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The Top Drivers of 2003

The Top Races of 2003



    (AB)

1. Montoya; 2. Barrichello; 3. Raikkonen; 4. Webber; 5. M.Schumacher

I am sure most people think Michael Schumacher should be number one, but I have let personal preferences come in. I think Juan Pablo Montoya is good for the sport. He makes mistakes like the rest of them but always has a smile and is never boring or politically correct in his press conferences.

Kimi Raikkonen is a future World Champion and could have been one this year, while Mark Webber is another person who, in the right team, should get the title in the not too distant future.

Finally, Michael Schumacher has to be there as he got the famous sixth title and with the whole of the Ferrari team working just for him he would have looked a bit silly if he hadn't done it.

1. Britain; 2. Brazil; 3. Japan

Silverstone proved to me that overtaking was not dead. The mad man on the track was memorable and showed that luck can play an important part in our lives, as both him and the drivers who nearly hit him were very lucky. Sao Paulo was one of those edge-of-the-seat races that was like a bad movie. If Sylvester Stallone had come up with this script we would have said he was mad and wanted to produce another Driven.

As for Suzuka, I like it when the last race of the season is the Championship finale and am delighted that my early morning was not a waste of time and it was not a foregone conclusion after the first corner.


    (WG)

1. M.Schumacher; 2. Raikkonen; 3. Montoya; 4. Webber; 5. Villeneuve

Schumacher showed his ability to fight for a World Championship has not faded after two years of easy rides and entered the record books as the most successful driver in World Championship history. Need we say more?

Kimi Raikkonen lived up to his Ice Man nickname with consistent performances that could well have seen him champion if McLaren's car had not been based on a two-year-old machine by the end of the season. Montoya too showed his fighting spirit, scored a flagship win in Monaco and, perhaps surprisingly, kept his head to lead the Williams-BMW team as Ralf Schumacher fell off the championship road at the end (It is just a shame he lost his head in the United States).

Mark Webber outpaced both his teammates and placed himself firmly in the 'future star' category, while former World Champion Jacques Villeneuve deserves credit simply for battling on against adversity in a team that apparently did not even want him there.

1. Japan; 2. Brazil; 3. Britain

It is a credit to Formula One that so many races could happily nestle in the top three this year - Australia, for its thrilling turn-around of results at the start of the season; Italy, for the great Ferrari comeback; San Marino, for showing the emotional strength of the Schumacher brothers after their mother's tragic death.

My three choices show how Formula One in 2003 could be thrown right open by design (the new qualifying system), by weather, and by a mad man. Japan was a thrilling finale to the Grand Prix season. Raikkonen pushed all the way and Barrichello did all he needed to for Ferrari - but Schumacher still had to get his point because of the bad luck that so regularly befalls his Brazilian teammate. And the post-race party was one of the best. Brazil and Britain were just plain crazy.

  • Something to remember: The importance of the small teams, whose often emotional pleas for help to survive were rarely heeded by the bigger and better financed outfits.
  • Something to forget: World champion Michael Schumacher's over-exuberant and out-of-character celebrations in Japan that should never have been revealed by the press in the first place. He was much more controlled in the Karaoke.


    (RH)

1. M.Schumacher; 2. Raikkonen; 3. Montoya; 4. Barichello; 5. Button

This was not a vintage year for Michael Schumacher. Three early season mistakes, a lacklustre display in Hungary and an almost embarrassingly awful drive in Japan, an indication perhaps, that he is now in decline after so long at the top. Still, he did win most races and that cannot be ignored. Kimi Raikkonen impressed me more as the season progressed. Over the whole year his McLaren was seldom the class of the field yet he played the new point scoring system to his advantage and maintained his challenge to the end.

Juan Pablo Montoya's exciting overtaking moves reminded me just why I got hooked on motor racing in the first place and only a couple of unforced errors spoiled his season. In Britain and Japan Rubens Barrichello showed just what a talented a driver he is, but where was the consistency?

Jenson Button overcame the after-effects of his Monaco shunt and won the battle of 'head games' over his teammate Jacques Villeneuve in some style. In doing so he re-established himself as a frontline Formula One driver despite the limitations of his equipment.

