Masta Valsattis - A Latvian Adventure...

[AdrianSutil]

Mid-Season Report:

Ferrari:

Defending Champion Michael Schumacher has done more than enough to rubber-stamp his next title win. A massive 58 points clear of his team-mate and 76 ahead of Coulthard, Schumacher has again demonstrated his dominance in the sport. Although Barrichello had shown flashes of speed, he was unable to mount a serious enough title-challenge and has played second-fiddle to Schumacher for most of the season. His main job now is to take 2nd place in the drivers standings, making it a total domination by the Maranello team.

Williams:

Both drivers could, and probably should, be higher up the order. Ralf has had several notable retirements whilst in the higher positions and Montoya has shown to be a better racer than a qualifier. There's no doubt the team possess a lot of speed, but fragile gearboxes and BMW powerplants have put paid to any chance of a title fight. They are exactly HALF the points behind Ferrari and it would take a brave man to bet against Ferrari winning the Constructor title too. Williams' main fight now it to take 2nd in the constructors and get one of their drivers, probably Ralf, to 3rd in the drivers.

McLaren:

Coulthard has shown to be a shrewd races, consistently scoring points to challenge Barrichello for 2nd place. His double-retirement at Austria and Monaco effectively wrote off his chances at the title, but continued performances by the experienced Scot might see him pip Barrichello. Raikkonen has impressed few with his rash driving and many retirements. He's only finished 3 races all season, but has still amassed 37 points. There's no doubt the young Finn is a quick driver, but bringing the car home consistently is the key to a good season, just ask Coulthard. The team are desperate to finish 2nd again, and need both drivers to give their all in the second part of the year.

Jordan:

No-one expected Jordan Ford to have a season the way they have. Signing 19 year-old Valsattis from British F3 might've seem liked a risky move, as it was quite clear that the £3 million sponsorship brought into developing the car helped. Jordan have surprised everyone with their raw pace and excellent reliability, only 3 retirements out of 16. Fisichella has been generally outpaced by Valsattis but both drivers have scored points on a regualr basis. If Jordan can stay there, and beat Renault to 4th place, it'll be the biggest team achivement of the year.

Renault:

Both Alonso and Trulli have shown plenty of speed, Trulli taking pole at Imola, but the team have suffered with an array of mechanical failures, dropping them to 5th place. The team expected to be fighting for race wins, but unless the reliability improves, there's not much chance of it happening. Their main target should be 4th place. Alonso has already confirmed his commitment to next season, but Trulli's contract is up at the end of the year and may leave to be Number 1 at another team.

BAR:

British American Racing might've expected more from their season, with both drivers struggling to score consistent points. The team wanted to fight for 4th place, but are struggling to keep pace with both Renault and Jordan. Numerous poor showings, including both drivers being beaten by Minardi on more than one occasion, and various mechanical failures have dented their progress. An update is due for the British GP, but it might be too little, too late for the side.

Sauber:

It must be noted that apart from Heidfeld's 2nd at Austria and Frentzen's 2nd at Australia, Sauber have struggled for good pace and point finishes. Both drivers have conplained of the lack of aerodynamic grip and poor tyre wear. The Petronas-badged Ferrari engine certainly proves to be reliable, and the drivers have proven their competitiveness with an under-funded car. But the team are hoping for a push up the grid after the Hungarian race, where they will install their final update of the year.

Toyota:

Toyota began the season with a poor car and poor reliability, but turned it around with an excellent showing by Da Matta at Austria, followed by the excellent double-finish at Monaco, where both cars took advantage of the many failures ahead of them to score a handful of good points. The team expressed their intentions of finishing at least 8th and are well on course of that. Toyota have brought a massive budget to Formula 1, and are hoping to improve once more as the second half of the season begins.

Minardi:

Minardi have possibly the best driver line-up this season since the days of Christian Fittipaldi and Pierluigi Martini. Verstappen has proven to be as quick as many drivers in the midfeild, his two 8th place finishes proving this. Englishman Justin Wilson, although usually slower than Verstappen, has also recorded two 10th places and has showed to be a good fighter with other drivers. The car is alos very reliable, although the re-badged Asiatech engines are down on power. Their main fight is with Jaguar, and are well primed to finish an excellent 9th.

Jaguar:

Jaguar, like Toyota, have brought a lot of money to the sport, but their performances have left many to question their involvement. Both Mark Webber and Antonio Pizzonia have been sensationally dumped before the next race and Sammy Jones, Daniel Melrose and test-driver Andre Lotterer look to be the drivers fighting for one of the two seats. A massive improvement is needed for them to overhaul Minardi for 9th.


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[Wizzie]

You know, the Jaguar lineup should be Melrose and McCracken just to see how long they'll last before they start strangling each other

[AdrianSutil]

Round Nine - Nurburgring:

The rumours surrounding who will take the two Jaguar seats were finally announced on the Thursday before the practice session. Australian Sammy Jones and German Andre Lotterer have been given the seats until the end of the year. Ferrari also took the time to announce that Schumacher and Barrichello had been re-signed for another year.

Practice:

Barrichello and Raikkonen were again 1st and 2nd, a massive 9 tenths quicker than Alonso in 3rd. Jordan showed improved performances with 9th and 10th, Valsattis ahead of Fisichella. New Jaguar drivers Jones and Lotterer was 15th and 17th for Jaguar, with Minardi at the back again.

1. R.Barrichello 1:27.629
2. K.Raikkonen 1:27.713
3. F.Alonso 1:28.532

8. J.Villeneuve 1:30.085
9. M.Valsattis 1:30.391
10. G.FIsichella 1:30.460

Qualifying:

Conditions were good at the start of the session, although rain was forecasted for late in the session. Masta Valsattis went out early and posted a fantastic lap of 1:31.109 to take provisional pole. Which stood for nearly 40 minutes until Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso went quicker. Trulli eventually took a well-deserved pole, ahead of Ralf Schumacher and Montoya. Sammy Jones encountered gearbox problems and could only post a time good enough for 17th. Neither Minardi driver, who failed to set a quick enough time in practice or qualifying, were not allowed to start.

1. J.Trulli 1:29.666
2. R.schumacher 1:29.994
3. JP.Montoya 1:30.009

8. F.Alonso 1:30.951
10. M.Valsattis 1:31.109
11. J.Button 1:31.946

16. G.Fisichella 1:32.996

107% time 1:36.074

DNQ: 19. J.Verstappen 1:36.325
DNQ: 20. J.Wilson 1:36.895

Race:

Trulli made a poor start and was 4th by the first corner, with Ralf, Michael and Coulthard in the top 3 places. Barrichello also got past Trulli at the beginning on lap 2 to take 4th. Valsattis jumped up to 7th ahead of Alonso, whilst Lotterer fell to 18th and last.
Michael Schumacher overtook his brother for the lead at the end of lap 4, passing him at the chicane. Panis had also made another good start, moving from 14th to 9th, ahead of Button. By lap 10, Barrichello had moved past Coulthard for 3rd and immediately began to pressurise Ralf Schumacher's Williams ahead of him. Three laps later, on the run up to the chicane, Barrichello passes Ralf for 2nd place, and immediately begins to pull away.
By lap 30, Schumacher and Barrichello were in the far distance, running well for hopefully, another Ferrari 1-2. Ralf meanwhile, was defending from a massive train that had formed behind him. Coulthard, Trulli, Montoya, the ever-impressive Valsattis, Alonso and Raikkonen, drove round nose-to-tail, no driver being able to find a way past. Panis was still 10th, albeit 20 seconds behind Raikkonen, and defending well from the BAR's of Button and Villeneuve.
The pit-stops between laps 40 and 50 did nothing to the top order, as the train behind Ralf Schumacher continued. Valsattis had briefly dropped back and came under pressure from Alonso, but the Jordan driver quickly re-grouped and fought back to sit under Montoya's wing.
Valsattis ran wide coming out of the final corner on lap 58, allowing Alonso to make a pass going into turn 1 for 7th place. Raikkonen looked dangerous behind the Jordan and 2 laps later passed the yellow car for 8th place.
Michael Schumacher won by 7 seconds from Barrichello, making it yet another Ferrari 1-2. Ralf held off those behind him for a well-deserved 3rd place. Panis completed the scoring with a determined 10th, just ahead of the BAR's.

CLASSIFICATION:

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

DRIVERS STANDINGS:

1. M.Schumacher 186
2. R.Barrichello 121
3. D.Coulthard 97
4. JP.Montoya 82
5. R.Schumacher 73
6. M.Valsattis 48
7. J.Trulli 44
8. F.Alonso 42
9. K.Raikkonen 41
10. G.Fisichella 35
11. J.Button 28
12. J.Villeneuve 24
13. N.Heidfeld 23
14. HH.Frentzen 20
15. C.Da Matta 18
16. O.Panis 11
17. J.Verstappen 8
18. M.Webber 7
19. J.Wilson 2

CONSTRUCTORS STANDINGS:

1. Ferrari 307
2. Williams 155
3. McLaren 138
4. Renault 86
5. Jordan 83
6. BAR 52
7. Sauber 43
8. Toyota 29
9. Minardi 10
10. Jaguar 7

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[AdrianSutil]

Round Ten - France:

Practice:

The Ferrari's were again quick in free practice, topping the sheets with Barrichello the quicker car. Coulthard and Alonso were also on the pace, finishing the session 3rd and 4th. Valsattis had trouble throughout and could only manage 6 laps.

1. R.Barrichello 1:07.637
2. M.Schumacher 1:07.945
3. D.Coulthard 1:08.014

9. G.Fisichella 1:09.395

15. A.Lotterer 1:10.942
16. M.Valsattis 1:10.994
17. J.Verstappen 1:11.263

Qualifying:

Renault brought a new engine package for the French weekend, and it's paid off, with a Renault front-row lock out. Trulli collects his 2nd pole of the season with Alonso, Coulthard and Montoya close behind. Valsattis overcame his earlier problems to line up 6th, splitting the Ferrari's.

1. J.Trulli 1:09.474
2. F.Alonso 1:09.797
3. D.Coulthard 1:09.804

5. R.Barrichello 1:10.452
6. M.Valsattis 1:10.601
7. M.Schumacher 1:10.823

14. G.Fisichella 1:11.923

Race:

Trulli made a quick start to lead going into turn 1, with Ralf Schumacher jumping up from 4th to 2nd as Alonso bogged down. Valsattis and Barrichello both slipped on the clutch and fell to 9th and 10th. By the end of lap 2, Trulli was leading from Ralf and Michael in 2nd and 3rd. Coulthard was back to 4th, Button and Villeneuve up to an excellent 5th and 6th. Montoya, Barrichello, Alonso and Raikkonen 7th, 8th and 9th and 10th. Alonso and Barrichello then forced Villeneuve wide onto the grass at turn 7 and the Canadian dropped back to 9th.
Jarno Trulli and Renault suffered more bad luck on lap 5, as driveshaft failure ended the Italian's strong run at the front. It was a bitter blow for Trulli, who had been pulling out a good lead over the Williams behind. This elevated Coulthard up to 3rd place and a recovering Valsattis to 10th.
On lap 18, the first round of stops began, and Michael Schumacher jumped his brother in the pits to take the lead. Button had a shocker of a stop, dropping back to 7th place behind Barrichello and Montoya, thanks to a faulty wheel gun. Button now had the attention of Alonso behind, whilst 3 seconds back, Valsattis was crawling all over the second BAR of Villeneuve in their battle for 9th. Heidfeld got past Fisichella for 11th on lap 25 as Lotterer passed his teammate Sammy Jones for 13th a lap later, both drivers dicing nicely for position.
Valsattis finally got passed Villeneuve at the hairpin on lap 30 and began to close the gap to Alonso, who was now 4 seconds up the road. The pace of the BAR of Button was obvious now, as it took only 3 laps for Valsattis to join the fight for 7th.
Lap 36, and Alonso puts the car up the inside of Button at the hairpin in their battle for 7th and they touch, sending the BAR into the gravel. Alonso escapes unscathed and takes over 7th whilst Button recovers to run in 10th. But then Valsattis has a moment of his own 2 laps later and runs wide at turn 6, dropping behind the BAR's into 10th.
Valsattis begins his comeback through the points placing on lap 43, getting a good tow off the BAR of Button and sliding past at the hairpin for 9th. With Villeneuve only 1.5 seconds up the road, the young Jordan driver begins to reduce the gap. The fight between the two for 8th soon became 7th when Montoya's gearbox failed on lap 50, ending his race from 4th. This elevated the Sauber of Heidfeld into the points in 10th, and pushed Lotterer closer with 12th.
Renault's weekend ended in miserable circumstances on lap 60, as Alonso's brand new super-powered Renault engine blew up exiting the final corner, to the dismay of the fans and pitcrew alike. This promoted Villeneuve and Valsattis up to 6th and 7th, Button to 8th, Heidfeld to 9th and the second Jordan of Fisichella to 10th. Lotterer was now staring at the possibility of a point, as his race-long battle with Frentzen for what was now 11th intensified, both drivers knowing a point could be around the corner should another front-runner fall out.
Barrichello managed to squeeze past Ralf Schumacher on lap 68, with only 3 to go, after using the slipstream down the back straight to excellent effect. The elusive retirement for Lotterer never came, as Schumacher won from his team-mate to make it yet another Ferrari 1-2. Ralf worked hard for an eventual 3rd place, beating both McLaren's of Coulthard and Raikkonen by less than 4 seconds. Villeneuve held off Valsattis for 6th, Button was 8th to bring some extra much-needed points to BAR, Heidfeld 9th for Sauber and Fisichella rounding off the top 10 for Jordan.

