Masta Valsattis - A Latvian Adventure...

[AdrianSutil]

Masta Valsattis' Virtual Career.

I will be using F1 2003, F1 2004, F1 2005, F1 2006 and F1 2010 for this challenge. There's aslo a few changes to spice things up.

* I'm bringing the 107% rule back in, starting in 2003. In 2003, the first qualifying session wont count, and any driver slower than 107% in second qualifying session will have their results removed. When the three qualifying sessions take place, the same rule applies to the 2011 season, only times slower in Q1 will see drivers eliminated.

* I will stick with F1 06 until 2010. This means Super Aguri will remain until the end of 2009.

* Points have been altered to the 2010 rule : 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1. Just to spice things up as most of the games don't give the smaller teams a chance of points.









PRE-SEASON:

With most of the top seats already filled, attention turns to the drivers at the back of the field, where rookies and pay drivers are expected to fill the empty spaces. Jordan were the first team to announce their driver line-up, Giancarlo Fisichella being paired with Latvian rookie, Masta Valsattis. Jaguar announced Antonio Pizzonia alongside Mark Webber whilst Minardi signed the experienced Jos Verstappen to partner rookie British driver, Justin Wilson. Toyota signed Cristiano Da Matta to partner Olivier Panis, after the Brazilians excellent showing in American racing. With the first race in under two weeks away in Australia. All eyes will be on the new drivers, and weather they can cut it at the top.

Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro:
Michael Schumacher
Rubens Barrichello

West McLaren Mercedes:
David Coulthard
Kimi Raikkonen

Mild Sever Renault F1 Team:
Fernando Alonso
Jarno Trulli

BMW.Williams F1 Team:
Juan-Pablo Montoya
Ralf Schumacher

Sauber Petronas:
Heinz-Harald Frentzen
Nick Heidfeld

Panasonic Toyota:
Olivier Panis
Cristiano Da Matta

Jordan Ford:
Giancarlo Fisichella
Masta Valsattis

Jaguar Racing:
Mark Webber
Antonio Pizzonia

Lucky Strike BAR Honda:
Jenson Button
Jacques Villeneuve

Trust Minardi Cosworth:
Jos Verstappen
Justin Wilson

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Pre-Season Test - Barcelona:

Ferrari, McLaren and Williams spend all afternoon trading places at the top of the timesheets, with Barrichello ending the day as the quickest driver with a lap time in the 1:14s. The Schumacher brothers were next, with Ralf the quicker. Coulthard was 4th, with the Renault drivers of Trulli and Alonso 5th and 6th. Jordan proved to be more competitive then first thought, Fisichella 11th and Valsattis 14th. Toyota, Jaguar and Minardi occupied the last 6 places by a considerable margain, making it a tough season ahead for the three teams.

Pre-Season Test - Silverstone:

Heavy rain limited the running for several drivers, as only a handful made the attempt to set times. With the season only a week away, the last thing teams wanted was expensive repair bills. Only 6 drivers made lap times, with the Renault of Alonso being the quickest.

1. F.Alonso 1:32.453
2. O.Panis 1:33.269
3. M.Valsattis 1:33.794
4. J.Verstappen 1:34.814
5. A.Pizzonia 1:34.913
6. J.Wilson 1:36.213

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[AdrianSutil]

Round One - Australia.

Practice:

The session, an hour long, was dry and warm throughout. The Ferrari pair of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello lead the way at the top, and only the McLaren of David Coulthard was able to get a lap time under 1:26. With a season planned to be dominated by Ferrari, McLaren, Williams and Renault, the BAR Honda pair of Villeneuve and Button completed the top 10. At the other end of the timesheets, debutants Da Matta was 16th, Wilson 18th and Valsattis 20th, managing only 4 laps before an engine failure put paid to his testing.

1. M.Schumacher 1:25.639
2. R.Barrichello 1:25.709
3. D.Coulthard 1:25.998

13. G.Fisichella 1:28.022

18. J.Wilson 1:29.886
19. J.Verstappen 1:30.024
20. M.Valsattis 1:32.423

Qualifying:

The first few minutes of qualifying were dry, but with the threat of rain lurking, every driver except Jarno Trulli, Jacques Villeneuve and Montoya went out for a banker lap and they paid the ultimate price, qualifying at the very back after the rain made its appearance in the second minute. Drivers desperately tried to get round the track and the Ferrari team were the best at it, Barrichello getting ahead of Michael Schumacher to lock out the front row. Valsattis shocked everyone with the 3rd quickest time, whilst team-mate Fisichella ended up 7th. Minardi were delighted with their times, Verstappen and Wilson ending the session 10th and 11th.

1. Barrichello 1:32.568
2. M.Schumacher 1:32.986
3. Valsattis 1:33.436

7. Fisichella 1:35.456

18. Montoya 1:44.234
19. Villeneuve 1:45.783
20. Trulli 1:48.653

Race:

With a topsy-turvy grid, there was bound to be plenty of action. The Ferrari's led away well, whilst Frentzen and Raikkonen got passed Valsattis at turn 3. The youngster fell further back, as first Coulthard and then Fisichella demoted him to 7th. Alonso made the best start, moving from 15th to 10th. Going into lap 2, and Alonso moves up the inside of Pizzonia for 9th, but both cars touch and its game over for the two drivers. Heidfeld and Button move past Valsattis for 7th and 8th, demoting the Jordan driver to 9th. Verstappen is 10th and already holding up those behind him, lapping alomst 3 seconds a lap slower than the Jordan ahead of him. The Toyota's of Da Matta and Panis are running at the tail of the field, just behind the Jaguar of Mark Webber.
Into lap 4, and as the three at the front pull away together, a small train is forming behind Frentzen's Sauber in 4th. Coulthard, Fisichella and Button are all following closely. Heidfeld now has the attention of Valsattis behind, as they battle for 8th. Verstappen meanwhile, continues to run in 10th place.
Into lap 9, and Valsattis puts a beautiful move on Heidfeld at the final hairpin to move up into 8th place, and immediately begins to close the gap to Button infront, who is still following the Frentzen train. Verstappen in 10th, has Ralf Schumacher's Williams for company and a few seconds back is his team-mate Montoya, fighting with Justin Wilson for 12th. Trulli has also moved up well, running behind Montoya in 14th. 15th and 16th are Villeneuve and Webber, with the Toyotas of Da Matta and Panis 17th and 18th. Pizzonia and Alonso remian the only two drivers to have retired.
By lap 19, Valsattis has caught up to the back of Button's BAR as a large plume of smoke erupts from the second Renault of Trulli. He had been running as high as 10th during the stops, but his, and Renault's race, was over. The leaders all made their stops and rejoined ahead of Frentzen in 4th. The midfielders had already made their stops and Coulthard was unable to jump the Sauber fo Frentzen, thanks to overshooting his pitbox. Ralf Schumacher had finally got past the Minardi of Verstappen and began to close the gap to Heidfeld's Sauber in 9th at a very quick rate. The Toyota's were still circulating at the rear of the field, with the second Minardi of Wilson still doing brilliantly in 12th place.
On lap 30, Valsattis took advanmtage of a mistake from Button to move the second Jordan up to 7th place. With the Irish team fighting for 5th place in the constructors title, which was effectively division 2, 6th and 7th would bring a lot of points. Sauber were dealt a blow a lap later though, as Nick Heidfeld suffered gearbox failure whilst 9th, promoting Ralf Schumacher and Jos Verstappen into the points. Could Minardi score points again at Australia, just like last year?
Lap 41, and Valsattis was right behind Fisichella, but he was happy to stay there, keeping a good gap to Button behind. There was carnage at the front of the field though, as Barrichello's engine blew on the run down to turn 3 on lap 42, spraying oil all over the track. Whilst Schumacher was close enough to avoid it, Raikkonen hit the oil unsighted and speared straight off into the wall. Both cars were out, which left an amazed Michael Schumacher to lead the field by a massive 35 seconds over Frentzen and Coulthard, who were battling for 2nd place. The Jordan team were now running 4th and 5th, an excellent showing, with Button now 6th. Ralf Schumacher was now up to 7th place, with the Minardi pair of Verstappen and Wilson an unbelievable 8th and 9th. Montoya was 10th. Minardi were now clutching strays though, as although Verstappen was several seconds ahead of Wilson, he had lost 4th gear.
With only a handful of laps remaining, Schumacher had lapped everyone up to 8th placed Verstappen and began to easy off, knowing victory was only a few minutes away. Frentzen has pulled a slight gap out over Coulthard, thanks to the McLaren's tyre wear. Fisichella and Valsattis were together in 4th and 5th, looking to bring home a massive collection of points. Button was in 6th and under pressure from a recovering Ralf Schumacher in 7th. Verstappen was in 8th, 3 seconds ahead of Wilson and Montoya in 9th and 10th. Villeneuve, Webber, Panis and Da Matta completed the field. Da Matta had been lapped twice thanks to an extra pitstop to replace the steering wheel.
Michael Schumacher won the Australian Grand Prix by nearly a full minute form Frentzen and Coulthard. Jordan were ecstatic at their 4th and 5th, as were Minardi, who finished the race in 8th and 10th, Montoya having passed Wilson with two laps remaining. With both jordan and Minardi knowing normal service will be resumed in Malaysia, it was their chance to savouir the moment.