1. Britain; 2. Brazil; 3. Monaco

Britain and Brazil were all about drama and surprises and those are the ingredients that linger in the memory. For once Monaco was an interesting race with the issue in doubt throughout and Montoya was a worthy winner.

  • Something to remember: The announcement that Spa is to return to the Grand Prix calendar
  • Something to forget: The delusional 'priest' dicing with death on Silverstone's Hangar Straight.


    (KL)

1. Raikkonen; 2. M.Schumacher; 3. Barrichello; 4. Montoya; 5. Alonso

The Ice Man defied all the pre-season predictions of a Schumacher vs Montoya battle to take the Championship down to the wire with his McLaren-Mercedes. He has that rare ability to take a car right to the edge without going over it - unspectacular at times, but awesomely effective.

Michael Schumacher drops to second in my ranking as a result of some unforced errors, while Rubens Barrichello ranks highly thanks to his convincing performances when the chips were down, taking Ferrari to the makes title. Juan Pablo Montoya was in the thick of things too, and Fernando Alonso is a great talent for the future. Number six would have to be Mark Webber, but he couldn't deny any of the top five their places.

1. Japan; 2. Britain; 3. Brazil

Japan was a barn-burner of a race that ended our season in fine style with the ultimate result always in doubt and great drives from Rubens, Kimi and the BAR racers. What a scene-setter for 2004! We had another fine race at Silverstone, and of course Brazil was a super race in spite of (or because of) an untimely retirement for Barrichello.

  • Something to remember: Battle between the Schumacher brothers in Canada — a race we just can't lose from the calendar, as well as the return of Renault as an important force.
  • Something to forget: The late-season squabbles over tires, as well as the disastrous year for ambitious Toyota.


    (DAC)

1. M.Schumacher; 2. Alonso; 3. Webber; 4. Raikkonen; 5. Montoya

Michael Schumacher proved that an old dog can vary his tricks, which helped him to yet another title. Fernando Alonso got as much out of the much improved Renault as could be asked, while Mark Webber got more from the Jaguar than could be expected. Kimi Raikkonen proved better than I thought he would be, and Juan Pablo Montoya ... well, he has the best press conferences in the paddock.

1. Japan; 2. Brazil; 3. Monaco

No one expected much from the season finale, given the point spread between Schumacher and Raikkonen; we were all so very wrong. Brazil was mayhem, but beautifully so. Monaco, as well as being a fantastically tight race, also happens to be in Monaco. And I was there. Monaco rocks.

  • Something to remember: Fisichella got a win! And it was a complete fluke! But it doesn't matter - he got a win! Chris Amon - here's your record back.
  • Something to forget: Man on track, Silverstone. In a kilt. Which he had to hold down. Oh dear.


    (RB)

1. Raikkonen; 2. Montoya; 3. M.Schumacher; 4. Alonso; 5. Webber

Kimi Raikkonen held his nerve superbly down the Championship stretch, with arguably the least competitive car of the Championship contenders. Juan Pablo Montoya enjoyed another year of excellent development. Michael Schumacher got the job done under enormous pressure, but faded relative to teammate Barrichello during the second half. Fernando Alonso was stunningly fast at some tracks, and his maiden win in Hungary was fully deserved. Mark Webber continues to impress despite not being in a Championship-challenging car.

1. Australia; 2. Europe; 3. USA

Australia provided the best season opener in years – multiple leaders, mistakes and a surprise winner in David Coulthard. At Nurburgring, Kimi Raikkonen's early pace for McLaren and Ralf Schumacher's eventual win for Williams gave notice that Ferrari weren't going to have things all their own way during the second half of the season. Even though the USGP all but sealed Michael Schumacher's sixth WDC crown, the unpredictable rain made for a tense and enthralling spectacle.

  • Something to remember: Fernando Alonso's maiden win in Hungary.
  • Something to forget: The kilted protester at Silverstone.