CLASSIFICATION:

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

DRIVERS STANDINGS:

1. M.Schumacher 211
2. R.Barrichello 139
3. D.Coulthard 109
4. R.Schumacher 86
5. JP.Montoya 82
6. M.Valsattis 54
7. K.Raikkonen 51
8. J.Trulli 44
9. F.Alonso 42
10. G.Fisichella 36
11. J.Button 32
12. J.Villeneuve 32
13. N.Heidfeld 25
14. HH.Frentzen 20
15. C.Da Matta 18
16. O.Panis 11
17. J.Verstappen 8
18. M.Webber 7
19. J.Wilson 1

CONSTRUCTORS STANDINGS:

1. Ferrari 350
2. Williams 168
3. McLaren 160
4. Jordan 90
5. Renault 86
6. BAR 64
7. Sauber 45
8. Toyota 29
9. Minardi 10
10. Jaguar 7

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[AdrianSutil]

Round Eleven - Great Britain

Andre Lotterer will continue for Jaguar until the end of the season, after his good performance at France. In other news, Williams and McLaren confirmed their drivers will remain where they are for next year, with the top teams quickly filling their seats.

Practice:

Conditions were dry throughout, although there was a chance of rain, as it was forecasted for the entire weekend. Michael Schumacher was the only driver to dip into the 1:19's, with Coulthard, Raikkonen and Alonso getting into the 1:20's. Verstappen was impressive with 14th, with the Jordans just behind.

1. M.Schumacher 1:19.957
2. D.Coulthard 1:20.619
3. K.Raikkonen 1:20.735

15. G.Fisichella 1:22.781
16. M.Valsattis 1:22.816
17. A.Lotterer 1:23.243

Qualifying:

The talk was of Valsattis' massive crash at Stowe corner, where a rear-wing failure pitched the car into the barriers at close to 160 mph. Although the driver declared himself fit, it will take a medical in the morning before the race to see if he is allowed to race. Ralf Schumacher and Montoya gave Williams an excellent home-race present, recording the two best times to line up together on the front row. Alonso was also impressive with 3rd, Michael Schumacher and Barrichello both disappointed with 6th and 9th, whilst Frentzen was delighted with 8th.

1. R.Schumacher 1:19.204
2. JP.Montoya 1:19.298
3. F.Alonso 1:19.386

11. G.Fisichella 1:20.683

18. C.Da Matta 1:21.994
19. J.Verstappen 1:22.152
20. M.Valsattis No Time

Race:

Valsattis was given the all-clear before the race, and will wisely choose to start from the pit-lane.

Montoya sped away off the light to take the lead, as Michael raced up to 3rd, pushing brother Ralf down to 4th from 1st. Fisichella and Lotterer had shocker of starts, the Jordan falling from 11th to 15th and the young Jaguar driver going from 13th to 19th, behind the Minardi's.
Valsattis began his comeback through the field, passing Lotterer, Verstappen and Wilson by the end of lap 4. Trulli had risen well from 12th to be 8th, whilst Frentzen was coming under attack from Panis and Heidfeld over their battle for 10th. By lap 7, Montoya had pulled out a 2 second gap over Coulthard, who was defending from Schumacher's Ferrari as Valsattis disposed of Villeneuve's BAR for 16th.
On lap 10, Valsattis and Villeneuve pass Da Matta after the Toyota driver makes a mistake at Luffield, dropping down to 17th as the top 3 contnue to circulate at similar speeds. Ralf Schumacher is 2 seconds back from his brother in 4th, with Alonso, Barrichello and Raikkonen all close together behind the Williams. Trulli and Button are engaged in a battle for 8th whilst a stubborn Frentzen holds up Panis and Heidfeld in 10th.
Lap 25, and as Valsattis and Villeneuve pass Fisichella for 14th and 15th, the rain begins to fall. At first its only light, but soon starts to intensify. Most drivers take the opportunity to pit for intermediate tyres, but Valsattis, known for finding grip where other's cannot, keeps his dry tyres on and moves into the lead, almost 25 seconds ahead of Montoya with 30 laps remaining.
Alonso and Barrichello come to blows on lap 33, both spinning and damaging their cars, requiring lenghy stops. They aren't the only ones, as both Panis and Heidfeld spin into the gravel, with the Sauber driver retiring. The order, on lap 35 was Valsattis leading by nearly 24 seconds from Montoya and Ralf in 2nd and 3rd. Behind Ralf was Coulthard and Michael Schumacher in 4th and 5th, Raikkonen, Trulli and Button were next up, Frentzen was nearly 10 seconds back in 9th, Villeneuve was up to 10th and Jones 11th. Fisichella was 12th, Da Matta 13th, the Minardi's of Wilson and Verstappen 14th and 15th, Lotterer in 16th. Alonso, Barrichello and Panis were now well over a lap down at the tail of the field.
With only 20 laps remaining, Valsattis' lead was now down to just 17 seconds, as the Williams drivers began to close the gap to the young Jordan pilot. With 17 to go, it was 14 seconds, down to 12 with 14 remaining. It was clear to see, the rain had intensified a little bit more and it was a real struggle to keep the Jordan pointing in the right direction. A pitstop for wets would certainly drop Valsattis behind Frentzen's Sauber in 8th, so the team and driver decided to keep going, with a 'points or bust' mentality.
With just 10 laps remianing, the rain became so bad that the only option for everyone was wets, including Valsattis. It had been a brave effort, but a spin at Club corner, dropping the Jordan driver to 4th place, confirmed the conditions had got bad. Alonso and Barrichello called time on their race, both retiring with accident damage to their cars. Jenson Button's impressive home race came to nothing, as he crashed out before he had time to change to full wet tyres, promoting the likes of Frentzen and Villeneuve into the points once again. Valsattis finally pitted for the full wet tyre option with only 4 laps remaining, dropping the Jordan driver from 2nd to 6th, between Raikkonen and Trulli. Heidfeld's race was also over, retiring from 10th place after spinning off at Bridge corner. Montoya held the lead in the closing laps, with Ralf ahead of Michael Schumacher for 2nd and 3rd. Coulthard and Raikkonen were 4th and 5th, Valsattis an excellent 6th, Trulli 7th, Villeneuve 8th, Frentzen 9th and an excellent Sammy Jones 10th for Jaguer, just ahead of Fisichella's Jordan in 11th.
On lap 57, with 3 tours to go, Trulli passed Valsattis for 6th place, the Jordan driver still getting used to the new grip levels, but with a 10 second gap back to Villeneuve, his 7th was safe. The order didn't change, with Montoya taking a well-deserved victory, ahead of Michael Schumacher and Coulthard, after Ralf threw away 2nd by spinning on the final lap. Raikkonen and Trulli finished 5th and 6th, Valsattis an impressive 7th, Villeneuve 8th and Frentzen 9th. Jones and Fisichella took their battle for 10th right to the line, but it was the Jaguar driver who won, taking home a much-needed point. Justin Wilson wasn't classified, after falling off the road with 2 laps remaining, after a lenghy stop to replace body parts a few laps before.

CLASSIFICATION:

1. JP.Montoya
2. M.Schumacher
3. D.Coulthard
4. R.Schumacher
5. K.Raikkonen
6. J.Trulli
7. M.Valsattis
8. J.Villeneuve
9. HH.Frentzen
10. S.Jones
11. G.Fisichella
12. C.Da Matta +1 LAP
13. A.Lotterer +1 LAP
14. J.Verstappen +1 LAP
15. O.Panis +2 LAPS

DRIVERS CLASSIFICATION:

1. M.Schumacher 229
2. R.Barrichello 139
3. D.Coulthard 124
4. JP.Montoya 107
5. R.Schumacher 98
6. K.Raikkonen 61
7. M.Valsattis 60
8. J.Trulli 52
9. F.Alonso 42
10. G.Fisichella 36
11. J.Villeneuve 36
12. J.Button 32
13. N.Heidfeld 25
14. HH.Frentzen 22
15. C. Da Matta 18
16. O.Panis 11
17. J.Verstappen 8
18. M.Webber 7
19. J.Wilson 2
20. S.Jones 1

CONSTRUCTORS STANDINGS:

1. Ferrari 368
2. Williams 205
3. McLaren 185
4. Jordan 96
5. Renault 94
6. BAR 68
7. Sauber 47
8. Toyota 29
9. Minardi 10
10. Jaguar 8

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[AdrianSutil]

Been a while since an update, so two races in quick succession:

Round Twelve - Germany:

Practice:

Conditions were dry throughout the session, although rain has fallen in the morning. Barrichello set the fastest time, by a massive 6 tenths from Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher. Coulthard, Alonso and Trulli were also very quick, showing for a competitive qualifying. Toyota did well too, getting both cars into the top 10.

1. R.Barrichello 1:17.546
2. K.Raikkonen 1:18.144
3. M.Schumacher 1:18.171

12. G.Fisichella 1:20.388

14. S.Jones 1:20.673
15. M.Valsattis 1:20.827
16. J.Wilson 1:21.271

Qualifying:

Raikkonen and Trulli took the front row with ease, both drivers nearly 4 tenths quicker than Ralf Schumacher. The Ferrari of Barrichello was 4th, whilst Michael Schumacher was all the way down in 11th, suffering downforce issues. Jordan too, had a shocker, lining up 18th and 20th.

1. K.Raikkonen 1:15.227
2. J.Trulli 1:15.297
3. R.Schumacher 1:15.645

18. G.Fisichella 1:18.024
19. O.Panis 1:18.271
20. M.Valsattis 1:18.398

Race:

Raikkonen and Trulli led away, as Ralf slipped back to 5th behind the second McLaren and Renault. Montoya was up to 6th, Barrichello 7th, Frentzen 8th, the two BAR's 9th and 10th, whilst Schumacher was rooted still in 11th. The Jordans moved up from their poor grid positions, Fisichella to 14th and Valsattis to 15th.
By lap 7, Ralf had slipped back further to 7th, having been passed by Montoya and Barrichello. Michael Schumacher was in the points in 9th, passing both BAR's. Jordan too, were slowly making progress, both cars getting by Da Matta for 13th and 14th. By lap 12, Valsattis had passed both Fisichella and Verstappen, to find himself in 12th. A gap of 9 seconds to Villeneuve was ahead, and he began to slowly reel the Canadian in.
On lap 20, Frentzen's gearbox failed whilst running in 9th behind Schumacher, it was a bitter blow for the German, who was on course for a good finish at his home race. Raikkonen by now was 5 seconds up the road from the Renault of Trulli, whilst Montoya in 5th was attracting the attention of both Ferrari's, Michael having passed his brother two laps previously.
With the stops out of the way by lap 35, Raikkonen had increased the gap back to Trulli by nearly 10 seconds, Michael had jumped Rubens for 6th, and Fisichella passed Verstappen for 12th. Valsattis meanwhile, had reduced the gap to Villeneuve to just under 3 seconds and was setting consistently quicker lap times.
The Renault reliability curse struck again on lap 43, as Trulli's hydraulics failed at his second stop, bringing an end to his fantastic run in 2nd. Renault had problems too with Alonso's car, a gerbox problem left him without 3rd gear, but his laptimes were still competitive enough to remain in a now, podium place in 3rd. This pushed Valsattis into the points once again, who had now reduced the gap to Villeneuve to under 2 seconds.
With only 6 laps remaining, Valsattis had caught Villeneuve and began to duck and weave, looking for a way past. But it came to nothing when the Ford engine expired. Valsattis was out of 10th, but it promoted Fisichella into the points. The positions at the front remained the same, apart from Michael Schumacher running wide on the final lap and letting Barrichello through for 5th. It was another strong race for Minardi, with Verstappen and Wilson 11th and 13th, whilst Jaguar suffered another poor race, Jones and Lotterer 14th and 15th. The same could be said for Toyota, who finished plum last. Panis even being lapped twice.

CLASSIFICATION:

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

DRIVERS STANDINGS:

1. M.Schumacher 237
2. R.Barrichello 149
3. D.Coulthard 142
4. JP.Montoya 119
5. R.Schumacher 104
6. K.Raikkonen 86
7. M.Valsattis 60
8. F.Alonso 57
9. J.Trulli 52
10. J.Villeneuve 38
11. G.Fisichella 37
12. J.Button 36
13. N.Heidfeld 25
14. HH.Frentzen 22
15. C.Da Matta 18
16. O.Panis 11
17. J.Verstappen 8
18. M.Webber 7
19. J.Wilson 2
20. S.Jones 1

CONSTRUCTORS STANDINGS:

1. Ferrari 386
2. McLaren 228
3. Williams 223
4. Renault 109
5. Jordan 97
6. BAR 74
7. Sauber 47
8. Toyota 29
9. Minardi 10
10. Jaguar 8

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[AdrianSutil]

Round Thirteen - Hungary:

Before the weekend, Justin Wilson suffered a bad crash in testing, he will be replaced for the Hungarian race by Minardi test-driver, Gianmaria Bruni.

Practice:

Barrichella and Schumacher set the pace for Ferrari, both drivers lapping very similar times. Raikkonen and Coulthard were next up, with the Jordan of Valsattis in 5th. The Minardi's were at the back, along with Montoya, who only managed 4 laps before a crash at turn 2.

1. R.Barrichello 1:18.558
2. M.Schumacher 1:18.579
3. K.Raikkonen 1:19.002

4. D.Coulthard 1:19.231
5. M.Valsattis 1:19.318
6. F.Alonso 1:19.510

14. G.Fisichella 1:21.015

Qualifying:

Williams surprised everyone with a front row lock-out, Schumacher pipping Montoya by less than a tenth. Barrichello and Trulli were on row 2, with Raikkonen beating Coulthard on row 3. Michael Schumacher again struggled with qualifying, and will start 7th. Bruni did well in his first qualifying session, beating Verstappen and Lotterer to line up 18th.

