The FIA board created new rules to 2003 championship looking for more competitiveness, changing qualifying and creating an extra-test on Fridays (only for the teams who make an option to realize no more than one car 20 days testing during all the year, or two cars 10 days test). But these teams should make up their minds before the beginning of the championship. Jaguar, Jordan, Minardi and Renault did it. BAR, Ferrari, McLaren, Sauber, Toyota and Williams preferred the unlimited test, as they have stronger budgets and a great group of test-drivers. Some examples: Massa and Badoer (Ferrari), Zonta (Toyota), Wurz and DelaRosa (McLaren), Sperafico and Gene (Williams).
FIA also defined:
1 - the cars would stay in a "parc fermmé" after final qualifying, where the teams couldn`t refuel, change engine or tyres until the race. They could only check the systems for safety reasons
2 - new point system: 1 - 10, 2- 8, 3 - 6, 4 - 5, 5 - 4, 6 - 3, 7 - 2, 8- 1 point.
3 - new weekend format (local time):
Friday: 08:30 to 10:30: F1 extra-tests (for the teams who made the option)
11:00 to 12:00: Free Practice 1 (for all)
14:00 to 15:00: Qualifying 1 (just to define order to qualifying 2)
Saturday: 09:00 to 09:45: Free Practice 2 (for all)
10:15 to 11:00: Free Practice 3 (for all)
13:30 to 13:45: Warm-up
14:00 to 15:00: Qualifying
Sunday: 15:00 Race
4 - for Friday qualifying the driver will enter in the track alone, one by one, respecting the actual championship order - except for the first race, that would consider last year?s result to define entrance order. On Saturday the entrance order will be inverted: last time on Friday it would be the first to qualify. The following driver has 30 seconds to let the pit, starting at the moment the previous one crossed the line.
Constructors Engines Drivers Tyres
BAR Honda V-10 Button - Villeneuve Bridgestone
Ferrari Ferrari V-10 Barrichello - Schumacher Bridgestone
Jaguar Ford V-10 Pizzonia - Webber Michelin
Jordan Ford V-10 Fisichella - Firman Bridgestone
McLaren Mercerdes V-10 Coulthard - Raikkonen Michelin
Minardi Cosworth V-10 Verstappen - Wilson Bridgestone
Renault Renault V-10 Alonso - Trulli Michelin
Sauber Ferrari V-10 Frentzen - Heidefeld Bridgestone
Toyota Toyota V-10 Da Matta - Panis Michelin
Williams BMW V-10 Montoya - Schumacher R. Michelin
1- G.P. Australia
New rules, new qualifying format. None of them was capable to stop Ferrari´s supremacy. Schumacher was pole with Barrichello in second place. But in the race, the undefined weather defined the race result. Ferrari´s exceptional strategy failed this time. Different tyre choices for the teams: wet for BAR, McLaren, Minardi and Renault, intermediary for Ferrari, Jordan and Sauber, dry for Jaguar, Toyota and Williams. When the race started it seemed the Ferrari would have a Sunday drive again, but at 4th lap Barrichello made a rare mistake and crashed heavily. Following him at the same corner, Firman did the same, bringing the pace car to the track. This was the moment of the race, because Schumacher was 9 ? seconds ahead of Montoya and escaping?
When the green lights came, Montoya lead with Coulthard, Raikkonen following him. Schumacher dropped many positions, as he pit. The colombian lead easily until 8 laps to go, when he spun, giving a big gift for Coulthard.
Final standings: Coulthard 10 points, Montoya 8, Raikkonen 6 Schumacher 5, Trulli 4, Frentzen 3, Alonso 2, Schumacher R. 1.
2- G.P. Malaysia
Renault used very well the new rules and put both cars at the front row. Alonso (21 years old) scored the new youngest ever pole, beating Barrichello´s record (22 years at Belgium GP-1994), followed by Trulli, Schumacher, Coulthard, Barrichello, Heidefeld, Raikkonen and Montoya. At the green, Coulthard made a big jump fighting with Trulli for second, as Alonso lead. Schumacher tried to avoid Coulthard´s move, braking too late, touching Trulli´s Renault, who spun and squeezed Barrichello. Result: Schumacher danified his Ferrari?s nose, Trulli dropped to last, Barrichello to 6th. Also in the mass, Pizzonia was forced by Wilson and touched Montoya?s tail, smashing any chances of a good race for them. Fist lap: Alonso, Coulthard, Raikkonen, Heidefeld, Panis and Barrichello. At 3rd lap, Schumacher went to the pit: complete work for Ferrari, with a nose and tyre changes, with refuel in 9,6 seconds! Schumacher came back in last place, starting a fantastic recovering as he did last year.
Coulthard had a broken engine in the 2nd lap, so Raikkonen started to push very hard to catch Alonso. Barrichello make strong overtakes and was 3rd, but with 14 seconds margin behind the finn. After all the pits, Raikkonen took the lead and gave no chances to Barrichello, who surpassed the spain driver between the pits to arrive in 2nd place.
At the end, Raikkonen brilliant first victory, second in a row for McLaren, followed by Barrichello, Alonso, Schumacher R, Trulli, Schumacher, Button and Heidefeld.
Championship standings: Raikkonen 16, Coulthard 10, Montoya Barrichello Alonso Schumacher Trulli with 8 points each.
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