    (TO)

1. M.Schumacher; 2. Alonso; 3. Raikkonen; 4. Montoya; 5. Webber

Michael Schumacher winning it ugly in 2003 was lots more fun to watch than the coronation at Magny-Cours in 2002. Fernando Alonso, the Spanish Moss, surprised and thrilled us all season long, from his pole in Malaysia, to the bone-headed and horrrific accident that ended the Brazilian GP, to stalking the leaders in Barcelona, to turning fastest lap in Montreal and lapping even Michael at Hungary to make a little history of his own in the first of what will be many victories.

Kimi Raikkonen gets the Ron DenniSpeak "Optimizer" award for squeezing so much out of the MP4-17D, and his victory in Malaysia, his pole and awesome early laps out front at Nurburgring and his thrilling passes of cars amidst roostertails of rain on the front straightaway at Indianapolis are just a few of the exciting moves that seem to come so naturally to the most inexcitable Finn.

Montoya's crash with Barrichello at Turn 1 Indianapolis following a string of consistent podium performances marred what may turn out to be JPM's best shot ever to become World Drivers' Champion, so unpredictable are the vagaries of life at either Williams or McLaren. And finally, Mark Webber is plainly a comer, impressive as a person and as a driver, a user-friendly David Coulthard who is destined to become the British Commonwealth Champion whether he becomes WDC or not.

1. Australia; 2. Hungary; 3. Japan

A remarkable race Down Under in wet/dry conditions with Safety Car periods, penalties and the kind of dicing among Michelin and Bridgestone runners in damp conditions that was to foreshadow a competitive and happily inclement season. Hungary was the race of the future, with Alonso as the youngest GP winner ever at the top of the charts and Raikkonen and Montoya ending up on the podium with him while Michael Schumacher lanquished down in eighth place. And finally, Suzuka was a breathtaking I-can't-stand-to-watch kind of race given the circumstances.

  • Something to remember: The crisp engine note of Jacques Villeneuve's Honda V10 running all alone on the banking at Indianapolis, the place he first shone: the Last Hurrah?
  • Something to forget: The unbecoming win-at-all-costs threats by Ferrari to challenge the races won by Michelin runners, made all the more unattractive by the FIA backing them up.


    (PE)

1. M.Schumacher; 2. Raikkonen; 3. Alonso; 4. Montoya; 5. Barrichello

Michael Schumacher can never be underestimated. He may not have been as dominant as last season, but the way he recovered from a dismal streak of results to clinch his sixth title showed just why he is the best driver of his era.

Despite another title, however, there were signs that Schumacher's glory days are coming to an end, and that was confirmed by Kimi Raikkonen's and Fernando Alonso's performances. The Finn was flawless all year long and remained in the title hunt until the final race with a car that was hardly ever a match for the Ferrari or the Williams. The same applies to Alonso, who showed enormous amounts of coolness and maturity with an underpowered car. His chase behind Schumacher in Spain and his victory in Hungary demonstrated he has what it takes to handle the pressure.

Montoya had an outstanding mid-season which proved he is a much more mature driver. Unfortunately, a shaky start and his mistake in Indianapolis left him out of contention. Barrichello had his strongest season up to date, but as usual he attracted all the bad luck at Ferrari. Without that, he could have been up there too.

1. Britain; 2. Brazil; 3. USA

The British Grand Prix had it all, including six changes for the lead and, unfortunately, a track intruder that almost marred the race. Despite the confusion of the end result, Brazil's was a chaotic and action-packed race, and it also gave Giancarlo Fisichella a long overdue win. The United States Grand Prix was another excellent and exciting race, with Michael Schumacher at his best in the most difficult conditions.

  • Something to remember: Fernando Alonso lapping Michael Schumacher in Hungary. Eight different winners in a season.
  • Something to forget: The new qualifying and points systems. The track intruder at Silverstone.


    (DOC)

1. Montoya; 2. Alonso; 3. Raikkonen; 4. Webber; 5. Fisichella

While Michael Schumacher may have won the 2003 Drivers' Championship, he was far from the man that generated the heat during the season, Juan Pablo Montoya being the perhaps first among the near equals filling the first four places on my list. After that, it gets a tad difficult although I thought Justin Wilson added much to the otherwise dreary scene that is now the norm for F1 and its drivers these days. Initially, I decided not to have a fifth place, but found it difficult to overlook Giancarlo Fisichella. It was almost a tie with Rubens Barrichello and Cristiano da Matta being "right there" with Fisichella.