1. R.Schumacher 1:18.237
2. JP.Montoya 1:18.269
3. R.Barrichello 1:18.496

14. C. Da Matta 1:20.576
15. M.Valsattis 1:20.713
16. G.Fisichella 1:20.993

Race:

Ralf got another shocker of a start, over-revving the car and sliding down to 5th. Montoya led well at the end of the first lap, with Raikkonen, a fast-starting Michael Schumacher and Barrichello behind. Trulli was up to 6th, Button 7th, Coulthard down to 8th, Valsattis up to 9th and Alonso in 10th. Jones jumped from 18th to 11th as Fisichella went from 16th to 19th, behind the two Minardi's and Lotterer's Jaguar. Panis was at the back, having started from the pitlane.
Valsattis was on a charge, disposing of Coulthard and Button on lap 3, before passing Trulli for 6th on lap 4. It soon became clear though, that the Jordan was trying a bold move, a quick first stint, hopefully building up enough gap to those in the midfeild to rejoin after his early stop, still in the shout for points.
Gianmaria Bruni was the first retirement, his race ending on lap 6 thanks to a driveshaft failure. The debutant was running well in 17th at the time, and keeping Fisichella at bay. Valsattis was running a dream, passing Ralf Schumacher on lap 8 and then the Ferrari of Barrichello on lap 10. The Jordan's target was to beat Sammy Jones, who was already 9 seconds back in 11th.
Michael Schumacher was Valsattis' next target on lap 13, as Da Matta's engine failed in the Toyota whilst running 14th. Sadly for the Jordan team and Valsattis, the young driver picked up a puncture towards the end of lap 19, sending him into the pits several laps earlier than planned and losing several seconds. He still rejoined in 14th place, ahead of Verstappen, but almost 15 seconds behind Heidfeld's Sauber in 13th.
Valsattis though, was beginning to experience problems only 3 laps later, as a loose suspension linkage finally snapped, sending the car into the gravel and out of the race. It was the 2nd retirement in as many races for the youngster, who was now beginning to slip further back in the drivers standings.
The stops began for the leaders, as Montoya was the first to pit. This allowed Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher to set quicker laps and they rejoined ahead of the Williams, Montoya now down to 3rd. Raikkonen made a mistake on lap 35, running wide at turn 2, letting Schumacher through to take the lead. Ralf Schumacher also lost out in the pits, Trulli passing him for 5th. Further back, a long first stint by Frentzen allowed him to jump from 12th to 9th, passing Villeneuve, Jones and Alonso.
With only 5 laps remaining, Coulthard, who had been running a lowly 7th place, began to lose oil pressure and slowed towards the final laps, allowing the BAR of Button to slip past, demoting the McLaren to 8th. Giancarlo Fisichella and Andre Lotterer had a coming together on lap 65, putting both cars out of the race from their battle for 14th.
Michael Schumacher won the race, less than a second ahead of Raikkonen, and the win enabled the German to win his 6th World Championship, and Ferrari the Constructors title too.

CLASSIFICATION:

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

DRIVERS STANDINGS:

1. M.Schumacher 262
2. R.Barrichello 161
3. D.Coulthard 146
4. JP.Montoya 134
5. R.Schumacher 112
6. K.Raikkonen 104
7. J.Trulli 62
8. M.Valsattis 60
9. F.Alonso 58
10. J.Button 42
11. J.Villeneuve 38
12. G.Fisichella 37
13. N.Heidfeld 25
14. HH.Frentzen 24
15. C.Da Matta 18
16. O.Panis 11
17. J.Verstappen 8
18. M.Webber 7
19. J.Wilson 2
20. S.Jones 1

CONSTRUCTORS STANDINGS:

1. Ferrari 423
2. McLaren 250
3. Williams 246
4. Renault 120
5. Jordan 97
6. BAR 80
7. Sauber 49
8. Toyota 29
9. Minardi 10
10. Jaguar 8

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[AdrianSutil]

Round Fourteen - Italy:

Justin Wilson returns to full fitness and will step back into the Minardi for Monza. BAR announce the signings of Jenson Button and Takuma Sato for 2004, leaving Villeneuve without a drive for next year.

Practice:

Conditions were warm and sunny, as usual at Monza for the drivers. Michael Schumacher, fresh from his Championship winning race in Hungary, continued his dominance with the fastest time in the session, with Barrichello and Coulthard some 5 tenths back. Olivier Panis, rumoured to be retiring at the end of the season, was 9th fastest and Justin Wilson an excellent 14th on his Minardi return.

1. M.Schumacher 1:25.146
2. R.Barrichello 1:25.710
3. D.Coulthard 1:25.803

12. HH.Frentzen 1:27.571
13. M.Valsattis 1:27.619
14. J.Wilson 1:27.914

16. G.Fisichella 1:28.237

Qualifying:

Alonso surprised everyone by taking pole position, nearly 2 tenths quicker than Schumacher's Ferrari. Montoya and Barrichello were on row 2 with Coulthard and Ralf Schumacher on row 3. Panis continued his good form, setting the 9th quickest time again, with Wilson also doing brilliantly, moving up to 12th place. Valsattis and Lotterer failed to set times, thanks to a crash and a gearbox failure respectively and will start on the back row. It was doubly disappointing for Valsattis, who had been nearly 6 tenths quicker than Panis by the time of his accident at the Parabolica corner.

1. F.Alonso 1:23.416
2. M.Schumacher 1:23.672
3. JP.Montoya 1:23.691

14. G.Fisichella 1:25.516

18. J.Verstappen 1:27.001
19. A.Lotterer No Time
20. M.Valsattis No Time

Race:

Michael Schumacher got the jump on Alonso and immediately began to pull away. The remaining top 6 all held their positions as Raikkonen and Trulli swapped places for 7th and 8th. Villeneuve was up to 9th from 11th, Panis down to 10th and Frentzen losing 3 places, dropping from 9th to 12th, behind Wilson's Minardi. Valsattis and Lotterer both made good starts, the Jordan ending lap 1 in 13th whilst the Jaguar was 16th.
Valsattis race was over though on lap 3, running wide again at the troublesome Parabolica corner and hitting the barrier, damaging his suspension enough to retire him on the spot. Schumacher meanwhile, had pulled out a 4 second gap to Alonso by lap 7, a 6 second gap by lap 10, a 12 second gap by lap 17 and when the Ferrari finally pitted on lap 23, he was far enough ahead to rejoin still in the lead. By mid-distance, the only notable change of position was Frentzen and Heidfeld getting past the Minardi of Wilson form 11th and 12th, so much was the little difference between the front-running cars.
Andre Lotterer and Nick Heidfeld both retired on lap 43, the Jaguar driver spinning at the second Lesmos corner and the Sauber stalling in the pits and refusing to select a gear. Jos Verstappen had been running well, albeit in 15th place, before a front-wing failure sent him into the gravel. The Dutchman managed to recover but lost a full lap whilst the damage was rectified in the pits.
Michael Schumacher won a comfortable Italian Grand Prix to the delight of the Tifosi. Alonso recorded a well-deserved 2nd place, with Montoya claiming 3rd on a track he loves. Jenson Button had a slow and uneventful race to 13th, but was later disqualified for an underweight car. As the BAR finished well outside the points, the team chose not to appeal the DQ.

CLASSIFICATION:

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

DRIVERS STANDINGS:

1. M.Schumacher 287
2. R.Barrichello 173
3. D.Coulthard 156
4. JP.Montoya 149
5. R.Schumacher 120
6. K.Raikkonen 110
7. F.Alonso 76
8. J.Trulli 66
9. M.Valsattis 60
10. J.Button 42
11. J.Villeneuve 40
12. G.Fisichella 37
13. N.Heidfeld 25
14. HH.Frentzen 24
15. C. Da Matta 18
16. O.Panis 12
17. J.Verstappen 8
18. M.Webber 7
19. J.Wilson 2
20. S.Jones 1

CONSTRUCTOR STANDINGS:

1. Ferrari 460
2. Williams 269
3. McLaren 266
4. Renault 142
5. Jordan 97
6. BAR 82
7. Sauber 49
8. Toyota 30
9. Minardi 10
10. Jaguar 8

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[AdrianSutil]

Round Fifteen - USA:

It was announced before the practice session that Frentzen was to retire after the end of the season, leaving a space for Sauber to fill. The option was taken to sign Jaguar driver Andre Lotterer, which many thought to be a bit of a gamble. But he has proved to be reliable, if not very fast. Jaguar then announced that Lotterer's place for the final race of the season at Japan would be by Austrian driver Christian Klien, who has also signed to drive one of the Jagaur cars for 2004. Sammy Jones has signed to Jaguar for 2004 too, leaving very few places now available to other drivers.

Practice:

Dry weather greeted the drivers after the rain fell heavily on Thursday. Raikkonen and Barrichello traded places at the top until the McLaren set a blidtering time, 4 tenths quicker than the Ferrari. Ralf Schumacher and Coulthard were next up, with Michael Schumacher 5th. Jaguar brought a new engine to Indy, and produced the 9th and 10th quickest times, Jones ahead of Lotterer. Minardi also brought a new aero package, specifically designed for Indy and recorded the 12th and 14th fastest times, seperated by Valsattis' Jordan.

1. K.Raikkonen 1:09.773
2. R.Barrichello 1:10.124
3. R.Schumacher 1:10.141

11. J.Wilson 1:11.460
12. M.Valsattis 1:11.667
13. J.Verstappen 1:11.909

19. G.Fisichella 1:15.089

Qualifying:

Dry weather again shone throughtout qualifying, although the threat of rain now moved onto race day. Coulthard and Trulli shared the front row, with the McLaren driver occupying pole position by nearly 2 tenths. Lotterer made excellent use of his new engine, recording the 5th fastest time to claim his, and Jaguar's, highest grid position. Michael Schumacher struggled to find grip on his fastest lap, setting only the 10th quickest time, 2 tenths quicker than Valsattis in the Jordan. Wilson's engine blew on the out-lap, so he was unable to set a time, but allowed to start as his practice time was well within the 107%.

1. D.Coulthard 1:07.884
2. J.Trulli 1:08.038
3. JP.Montoya 1:08.141

10. M.Schumacher 1:08.761
11. M.Valsattis 1:08.954
12. C.Da Matta 1:09.024

14. G.Fisichella 1:09.257

Race:

Coulthard led away well, with Montoya moving past Trulli and Alonso for 2nd place. Barrichello kept his 5th place but Michael Schumacher jumped up to 6th. Ralf Schumacher, Raikkonen and Lotterer all touched and ran over the grass at turn 1, dropping back to 10th, 11th and 12th, allowing the likes of Panis, Villeneuve, Valsattis and Jones to move inside the top 10.
Valsattis was on a charge, moving past Villeneuve for 8th on lap 4, and then Panis for 7th on lap 7, as Raikkonen and Ralf Schumacher moved past the Jaguar of Sammy Jones for 10th and 11th on the next lap. Meanwhile, Coulthard and Montoya were beginning to escape into the distance, as the Renault's of Trulli and Alonso were visibly holding the Ferrari's of Barrichello and Schumacher up.
Further back, a spin by Button on lap 2 dropped him to the back of the field but by lap 18, he had moved past the Minardi's and Frentzen's Sauber for 17th spot, just behind Fisichella's Jordan. By lap 20, the defensive job by Renault allowed Montoya and Coulthard to race away into their own battle, and let the Jordan of Valsattis close up to the back of Schumacher's rear wing. Meanwhile, Panis was nearly 6 seconds back from Valsattis, and now had to deal with a recovering Kimi Raikkonen, who had just passed Villeneuve's BAR for 9th.
On lap 26, Raikkonen finally passed the Toyota of Panis and immediately began reeling in the 5-car group of Trulli, Alonso, Barrichello, Schumacher and Valsattis at nearly a second a lap. Further back, Panis was defending well from Villeneuve in 10th, Ralf Schumacher in 11th and a rejuvinated Jones in 12th. 5 seconds back was Lotterer in 13th, holding off Da Matta, Frentzen, Button (who had now passed Fisichella), Fisichella and Heidfeld. Minardi were still running, although their aero package wasnt as strong in the race as much as they expected, Wilson running ahead of Verstappen in 19th.
On lap 40, with the stops completed, the Ferrari's still hadn't passed the Renault's, mainly because Alonso and Trulli were able to run longer, thus keeping their 3rd and 4th places. Raikkonen had caught up to Valsattis, but could not find a way through past the stubborn Jordan. Sammy Jones retired from 11th place on lap 47, another Jaguar engine failure, this time more embarassing, as it was the uprated version.
Michael Schumacher managed to squeeze past Barrichello at the start of lap 52, and began to pressure the Renault of Alonso for 4th. Coulthard meanwhile, set the fastest lap and increased his lead over Montoya to nearly 8 seconds.
Jarno Trulli suffered a spectacular engine failure on lap 58, dropping him from 3rd place and leaving Alonso all on his own to defend his podium against the Ferrari's of Schumacher and Barrichello. The Renault's retirement put Ralf Schumacher into 10th place, who was still battling with Villeneuve's BAR, Lotterer was now up to 11th place and praying for another retirement ahead of him.
With only 6 laps to go, Raikkonen finally muscled his way past Valsattis, pushing the Jordan driver onto the grass at turn 5, and dropping back to 7th. Lotterer finally got his wish, Ralf Schumacher retitring with oil pressure failure with only 4 laps remaining, putting the Jaguar driver into 10th place.
On lap 70, with 2 laps remaining, Justin Wilson changed everything. With his Minardi coming up to be lapped by Alonso and his chasing pack of four cars, Wilson inadvertently bloked the Renault, which allowed the Ferrari's of Schumacher and Barrichello to slip through. That wasnt the end of it, as Raikkonen ran wide trying to pass the Minardi, and the Jordan of Valsattis re-took 6th place of the McLaren.
Jacques Villeneuve spun off at turn 4 on the penultimate lap, retiring form 9th place. Lotterer was now up to 9th, with both Toyota's now in the points, Da Matta 10th.
Coulthard won by nearly 8 seconds from Montoya, with Michael Schumacher finally taking 3rd place. Alonso was fuming at his 5th, whilst Valsattis and Lotterer was delighted with their points finishes. Toyota were also happy with both drivers scoring points, although neither driver has yet to sign a deal for 2004.

