits and drops back to eighth place. In the midfield Villeneuve has his first pit stop. Justin Wilson retires with an engine problem.
Lap 31: Michael Schumacher finally pits. This puts Montoya back into the lead with Raikkonen second. Michael rejoins in third ahead of Ralf, Trulli and Coulthard.
Lap 43: The order has remained unchanged with Montoya edging gradually away from Raikkonen and both men pulling away from M Schumacher. R Schumacher is behind his brother but not offering much of a challenge. At the back of the field Heidfeld has his second pit stop. He drops behind Firman.
Lap 48: Ralf Schumacher stops for the second time. He drops back to eighth place.
Lap 49: Montoya pits. Raikkonen goes into the lead. Montoya rejoins behind Raikkonen and M Schumacher. Further back da Matta stops again.
Lap 53: Raikkonen has set a string of fastest laps to increase his lead to nearly 20 seconds. He pits and the lead passes to Michael Schumacher. Further back Ralf Schumacher makes a mistake at Rascasse and loses around 10 seconds but remains in eighth place.
Lap 54: Ninth-placed Villeneuve has his second pit stop and falls behind Fisichella.
Lap 55: Firman has his second stop and drops to 13th behind Heidfeld.
Lap 56: Trulli and Coulthard come in together after racing for most of the middle stint. Coulthard gets going faster but Trulli pulls out in front of him and so the order is unchanged. They rejoin seventh and eighth.
Lap 57: Fisichella is ninth when he comes in for his second pit stop He falls behind both Villeneuve and da Matta.
Lap 60: Barrichello comes into the pits and drops from fourth to eighth.
Lap 61: Alonso stops and his pit stop is fast enough to get him out ahead of Trulli and Coulthard and into fifth place behind Ralf Schumacher. The order is set but Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher are both charging to try to catch Montoya.
Lap 64: Ninth-placed Villeneuve retires with a mechanical failure. Da Matta moves up.
Lap 78: Montoya, Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher cross the line covered by 1.7 seconds. There is then a big gap back to Ralf Schumacher, who is followed home by Alonso and Trulli (who has Coulthard right behind him at the flag). Barrichello is eighth with da Matta a lap down in ninth and Fisichella 10th. The only other finishers are Heidfeld, Firman and Panis.
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