1. Brazil; 2. Australia; 3. Hungary

It was very difficult to pick three races from the 2003 F1 season which had any level of excitement or being worthy of note. Brazil and Australia quickly sprang to mind, but then it was almost impossible to select one form the remaining events. Finally, I picked Hungary since it gave the season another inaugural winner, Fernando Alonso.

  • Something to remember: Giancarlo Fisichella winning the Brazilian GP.
  • Something to forget: The false hopes the FIA generated in the off-season with their "rule changes" which simply had little real impact when it was all over, said and done.


    (MS)

1. M.Schumacher; 2. Raikkonen; 3. Alonso; 4. Barrichello; 5. Webber

Even though the domination wasn't as big as in 2002, Michael Schumacher still gets the vote for driver of the year, simply because he showed he could do it all under pressure too. Raikkonen and Alonso are runners up, because they showed Formula One has a bright future on the drivers side. Barrichello delivered very well as Ferrari's second driver, while Webber completes the list as the driver who got the most out of his limited car.

1. USA; 2. Japan; 3. Italy

Indianapolis provided action throughout, unlike any race in recent years. Suzuka was a weird race with the championship decision seemingly able to go either way all the time without anything actually happening. Monza was special because Ferrari and Schumacher came back under pressure to score and set a very important step to winning the title.

  • Something to remember: The Indianapolis race - without a doubt the most exciting race in recent history.
  • Something to forget: The idiot on the track at Silverstone.


    (ML)

1. Raikkonen; 2. M.Schumacher; 3. Montoya; 4. Alonso; 5. Barrichello

Norbert Haug is right: Kimi Raikkonen has put on the performance of the season. Even if rarely spectacular, his consistency was second to none, making very few mistakes and extracting the maximum from a slightly underdeveloped car. It would have been a travesty had he won the Championship with only a fraction of Schumacher's wins, but it was no fault of his if the system was more rewarding of consistency than sheer performance.

Michael Schumacher had a difficult season: he made lots of mistakes, suffered from often underperforming tyres, and was outperformed by his teammate more than ever before. Despite all that, he managed to win three times as many races as anyone else, some of them under intense pressure, and claimed another deserved Championship.

Montoya had a pretty good season: he fell out of the title race only at the last hurdle, and while he made a few costly errors, he was consistent and aggressive, putting on some flawless performances. Alonso has been this year's revelation: fast, confident, intelligent and lucky, setting pole positions and even winning. Barrichello's fortunes changed radically throughout the season: from the bad luck in Brazil to the fine victories of Silverstone and Suzuka.

1. Britain; 2. Australia; 3. Austria

With so many passes and lead changes in a dry race, the British Grand Prix was nothing short of extraordinary. The track intruder certainly played a part in that, and luckily no one was hurt. With some help from the weather Australia was, after domination by Ferrari in 2002, the race that gave everyone good hopes for the new season. Austria was a reminder of vintage Schumacher: with both rain and spilt oil giving massive scares, and especially the pitstop fire, he still managed to win, at last on merit at Spielberg.

  • Something to remember: Fisichella's long-overdue victory.
  • Something to forget: The points system and the qualifying system.


    (MB)

1. M.Schumacher; 2. Raikkonen; 3. Montoya; 4. Alonso; 5. da Matta

None of the drivers were impressive during the entire year but if one ignores the bad races then only one can be on top and that is the world champion. With his drives in the San Marino Grand Prix after his mom died, the Austrian Grand Prix where he was set on fire and the comeback in the Italian Grand Prix after Hungary, Michael Schumacher earned the number one spot in my list.

1. USA; 2. Britain; 3. Brazil

Most of the races this year have been enjoyable but these three races had all the drama a classic race need. A championship turn around, heavy rain and a lunatic on track made these races but even without those things happening the races had everything in it to be good. The United States Grand Prix comes out on top because it decided what the sport is all about: the World Championship.