CLASSIFICATION:

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

DRIVERS STANDINGS:

1. M.Schumacher 302
2. R.Barrichello 185
3. D.Coulthard 181
4. JP.Montoya 167
5. R.Schumacher 120
6. K.Raikkonen 116
7. F.Alonso 86
8. M.Valsattis 68
9. J.Trulli 66
10. J.Button 42
11. J.Villeneuve 40
12. G.Fisichella 37
13. N.Heidfeld 25
14. HH.Frentzen 24
15. C. Da Matta 19
16. O.Panis 16
17. J.Verstappen 8
18. M.Webber 7
19. A.Lotterer 2
20. J.Wilson 2
21. S.Jones 1

CONSTRUCTORS STANDINGS:

1. Ferrari 487
2. McLaren 297
3. Williams 287
4. Renault 152
5. Jordan 105
6. BAR 82
7. Sauber 49
8. Toyota 35
9. Minardi 10
10. Jaguar 10

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[AdrianSutil]

Round Sixteen - Japan:

Wizzie will be pleased!

Giancarlo Fisichella and Nick Heidfeld have swapped rides for next season, after both teams, Jordan and Sauber, reached a simple agreement. The second seat is yet to be decided, although the favourite for the Jordan is Masta Valsattis. But with Toyota yet to confirm any signings, he might be tempted should the right offer come along. Minardi have also yet to confirm who will be driving for them in 2004, although Gianmaria Bruni is expected to make the jump up from his test driving duties. So much so, that he replaces Justin Wilson for the final race of 2003. As previously mentioned, Christian Klien will replace Andre Lotterer for Japan, to make sure the young Austrian gets a little bit of experience in a race weekend early.

Practice:

Masta Valsattis was the shock of the session, splitting the Ferrari's to end the day in 2nd place. Michael Schumacher finished the practice sessions the way he started the year, with clearly the fastest time. McLaren were next up, in 4th and 5th, with Alonso rounding off the top 6. Klien and Bruni, ended their session in 17th and 20th.

1. M.Schumacher 1:36.382
2. M.Valsattis 1:36.912
3. R.Barrichello 1:37.149

18. G.Fisichella 1:39.540

Qualifying:

Trulli took the final pole of 2003, beating Schumacher's Ferrari by almonst 3 tenths. Barrichello and the McLarens were next, with Valsattis proving his practice pace wasn't a fluke with the 6th fastest times. Klien had a good session, ending the day 14th, ahead of his team-mate Jones. Bruni was 20th and last, almost 4 seconds away from Trulli.

1. J.Trulli 1:36.255
2. M.Schumacher 1:36.601
3. R.Barrichello 1:36.873

5. D.Coulthard 1:37.491
6. M.Valsattis 1:37.509
7. R.Schumacher 1:37.818

15. G.Fisichella 1:39.291

Race:

Valsattis nearly stalled at the start, and was very slow away. With the gird being so close together, the likes of Button, Villeneuve and the two Toyotas were held up and they all fell to the back of the field. This allowed the likes of Bruni, Verstappen and Fisichella to move inside the top 14. Michael Schumacher took the lead going into turn 1, and left Trulli to defend from the McLarens and Barrichello's Ferrari. The Williams' of Ralf and Juan-Pablo were next up, with Alonso and Sauber's Frentzen fighting for 8th.
Schumacher began to pull away at the front. By lap 4, the gap was nearly 4 seconds. On lap 7, it was up to 6.5. And by lap 10 it was 8.3. Trulli was visibly holding up Raikkonen and Barrichello. Whilst two seconds behind Barrichello, was Ralf Schumacher, Coulthard and Montoya.
Fisichella's Ford engine in the back of his Jordan gave up on lap 13, dropping the Italian out of 10th place. This promoted Heidfeld into the points, until a recovering Valsattis passed him a lap later at the final chicane.
On lap 20, as the Toyota's and BAR's, who had been running near the back, amde their stops, Valsattis disposed of Frentzen's Sauber to run in 9th. On the next lap, he set a lap time only 5 tenths slower than Schumacher's fastest. The next lap, he went a tenth quicker. The Jordan was now the second fastest car on the track. He was flying!
By mid-race, Schumacher had pulled out a healthy 20 second gap to Trulli, and began to slow down slightly to conserve the engine. The Trulli train still existed, all the way back to Alonso in 8th. 9th was Valsattis, who after a long stop to change his steering wheel, fell aawy from the Renault. Things got worse on lap 40 though, as the Jordan suffered gear selection problems when Valsattis downshifted for turn 2, pitching the car into a spin. Although Valsattis recovered, he had lost both 5th and 6th gears. He continued for a couple of laps, but the condition was hopeless, and he retired the Jordan to the garage. Jenson Button also retired on the same lap, suspension failure putting the BAR out of 13th.
Verstappen became for 4th retirement on lap 46, engine failure in the Cosworth putting the Minardi out of an impressive 12th. Ralf Schumacher added to the list of DNF's a lap later, spinning on Verstappen's oil and out of 6th place. This promoted the Sauber's up to 8th and 9th, with Jones now in 10th. If Jones could stay there, then Jaguar would beat Minardi by a single point in their battle for 9th.
With only 3 laps to go, Trulli and Raikkonen had a coming together at the hairpin, which allowed Coulthard and Barrichello to sneak through into 2nd and 3rd. But Barrichello threw his chance at a podium away on the final lap, running wide at turn 2 and dropping back to 5th. Michael Schumacher won to end a totally dominating season for Ferrari, walking away with well over a 100 points from his team-mate. Sauber ended the season well, a double point finish. But Minardi were gutted at missing out on 9th place, as Jones brought a sick sounding Jaguar home in 10th.

CLASSIFICATION:

1. M.Schumacher
2. D.Coulthard
3. J.Trulli
4. K.Raikkonen
5. R.Barrichello
6. JP.Montoya
7. F.Alonso
8. HH.Frentzen +1 LAP
9. N.Heidfeld +1 LAP
10. S.Jones +1 LAP
11. J.Villeneuve +1 LAP
12. C.Da Matta +1 LAP
13. C.Klien +1 LAP
14. O.Panis +1 LAP
15. G.Bruni +2 LAPS

DRIVERS STANDINGS:

1. M.Schumacher 327
2. D.Coulthard 199
3. R.Barrichello 195
4. JP.Montoya 175
5. K.Raikkonen 128
6. R.Schumacher 120
7. F.Alonso 92
8. J.Trulli 81
9. M.Valsattis 68
10. J.Button 42
11. J.Villeneuve 40
12. G.Fisichella 37
13. HH.Frentzen 28
14. N.Heidfeld 27
15. C. Da Matta 19
16. O.Panis 16
17. M.Webber 7
18. J.Verstappen 8
19. A.Lotterer 2
20. J.Wilson 2
21. S.Jones 2

CONSTRUCTOR STANDINGS:

1. Ferrari 522
2. Mclaren 327
3. Williams 295
4. Renault 173
5. Jordan 105
6. BAR 82
7. Sauber 55
8. Toyota 35
9. Jaguar 11
10. Minardi 10




END OF SEASON REVIEW:

Ferrari:

Although some races were close at the front, there's no denying that Ferrari, and especially Schumacher, tore through the opposition. Adouble record of points, mainly thanks to the new system, saw Schumacher and Ferrari win the title with several races remaining. Barrichello fought hard but had to settle for 3rd in the title race, but has proved to be very competitive at the front. The car will be brand new for 2004, with Ferrari adding a few nice touches to the car. The team expect to challenge for both title's next year, but are aware of the very strong challenge from the other teams behind them.

Mclaren:

Although Coulthard fought brilliantly to claim 2nd place in the championship, Raikkonen was disappointing in the first part of the year, and should've been up with his team-mate. In the end, McLaren finished nearly 200 points behind Ferrari, but held of Williams to claim runner-up in the team title aswell. The car is expected to be another brand new design for 2004, and the team are confident of pushing Ferrari closer.

Williams:

Montoya and Ralf Schumacher impressed during the year, and should've competed more for the major placings were it not for poor speed with the car. Too many times in races Ferrari and McLaren were battling for wins whilst Willaims were struggling to finish inside the top 6. Australia was a perfect example, as both drivers spent most of the race behind Minardi, unable to pass. The team will use an updated version of the 2003 car, but with a new BMW engine on hand, are expected to make a better title challenge.

Renault:

Renault had a very up-and-down season. Whilst there were highlights, Alonso scoring a 2nd at Monza when the car was poor, the car was horribly unreliable, and at times just too slow. Jordan gave them a run for their money and was it not for a late-season burst in fortune, were the French team able to pull away and secure 4th rather easily. Both drivers have been retained, and are looking to continue their regular point finishes, as long as the car can hold up.

Jordan:

Jordan clearly won the 'team of the year' accolade, after impressing nearly every weekend. It started with a fantastic 4-5 at Australia, although it was helped by attrition. The car was easily the most reliable of the season, only 7 retirements out of 32 gave the team a real chance of 4th place. It could've been there for the taking, but a slight dip in form towards the end of the season, as Renault gradually improved, kept the team in 5th. Jordan will use a brand new car for next year, and although money is beginning to run tight, and the team are realistic in their targets (8th, ahead of Jaguar and Minardi), they hope to keep the reliabilty record going and snatch a few surprise results.

BAR:

In a year where it was more of a transition, as BAR and Honda used 2003 as a 'training season', the team did well to finish 6th. The car certainly wasn't the quickest throughout the year, and a string of disappointing results led many to believe Button, as well as Villeneuve, would be on the way out come season end. But the team have opted to keep the Englishman, and promote Japanese driver Sato into the second seat, although many feel this is purely because of Honda's massive involvement within the team. A new car, better upgrades and a better reliability record might see the team score their first win. A lot is being expected this season, and both drivers are clearly relishing the chance.

Sauber:

Although the Swiss team scored a solid 55 points, nearly half were in two races. Australia and Austria. Many times, they were even outpaced by Minardi, and are somewhat lucky to score 7th. The continuing Ferrari help is keeping them solidly in the midfield and a decent reliability record saw both drivers score a few more point finishes to keep Toyota and their millions at bay. It must be said that not much is expected in 2004, with only slight updates going onto the car. Money again will be tight, but the proven Ferrari engines should see them comfortable midfield yet again.

Toyota:

For all the millions Toyota pump into Formula 1, 8th place is somewhat of a disappointment, especially having a car as aerodynamically capable on any circuit. Panis was clearly not up to the job this season, and Da Matta looked incresingly out of his depth. It wasn't until Monaco that both drivers started to show progress. A high rate of incidents, coupled with a good qualifying, saw the drivers finish in the points and give the team a much-needed boost. After that, a small smattering of points was enough to end the season on 35 points, but with a new car, engine and gearbox in the offering for their new drivers in 2004, much is expected from the team.

Jaguar:

To say Jaguar were lucky to beat Minardi is something of an understatement, as the team were effectively a one-man outfit for the whole season. Pizzonia was poor in the first half of the year and although Lotterer brought slight improvement, scoring at point at Indy, it was virtually down to the unreliability of others. Sammy Jones was also brought in and a point in the final race was just enough to do it, and the team can breather a massive sign of relief. Their pre-season promises didn't live up to much, as the drivers were constantly let-down by engine, gearbox and suspension woes. The team started development on their new car as early as July, and are expecting a massive improvement.

Minardi:

Australia will go down in history as possible the best Minardi weekend ever. A solid qualifying put both drivers inside the top 10, and they remained there all race, scoring the teams first double point-finish in many seasons. The car wasn't the quickest, or the most reliable, but both Verstappen and Wilson drove their socks off. Almost half the season was spent battling with Toyota and Jaguar, sometimes beating them in a square fight, but once or twice the cars were well out of their depth. The Nurburgring will testify to this, both cars failing to qualify. An updated version is expected, Minardi simply don't have the money to produce Ferrari and McLaren-esqe cars, and another season at the tail-end beckons. But if the cars remain reliable, a few point finishes might be on the cards.

[AdrianSutil]

2004 SEASON:

PRE-SEASON:

Over the winter months, it became clear that despite their amazing season, the Jordan team were struggling to pay large bills and find suitable sponsorship for the new season. Masta Valsattis had declared himself happy at Jordan, but it became obvious that the team needed a driver who could bring a lot of sponsorship money. So Valsattis left the team, who decided to sign Hungarian driver Zsolt Baumgartner to partner Nick Heidfeld.
With a seat available at Toyota after the departure of both Da Matta and Panis, Valsattis quickly signed a two-yeal deal with the Japanese team, hinting he wanted to score consistent points throughout the year.
Gianmaria Bruni had already signed a deal with Minardi for 2004, but the second driver seat was still available as the teams went to Sapin for the frist test session. Same too with Toyota, who would be trying out a variety of drivers over the two days. With another two day session planned for Silverstone too, it was plenty of time to work out the teething problems with the teams new cars and get valuable driving for their new drivers.

Pre-Season Test - Barcelona, Day One:

For the first pre-season tests, Toyota had Portuguese Tiago Monteiro and Minardi took on Italian Giorgio Pantano. The session was two-hours long, with sunny and dry conditions throughout. Early on though, it was clear Toyota were struggling. The new car was only a few days old, and although they had done a few private laps at Suzuka, the car was very fragile. Alonso set the eaqrly pace with a 1:13.300, before Barrichello eclipsed him with a 1:13.103, just at the hour mark. Valsattis had managed 5 laps, with a best time of 1:17.581. Pantano had completed 9 laps by halfway point, with a best of 1:15.680, over a full second clear of Coulthard's McLaren.

1. R.Barrichello 1:13.103
2. R.Schumacher 1:13.279
3. F.Alonso 1:13.300

With only 30 minutes remaining, Baumgartner put in a great lap of 1:14.620 to move into 5th place, one spot behind the Sauber of Lotterer. Then new Toyota trainee Monterio did himself a world of good, demoting Baumgartner to 6th as he took over 5th place, a time of 1:14.440. Valsattis went out again to try and improve his time but it came to nothing when a suspension spring failed on his first flying lap, putting the car into the gravel and out of the session. Mark Webber and the McLaren's were also struggling, Webber only managing 3 laps so far, which were all hampered by traffic to set a very slow time of 1:25.319, some 12 seconds slower than Barrichello. Coulthard and Raikkonen were sandwiching the unlucky Valsattis in 15th and 17th. Lotterer too was having problems, his gearbox failing whilst completing his 19th lap. As the first day ended, the surprises were clearly Monteiro in 6th for Toyota, Heidfeld and Baumgartner in 7th and 9th for Jordan and Pantano in 13th for Minardi. McLaren didn't venture out at the end of the session and Webber recorded the slowest time after his earlier problems.