CLASSIFICATION:

1. M.Schumacher
2. H-H. Frentzen
3. D.Coulthard
4. G.Fisichella
5. M.Valsattis
6. J.Button
7. R.Schumacher
8. J.Verstappen +1 LAP
9. JP.Montoya +1 LAP
10. J.Wilson +1 LAP
11. J.Villeneuve +1 LAP
12. O.Panis +1 LAP
13. M.Webber +1 LAP
14. C.Da Matta +2 LAPS

DRIVERS STANDINGS:

1. M.Schumacher 25
2. HH.Frentzen 18
3. D.Coulthard 15
4. G.Fisichella 12
5. M.Valsattis 10
6. J.Button 8
7. R.Schumacher 6
8. J.Verstappen 4
9. JP.Montoya 2
10. J.Wilson 1

CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP:

1. Ferrari 25
2. Jordan 22
3. Sauber 18
4. McLaren 15
5. BAR 8
6. Williams 8
7. Minardi 5

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[AdrianSutil]

Round Two - Malaysia

Practice:

Conditions were bright and warm, although the threat of rain was going to be around all weekend. Normal service was resumed for Malaysia, with Fearri, McLaren and Williams topping the top 6 places at the end of the session. Trulli and Alonso were 7th and 8th, although only half a second ahead of Button and Villeneuve in the BAR's. Jordan and Minardi crashed back down to Earth with a bump, ending the session in 16th, 18th, 19th and 20th places.

1. R.Barrichello 1:34.563
2. M.Schumacher 1:34.789
3. JP.Montoya 1:35.023

15. M.Webber 1:37.457
16. M.Valsattis 1:37.632
17. C.Da Matta 1:38.334
18. G.Fisichella 1:38.675

Qualifying:

Conditions were best described as awful, heavy rain and poor lighting for the drivers. Still, the hour session went ahead. It was Montoya and Coulthard who claimed the front row, the Williams driver completing a lap of 1:49.547. Barrichello and Raikkonen were on row 2, Michael Schumacher and Alonso on row 3, and Trulli and Button on row 4. Fisichella was 11th for Jordan but his teammate fared poorly, ending the session 19th, only ahead of Villeneuve who spun out on his first lap and failed to record a time. Minardi were 17th and 18th.

1. JP.Montoya 1:49.547
2. D.Coulthard 1:49.968
3. R.Barrichello 1:50.564

11. G.Fisichella 1:53.671

18. J.Wilson 1:56.234
19. M.Valsattis 1:57.252
20. J.Villeneuve No Time


Race:

10 minutes before the race was due to start, it was announced it was begin behind the safety car, due to the heavy rain. Extreme wets were the way to go, and at the beginning of lap 3, the safety car pulled into the pits and the cars began the race. Barrichello and Michael Schumacher immediately took the top 2 places, with Montoya dropping back to 3rd and Raikkonen moving up to 4th. Coulthard dropped down to 5th, ahead of Trulli, Button, Alonso, Ralf Schumkacher and Fisichella. Villeneuve moved up to 16th and Wilson dropped back to 20th and last. Valsattis was also enjoting the wet conditions, and moved past Da Matta for 16th on lap 4. Villeneuve slowly made his way through the field and found himself behind Frentzen in 12th on lap 6, passing Pizzonia into turn 1.
Fisichella became the first retirment, spinning out of 10th on lap 9, which elevated Frentzen into the points for Sauber. As Barrichello and Schumacher pulled away at the front, Valsattis passed first Pains, then Webber on lap 13, to move into 13th place, just behind Pizzonia in the leading Jaguar. Da Matta became the second driver to fall four of the poor conditions, spinning out on lap 16 whilst running 14th.
On lap 20, Valsattis' run in 12th place ended with suspension failure, on the same lap as Raikkonen retired with throttle problems. Barrichello and Michael Schumacher continued to pull away from Coulthard and Montoya, so much so, when the Ferrari drivers made their only stop on laps 32 and 33, they still rejoined at the front of the field. Jos Verstappen retired on lap 38 with engine failure and was soon joined on the sidelines by Jaguar driver Pizzonia, who spun on Verstappen's oil a lap later.
With only a few laps remianing, Nick Heidfeld, who was running a strong 7th, suffered a puncture which dropped him to the back of the field but promoted his team-mate to 10th.



CLASSIFICATION:

1. R.Barrichello
2. M.Schumacher
3. D.Coulthard
4. JP.Montoya
5. J.Trulli
6. F.Alonso
7. J.Button
8. R.Schumacher
9. J.Villeneuve
10. HH.Frentzen +1 LAP
11. M.Webber +1 LAP
12. O.Panis +1 LAP
13. J.Wilson +1 LAP
14. N.Heidfeld +2 LAPS

DRIVERS STANDINGS:

1. M.Schumacher 43
2. D.Coulthatd 30
3. R.Barrichello 25
4. HH.Frentzen 19
5. JP.Montoya 14
6. J.Button 14
7. G.Fisichella 12
8. M.Valsattis 10
9. J.Trulli 10
10. R.Schumacher 10
11. F.Alonso 8
12. J.Verstappen 4
13. J.Villeneuve 2
14. J.Wilson 1

CONSTRUCTORS STANDINGS:

1. Ferrari 68
2. McLaren 30
3. Williams 24
4. Jordan 22
5. Sauber 19
6. Renault 18
7. BAR 16
8. Minardi 5

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[Wizzie]

Can anyone at Toyota confirm or deny the rumours that test driver Sammy Jones is about to get a promotion after their dismal start to the year?

[AdrianSutil]

Toyota Press Release:

"We have total confidence in out two drivers to compete for regular points. The rumours of Sammy Jones joining are false. Whilst we do appreciate other drivers being interested in our team, we are not looking for a replacement at this time."

I haven't got a problem with members drivers entering the career, but it's too soon. Anyone who wishes to put their virtual driver in a car are more than welcome to apply. Also, questions and rumours about Valsattis are welcome at any time.

[eurobrun]

Rumours are that Australian Jason Hamilton will drive for Sauber in 2004.

[Stramala]

There have been rumours circling the paddock that the two Minardi drivers are already struggling to stump up cash. Rumour has it two pay drivers, one a Hungarian named Zsolt Baumgartner, and Scot by the name of Phil McCracken, are monitoring the situation at Minardi, looking to pounce if their drivers do indeed run out of cash.