  • Something to remember: The first wins of Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso.
  • Something to forget: The tyre debacle after the Hungarian Grand Prix.


    (RK)

1. Montoya; 2. Raikkonen; 3. Alonso; 4. M.Schumacher; 5. Webber

Montoya and Raikkonen were the only top drivers to hold consistently good races all season, Raikkonen sometimes slipping up in qualifying with Montoya saving his errors for race day, but both always on the pace. Montoya gets the nod for being again the most entertaining driver to watch and the most probable World Champion of 2004.

Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher produced some of the best performances this season but they were also sometimes badly outpaced by their teammates. Finally, although the jury is still out on whether Jaguar can adequately support two cars, there is no denying that Mark Webber is the most promising driver outside a top car.

1. Britain; 2. Australia; 3. Austria

It is difficult to choose the best race of this vintage season, but Silverstone produced a blinder of a race without a single raindrop falling from the sky. Melbourne was on the verge of being too chaotic but straddled the line perfectly unlike Brazil, while Austria produced drama aplenty.

  • Something to remember: Monaco. The return of a team and two drivers that nearly everyone had discounted at the start of the season.
  • Something to forget: Tyregate.


    (TK)

1. M.Schumacher; 2. Raikkonen; 3. Montoya; 4. Alonso; 5. Webber

It is often tough to decide who had the best seasons, given the different packages available to the drivers, but Schumacher and Raikkonen both made the most of their equipment throughout the season, with very few mistakes and plenty of commitment - they both had excellent seasons. Montoya was always exciting to watch, with his occassional mistakes adding to the uncertainty of the outcome... but his willingness to take anyone on was a joy to watch. Meanwhile, both Alonso and Webber had impressive seasons, demonstrating they have the potential to be the stars of the future.

1. Britain; 2. Europe; 3. Brazil

The British Grand Prix was a fantastic race, with good overtaking, including for the lead, and drivers challenging to overtake all along the grid: it summed up what the sport is about. The European GP was memorable, with Villeneuve fighting Minardis, Coulthard being brake tested by Alonso, and a Williams revival marked by Montoya taking Michael Schumacher on the outside of a corner and Ralf Schumacher winning a solid race. The mayhem of Brazil, from rivers on the track to Alonso's huge accident and Fisichella's win, was a race that will be remembered for a long time.

  • Something to remember: Overtaking for the lead - in the dry!
  • Something to forget: The idiot on the track at Silverstone.


    (BT)

1. Raikkonen; 2. M.Schumacher; 3. Montoya; 4. Alonso; 5. Webber

It was disappointing for me that Kimi Raikkonen did not win the Championship this year, because I think that he so richly deserved the title. True, he doesn't have the number of wins that Michael Schumacher has, but then, he didn't have the Ferrari either. In a year when all the top contenders dropped the ball at least once or twice, I thought that Raikkonen was also impressive for a consistency which belies his youth.

Michael Schumacher was less than his normal dominant self - but in the end got the job done. He really should have been able to wrap this championship up sooner, but several uncharacteristically mediocre performances guaranteed that he couldn't clinch until the final race.

It was unfortunate for Montoya that once again reliability and a questionable penalty (again) compromised his run for the title. Despite that, he was in it until the second last race. Both Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber were brilliant this year. Given their relative lack of experience, one can forgive them some inconsistency, but regardless, their good performances more than made up for their lacklustre ones.

1. Hungary; 2. Brazil; 3. Britain

It's always exciting to see someone win their first race, and Alonso's win at Hungary was all the more special given his extreme youth and the dominant style in which he did it. Lapping the soon to be 6 times World Champion was a nice touch! Brazil was exciting simply for it's unpredictability, and the British Grand Prix may have been made exciting for the wrong reasons but it showed us that passing can indeed still be a part of Formula One.

  • Something to remember: Alonso's maiden win - one of many to follow.
  • Something to forget: Jacques Villeneuve's unsatisfactory ending with BAR.