1. R.Barrichello 1:13.100
2. JP. Montoya 1:13.241
3. R.Schumacher 1:13.279

6. T.Monteiro 1:14.440

15. D.Coulthard 1:17.319
16. M.Valsattis 1:17.581
17. K.Raikkonen 1:18.003

Pre-Season Test - Barcelona, Day Two:

Again, the conditions were perfect for the afternoon's running. McLaren were using a low-fuel session to see how the car handled in quicker race pace. Mark Webber's car was fixed, but Toyota were still having problems with Valsattis' car. After suspension failure put the youngster out on the first day, engine problems left the driver with nothing to do but sit out the entire session. Jarno Trulli was the fastest by the halfway point, recording a solid time of 1:13.214. Barrichello and Schumacher were next in the Ferrari's, less than a tenth away. McLaren's low fuel running wasn't paying off as much as the team wanted, with Coulthard 8th and Raikkonen down in 11th.

1. J.Trulli 1:13.214
2. R.Barrichello 1:13.267
3. M.Schumacher 1:13.298

13. T.Montiero 1:15.791

18. G.Bruni 1:17.012
19. N.Heidfeld 1:17.349
20. M.Valsattis No Time

Michael Schumacher ended the day as the fastest driver, recording a good time of 1:12.946 to pip Trulli by two tenths. Barrichello slipped back to 5th behind Montoya and Button's BAR, which was using an upgraded Honda engine. Monteiro did himself and the Toyota team proud once again, setting a time just 1.3 seconds slower than Schumacher to put the car 9th. Valsattis in the other Toyota managed one very slow out-lap but was still experiencing problem, and failed to set a time at all. The McLaren team too, were experiencing major problems. Coulthard slipped to 17th in the end after no more than 7 laps thanks to oil pressure problems, whilst Raikkonen suffered rear-wing failure at turn 4, managing just 12 laps.

1. M.Schumacher 1:12.946
2. J.Trulli 1:13.160
3. JP.Montoya 1:13.510

9. T.Montiero 1:14.141

18. Z.Baumgartner 1:16.814
19. G.Bruni 1:17.012
20. M.Valsattis No Time

[Wizzie]

Daniel Melrose is reportedly going to drive for Toyota at the next test. More details will be announced as they come to hand

[FMecha]

Why you mention HWNSNBM's name... AGAIN? Don't do it again!

[AdrianSutil]

Pre-Season Test - Silverstone, Day One:

Tiago Montiero impressed enough for Toyota to sign the Portuguese driver on a one-year deal, with an option for another year. Minardi ran Dutchman Robert Doornbos in the second car alongside Bruni.
The conditions were not ideal for the drivers and teams, with light rain falling throughout the morning. It did however, give the teams some valuable wet-weather running, as inter's were clearly the tyres to be on. Valsattis was the first to venture out, the Toyota having been fixed from the Barcelona failure, and set 6 laps with a best time of 1:24.360. Heidfeld, Coulthard and Barrichello all ventured out for installation laps before Bruni, Klien and Lotterer set times, with only 33 minutes remaining. Klien set a time only 7 thousanths slower than Valsattis, with Lotterer in the 1:25's and Bruni in the 1:26's. By the midway point, Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso shared the top 2 times, the only two drivers to dip inside the 1:23's. Monteiro looked brilliant again, with the 3rd best time, Valsattis was still in 4th place, showing that Toyota can be competitive when working, Klien in the Jaguar and Fisichella in the Sauber completed the top 6.

1. M.Schumacher 1:23.713
2. F.Alonso 1:23.894
3. T.Monteiro 1:24.135
4. M.Valsattis 1:24.360
5. C.Klien 1:24.367

With the rest of the field slowly setting lap times, it wasnt long before those with wet weather set-ups started to inch their way to the top of the leaderboard. Williams clearly enjoyed the session, with Ralf and Juan-Pablo ending the day as the two quickest drivers. Barrichello and an excellent Jones were 3rd and 4th, with Michael Schumacher bumped down to 5th. Toyota ended the day 11th and 16th, Monteiro again the quicker of the two. Minardi enjoyed a good day, Doornbos ending up 8th on his first outing, with Bruni a little further down the order in 13th. BAR struggled in the end to improve their times, Sato beating Button to 17th. Heidfeld was the slowest in the end, with a lap time almost 7 seconds slower than Ralf Schumacher.

1. R.Schumacher 1:18.441
2. JP.Montoya 1:18.480
3. R.Barrichello 1:18.940

11. T.Monteiro 1:21.521

15. C.Klien 1:24.100
16. M.Valsattis 1:24.360
17. T.Sato 1:24.641

Pre-Season Test - Silverstone, Day Two:

The drivers were pleased to see dry and sunny conditions for the final pre-season test before the season starts in two weeks in Australia. McLaren had already hit problems though, as Raikkonen's flooring became loose in the previous days session and was still not fixed. Valsattis and the two Jordans were the first cars out at the very beginning of the session, with Heidfeld going two tenths quicker than the Toyota, with Baumgartner a futher 5 tenths back. Other drivers started to filter out, with Sato putting a time in the low 1:19's and Montoya going a full second quicker, a time of 1:18.017.
By the halfway stage, only 8 drivers had posted a time, with the Minardi of recently signed Doornbos the slowest, with a time of 1:22.279.

1. JP.Montoya 1:18.017
2. T.Sato 1:19.147
3. J.Button 1:19.413

5. N.Heidfeld 1:20.259
6. M.Valsattis 1:20.500
7. Z.Baumgartner 1:21.011

With only 5 minutes remaining, most of the drivers went out to try and improve their time one last time, with Valsattis moving into the 1:19's with a 1:19.680 to move into an excellent 6th, showing the Toyota has good pace when working. Williams again looked to be the strongest, Ralf Schumacher going two tenths quicker than Montoya and going into the 1:17's. Barrichello was 4th whilst Michael Schumacher was down in 14th, having run with a heavy fuel load. Only Webber and Bruni failed to set lap times, both drivers opting to stay off the circuit, rather than experience problems. It was a very productive two days at Silverstone, but Ferrari are still rumoured to be the strongest team, whilst McLaren seem to be struggling.

1. R.Schumacher 1:17.781
2. JP.Montoya 1:18.017
3. T.Sato 1:18.571

5. J.Button 1:19.413
6. M.Valsattis 1:19.680
7. N.Heidfeld 1:20.259

11. T.Monteiro 1:21.241

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

[AdrianSutil]

Autosport.com:

Jordan may already be in trouble before the season has officially begun, with Nick Heidfeld being diagnosed with Legionnaires Disease and being ruled out for the entire season. Although the condition and his health is not serious, the doctors have advised him to take a full year out of the sport. Its been rumoured that Daniel Melrose has been offered the seat, but no word has yet come from the young Australian.

[Wizzie]

Whilst I feel bad for Nick and wish him a speedy recovery, Jordan have indeed been in contact with me over the seat. From what I've heard, I'm not the only one they're looking at as his replacement but I hope that I get the drive this year and hopefully I'll be able to repay their faith in me on the track over the course of the year.

[AdrianSutil]

Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro:
Michael Schumacher
Rubens Barrichello

West McLaren Mercedes:
David Coulthard
Kimi Raikkonen

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

Mild Seven Renault F1 Team:
Fernando Alonso
Jarno Trulli

Jordan Ford:
Daniel Melrose
Bolt Zaumgartner

Lucky Strike BAR Honda:
Jenson Button
Takuma Sato

Sauber Petronas:
Andre Lotterer
Giancarlo Fisichella

Panasonic Toyota Racing:
Masta Valsattis
Tiago Monteiro

Jaguar Racing:
Sammy Jones
Christian Klien

Minardi Cosworth:
Gianmaria Bruni
Robert Doornbos

Jordan have taken the option to sign another rookie, Australian Daniel Melrose. Although it's unclear if he will drive the entire season as Giorgio Pantano is also on hand to drive should Melrose fail to be as competitive as the team wishes.

[AdrianSutil]

Round One - Australia:

Practice:

The first official session for the 2004 season began in excellent conditions, with warm, sunny weather throughout. Ferrari began the season where they left off, Schumacher and Barrichello setting the two quickest times by half distance. Montoya and Sato were 3rd and 4th, with the McLaren of Coulthard a surprising 5th. Sammy Jones was 6th for Jaguar at his home race and Monteiro continued his excellent form with the 8th quickest time. Valsattis in the second Toyota finally found a good enough set-up and set the 8th quickest time, pushing Monteiro down to 10th when Raikkonen slotted himself between the two. Lotterer and Button both failed to set times, with Lotterer suffering from engine problems, and Button spinning on his first lap and damaging the car too badly to continue.

1. M.Schumacher 1:26.280
2. R.Barrichello 1:26.360
3. JP.Montoya 1:26.582

7. R.Schumacher 1:27.459
8. M.Valsattis 1:27.721
9. C.Klien 1:27.801

12. T.Montiero 1:27.968

Qualifying:

Conditions for saturday remained warm and dry, with ideal times expected from the front-runners. The Minardi's and Jordan's Daniel Melrose were at the back of the field for most of the session, before being joined by the Toyota of Valsattis. He had recorded the 15th fastest time but a late gearbox change relegated him to 20th. Zaumgartner impressed many with his pace, sitting in the top 10 throughout the session. Alonso struggled with his set-up, as did Lotterer, and both drivers qualified on row 7, 13th and 14th. Trulli too, was struggling with grip in the second Renault, qualifying 11th, with Monteiro in the second Toyota in 12th. Jones was disappointed to be towards the back for most of the session, before jumping up to a solid 11th, just behind his team-mate. Coulthard struggled with his under-preforming car and could only manage 9th, slower even than Zaumgartner's Jordan, by nearly two tenths. The Jordan remained at the top of the leaderboard until the last 10 minutes, when firstly Ralf Schumacher went quicker, over 1.1 seconds faster. Raikkonen then went out but was slow throughout the first two sectors, only redeeming himself in sector 3, setting the second quickest time, to slot into a disappointing 12th, behind both Jaguar's and Zaumgartner's Jordan. BAR Honda enjoyed a good session, with Button and Sato locking out row 3, the Englishman ahead by two tenths. Barrichello was behind both Williams' when Montoya set the 2nd quickest time, but it was Michael Schumacher who claimed the first pole of the season, setting a time 3 tenths quicker than Montoya. Zaumgartner was overjoyed with his performances, and will start his first race on row 4, in 7th place. Renault though, were angry at how they managed to only be 13th and 14th.

1. M.Schumacher 1:25.714
2. JP.Montoya 1:26.061
3. R.Schumacher 1:26.120

13. T.Montiero 1:27.735

18. D.Melrose 1:28.362
19. R.Doornbos 1:28.581
20. M.Valsattis 1:28.013*

*Denotes 5-grid place penalty for gearbox change.

Race:

At the start, Michael Schumacher kept his lead from Montoya, with Barrichello passing Ralf Schumacher for 3rd. Button and Sato remained 5th and 6th, whilst Coulthard momentarily passed Zaumgartner before the Jordan driver re-took 7th. Jones and Klien were both in the top 10, with Raikkonen 11th and a fast-starting Valsattis 12th.
Renault's weekend went from bad to worse after the start, as Lotterer pushed Alonso onto the grass and he dropped back to 18th place, which became 17th on lap 5 when he passed Melrose at turn 3. Meanwhile, Schumacher had now pulled out a 3 second gap to Montoya, who had Barrichello crawling all over him. Ralf was only a second back in 4th, with the BAR drivers keeping close attention in 5th and 6th. Zaumgartner was still in 7th, defending well from Coulthard and Jones. Klien was a further 4 seconds back, and now had Raikkonen and Valsattis all over him.
Coulthard's race was over on lap 17, his engine expiring whilst in 8th. This promoted his team-mate into 10th but he ran wide coming out of turn 1 and the momentum enabled Valsattis to make the pass and move into the points.
By the time the stops were beginning to start, Valsattis was able to get past Klien for 9th when the Jaguar driver lost a couple of seconds in the pit lane, although Valsattis got by, Klien was still running well in 10th. Barrichello had now fallen away from Montoya and had Ralf Schumacher less than a second behind him. The Minardi's were at the back of the field, engaged in a hotly-contested battle with Melrose.
With just 10 laps remaining of a largely uneventful race, the top 4 were now seperated by just 13 seconds, as Schumacher eased off slightly to protect the engine. The biggest battles on tract were for 8th between Jones and Valsattis, and 10th between Klien and Raikkonen. Both Jaguar drivers were stubborn in their attempts to let the faster cars through.
Michael Schumacher crusied round the final corner on the final lap to open his account for the season. Montoya and Barrichello completed the podium. Meanwhile, all hell broke loose further back. Zaumgartner, who had been fantastic, running all race in 7th, pulled over onto the side of the track with an oil leak at the very fast turn 9 and turn 10 complex. The oil was right on the racing line and when Jones hit it, he spun the car off the track, allowing Valsattis through to take 7th. Webber recovered to finish 8th, just ahead of Klien and Raikkonen in 9th and 10th. Zaumgartner was clearly upset by what had happened and the young driver fell to his knees by the side of the track, taking the marshalls almost to minutes to pull him away from his smoking Jordan.