[Wizzie]

McCracken might just be out-trumped by F3000 driver and Ferrari young driver Daniel Melrose whose rumoured to have upwards of $20 million in his back pocket

[Klon]

McCracken might just be out-trumped by F3000 driver and Ferrari young driver Daniel Melrose whose rumoured to have upwards of $20 million in his back pocket

I'd be in favour of that - I refuse to accept your Minardi season as F1 Rejects Universe (?) canon, so it would be nice to have some believeable results.

[Wizzie]

McCracken might just be out-trumped by F3000 driver and Ferrari young driver Daniel Melrose whose rumoured to have upwards of $20 million in his back pocket

I'd be in favour of that - I refuse to accept your Minardi season as F1 Rejects Universe (?) canon, so it would be nice to have some believeable results.

Silence you. I'm just better than Mr Lon would ever be

(Although it was definitely helped by the Minardi being a lot easier to drive than I thought it would be. Then again, all Minardi cars in GP4 are like that.)

[Klon]

Silence you. I'm just better than Mr Lon would ever be

(Although it was definitely helped by the Minardi being a lot easier to drive than I thought it would be. Then again, all Minardi cars in GP4 are like that.)

Pah, I got teams falling over themselves trying to hire me, whereas you might be replaced by Jack "Dr. I Am Old And Useless" Christopherson!

(Really, that's nothing personal, but once it involves fighting for a championship in a car below fifth-best, my willing suspension of disbelief is damaged beyond repair - so it's the same for McKane)

[Wizzie]

Silence you. I'm just better than Mr Lon would ever be

(Although it was definitely helped by the Minardi being a lot easier to drive than I thought it would be. Then again, all Minardi cars in GP4 are like that.)

Pah, I got teams falling over themselves trying to hire me, whereas you might be replaced by Jack "Dr. I Am Old And Useless" Christopherson!

(Really, that's nothing personal, but once it involves fighting for a championship in a car below fifth-best, my willing suspension of disbelief is damaged beyond repair - so it's the same for McKane)

You run your mouth like you're some sort of big shot like Melrose. (5 points if you get the reference) Well listen here, once you win 4 championships and put your money where you mouth is, then I'll think you're worth all the hype.

(At least I tried to make some credible back story with Stoddy actually knowing what to do with all the Ferrari millions being pumped into the team and it's not my fault Ferrari themselves were as useless at the start of the year as they were. )

[Stramala]

McCracken might just be out-trumped by F3000 driver and Ferrari young driver Daniel Melrose whose rumoured to have upwards of $20 million in his back pocket

This is a CONSPIRACY by the F1RWRS Commission! They have invented time-travel to go back and make sure Melrose is favoured and anything connected to Scuderia Alitalia is barged out of motor racing completely! They are obsessed with destorying Scuderia Alitalia! The bastards!

[AdrianSutil]

Round Three - Brazil:

Practice:

Conditions for practice were warm and sunny. Once again, Ferrari topped the morning timesheets, with Barrichello setting a lap time 6 tenths clear of team-mate Michael Schumacher. The McLaren's of Raikkonen and Coulthard were 3rd and 4th, whilst the Toyota of Panis was a surprise 5th. At the other end, Ralf Schumacher struggled to find a good set-up and could only manage 16th, one place ahead of Valsattis' Jordan.

1. R.Barrichello 1:07.752
2. M.Schumacher 1:08.364
3. K.Raikkonen 1:08.463

11.G.Fisichella 1:09.853

16. R.Schumacher 1:10.352
17. M.Valsattis 1:10.373
18. J.Wilson 1:10.859

Qualifying:

Conditions were again dry but cooler than friday. Ferrari again locked out the front row, Schumacher getting the better of Barrichello this time. Renault and McLaren shared 3rd to 6th with the Williams' on row 4. Panis slipped from 5th in practice to 15th in qualifying and Minardi were on the back row, Verstappen ahead of Wilson.

1. M.Schumacher 1:09.103
2. R.Barrichello 1:09.183
3. K.Raikkonen 1:09.462

11. M.Webber 1:11.092
12. M.Valsattis 1:11.222
13. C.Da Matta 1:11.252

16. G.Fisichella 1:11.567

Race:

The Ferrari's led away, with Schumacher leading Barrichello through the first couple of turns. Alonso meanwhile, after qualifying an excellent 3rd, slipped back to 7th place, letting the McLaren's and Trulli past. Villeneuve moved past Ralf Schumacher for 8th and Verstappen shot up to 15th. Button ran wide at turn 6 and dropped to 12th, leetting Webber and a fast starting Panis past. Valsattis meanwhile, started to make progress after slipping to 16th. First he passed Pizzonia and Verstappen on lap 3, then Button and Panis on lap5, then finally Webber on lap 8 for 10th place. Schumacher now had a 3 second lead over Barrichello, who in turn was 5 seconds clear of Raikkonen and Coulthard. Trulli in 5th was coming under pressure from both Montoya and Alonso, whilst Villeneuve was doing everything he could to keep the younger Schumacher behind.
The race settled down into a rythem now, and it wasn't until lap 26 that the first round of stops began. The Ferrari and McLaren drivers remained in the top 4 places but Montoya managed to get the jump on Trulli, but wasted his chance to pull away, running wide at turn 1 and letting the Renault back through. Villeneuve had kept Schumacher behind him through the stops and this allowed a very quick looking Valsattis to catch up to the back of the Williams. Verstappen remained in 15th place but his team-mate Wilson wasn't fareing any better, a clash with Pizzonia put both drivers into the pits again and were lapped by the leaders straight away.
The second lot of stops didn't alter the positions at the front, but it did allow Valsattis to jump both Villeneuve and Ralf Schumacher, by virtue of staying out longer and making his light fuel load work, the Jordan driver was now up to an excellent 8th. The earlier problems caused by a crash with Wilson put paid to Pizzonia's afternoon, as a cracked suspension linkage ended his race from 19th on lap 50.
Schumacher won a fairly uneventful race from Barrichello, with Raikkonen completing the podium and scoring his first points of the season. Trulli remained in 5th place and it was another welcome bunch of points for Valsattis and Jordan, finishing 8th.

CLASSIFICATION:

1. M.Schumacher
2. R.Barrichello
3. K.Raikkonen
4. D.Coulthard
5. J.Trulli
6. JP.Montoya
7. F.Alonso
8. M.Valsattis
9. J.Villeneuve
10. R.Schumacher
11. M.Webber
12. O.Panis
13. J.Button
14. HH.Frentzen
15. J.Verstappen +1 LAP
16. N.Heidfeld +1 LAP
17. G.Fisichella +1 LAP
18. C.Da Matta +1 LAP
19. J.Wilson +2 LAPS

DRIVERS STANDINGS:

1. M.Schumacher 68
2. R.Barrichello 43
3. D.Coulthard 42
4. JP.Montoya 22
5. J.Trulli 20
6. HH.Frentzen 19
7. K.Raikkonen 15
8. M.Valsattis 14
9. F.Alonso 14
10. J.Button 14
11. G.Fisichella 12
12. R.Schumacher 11
13. J.Verstappen 4
14. J.Villeneuve 4
15. J.Wilson 1

CONSTRUCTOR STANDINGS:

1. Ferrari 111
2. McLaren 57
3. Renault 34
4. Williams 33
5. Jordan 26
6. Sauber 19
7. BAR 18
8. Minardi 5

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[AdrianSutil]

Autosport:
"It seems the rumour mill has already started, with the season only three races old. Australian Jason Hamilton has already been linked to the Sauber drive in 2004. Although nothing has been said by the team themselves, money may talk this time around. Minardi too, with their ever-increasing money problems, may be hiring a pay-driver towards the end of the year. Hungarian Zsolt Baumgartner has been linked to the team, whilst an unknown Scottish driver called Phil McCracken has also been linked."