    (DW)

1. M.Schumacher; 2. Raikkonen; 3. Alonso; 4. Barrichello; 5. Webber

Somehow Michael Schumacher did it again, and though his final race was far from his finest, he took six wins along the way to make it four consecutive titles. One driver that was in the title fight all year was Kimi Raikkonen, who showed impressive speed all year long.

Young Spaniard Fernando Alonso was another driver to shine, pushing for victory in Spain before claiming his debut victory at the Hungaroring. Rubens Barrichello showed last season was no fluke, grabbing two wins along the way to helping secure both titles at the final round. Finally, Mark Webber showed his debut season with Minardi was no fluke as he scored strong points on his way to outclassing both his teammates.

1. Britain; 2. Brazil; 3. Canada

With passing aplenty, a couple of safety cars and a track invader, the British Grand Prix had just about everything. Brazil was similar, with rain turning turn three into a disaster area and the final result into somewhat of a lottery, with the (eventual) winner's car catching fire in parc ferme. Canada showed that having the fastest car wasn't necessarily the most important thing, rather it was most important to be first across the line!

  • Something to remember: The fluctuating fortunes of the leading teams, leading to a close battle for the championship.
  • Something to forget: The clarification regarding tyre width.


    (MJ)

1. Alonso; 2. Raikkonen; 3. Webber; 4. M.Schumacher; 5. Barrichello

This year saw the passing of the flame to the new generation. Fears of two years ago of a post-Schumacher talent gulf in Formula One have been well and truly laid to rest. Yes, Schumacher's achievement is without parallel, but somehow I was left with the impression that none of the big guns of recent years really drove to their ability for the full season. Fernando Alonso certainly did. While Hungary leaps forward it was a season of deeds as much as that one race.

Kimi Raikkonen gets voted for keeping the season alive as long as he did with the equipment he had. Mark Webber's brilliant qualifying pace and his ability to get people to take a green car seriously for the first time since the tartan stripe was peeled from the cars. Michael Schumacher won six races, and his drive at Indy reminded us all that cometh the hour, cometh the man. Rubens Barrichello for having a better season than a first look indicates. Or a second look in my case.

1. USA; 2. Britain; 3. Hungary

On afternoon in Indiana, with everything to play for, one driver won the World Championship, and another driver lost it. It was a race that had everything. Swinging fortunes, the drama of the title won and lost, how three drivers reacted under the phenomenal pressure. Silverstone for one of the legendary British Grand Prix races that seems to happen more often than at other circuits. And Hungary, because I loved watching Alonso blossom with such style.

  • Something to remember: Webber's Superpole lap at Interlagos.
  • Something to forget: The continuing shuffle of Grand Prix venues, and the politics surrounding it.


    (CS)

1. Raikkonen; 2. M.Schumacher; 3. Montoya; 4. Trulli; 5. Button

Putting Kimi Raikkonen first might not be the obvious choice, but you rarely got the feeling he could be discounted in either the race or qualifying, as the Finn often pushed right through to the end, with only his car limiting his ability to win more races or lift the crown. Michael Schumacher comes second, largely because during the mid season he appeared to lack motivation, being all too happy to play the damage limitation game.

Juan Pablo Montoya was chosen solely for his flashes of brilliance during qualifying laps or overtaking manoeuvres in the races. Fourth could easily have been either of the Renault drivers, but while Alonso deserves a huge amount of credit, his teammate's resolve never suffered in the shadow of the rising star, and Trulli's race drives finally matched his qualifying performances. I finally chose Jenson Button in place of Mark Webber, on account of Jenson's performance in the face of the pressure from Jacques Villeneuve and the media.

1. Britain; 2. USA; 3. Brazil

I chose three races with mixed wet-dry conditions, each of them provided fantastic races with overtaking in both wet and dry segments of the race. Silverstone in particular provided amazing amount of spectacular overtaking, Indianapolis a strategic nightmare for the team bosses and Brazil one of the biggest race shunts of recent times.

  • Something to remember: Minardi taking P1 and P2 in the drying Friday session in France.
  • Something to forget: Jordan joining Minardi as the poorest performing chassis in F1.