CLASSIFICATION:

1. M.Schumacher
2. JP.Montoya
3. R.Barrichello
4. R.Schumacher
5. J.Button
6. T.Sato
7. M.Valsattis
8. S.Jones
9. C.Klien
10. K.Raikkonen
11. G.Fisichella +1 LAP
12. T.Monteiro +1 LAP
13. J.Trulli +1 LAP
14. A.Lotterer +1 LAP
15. F.Alonso +1 LAP
16. D.Melrose +2 LAPS
17. R.Doornbos +2 LAPS
18. G.Bruni +3 LAPS

DRIVERS STANDINGS:

1. M.Schumacher 25
2. JP.Montoya 18
3. R.Barrichello 15
4. R.Schumacher 12
5. J.Button 10
6. T.Sato 8
7. M.Valsattis 6
8. S.Jones 4
9. C.Klien 2
10. K.Raikkonen 1

CONSTRUCTORS STANDINGS:

1. Ferrari 40
2. Williams 30
3. BAR Honda 18
4. Toyota 6
5. Jaguar 6
6. McLaren 1

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

[AdrianSutil]

Round Two - Malaysia:

Practice:

Although rain had been expected, the session remained dry and hot throughout. Michael Schumacher immediately began to post very quick times, and his 7th lap was his fastest of the day, a 1:29.378. Montoya and Button were close in 2nd and 3rd, a tenth and 3 tenths back. Montiero put in an excellent 1:30.305 to set the 4th fastest time. His team-mate was back in 11th, although Valsattis declared himself very happy at the time. Renault saw slight improvement, Trulli was 7th but Alonso was still struggling with the new car, only managing 9 laps and sitting in 14th. Minardi were at the back again, with Bruni 4 tenths quicker than Doornbos. Zaumgartner kept up his good performances after his crusing retirement in Australia. He was 14th quickest, two places and 6 tenths quicker than Melrose. McLaren had an up-and-down session. Whilst Coulthard was 8th quickest and ran well, Raikkonen could only manage 3 laps due to a software problem and ended the day in 18th.

1. M.Schumacher 1:29.378
2. JP.Montoya 1:29.486
3. J.Button 1:29.789

4. T.Montiero 1:30.305

10. D.Coulthard 1:30.712
11. M.Valsattis 1:30.820
12. A.Lotterer 1:31.003

Qualifying:

It was a tale of two stories in qualifying. Toyota and McLaren struggled whilst BAR flew. Whilst Valsattis qualified in 19th, Raikkonen in 18th and Coulthard in 16th, with the Minardi's between them, Button was busy setting the fastest time of the session, beating Ralf and Michael Schumacher by nearly 4 tenths. Sato lined up 4th for his best ever grid slot, whilst Barrichello and Montoya completed the top 6. Melrose and Zaumgartner impressed again for Jordan, the Australian 8th with his new team-mate back in 13th. Renault again struggled but both made the top 10 in 9th and 10th.

1. J.Button 1:29.769
2. R.Schumacher 1:30.121
3. M.Schumacher 1:30.173

11. T.Montiero 1:31.009

18. K.Raikkonen 1:32.438
19. M.Valsattis 1:32.440
20. R.Doornbos 1:32.960

Race:

Button led away well, whilst Barrichello jumped up from 5th to 2nd by turn 2. Ralf tried to gain the place back but only succeeded in taking his wing off on the Ferrari's, drivers scrambled around the broken carbon fibre and Ralf slid off into the gravel and out of the race. Sato fell back to 5th, being passed by Montoya whilst a great start by Melrose saw him 6th. Jones, Trulli, Alonso and Montiero completed the top 10.
By lap 9, Button was still leading from Barrichello and Schumacher, and keeping the gap a good distance. Montoya was a few seconds back from the Ferrari whilst the same was for Sato in the second BAR. Jones was now passed Melrose and running well in 6th. The Renault's were stuck behind Melrose but not able to get past, whilst Montiero was busy defending his 10th place from Klien and Zaumgartner.
On lap 16, Michael Schumacher ran wide at the final corner and fell behind Montoya, almost losing out to Sato aswell. Further back, Fisichella and Coulthard touched at the hairpin, fighting over 15th place, and the resulting spin by the McLaren collected Lotterer, who damaged his front wing. The Sauber needed to pit, dropping him well down the order in last place.
Button set the fastest lap on lap 27, before making an excellent stop to rejoin in the lead after the others stopped too. Schumacher had pulled away from Sato and began to close in on Montoya, whilst Barrichello started to inch closer to Button. Further back, Jones was a safe 6th, whilst Melrose had pulled out a 3 second gap over Trulli and Alonso, who was under pressure from Montiero. Klien was up to 11th, with Zaumgartner 12th. Raikkonen had done well to move up to 13th, likewise for Valsattis in 14th. Minardi too, were looking better, their cars running 15th and 17th, Doornbos ahead of Bruni.
On lap 40 though, Valsattis suffered a gearbox failure, not the first time this season, and he pulled into the pitlane to retire from 14th. On the same lap meanwhile, Jarno Trulli's Renault engine expired in a plume of smoke, putting the Italian out of 8th. This elevated Alonso, Montiero and Klien into 10th place, but the Jaguar retired on the next lap thanks to throttle problems. Zaumgartner was now up into 10th place, looking to make amends for his tragic Melbourne race.
With only 7 laps remaining, the rain began to fall, which had been predicted. With it being heavy as usual at Malaysia, the drivers all entered the pits for Intermeditate tyres. But BAR Honda fluffed their stop, as one of the wheel guns jammed, costing Button nearly 5 seconds, dropping him to 3rd behind Montoya and Barrichello. The win was now for the Ferrari, but Montoya slowly closed the gap, obviously liking the conditions more, and with 3 laps remianing, slid up the inside into the final corner to take the lead.
Button recovered enough to pass the ailing Ferrari on the final lap to take 2nd, whilst Schumacher couldn't pass his team-mate for 3rd. Sato was an excellent 5th to collect some more valuable points for BAR. Melrose had caught Jones by this point, and he did a do-or-die move into turn 4 on the last lap, but only succeeded in taking the Jaguar driver off! It was purely a racing incident, but the Australian was far from happy. This ensuing chaos allowed Alonso to slip past for 6th, demoting Melrose once again to 7th. Montiero was 8th to score his first points, likewise for Zaumgartner in 9th, whilst Raikkonen picked up McLaren's second point of the year with 10th. Minardi were oh-so-close to scoring points, Doornbos and Bruni 11th and 12th, whilst Lotterer recovered well to pass Fisichella for 13th.

CLASSIFICATION:

1. JP.Montoya
2. J.Button
3. R.Barrichello
4. M.Schumacher
5. T.Sato
6. F.Alonso +1 LAP
7. D.Melrose +1 LAP
8. T.Montiero +1 LAP
9. B.Zaumgartner +1 LAP
10. K.Raikkonen +1 LAP
11. R.Doornbos +2 LAPS
12. G.Bruni +2 LAPS
13. A.Lotterer +2 LAPS
14. G.Fisichella +2 LAPS

DRIVERS STANDINGS:

1. JP.Montoya 43
2. M.Schumacher 37
3. R.Barrichello 30
4. J.Button 28
5. T.Sato 18
6. R.Schumacher 12
7. F.Alonso 8
8. M.Valsattis 6
9. D.Melrose 6
10. M.Webber 4
11. T.Montiero 4
12. C.Klien 2
13. B.Zaumgartner 2
14. K.Raikkonen 2

CONSTRUCTORS STANDINGS:
1. Ferrari 67
2. Williams 55
3. BAR Honda 46
4. Toyota 10
5. Renault 8
6. Jordan 8
7. Jaguar 6
8. McLaren 2

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

[AdrianSutil]

Round Three - Bahrain:

Practice:

A new circuit brought up mixed results for the drivers. Whilst Ralf Schumacher, Masta Valsattis and Fernando Alonso struggled to find a decent enough set-up, the likes of Sato and Jones excelled. But it was Barrichello who claimed the fastest time of the day, clocking a lap time of 1:30.041, two tenths quicker than both Montoya and Michael Schumacher. BAR Honda were looking strong again, Button 4th and Sato 5th. McLaren liked the feel of the fresh track, Raikkonen and Coulthard 6th and 7th, although both were a full second behind Barrichello. Valsattis was hampered by a lack of grip whilst Ralf Schumacher damaged his car on the kerbs at turn 9 and lost track time getting it fixed. Minardi were nearly 4 seconds off the pace, with both Jordan's just ahead, 3.4 and 3.6 seconds behind, Melrose the quicker of the two.

1. R.Barrichello 1:30.041
2. JP.Montoya 1:30.251
3. M.Schumacher 1:30.595

11. T.Montiero 1:31.519

15. C.Klien 1:33.132
16. M.Valsattis 1:33.160
17. D.Melrose 1:33.455

Qualifying:

Valsattis recorded the slowest time of all, after encountering understeer problems to go with his grip issues, a tenth slower than Bruni's Minardi on the back row. Sauber struggled too, Fisichella could only manage 18th whilst Lotterer fared little better, lining up 15th. Doornbos beat Zaumgartner to 16th, whilst Klien, Panis and Coulthard were seperated by just 2 tenths. Melrose gave Jordan some smiles with the 12th fastest time, sharing row 6 with the Jaguar of Sammy Jones. Into the top 10 and Renault occupied row 5, Trulli outpacing Alonso again. Raikkonen was happy with the 8th fastest time, 1.7 seconds away from pole. Ralf Schumacher and Sato shared row 3, with Barrichello and Montoya on row 2. But it was Michael Schumacher yet again, taking pole from an impressive Button, a time of 1:30.033 eclipsing the BAR Honda by nearly 4 tenths.

1. M.Schumacher 1:30.033
2. J.Button 1:30.474
3. JP.Montoya 1:30.649

14. T.Montiero 1:32.533

18. G.Fisichella 1:33.891
19. G.Bruni 1:34.548
20. M.Valsattis 1:34.651

Race:

Schumacher led away well, whilst Montoya got by Button for 2nd and both Sato and Raikkonen pushed Barrichello down to 6th. Ralf Schumacher was 7th, followed by the two Renaults, Alonso jumping past Trulli, and Jones' Jaguar in 10th. At the back, Valsattis got past both Fisichella and Bruni into turn 3, only to be re-passed by the Minardi at the next corner.
Going into lap 3, Montiero and Klien were fighting over 12th place when they touched going into turn 1, although contact was only minimal, it was enough to damage both cars who then had to pit, Montiero taking on a new right-rear after it went flat, whilst Klien's front-wing end plate snapped off. Massa too, had been in the wars, damaging a suspension linkage on lap 4, running over the high kerbs at turn 9. Massa's damage was too severe to continue, and he retired a lap later after touring round slowly and went back to the pits.
McLaren's poor season continued, when Raikkonen retired from 5th place on lap 11 with engine failure. Schumacher and Montoya had now pulled away from Button and Sato, whilst Barrichello was now free to catch them. Coulthard was now up to 10th place, but had Melrose's Jordan right behind him.
By the midway point, Schumacher had increased the gap to Montoya to nearly 6 seconds, whilst Button, Sato and Barrichello slowly started to creep up on the Williams. Ralf Schumacher too, was looking for a way past Barrichello. Alonso and Trulli were several seconds back in 7th and 8th for Renault, the team hoping for a good result to kickstart their season. Jones was 10 seconds back in 9th, with Coulthard now safe in 10th, having dropped Melrose in 11th. Bruni was doing well in 12th, fending off Fisichella and his own team-mate Doornbos. Valsattis was 15th, Montiero 16th and Klien 17th. Zaumgartner was in 12th place a lap before, but gearbox issues put paid to his race.
With just 15 laps remaining, Coulthard moved into 9th place after Jones makes a small mistake at turn 5. Schumacher sets another fastest lap at the front to extend his lead over Montoya to nearly 12 seconds. Ralf Schumacher got past Barrichello and Sato on lap 47 when the two drivers touch and run off the road when battling for 4th. Both drivers continue with no damage to either car. Further back, Jarno Trulli was forced out with oil pressure poroblems, promoting Coulthard to 8th. It wasn't to be for Coulthard though, as another Mercedez engine failure, with just 3 laps to go, puts him out. This now moves Jones back into 8th, Melrose's Jordan into 9th and Bruni's Minardi into 10th! Valsattis retired from a lonely 13th on the penultimate lap, as another gearbox fails to make the distance.
Schumacher records another win to add to his impressive tally, whilst Montoya takes 2nd to keep the pressure on the Ferrari driver. Button and Sato record another strong points haul for BAR Honda. Alonso was pleased with 7th, as was Bruni in 10th for Minardi. Terrible race for Toyota and Sauber though. Both having one car fail to make the distance and the other, failing to score points when they had a golden opportunity to.


CLASSIFICATION:

1. M.Schumacher
2. JP.Montoya
3. J.Button
4. R.Schumacher
5. T.Sato
6. R.Barrichello
7. F.Alonso
8. S.Jones
9. D.Melrose
10. G.Bruni +1 LAP
11. G.Fisichella +1 LAP
12. R.Doornbos +1 LAP
13. T.Montiero +2 LAPS
14. C.Klien +2 LAPS

DRIVERS STANDINGS:

1. M.Schumacher 62
2. JP.Montoya 61
3. J.Button 43
4. R.Barrichello 38
5. T.Sato 28
6. R.Schumacher 24
7. F.Alonso 14
8. D.Melrose 8
9. S.Jones 8
10. M.Valsattis 6
11. T.Montiero 4
12. C.Klien 2
13. Z.Baumgartner 2
14. K.Raikkonen 2
15. G.Bruni 1

CONSTRUCTORS STANDINGS:

1. Ferrari 100
2. Williams 85
3. BAR Honda 71
4. Renault 14
5. Jordan 10
6. Toyota 10
7. Jaguar 10
8. Minardi 1

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

[AndreaModa]

I apologise for having never read this thread up until now, but that tells you how much Wizzie contacts members about pushing their drivers into race seats in other members' fictional careers...!

As punishment for this Wizzie, I will definitely run Melrose in the Minardi when I get round to the 2004 season, and therefore it will become your offical season, with your previous one in GP4 just being a 'practice run' so suck it!

[AdrianSutil]

I apologise for having never read this thread up until now, but that tells you how much Wizzie contacts members about pushing their drivers into race seats in other members' fictional careers...!

I don't really mind if other members want to put people into cars. I won't have every seat taken up otherwise it'll turn into another fictional Championship being run on here, but 5 or 6 is fine.