Formula1.com: Melrose to Minardi?
Daniel Melrose has been linked with an immediate drive with the Minardi team today, after the Ferrari-supported driver claimed to have nearly $20 million as a way of supporting the drive. Whilst Minardi have refused to comment, surely a purse that big would be impossible for the Faenza squad to turn down. But where would that leave Wilson or Verstappen? The likely scenario would see Verstappen leave, as his rolling contract expires after every race and its the Dutchman's choice wether he races at the next event. Whatever the outcome, Minardi will have to act fast.

AntonioPizzonia.br:
"Despite my performances so far this year, the team are fully supporting my development and I hope to make some serious gains soon.

[AdrianSutil]

Round Four - San Marino:

Practice:

The weather was clear and cool for the friday session, one where everyone expected Ferrari to dominate. This proved to be the case, as only the scarlett cars managed to get into the 1:17's. A surprise 3rd was Valsattis, completing 17 laps and posting a time of 1:18.375. Coulthard and Button both struggled with set-up options and languished down in 15th and 16th.

1. M.Schumacher 1:17.624
2. R.Barrichello 1:17.835
3. M.Valsattis 1:18.375

12. G.Fisichella 1:19.563

Qualifying:

Again the weather was perfect for quick times, with a slight breeze coming from the North. Renault surprised everyone, taking 1st and 3rd, Trulli collecting his first pole. Schumacher and Barrichello were 2nd and 4th for Ferrari with an impressive Valsattis taking 6th.

1. J.Trulli 1:19.143
2. M.Schumacher 1:19.410
3. F.Alonso 1:19.622

5. K.Raikkonen 1:19.868
6. M.Valsattis 1:20.168
7. D.Coulthard 1:20.246

18. G.Fisichella 1:22.424

Race:

Barrichello made a brilliant start and took the lead from Trulli going into turn 1. Michael Schumacher made it a Ferrari 1-2 at Tosa, sliding up the inside of Trulli. Raikkonen also made a good start, moving past Alonso for 4th. Button and Valsattis touched wheels at Tosa and the Jordan driver came off worse, running onto the grass and dropping to 18th.
Renault's day got worse on lap 2, as Alonso's engine failed whilst 5th. Valsattis' pace was obviously still good from qualifying, as he moved past team-mate Fisichella on lap 4, then passed both Jaguars of Webber and Pizzonia on lap 6 to run 14th behind Heidfeld. This became 13th when Frentzen ran wide at the chicane and dropped back to 16th.
Trulli was beginning to hold up those behind him, allowing the Ferrari's to escape into the distance once again. Both McLaren's and Ralf Schumacher's Williams were behind the slower Renault, although no-one could find a way past. The BAR Honda drivers of Villeneuve and Button were 2 seconds back, Button defending well from the second Williams of Montoya. Da Matta was in 10th, 3 seconds ahead of his team-mate Panis. At the rear of the field, Verstappen led Wilson by 4 seconds.
Sadly for Valsattis, his race ended on lap 13 when he put a wheel on the grass at the Villeneuve chicane and spun the car into the gravel trap. Trulli had now been passed by Coulthard and fell back to 4th, which became 5th on lap 19 when Ralf Schumacher copied his brothers first lap move and took the Renault on the inside at Tosa. Kimi Raikkonen disappointing season continued, gearbox failure putting him out on lap 24. The first round of stops began and althought there was no change at the front, it enabled Montoya to jump both BAR's and move up to 6th place. The Toyota's too, had poor stops and fell behind Heidfeld and a one-stopping Webber.
By mid race, the Ferrari's were looking comfortable and looking to take a famous 1-2 infront of the Italian fans. Ralf Schumacher had passed Coulthard during the second and final stops to inherit 3rd place. Trulli was 5th, Montoya 6th and the two BAR's 7th and 8th, Vileneuve ahead. Da Matta had jumped Webber in the stops to take 10th but on lap 43 his race ended with suspension failure. Panis dropped out two laps later from 11th, ending what could've been a promising race for Toyota. Verstappen was another late casualty, his driveshaft failing with only 6 laps remaining. It was a shame for Minardi, as Jos' one-stop worked well and he was running ahead of Frentzen's Sauber in 12th.
The order in the top 10 didn't change, and Ferrari pulled further ahead in the Constructors standings. The Williams of Ralf Schumacher completed the podium and Trulli was disappointed with his 5th place, having started on pole. It was first points too for Heidfeld and Jaguar, with Webber taking 10th place.

CLASSIFICATION:

1. R.Barrichello
2. M.Schumacher
3. R.Schumacher
4. D.Coulthard
5. J.Trulli
6. JP.Montoya
7. J.Villeneuve
8. J.Button
9. N.Heidfeld +1 LAP
10. M.Webber +1 LAP
11. A.Pizzonia +1 LAP
12. HH.Frentzen +1 LAP
13. G.Fisichella +1 LAP
14. J.Wilson +2 LAPS

DRIVERS STANDINGS:

1. M.Schumacher 86
2. R.Barrichello 68
3. D.Coulthard 54
4. J.Trulli 30
5. JP.Montoya 30
6. R.Schumacher 26
7. HH.Frentzen 19
8. J.Button 18
9. K.Raikkonen 15
10. M.Valsattis 14
11. F.Alonso 14
12. G.Fisichella 12
13. J.Villeneuve 10
14. J.Verstappen 4
15. N.Heidfeld 2
16. J.Wilson 1
17. M.Webber 1

CONSTRUCTORS STANDINGS:

1. Ferrari 154
2. McLaren 69
3. Williams 56
4. Renault 44
5. BAR 28
6. Jordan 26
7. Sauber 21
8. Minardi 5
9. Jaguar 1

-------------------------------------------------------

[AdrianSutil]

Autosport.com:
Jaguar Racing scored their first point of the year today at San Marino, with Mark Webber completing the top 10 and taking his first point of 2003. Antonio Pizzonia showed improved performance to take 11th place, beating home the Sauber of Heinz-Harald Frentzen. "We're happy to finally get a point on the board", said Australian Mark Webber. "With half the starting field able to score points, it was important to make inroads into the cars ahead of us. Hopefully, myself and Antonio can build on this and remian strong throughout the year."

Masta-Valsattis' twitter* account:
It's a shame to retire from a strong race. Although I fell back, I knew we had the pace to beat Heidfeld and maybe challenge Villeneuve for 8th.

Yes, I know twitter probably wasn't around in 2003, but hey, it's my virtual career dammit

[Wizzie]

Jones to be promoted to race seat

Toyota have earlier today announced that their Reserve Driver Sammy Jones will be promoted to a race seat for next year, replacing Cristiano Da Matta who has been demoted to the Reserve Driver role after the team's dismal start to the year. Jones, a former Jaguar and Arrows driver, has been in Formula Once since 1999 but is yet to crack into a top team in his 5th year in the sport. Neither Jones or Toyota management were available for comment.

[FMecha]

NEVER MENTION HWNSNBM'S NAME!!! (sorry, can't resist shouting)

Two papayas have been dropped here.

[AdrianSutil]

Toyota Press Release:
We would like to re-affirm our commitment to both Olivier Panis and Cristiano Da Matta remaining as Panasonic Toyota race drivers for 2003, despite the wild and inaccurate rumours about test driver Sammy Jones signing a contract for 2004. We are not happy at rumours being spread about our drivers, wether to unsettle them or Sammy Jones. We will always regard Sammy Jones as a fantastic driver and are trying to secure him a race seat with another team, either later this year or indeed in 2004.

Panasonic Toyota Racing would again ask for the rumours to stop, as we are currently concentrating on improving our performances immediately and ask for respect and diligence at this difficult time.