    (MG)

1. M.Schumacher; 2. Raikkonen; 3. Webber; 4. Barrichello; 5. Alonso

Michael Schumacher didn't have as dominant a mechanical package as he has done in recent years, but he won the races that were there to be won, and maximised any opportunities that arose - and that's how you win championships. Kimi Raikkonen made few mistakes other than an occasionally disappointing qualifying result, and very nearly took out the title in what is effectively a two-year-old car.

Mark Webber routinely dragged the Jaguar into places that it really had no right to be at, scored all but one of the team's points, and just about ruined the careers of two highly-rated teammates. Meanwhile, Rubens Barrichello once again played the perfect rear-gunner role for Ferrari, and picked up a couple of dominant victories along the way. Finally, Fernando Alonso proved that along with Raikkonen and Webber the future of F1 is in good hands.

1. Brazil; 2. Monaco; 3. Hungary

Brazil may not have been pretty, but nothing came close to it in terms of pure entertainment all year. Anything that could happen, did. Monaco was memorable for being one of the surprisingly rare occasions where each of the 'big three' teams had a car battling for the lead right down to the last lap. And while Hungary wasn't so spectacular in pure racing terms, Alonso's complete domination was extraordinary. What a way to win your first Grand Prix!

  • Something to remember: Eight different winners in one season. Happy days are here again.
  • Something to forget: Williams, who did a miraculous job to produce a competitive package after a discouraging start to the season, only to have their drivers do everything in their power to make sure the championship slipped through their fingers.


    (PR)

1. Raikkonen; 2. M.Schumacher; 3. Barrichello; 4. Montoya; 5. Alonso

Kimi Raikkonen drove an astounding season, scoring points and collecting 10 podiums in what was technically an old car. A mature drive from a man who is still young in his years, but not in his actions. Michel Schumacher's 6 wins stand out and prove he is still the man to beat, even when a small blip in results mid season raised questions.

Rubens Barrichello showed everyone at Silverstone that when it all goes his way, he can perform at the highest level. Juan Pablo Montoya suffered a disappointing 3rd place, but should learn from defeat to improve further next year. And finally Fernando Alonso, scoring his first ever win at Hungary in what was one of the most dominant drives of the year. 2003, the year future World Champions took the current World Champion to the wire.

1. Britain; 2. Australia; 3. Japan

My race of the year is Silverstone. A race that saw a flood of passing and outstanding performances. Rubens Barrichello scored what is possibly his best win. Australia began the season in style, with a close battle that sadly ended far too early. Japan saw the crowning of the first ever six times World Champion and will forever stand as the race the record fell to Michael Schumacher.

  • Something to remember: Michael Schumacher winning his 6th World Championship.
  • Something to forget: The dispute over the legality of the Michelin tyres.


    (BG)

1. Raikkonen; 2. Montoya; 3. Alonso; 4. M.Schumacher; 5. Webber

The 2003 season didn't see one single driver stand out above all others, but it had plenty of sparks and surprises. For my pick, I chose the drivers who either surprised me or lived up to my expectations. Kimi Raikkonen did both: I expected him to shine, but I didn't expect him to maintain a Championship challenge year-long. For that, he wins my vote as the driver of the year.

Juan Pablo Montoya was a close second but one or two rather cardinal mistakes put him as runner up to Raikkonen. Fernando Alonso was simply refreshing to watch - as was Mark Webber. And Michael Schumacher is included in between them because he did win more than others and did get the job done. A special mention must go to Rubens Barrichello, who had his best season since joining Ferrari four years ago.

1. Brazil; 2. Britain; 3. Japan

The Brazilian Grand Prix wasn't necessarily the best race of the season, but it was certainly one of the most dramatic and memorable events in recent F1 history! Rain, suspense, controversy, surprising winner, heartbreaks - Sao Paulo had it all, and gets my pick as the race of the year. In similar fashion, a fruitcake and a typical British summer weather concoted to make the British Grand Prix the most entertaining race of the year. My final choice is Japan, simply because it's been years since I felt on the verge of a nervous breakdown by just watching a Grand Prix!

  • Something to remember: Montoya's extremely dominant win in Germany.
  • Something to forget: Schumacher's extremely weak race in Japan.



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