[AdrianSutil]

Round Four - San Marino:

Practice:

Conditions were cool but dry. The Minardi, Jordan and Sauber drivers were the first few teams to venture onto the circuit, posting times within the 1:20 and 1:19 mark. Valsattis and Raikkonen then did a heavy fuel run to nestle inside the 1:19.3 times, before the big guys came out towards the end of the hour mark. Ferrari iimmediately topped the sheets, with Schumacher marginally ahead of Barrichello. BAR Honda continued their good form, Button ending up 3rd and Sato in 6th. Montiero surprised many with the 5th best time in the Toyota, only a tenth behind Montoya's Williams. Alonso and Trulli were 8th and 10th, with Jones's Jaguar yet again making the top 10 with 9th. Coulthard continued to struggle, posting his best time of 1:19.481, to end in 16th.

1. M.Schumacher 1:18.127
2. R.Barrichello 1:18.201
3. J.Button 1:18.663

5. T.Montiero 1:18.778

12. K.Raikkonen 1:19.218
13. M.Valsattis 1:19.260
14. C.Klien 1:19.411

Qualifying:

A little rain before the session increased lap times, and only intermediate tyres were the option to go with. Ferrari were dominant once again, with Barrichello surprisingly the quicker of the two, snatching pole by a tenth. Montoya and Button kept their speed up to start 3rd and 5th, with Trulli's Renault between them. Ralf Schumacher was 6th in the second Williams, whilst Klien delighted his team with 7th, beating Sato, Alonso and Coulthard into the top 10. Montiero was 11th, alongside Raikkonen. Jordan were pleased with Melrose and Zaumgartner, the Australian the quicker in 13th, with the Hungarian back in 16th. Sauber were disappointing once again, Lotterer back in 18th, and Fisichella not doing much better with 15th. Jones was 14th, Bruni a solid 17th, but Valsattis and Doornbos failed to set times, crashing out on their fast laps. Both drivers are allowed to start though, as the 107% rule is exempt in wet qualifying.

1. R.Barrichello 1:24.224
2. M.Schumacher 1:24.305
3. JP.Montoya 1:24.798

11. T.Montiero 1:26.713

18. A.Lotterer 1:29.314
19. R.Doornbos No Time*
20. M.Valsattis No Time*

* Both drivers allowed to start, due to wet qualifying.

Race:

Barrichello led Schumacher away, whilst Button got past Trulli for 4th. Klien held onto his 7th place, as Alonso fell behind Coulthard and Montiero, but passed the Toyota at Tosa. Valsattis had moved up to 18th place, getting past Doornbos and Lotterer.
Valsattis was a man on the move, getting past Bruni on lap 4 and then Zaumgartner on lap 6, to sit in 16th place. But just as the speed was looking good for Valsattis, the fuel lines became blocked, and he was the first retirement. Barrichello and Schumacher began to pull away from Montoya and the group behind him. Trulli meanwhile, was starting to drop back, thanks to a loss in power in the engine. He gradually fell away from the field around him and finally called it a day on lap 20.
Barrichello came into the pits a lap later and rejoined just ahead of Montoya, but Schumacher stayed out for a further 4 laps and when his stop was completed, he rejoined in the lead. Ralf Schumacher too, had moved up into 4th place, ahead of both BAR Honda's and sitting just behind Montoya.
Klien was still in 7th, after an altercation between Alonso and Coulthard, Melrose was now into 8th place. But Alonso quickly regrouped and forced his way past on lap 35. Andre Lotterer's race was now over from a disappointing 16th, after suspension failure pitched the Sauber car into the gravel at turn 4, the Villeneuve chicane. Jones and Raikkonen were imvolved in a mighty battle for 11th place, but Kimi overcooked it at the final chicane, touching the back of the Jaguar and damaging his nosecone. The McLaren driver had to do a full lap at reduced pace before getting into the pits to have it changed.
With just a few laps remaining, Doornbos pulled over to the side of the track and retired form 15th place with a blown engine. Schumacher and Barrichello were running together at the head of the field, with a healthy gap over the two Williams'. Button and Sato were all on their own too, running in 5th and 6th. Klien was looking good for his best ever finish with 7th, Alonso 8th, Melrose continued to impress in the under-funded Jordan with 9th, and Coulthard 10th again for McLaren.

CLASSIFICATION:

1. M.Schumacher
2. R.Barrichello
3. JP.Montoya
4. R.Schumacher
5. J.Button
6. T.Sato
7. C.Klien +1 LAP
8. F.Alonso +1 LAP
9. D.Melrose +1 LAP
10. D.Coulthard +1 LAP
11. S.Jones +1 LAP
12. T.Montiero +1 LAP
13. G.Fisichella +1 LAP
14. K.Raikkonen +2 LAPS
15. B.Zaumgartner +2 LAPS
16. G.Bruni +2 LAPS

DRIVERS STANDINGS:

1. M.Schumacher 87
2. JP.Montoya 76
3. R.Barrichello 56
4. J.Button 53
5. R.Schumacher 36
6. T.Sato 36
7. F.Alonso 18
8. D.Melrose 10
9. C.Klien 8
10. S.Jones 8
11. M.Valsattis 6
12. T.Montiero 4
13. B.Zaumgartner 2
14. K.Raikkonen 2
15. G.Bruni 1
16. D.Coulthard 1

CONSTRUCTORS STANDINGS:

1. Ferrari 143
2. Williams 112
3. BAR Honda 89
4. Renault 18
5. Jaguar 16
6. Jordan 12
7. Toyota 10
8. McLaren 3
9. Minardi 1

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

[Klon]

As punishment for this Wizzie, I will definitely run Melrose in the Minardi when I get round to the 2004 season, and therefore it will become your offical season, with your previous one in GP4 just being a 'practice run' so suck it!

Yay! Although you will have to rig Canada - I want Melrose to win there.

[Wizzie]

As punishment for this Wizzie, I will definitely run Melrose in the Minardi when I get round to the 2004 season, and therefore it will become your offical season, with your previous one in GP4 just being a 'practice run' so suck it!

Yay! Although you will have to rig Canada - I want Melrose to win there.

Why Canada?

[Klon]

As punishment for this Wizzie, I will definitely run Melrose in the Minardi when I get round to the 2004 season, and therefore it will become your offical season, with your previous one in GP4 just being a 'practice run' so suck it!

Yay! Although you will have to rig Canada - I want Melrose to win there.

Why Canada?

Because I find the idea of Melrose winning every single Canada race he took part in to be amusing.

[AdrianSutil]

Round Five - Spain:

Practice:
After early-morning rain, the track was virtually dry by the time the session started, so no-one went out on intermediate tyres. Jarno Trulli was the star of the show, setting a fastest time of 1:13.562 to finish top of the timesheets. Barrichello and Button were the only two other drivers to dip inside the 1:13's, with Ralf and Michael Schumacher in the low 1:14's. Montiero and Valsattis enjoyed a good session for Toyota for a change, both drivers getting sufficient laps in to end up 6th and 13th respectively. McLaren struggled once again, Raikkonen 10th with Coulthard one place back whilst the Jordan's and Minardi's were at the back of the field, Zaumgartner in 20th nearly 4 seconds adrift.

1. J.Trulli 1:13.562
2. R.Barrichello 1:13.708
3. J.Button 1:13.959

6. T.Montiero 1:14.736

12. T.Sato 1:15.813
13. M.Valsattis 1:15.910
14. G.Fisichella 1:16.317

Qualifying:

Qualifying was again run in the dry, with Trulli and Button again showing their speed continued over from practice. The Renault set a time of 1:13.282 which no-one could beat, although Button got to within 5 tenths. The Ferrari's were close together on row 2, with season-best qualifying from Coulthard and Jones saw them 5th and 6th. Melrose impressed with the 7th best time, with Sato, Lotterer and Ralf Schumacher completing the top 10. Some big name drivers struggled though, with Alonso in 13th and Montoya down in 14th. Toyota struggled too, with Montiero and Valsattis 18th and 20th. Minardi were 16th with Bruni and 19th with Doornbos, whilst Klien was only 17th in the second Jaguar.

1. J.Trulli 1:13.282
2. J.Button 1:13.801
3. R.Barrichello 1:13.862

18. T.Montiero 1:15.220
19. R.Doornbos 1:15.721
20. M.Valsattis 1:16.012

Race:

Trulli led away well from Button, Barrichello and Schumacher. Coulthard and Melrose both passed Jones, who slipped down to 7th ahead of Sato, Lotterer and Raikkonen, who got passed Ralf Schumacher. Further back, Toyota drivers Montiero and Valsattis got by the Minardi's, whilst Montiero also passed Klien.
Into lap 4, and the top 4 were beginning to pull away from Coulthard, whilst Raikkonen moved past both Lotterer and Sato to take 8th behind Jones' Jaguar. Doornbos became the first retirement on lap 7, when his gearbox failed. His team-mate Bruni was the next driver out, on lap 10, when he spun into the gravel at turn 4, to cap a miserable day for Minardi.
Valsattis was the next driver to suffer problems, as a rear-wing support beam failed on the back straight. He was lucky to stop the car from crashing into the barriers, and bring it back to the pits so the team could begin changing it. Three laps later, he was back out, but well out of the running.
As the race continued with no problem for the leaders, those towards the back of the field started to drop like flies. First, Montiero and Lotterer retired from the race on lap 23, the Toyota spinning out whilst the Sauber encountered gearbox problems. The on lap 27, Sammy Jones retired from the points with broken driveshaft. Zaumgartner was now into 11th place but he too fell out the race on lap 35 with engine failure. Klien and Fisichella crashed on lap 40 when fighting for 10th place, both drivers balming the other for the incident.
All this left Trulli, Button, Barrichello and Michael Schumacher on their own at the front. Coulthard was in 5th place, Sato was past Melrose and into 6th, Raikkonen up to 8th and the two Williams' into 9th and 10th, Montoya ahead. Alonso was in 11th place with Valsattis the final runner, three laps down, in 12th.
With just 10 laps remaining, Trulli began to pull out a small gap to Button, who had Barrichello and Schumacher a few seconds back. Coulthard was running an excellent 5th for the poor McLaren, with Sato 6th. Coulthard's luck wasn't to last though, as throttle linkage problems forced him out with only 6 laps to go. This promoted Melrose into 6th behind Sato, Raikkonen up to 7th, Alonso, who had passed both Williams' in the pits into 8th, Ralf Schumacher 9th and Montoya 10th. Valsattis was still running in 11th, four laps adrift, and praying for another retirement.
It wasn't to be though, as Trulli won from Button to give his season the start it needed after four no point finishes. Ferrari were pleased with 3rd and 4th, as their car wasn;t the strongest for the first time this season, and Melrose was very happy with 6th for Jordan.

CLASSIFICATION:

1. J.Trulli
2. J.Button
3. R.Barrichello
4. M.Schumacher
5. T.Sato
6. D.Melrose
7. K.Raikkonen
8. F.Alonso
9. R.Schumacher
10. JP.Montoya
11. M.Valsattis +4 LAPS

DRIVERS STANDINGS:

1. M.Schumacher 99
2. JP.Montoya 77
3. R.Barrichello 71
4. J.Button 71
5. T.Sato 46
6. R.Schumacher 38
7. J.Trulli 25
8. F.Alonso 22
9. D.Melrose 18
10. K.Raikkonen 8
11. C.Klien 8
12. S.Jones 8
13. M.Valsattis 6
14. T.Montiero 4
15. B.Zaumgartner 2
16. D.Coulthard 1
17. G.Bruni 1

CONSTRUCTORS STANDINGS:

1. Ferrari 170
2. BAR Honda 117
3. Williams 115
4. Renault 47
5. Jordan 20
6. Jaguar 16
7. Toyota 10
8. McLaren 8
9. Minardi 1

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

[AdrianSutil]

Round Six - Monaco:

Practice:

The conditions were warm and dry throught, with Takumo Sato setting the early pace with a time of 1:13.801. Toyota were desperate for a push up the grid, both Valsattis and Montiero trying to find a good set-up on the twisty circuit. Ralf Schumacher and David Coulthard both set times within a tenth of Sato in the first 20 minutes, showing a decent improvement in fortunes for McLaren. Montoya then went 2nd with half an hour remaining, and Montiero found a sweet spot, going 5th on a 1:14.221. Valsattis meanwhile, began the day with times inside 1:18 but continued tweeks with his set-up managed to get a time of 1:14.918. Klien then went into 2nd place, delighting himself and the team with a fantastic lap. With just 10 minutes remaining, firstly Jarno Trulli eclipsed Sato's time with a 1:13.416, then Michael Schumacher jumped to the top with a 1:13.199. At the end of the session, Michael Schumacher remained fastest, with Jones in the Jaguar a fantastic 2nd. Williams were back in 6th and 7th, whilst Coulthard's early pace only saw him end the day in 9th. Valsattis was 15th, ahead of both Jordans and Minardis, along with Barrichello, who failed to set a decent time after only a few laps.

1. M.Schumacher 1:13.199
2. S.Jones 1:13.341
3. T.Sato 1:13.511

12. T.Montiero 1:14.147

14. F.Massa 1:14.310
15. M.Valsattis 1:14.440
16. B.Zaumgartner 1:14.491

Qualifying:

Conditions were damp, after a light shower an hour before the session, which led to several drivers doing better, or worse, than in practice. It was a Ferrari front row lock-out, with Schumacher ahead of Barrichello. Trulli, Button, Sato and Montoya completed the first 6, with Alonso, Jones, Ralf Schumacher and Daniel Melrose completing the top 10. Zaumgartner and Doornbos were a surprise attition to row 6, both drivers finding the conditions perfect for their car. The Saubers were next up, split by Klien's Jaguar, unable to produce the same time as yesterday morning. Coulthard, Montiero and Raikkonen all struggled with the track, whilst at the back, Bruni and Valsattis failed to set a time, keeping the car fresh for the race.