F1-Racing.com:
It seems Jordan Ford driver Giancarlo Fisichella has come under scrutiny recently, following his poor performances against young Latvian driver, Masta Valsattis. Despite finishing more races ahead of his new teammate, and indeed scoring more points, many are predicting his tenure with Jordan could end early, unless results improve. Many times this year, Valsattis has clearly been the quicker driver, both in qualifying and in race trim. Also, with the likes of Jason Hamilton and Sammy Jones itching to prove themselves in competitive machinery, Giancarlo will need to improve his game fast or risk losing his seat.

[Wizzie]

BOO! I want Jones in a Toyota seat and I want it NOW!

[Stramala]

Jones to be promoted to race seat

Toyota have earlier today announced that their Reserve Driver Sammy Jones will be promoted to a race seat for next year, replacing Cristiano Da Matta who has been demoted to the Reserve Driver role after the team's dismal start to the year. Jones, a former Jaguar and Arrows driver, has been in Formula Once since 1999 but is yet to crack into a top team in his 5th year in the sport. Neither Jones or Toyota management were available for comment.

So much for Scuderia Alitalia being the kings of hostile takeover bids. This blows my shoulder-barging antics in RWRS out of the water!

[Wizzie]

But the fact Jones was demoted from the Toyota race seat at the end of 2002 to begin with remains a mystery to everyone outside of the Toyota team

[Nuppiz]

Jones to be promoted to race seat

Toyota have earlier today announced that their Reserve Driver Sammy Jones will be promoted to a race seat for next year, replacing Cristiano Da Matta who has been demoted to the Reserve Driver role after the team's dismal start to the year. Jones, a former Jaguar and Arrows driver, has been in Formula Once since 1999 but is yet to crack into a top team in his 5th year in the sport. Neither Jones or Toyota management were available for comment.

So much for Scuderia Alitalia being the kings of hostile takeover bids. This blows my shoulder-barging antics in RWRS out of the water!

Considering that Wizzie made an announcement that he had signed Nurmester for JLD in F3RWRS without consulting me first, it's nothing new. However, I managed to adjust his storyline quite easily to accommodate that.

[Stramala]

Considering that Wizzie made an announcement that he had signed Nurmester for JLD in F3RWRS without consulting me first, it's nothing new. However, I managed to adjust his storyline quite easily to accommodate that.

Alternatively, you could tell JLD where to shove it and take the second Jones Racing seat in F2RWRS. He is your driver, you can make him do whatever you want

[Nuppiz]

Considering that Wizzie made an announcement that he had signed Nurmester for JLD in F3RWRS without consulting me first, it's nothing new. However, I managed to adjust his storyline quite easily to accommodate that.

Alternatively, you could tell JLD where to shove it and take the second Jones Racing seat in F2RWRS. He is your driver, you can make him do whatever you want

Yeah well, after thinking for a while I considered it more believable that a touring car driver with little single-seater experience would rather join a smaller league first. After all, he is extremely unreliable already, so if he had joined F2RWRS then Andrea de Cesaris would've been nothing compared to him!

[AdrianSutil]

Round Five - Spain:

Practice:

Conditions were warm and dry for the 45 minute session. Ferrari again topped the timesheets, with Barrichello getting ahead of Schumacher. McLaren occupied 3rd and 4th, Raikkonen ahead of Coulthard. Valsattis was in 9th place, the quickest of the 'division 2' drivers, pipping Villeneuve by 2 thousanths of a second. Frentzen struggled in the session, managing only 18th, two tenths ahead of Verstappen.

1. R.Barrichello 1:14.568
2. M.Schumacher 1:14.639
3. K.Raikkonen 1:14.712

8. R.Schumacher 1:15.608
9. M.Valsattis 1:16.302
10. J.Villeneuve 1:16.323
11. G.Fisichella 1:16.465

Qualifying:

Again, like Australia, the threat of heavy rain within the first 5 minutes made every driver go out for a quick time before the track became too wet. As the cars streamed their way round, Alonso and Button came into contact at turn 4, pitching both cars into the gravel. This brought out the yellow flags, indicating to the other drivers to refrain from setting their quickest lap. Valsattis and Frentzen unfortunately set their quickest time and had their lap disqualified. When the rain started in the 7th minute, the session was effectively over, giving Michael Schumacher pole ahead of Coulthard, Trulli and Ralf. Justin Wilson rocked up to 8th place, whilst Verstappen was 15th. Valsattis, Frentzen, Alonso and Button were at the back with it all to do.

1. M.Schumacher 1:14.666
2. D.Coulthard 1:15.006
3. J.Trulli 1:15.039

11. G.Fisichella 1:15.764

16. M.Webber 1:16.503
17. M.Valsattis No Time
18. HH.Frentzen No Time

Race:

Schumacher and Coulthard led away from the lights as Ralf managed to pass Trulli at turn 1. Barrichello and Montoya swapped 5th and 6th, with Villeneuve 7th and Raikkonen 8th. Wilson dropped back to 11th, Heidfeld and Fisichella moving past the Minardi. Alonso and Button began their climb through the field, moving up to 13th and 14th, just ahead of Valsattis, on laps 3 and 4. Verstappen was 20th.
On lap 6, Verstappen became the first retirement with a broken gearbox as those between 12th and 17th continually swapped places. Schumacher continued to set fastest lap after fastest lap, and soon had a 6 second gap back to the McLaren of Coulthard by lap 11. Ralf was in 3rd, 3 seconds back, and Trulli was 4th, defending well from Barrichello and Montoya. Alonso and Valsattis were now up with Wilson in 11th, but couldn't find a way past the stubborn Minardi. Button's progress was dented on lap 13, running wide at turn 5 and dropping to 16th.
Webber retired from 17th place on lap 16 with a blown engine. It was proving to be a poor day again for Jaguer, as Pizzonia was struggling in 17th. Valsattis and then Alonso made their way past Wilson, and immediately lapped two seconds quicker than Fisichella and Heidfeld ahead of them. The leaders began their stops and disaster struck the Renault garage as the fuel hose didn't engage properly for Trulli's stop. He was sent back out down in 12th place to tour round so the spare hose could be readied but he ran out of fuel before he got back to the pits. This pushed Heidfeld and Fisichella up to 8th and 9th, with Valsattis now 10th. Although Alonso was only half a second behind.
Ferrari have been known for their excellent reliability record in past seasons, but amazingly, Michael Schumacher suddenly slowed on the back straight on lap 39, a small trail of blue smoke ommiting from the engine cover. He tourned slowly back to the pits and straight into the garage, an oil leak too severe to fix. He was leading by over 20 seconds from a shocked Coulthard, who took over the lead. He was 10 seconds clear of Ralf and Barrichello, with Montoya a further 6 seconds back. Villeneuve and Raikkonen kept their race-long battle going, and were now fighting for 5th. Heidfeld was running well in 7th, the Jordans of Fisichella and Valsattis were 8th and 9th, hoping for another good haul of points, and Alonso 10th.
With only 7 laps remaining, Valsattis and Alonso finally caught up to the battle for 7th between Heidfeld and Fisichella. In Melbourne, Valsattis sat behind Fisichella to protect him from Button's quicker BAR, which gave Jordan a massive points haul. But this time, he was instructed to pass his team-mate as early as possible and to get after Heidfeld who was less than 2 seconds ahead. Valsattis duly did so on lap 63, and set off after the Sauber. Every point was going to count, as Sauber were Jordan's main rivals this season.
Before this happened, Montoya's race was over with only 2 laps to go. Another BMW engine failure putting him out of 4th place. This amazingly put the Minardi of Justin Wilson into the points, who bravely held off Frentzen for most of the race after Button fell back with clutch problems.
Into the last lap they went, Valsattis now right with Heidfeld, ducking and weaving in an attenpt to put the Sauber driver off his game. But Heidfeld stuck to his line brilliantly, until turn 9, where he put a wheel on the grass and ran wide. The Jordan duly took 6th place off him to the delight of his pit crew, seen excitedly celebrating on the tv screens. Fishichella was also holding off Alonso well for 8th. Coulthard duly took the maximum points for McLaren, with Ralf Schumacher and Barrichello completing the podium. Villeneuve drove well to finish 3 seconds ahead of Raikkonen in 4th. Valsattis, Heidfeld and Fisichella were happy with their positions, Alonso did well to recover to 9th and Wilson scored another valuable point for Minardi with 10th.

CLASSIFICATION:

1. D.Coulthard
2. R.Schumacher
3. R.Barrichello
4. J.Villeneuve
5. K.Raikkonen
6. M.Valsattis
7. N.Heidfeld
8. G.Fisichella
9. F.Alonso
10. J.Wilson
11. HH.Frentzen
12. J.Button +1 LAP
13. A.Pizzonia +1 LAP
14. O.Panis +1 LAP
15. C. Da Matta +2 LAPS

DRIVERS STANDINGS:

1. M.Schumacher 86
2. R.Barrichello 83
3. D.Coulthard 79
4. R.Schumacher 44
5. J.Trulli 30
6. JP.Montoya 30
7. K.Raikkonen 25
8. J.Villeneuve 22
9. M.Valsattis 22
10. HH.Frentzen 19
11. J.Button 18
12. G.Fisichella 16
13. F.Alonso 16
14. N.Heidfeld 8
15. J.Verstappen 4
16. J.Wilson 2
17. M.Webber 1

CONSTRUCTORS STANDINGS:

1. Ferrari 169
2. McLaren 104
3. Williams 74
4. Renault 46
5. BAR 40
6. Jordan 38
7. Sauber 27
8. Minardi 6
9. Jaguar 1

--------------------------------------------------------------------

[Wizzie]

And the muppets over at Toyota still haven't been replaced by Jones yet because?

[AdrianSutil]

And the muppets over at Toyota still haven't been replaced by Jones yet because?

Seriously though, they're having an absolute shocker of a season. There will be driver changes soon, there's about 4 drivers so far who aren't doing well enough so Jones will get a drive.

[Shizuka]

Minardi scored points, Toyota didn't. EPIC!

[AdrianSutil]

Round Six - Austria:

Before the weekend began, Olivier Panis fell ill and was replaced by Sammy Jones, the Toyota test driver. With many pundits speculating Jones has been given a one-race chance to prove himself, several people within the paddock are saying he can get the job done in the little time he has.

Practice:

Conditions were poor, with rain falling throughout the session. Michael Schumacher proved to be the quickest driver yet again in difficult conditions, lapping two tenths quicker than Coulthard. Webber did well to end the session 11th, as did Da Matta in 13th. Sammy Jones finished the day in 16th place, while the Minardi's were 18th and 19th with Valsattis 20th and last, failing to set a time thanks to a blown gearbox on his first lap.

1. M.Schumacher 1:18.056
2. D.Coulthard 1:18.241
3. R.Barrichello 1:18.583

12. G.Fisichella 1:20.772

18. J.Verstappen 1:21.987
19. J.Wilson 1:22.362
20. M.Valsattis No Time

Qualifying:

Finally the rain lifted, and the circuit was virtually dry as the first drivers made their way out. The sensible choice was slick tyres, although Pizzonia attempted a lap on intermediate tyres, but came back in after an installation lap to take them off. Times were going to be fast. Because of this, the lower teams send their drivers out first, to make use of the clear track before the big teams emerged. This proved to be an amazing turn of events, as the rain began to fall within 10 minutes of the session starting. Ferrari, McLaren and BAR were all caught out. Heidfeld and Fisichella shared the front row, with Webber and Valsattis on row 2. The Toyota's of Da Matta and Jones were together on row 4, with Jones ahead of Da Matta. The Ferrari's were on row 9, with Montoya and Raikkonen on row 10. The race was going to be an epic contest, watching the frontrunners fight their way from the very back.

1. N.Heidfeld 1:14.377
2. G.Fisichella 1:14.387
3. M.Webber 1:14.485
4. M.Valsattis 1:14.818
5. HH.Frentzen 1:14.989

Race:

Heidfeld and Fisichella led away well, with the Jordan taking the lead going into turn 1. But Valsattis made a terrible start, he had trouble selecting a gear and finally made his way off the line, but he had fallen all the way down to 18th.
At the end of lap 1, Fisichella led from Heidfeld. Da Matta had moved up to 3rd. But Michael Schumacher made an electric start, moving up to 4th ahead of both BAR drivers, Button ahead of Villeneuve, and Montoya in 7th. Webber had fallen to 8th, Ralf was 9th in the second Williams and Verstappen 10th for Minardi. Into lap 3 and Schumacher passes Da Matta for 3rd and immediately begins to pressure Heidfeld in 2nd. Valsattis begins his climb back through the field, passing Alonso and Raikkonen for 16th. Sammy Jones had a poor start to his race, falling behind several cars to come around 14th by the end of lap 4.
On lap 13, Schumacher finally got past Heidfeld and closed the 4 second gap to Fisichella within two laps. Of the other drivers in the points who shouldn't really have been there were Da Matta in 4th, holding off the two BAR cars, Webber in 8th, fending off Ralf, and Verstappen in 10th, defending well from Barrichello. Valsattis ran wide at turn 3 and dropped back to 19th but made his way yet again, up to 16th by lap 20.
Coulthard and Trulli made contact on lap 26 whilst battling for a lowly 14th, the McLaren getting thrown into the barriers and retiring from bad suspension damage. Trulli regained composure to rejoin 18th. On the next lap, McLaren's weekend ended when Raikkonen retired from 12th place with a blown engine, as Barrichello got past Verstappen for 10th. 3 laps later, and Valsattis demoted the Minardi down to 12th, slipping past at turn 1.
With the race at two-thirds distance, Fisichella still led Schumacher, with Heidfeld still in 3rd. Villeneuve's race as over on lap 50 though, a blown engine ending his run in 6th place, promoting Valsattis to 10th. Also out was Pizzonia, who had been running a lowly 15th place. Another gearbox problem for the Brazilian. Sammy Jones got in the way of Mark Webber whilst being lapped, and Montoya siezed the initiative, sliding through under the Jaguar driver for 6th. Jones recieved a drive-thru penalty for repeatedly ignoring blue flags, and his hard work of slowly moving through the field came undone. Indeed, the youngster was running behind Valsattis in 11th.
Barrichello moved past Ralf Schumacher for 8th with only 9 laps remaining as Fisichella continued to hold the gap to Michael at the front to a second. The Jordan was by no means holding the multi-timed Champion up, and deserved to be leading the race. But with just 5 laps remaining, Schumacher had closed the gap to within 3 tenths, and slotted the car up the inside at turn 2, forcing Fisichella to put a wheel on the grass and concede the lead. It was a bitter blow for the Jordan team, as well as Fisichella, who deserved the win after resisting Schumacher's pressure from the very beginning. Renault's afternoon was over within a lap of each other, as first Trulli retired from 11th with suspension failure, just as Alonso suffered one too many misfires and retired from 13th.
Schumacher won an exciting race, pipping Fisichella by 3 seconds. The Jordan was an unexpected but fantastic 2nd, with the Sauber of Heidfeld completing the podium. First points too, for Da Matta, bringing the Toyota home 4th.

CLASSIFICATION:

1. M.Schumacher
2. G.Fisichella
3. N.Heidfeld
4. C. Da Matta
5. J.Button
6. JP.Montoya
7. M.Webber
8. R.Barrichello
9. R.Schumacher
10. M.Valsattis
11. J.Verstappen +1 LAP
12. HH.Frentzen +1 LAP
13. S.Jones +1 LAP
14. J.Wilson +1 LAP

DRIVERS STANDINGS:

1. M.Schumacher 111
2. R.Barrichello 87
3. D.Coulthard 79
4. R.Schumacher 46
5. JP.Montoya 38
6. G.Fisichella 34
7. J.Trulli 30
8. J.Button 28
9. K.Raikkonen 25
10. N.Heidfeld 23
11. M.Valsattis 23
12. J.Villeneuve 22
13. HH.Frentzen 19
14. F.Alonso 16
15. C.Da Matta 12
16. M.Webber 7
17. J.Verstappen 4
18. J.Wilson 2

CONSTRUCTORS STANDINGS:

1. Ferrari 198
2. McLaren 104
3. Williams 84
4. Jordan 57
5. BAR 50
6. Renault 46
7. Sauber 42
8. Toyota 12
9. Jaguar 7
10. Minardi 6

---------------------------------------------------------------

[Wizzie]

Ah shite... that wasn't supposed to happen

[Shizuka]

This is getting more and more interesting. Fisichella and Heidfeld on the podium, Da Matta 4th (therefore unrejectified)?

[AdrianSutil]

This is getting more and more interesting. Fisichella and Heidfeld on the podium, Da Matta 4th (therefore unrejectified)?

Yep. Da Matta is Unrejectified.

The race was brilliant though. Michael Schumacher finished 32 seconds ahead of me in 10th, so everyone on the lead lap were seperated by just over half a minute! I love A1-Ring though, one of my favourite tracks.

[AdrianSutil]

Round Seven - Monaco:

Olivier Panis has recovered from his illness and returns to Toyota, putting the disappointing Sammy Jones back to the third-driver role.

Practice:

Conditions were dry and warm throughout the session, which ended with Barrichello as the fastest driver. Raikkonen was a solid 2nd, the only other driver to dip inside the 1:16s. Michael Schumacher was 3rd and Valsattis an excellent 7th on his first visit to Monaco. Alonso struggled, and could do no better than 14th. Minardi were 19th and 20th, over 4 seconds back.

1. R.Barrichello 1:15.679
2. K.Raikkonen 1:15.963
3. M.Schumacher 1:16.391

6. D.Coulthard 1:16.670
7. M.Valsattis 1:17.241
8. R.Schumacher 1:17.419

13. G.Fisichella 1:17.937

Qualifying:

Barrichello and Raikkonen continued their good form from practice, lining up 1st and 2nd, Barrichello a massive 8 tenths clear. Valsattis proved to be something of a hit, lining up 3rd, ahead of Trulli and Michael Schumacher. Alonso did little better in this session, lining up 11th. But it was much worse for Sauber, both drivers occupying the back row after wrong choices on their set-up. Verstappen's Minardi was an encouraging 13th.

1. R.Barrichello 1:16.696
2. K.Raikkonen 1:17.401
3. M.Valsattis 1:17.548

14. G.Fisichella 1:18.537

Race:

Barrichello led Raikkonen and Valsattis away, as Schumacher got past Trulli at the first corner. He was on a charge, passing Valsattis at the hairpin in an excellent move. Valsattis was then demoted to 5th as Trulli snuck past at the swimming pool section. The Williams' of Schumacher and Montoya were 6th and 7th, Coulthard 8th, Button 9th and Alonso passed Panis' Toyota for 10th. Verstappen was still 13th, Frentzen moved past Wilson and Webber for 17th.
On lap 12, Barrichello ran wide at the first corner and clipped the barrier, although he was able to continue, he lost a little momentum and Raikkonen was able to slip past on the run up the hill to take the lead. Montoya and Coulthard had also demoted Ralf Schumacher to 8th, defending from Button and Alonso. Valsattis was still running very well in 5th, a second behind Trulli's Renault.
Just as Raikkonen looked to be getting his season back to winning ways, lap 21 proved to be his last as the Mercedes powerplant let go coming out of the tunnel and the McLaren slithered up the escape road and into retirement. This left Barrichello leading his team-mate, who was 8 seconds clear of Trulli in 3rd. Toyota were hoping for a good haul of points and with Panis and Da Matta now 10th and 11th, and pulling away easily from Verstappen, a couple more retirements ahead of them would move them into a good points position.
On lap 30, Barrichello suddenly slowed coming out of the swimming pool section and toured back to the pits. The mechanics gave the car a good look over as the other drivers flew past, the problem was to do with the engine and the team spent nearly two minutes diagnosing the problem before sending their driver out again, now a lap down and dead last. But two laps later the car stopped by the first corner and his race was over. This promoted Schumacher into the lead, and looking like he was going to pull away from his championship contenders yet again. Trulli was now 2nd and Valsattis an excellent 3rd. Toyota were now 9th and 10th and hoping their cars could last the distance.
The first round of stops didn't change anything at the front, although Ralf Schumacher briefly passed Coulthard before the sole remaining McLaren re-passed him at the hairpin and began to catch back up to Montoya.
Jenson Button retired from a good 7th place on lap 53, which pushed Verstappen into 10th place. He was actually doing alright in the midfield, running 2 seconds ahead of Villeneuve and Fisichella in 11th and 12th.
With only 3 laps to go, all hell broke loose at the swimming pool section. Jarno Trulli's engine expired whilst running in 2nd and whilst Valsattis and Montoya managed to avoid the stricken Renault, Coulthard didn't, ploughing right into the back of Trulli, sending bodywork and wheels in every direction. Heidfeld, who had been lapped, Ralf Schumacher and Alonso were unsighted as they rounded the blind and very fast corners, running through the debris and damaging their own cars. In the chaos, Montoya managed to push Valsattis wide at the entrance to the final corner and take 2nd place. The safety car was immediately brought out, as the stranded cars were taken away.
Schumacher won again for Ferrari and is now odds-on favourite to retain his title. Montoya was a solid 2nd and a fantastic 3rd for Valsattis at his first Monaco race. The badly damaged cars of Ralf Schumacher and Alonso were allowed to continue behind the safety car so were classified as 4th and 5th. Toyota were ecstatic at their first ever double-point finish, Panis and Da Matta 6th and 7th. Verstappen an equally delighted 8th, Villeneuve 9th and Fisichella 10th for the second Jordan.

CLASSIFICATION:

1. M.Schumacher
2. JP.Montoya
3. M.Valsattis
4. R.Schumacher
5. F.Alonso
6. O.Panis
7. C.Da Matta
8. J.Verstappen +1 LAP
9. J.Villeneuve +1 LAP
10. G.Fisichella +1 LAP
11. A.Pizzonia +1 LAP
12. M.Webber +1 LAP
13. HH.Frentzen +1 LAP
14. J.Wilson +1 LAP
15. N.Heidfeld +2 LAPS

DRIVERS STANDINGS:

1. M.Schumacher 136
2. R.Barrichello 87
3. D.Coulthard 79
4. R.Schumacher 58
5. JP.Montoya 56
6. M.Valsattis 38
7. G.Fisichella 35
8. J.Trulli 30
9. J.Button 28
10. F.Alonso 26
11. K.Raikkonen 25
12. J.Villeneuve 24
13. N.Heidfeld 23
14. HH.Frentzen 19
15. C. Da Matta 18
16. O.Panis 8
17. J.Verstappen 8
18. M.Webber 7
19. J.Wilson 2

CONSTRUCTORS STANDINGS:

1. Ferrari 223
2. Williams 114
3. McLaren 104
4. Jordan 73
5. Renault 56
6. BAR 52
7. Sauber 42
8. Toyota 26
9. Minardi 10
10. Jaguar 7

-------------------------------------------------------------------

[AdrianSutil]

Autosport.com:
It seems Jaguar are running out of patience with both Mark Webber and Antonio Pizzonia. The car was supposed to be a total re-make of their disappointing 2002 challenger, but apart from Webber's lucky 7th at Austria, only one further point has been scored. Whilst the team remain reliable and solid midfield runners, their overall race pace is awful. Many times Pizzonia and Webber have been seen running and finishing behind a Minardi, which explains their 10th place in the Constructors Championship.
The team have remained silent on the recent rumours, fuelling speculation that one, if not both, drivers will be ruthlessly kicked out in the near future. The likes of Ferrari-backed Daniel Melrose, Toyota test-driver Sammy Jones and F3 driver Andre Lotterer have all been linked. All three drivers have so far remained silent.

[dinizintheoven]

Also, questions and rumours about Valsattis are welcome at any time.

So, Masta. How come you appear to have a female name? Shouldn't you be Mastas, or is it short for something else?

[AdrianSutil]

Round Eight - Canada:

Practice:

The Jordan team made a public announcement before the practice session, saying they would be running a super-light fuel load for the session to see the competitiveness of the car on a light run. Valsattis certainly took to the challenge well, recording the fastest time, nearly 6 tenths quicker than Michael Schumacher. Fisichella fared well too, setting the 5th fastest time. Jaguar and Minardi occupied the back 4 positions again.

1. M.Valsattis 1:12.363
2. M.Schumacher 1:12.904
3. R.Barrichello 1:13.189

5. G.Fisichella 1:14.292

Qualifying:

Michael Schumacher was joined on the front row by his brother, with only 3 tenths seperating them. Barrichello had a poor lap and could only manage 6th. Valsattis took a 5-grid penalty for a gearbox change before the session and lined up 20th after only managing the 16th quickest time.

1. M.Schumacher 1:12.074
2. R.Schumacher 1:12.373
3. JP.Montoya 1:12.638

13. G.Fisichella 1:14.028

18. C.Da Matta 1:14.878
19. J.Wilson 1:14.949
20. M.Valsattis 1:14.315*

*Denotes 5-grid place penalty.

Race:

The Schumachers and Montoya in 3rd kept their positions at the start, with Barrichello getting past Alonso for 5th, behind Raikkonen. Panis made the best start, jumping from 12th to 7th, ahead of Coulthard, Trulli, Frentzen, Fisichella and Button. Verstappen was 13th and Valsattis 16th. Heidfeld had a gear-selection problem at the start and fell to 20th.
By lap 10, Michael Schumacher had pulled out a massive 6 second gap over his brother, who was starting to have a small train formed behind him. Montoya, Raikkonen, Barrichello and Alonso followed in quick succession. Panis, still in 7th, was clearly holding up Coulthard and Trulli, but neither driver could find a way past. Valsattis meanwhile, was up to 13th, passing Villeneuve, Webber and Verstappen.
Lap 15 and Ralf's race is over, his gearbox failing coming out of the first corner and he pulled over to the side of the track. Nick Heidfeld became the second retirement a lap later, crashing out of 17th place whilst battling with the Minardi of Wilson.
By half distance, Schumacher had a huge 23 second gap back to Montoya, who had a small gap back to Raikkonen and Barrichello. Alonso now couldn't keep up with them and slowly fell back. Panis was doing another fine job for the quickly-improving Toyota in 6th. Valsattis had caught the group behind Panis and passed Button for 11th on lap 40. Another good race from Verstappen saw him climb as high as 13th but his engine failed on lap 44.
The next lap saw a fantastic battle between the Jordans of Fisichella and Valsattis for 10th place. No less than 6 times did the two swap places before Valsattis finally got the better of his experienced teammate at turn 1 and raced away to catch Frentzen in 9th. Eddie Jordan on the pitwall was clearly delighted his drivers can battle fairly. And with his team exceeding all expectations so far this year, the smile may remain for a while.
On lap 55, Valsattis moved past 9th placed Frentzen at turn 4, as the rain began to fall. It was only light at first, but was expected to get heavier. With only 10 laps remaining, it was a difficult call by the teams to decide what to do. Lose track position but change to wets? Or stay out, move up the order, but risk crashing out.
The drivers battled on through the rain on their slick tyres, but soon most of the drivers were finding the conditions too difficult and pitted for wet tyres. With just 6 laps remaining, Schumacher led by 50 seconds on slicks, Coulthard, Trulli and Valsattis were 2nd, 3rd and 4th on slicks. Montoya, Alonso, Barrichello and Raikkonen were next on wets, Da Matta was 9th on slicks and Panis 10th on wets.
Coulthard and Trulli gave up with 4 remaining, promoting Valsattis to 2nd. But with the conditions bad, he was losing nearly a second a sector, Montoya was now right with him. A lap later, he and Raikkonen pushed the Jordan down to 4th. Barrichello also briefly passed Valsattis into turn 4, but the plucky youngster re-passed him a corner later! Barrichello finally got 5th place at the hairpin. Alonso in 6th was a few seconds back, Coulthard and trulli got the jump on Panis and pushed the Toyota down to 9th, Frentzen was 10th.
As Schumacher started his final lap, the only other driver still on dry tyres, Valsattis was passed by Alonso and moved down to 6th. It was a convincing win for the Ferrari driver, winning by 43 seconds from Montoya. Barrichello managed to pass Raikkonen for 3rd place on the final lap, Alonso was a solid 5th and Valsattis an excellent 6th. Coulthard and Trulli 7th and 8th. Panis and Frentzen scored points again and were lapped. The Jaguar drivers finished a poor 14th and 15th, and with pressure mounting, neither driver could feel safe for their future.

CLASSIFICATION:

1. M.Schumacher
2. JP.Montoya
3. R.Barrichello
4. K.Raikkonen
5. F.Alonso
6. M.Valsattis
7. D.Coulthard
8. J.Trulli
9. O.Panis +1 LAP
10. HH.Frentzen +1 LAP
11. G.Fisichella +1 LAP
12. J.Button +1 LAP
13. J.Villeneuve +1 LAP
14. M.Webber +1 LAP
15. A.Pizzonia +1 LAP
16. C.Da Matta +1 LAP
17. J.Wilson +1 LAP

DRIVERS STANDINGS:

1. M.Schumacher 161
2. R.Barrichello 103
3. D.Coulthard 85
4. JP.Montoya 74
5. R.Schumacher 58
6. M.Valsattis 46
7. K.Raikkonen 37
8. F.Alonso 36
9. G.Fisichella 35
10. J.Trulli 34
11. J.Button 28
12. J.Villeneuve 24
13. N.Heidfeld 23
14. HH.Frentzen 20
15. C.Da Matta 18
16. O.Panis 10
17. J.Verstappen 8
18. M.Webber 7
19. J.Wilson 2

CONSTRUCTORS STANDINGS:

1. Ferrari 264
2. Williams 132
3. McLaren 124
4. Jordan 81
5. Renault 70
6. BAR 52
7. Sauber 43
8. Toyota 28
9. Minardi 10
10. Jaguar 7

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[AdrianSutil]

Masta Valsattis twitter account:
"It seems a few people have been a bit confused over my first name. But I can assure you it stands for Mastaliano, as my mother is Italian. It's just Masta for short."

Autosport.com - Webber and Pizzonia sacked!
Jaguar Racing have today announced the immediate sacking of BOTH drivers, Australian Mark Webber and Brazilian Antonio Pizzonia. Both drivers have fared poorly during the first half of the season, with only a lucky 7th at Austria and a battling point at San Marino the teams only highlights. There seems to be just three drivers in the frame for the two seats: Daniel Melrose, Sammy Jones and Andre Lotterer. Jaguar are expecting their respective agents to make announcements soon.

[dinizintheoven]

Masta Valsattis twitter account:
"It seems a few people have been a bit confused over my first name. But I can assure you it stands for Mastaliano, as my mother is Italian. It's just Masta for short."

We might have something to say about that. Just ask Michael Palin when he came to our country, or should we say, Michaels Palins.