1. M.Schumacher 1:15.815
2. R.Barrichello 1:16.003
3. J.Trulli 1:16.215

17. T.Montiero 1:19.317
18. K.Raikkonen 1:19.514
19. M.Valsattis No Time
20. G.Bruni No Time

Race:

The top 5 retained their positions at the start, with Alonso getting past Montoya for 6th and Ralf Schumacher passing Jones at the hairpin for 8th. The Jordans still ran in 10th and 11th, whilst Massa passed Doornbos for 12th. At the back, Valsattis jumped up to 17th, getting by Raikkonen and Montiero.
On lap 4, Raikkonen attempted to pass Valsattis at the harbour chicane, but all he did was tip the Toyota into the side of the armco, tearing off his front wing. The McLaren was out with suspension damage, whilst Valsattis crept back for a new wing, losing a lap in the process. Alonso too, was in trouble, his gearbox playing up as early as the second lap, and it finally broke on lap 9, putting him out of a solid position.
Michael Schumacher was the next out of the race on lap 14, a rare Ferrari engine failure putting him out of 2nd, which was soon to be followed by another engine failure, this time, the Honda in the back of Sato's car. Meanwhile, Barrichello and Trulli pulled away from Button, Montoya and Ralf Schumacher behind them. Jones was now up to 6th, Melrose and Zaumgartner were 7th and 8th, Doornbos 9th, and Fisichella 10th for Sauber.
On lap 23, rain began to fall at the back part of the circuit, making conditions for half a lap very tricky on slick tyres. Several drivers, including Montoya, Ralf Schumacher and Jones all pitted for intermediate tyres, whilst Doornbos continued in an amazing 3rd place.
This became the lead on lap 25, as first Barrichello then Trulli spun off at the chicane, snatching a brake on a dry patch whilst running in the damp conditions. Minardi were ecstatic, their car now led at Monaco. Klien was now up to 2nd place, with the Willaims right behind in 3rd and 4th. Zaumgartner was 5th for Jordan, Jones 6th, Fisichella 7th, Melrose 8th, Coulthard 9th and Lotterer 10th, defending from Montiero and Bruni. 13th was Button, making two stops as he battled with an understeering car, with Valsattis 14th and a lap down.
As the conditions started to improve on lap 36, Montoya and Button were the first to pit for dry tyres and their ganble quickly paid off, as both drivers were over 4 seconds faster than Doornbos in the Minardi. By the time the other drivers started to pit for dry tyres and enough fuel to get to the end of the race, Montoya was now in a clear lead, with Ralf Schumacher 10 seconds back in 2nd in the other Williams. 3rd and 4th were Jaguar, Klien ahead of Jones. 5th was Doornbos, 6th and 7th were Zaumgartner and Melrose for Jordan, 8th was now Button, and Coulthard in 9th. Fisichella and Lotterer were the biggest losers, both dropping out of the points, with 10th now belonging to Montiero's Toyota.
The laps continued to tumble as the pace began to quicken, and the Willaims crew were delighted their cars were running with no problems in the top 2. Button meanwhile, was revelling in the improving conditions, moving past both Jordans and Doornbos' Minardi to hold 5th by lap 50. Doornbos continued to fall away, as first Zaumgartner, then Melrose demoted the Minardi down the order.
With just 15 laps remaining, Montoya and Ralf Schumacher were seperated by just 4 seconds, but nearly a minute clear of Klien's Jaguar in 3rd. Button was now up to 4th place, only 2 seconds back from the Austrian, with Jones back in 5th. Jordan were happy with 6th and 7th, Coulthard was up to 8th past Doornbos, the Minardi himself running in 9th. Montiero was still in 10th, the Saubers 11th and 12th, Bruni 13th and Valsattis was now 2 laps back after a puncture in 14th.
Klien was hit by some horrendous luck with just 4 laps remaining, as his team failed to fill his tank up all the way and he was forced to make a splash-and-dash, dropping him down to 5th behind Button and Jones. This was how the order stayed, apart from Lotterer passing Fisichella for 11th on the final lap, with Montoya and Williams picking up some valuable points in their title hunt, indeed, Montoya was now 5 points clear of Michael Schumacher, with Button only a further 13 behind the Ferrari ace. Button was overjoyed with his fightback to 3rd, Jordan again collected some useful points, whilst Minardi were delighted with 9th, although they could've picked up much more had conditions stayed the way it was after the rain fell.

CLASSIFICATION:

1. JP.Montoya
2. R.Schumacher
3. J.Button
4. S.Jones +1 LAP
5. C.Klien +1 LAP
6. B.Zaumgartner +1 LAP
7. D.Melrose +1 LAP
8. D.Coulthard +1 LAP
9. R.Doornbos +1 LAP
10. T.Montiero +2 LAPS
11. A.Lotterer +2 LAPS
12. G.Fisichella +2 LAPS
13. G.Bruni +3 LAPS
14. M.Valsattis +3 LAPS

DRIVERS STANDINGS:

1. JP.Montoya 104
2. M.Schumacher 99
3. J.Button 86
4. R.Barrichello 71
5. R.Schumacher 56
6. T.Sato 46
7. J.Trulli 25
8. D.Melrose 24
9. F.Alonso 22
10. S.Jones 20
11. C.Klien 18
12. B.Zaumgartner 10
13. K.Raikkonen 8
14. M.Valsattis 6
15. D.Coulthard 5
16. T.Montiero 5
17. R.Doornbos 2
18. G.Bruni 1
19. A.Lotterer 0
20. G.Fisichella 0

CONSTRUCTORS STANDINGS:

1. Ferrari 170
2. Williams 160
3. BAR Honda 132
4. Renault 47
5. Jaguar 38
6. Jordan 34
7. McLaren 13
8. Toyota 11
9. Minardi 3
10. Sauber 0

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

[AdrianSutil]

Round Seven - Nurburgring:

Practice:

Michael Schumacher bounced back from his disappointing Monaco to record the fastest time by over 6 tenths from Montoya and Ralf Schumacher. Barrichello was 4th, closely followed by the Toyota's of Montiero and Valsattis, who brought a new aero package to test, dubbed the 'Nurburgring pack', with excellent results. McLaren too, were confident of an upchage in performance, Raikkonen 8th and Coulthard 9th. Jordan and Minardi were once again at the back, although as recent performances will tell, qualifying and the race is where the drivers excell.

1. M.Schumacher 1:26.316
2. JP.Montoya 1:26.920
3. R.Schumacher 1:26.992

5. T.Montiero 1:27.534
6. M.Valsattis 1:27.713
7. J.Button 1:28.001

Qualifying:

Conditions were cool but dry, and Toyota immediately continued their excellent progress from practice with the quickest two times in the early part of the session. McLaren, and especially Coulthard, struggled again when it mattered, the Scot unable to beat even Bruni's Minardi.
The Toyota drivers remained at the top until the final 10 minutes, when first, Sato and Trulli went quicker. Ralf Schumacher then took provisional pole, beating Sato by two tenths, before Barrichello finally confirmed his place at the top, a time 3 tenths quicker than Ralf. Alonso had a very poor session, only managing one quick lap, which was only good enough for 18th.

1. R.Barrichello 1:26.559
2. R.Schumacher 1:26.840
3. T.Sato 1:27.099

8. T.Montiero 1:27.932
9. M.Valsattis 1:28.019
10. G.Fisichella 1:28.514

Race:

Barrichello led away, with Sato getting past Ralf Schumacher for 2nd. Trulli was up to 4th, which became 3rd when Ralf ran wide at turn 2, dropping to 7th. His brother was back in 9th, having lost 3 places at the start. Montiero was up to 6th place, whilst Valsattis fell behind Fisichella.
On lap 3 however, Fisichella fell behind Valsattis, and was pushed back outside the top 10. Lotterer in the second Sauber was running well in 8th, until gearbox failure put paid to his race on lap 6. Meanwhile, Michael Schumacher was beginning his fightback through the field, rising up to 3rd by lap 10, and taking Sato's 2nd 3 laps later to hold station behind Barrichello.
Takuma Sato began to drop back on lap 19, with first Trulli then Button demoting the Japanese driver to 5th. Oil pressure finally ended his race on lap 21. Meanwhile, Fisichella and Raikkonen were battling hard over 9th place, and the two cars touched going into turn one after Raikkonen attempted a pass. The McLaren's front wing was damaged whilst Fisichella retired on the spot with suspension damage. Raikkonen limped back to the pits, but his steering arm was too badly damaged to continue.
All this left the to Ferrari's alone at the front, with Trulli, Button, Ralf Schumacher and Montoya completing the top 6. Montiero and Valsattis were an encouraging 7th and 8th for Toyota, enjoying their one-off aero upgrade. Daniel Melrose was 9th for Jordan, with the McLaren of Coulthard two seconds back in 10th. The Jaguar's of Jones and Klien were 11th and 12th, Alonso was back in 13th after an off on lap 22. The Minardi's of Bruni and Doornbos were 14th and 16th, with Zaumgartner's Jordan in between the two cars in 15th.
The stops began on lap 29, with Button jumping Trulli for 3rd and Alonso moving past Klien for 12th. Further back, Zaumgartner passed Doornbos for a lowly 15th on lap 33. Barrichello and Michael Schumacher made thier stops on laps 36 and 37, with the Brazilian remaining the leader.
With just 12 laps remaining, Ralf Schumacher again ran wide off the track, allowing his team-mate Montoya to take 5th place, whilst Zaumgartner passed Bruni for 14th. Valsattis, running in 8th, began to come under attack from both Melrose and Coulthard, as the Toyota began to grain its tyres.
The pressure mounted for the Toyota driver, as Jones then Alonso joined the attack, a five-car train forming. Coulthard managed to pass Melrose on lap 61, the same time as Alonso passed Jones for 11th. The tyres were now badly worn on Valsattis' car and it was only a matter of time before he fell down the order. Into the last lap and Melrose re-took 9th from Coulthard, giving Valsattis a little bit of a gap, until turn 3, when he ran wide again and the train behind closed right up once again.
Barrichello won the race from Schumacher, with Button completing the podium. Trulli, Montoya and Ralf Schumacher finished in close unison, with Montiero some 20 seconds back. But all eyes were on the battle for 8th. Valsattis was now all over the place, as Alonso passed Coulthard at turn 5, only for the McLaren driver to take back 10th at the hairpin. Melrose got a good tow up the back stright towards the chicane and slid up the outside of Valsattis, but he overcooked it and ran over the kerbs, allowing the Toyota to take back 8th! But Valsattis then ran wide himself at the final corner, and Melrose re-passed the Toyota yet again to take 8th at the line. Valsattis was 9th with Coulthard completing the top 10. Alonso, Jones and even Klien finished less than 2 seconds back, competing a fantastic final lap.

CLASSIFICATION:

1. R.Barrichello
2. M.Schumacher
3. J.Button
4. J.Trulli
5. JP.Montoya
6. R.Schumacher
7. T.Montiero
8. D.Melrose
9. M.Valsattis
10. D.Coulthard
11. F.Alonso
12. S.Jones
13. C.Klien
14. B.Zaumgartner +1 LAP
15. G.Bruni +2 LAPS
16. R.Doornbos +2 LAPS

DRIVERS STANDINGS:

1. M.Schumacher 117
2. JP.Montoya 114
3. J.Button 101
4. R.Barrichello 96
5. R.Schumacher 64
6. T.Sato 46
7. J.Trulli 37
8. D.Melrose 28
9. F.Alonso 22
10. S.Jones 20
11. C.Klien 18
12. T.Montiero 11
13. B.Zaumgartner 10
14. K.Raikkonen 8
15. M.Valsattis 8
16. D.Coulthard 6
17. R.Doornbos 2
18. G.Bruni 1
19. G.Fisichella 0
20. A.Lotterer 0

CONSTRUCTORS STANDINGS:

1. Ferrari 213
2. Williams 178
3. BAR Honda 147
4. Renault 59
5. Jaguar 38
6. Jordan 38
7. Toyota 19
8. McLaren 11
9. Minardi 3
10. Sauber 0

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[AdrianSutil]

Round Eight - Canada:

Practice:

A warm, sunny morning greeted the drivers at Montreal, a favourite with many of the teams. Michael Schumacher wasted no time in stamping his authority down, setting the quickest time of the day, a 1:11.007. Sammy Jones was a surprise 2nd, only a tenth off the Ferrari's pace, with Button in 3rd for BAR Honda. Sauber showed improved performance, with the 7th and 8th quickest time, Lotterer ahead of Fisichella, with Valsattis and Melrose completing the top 10.
Further back, Alonso was 11th, Ralf Schumacher 13th and Sato 14th. Montiero didn't have a good session, a crash then a gearbox failure limiting his running to only 6 laps. He was in 18th place, ahead of both Minardi's.

1. M.Schumacher 1:11.007
2. S.Jones 1:11.183
3. J.Button 1:11.312

8. G.Fisichella 1:12.162
9. M.Valsattis 1:12.319
10. D.Melrose 1:12.384

18. T.Montiero 1:13.725

Qualifying:

The conditions again were perfect, as the drivers began their first fast laps. After the first 20 minutes, Coulthard was in provisional pole with a time of 1:12.849 before Valsattis bettered that by three tenths. Sammy Jones then took over top spot with a time of 1:12 124. The Jaguar driver held onto pole position for nearly half an hour before Barrichello and Michael Schumacher posted better times. Button and then Trulli split the Ferrari's, pushing Schumacher down to 4th as Barrichello held on to take pole. Lotterer and Valsattis continued their good form too, ending the session 7th and 8th respectively. Alonso and Sato again struggled with grip, ending the hour in 12th and 14th. McLaren had a mixed day, Coulthard completed the top 10 but Raikkonen could do no better than 17th, behind Bruni's Minardi.

1. R.Barrichello 1:11.557
2. J.Button 1:11.862
3. J.Trulli 1:11.869

7. A.Lotterer 1:12.410
8. M.Valsattis 1:12.541
9. R.Schumacher 1:12.707

13. T.Montiero 1:13.237

Race:

Barrichello and Button led away at the start, as Trulli fell behind both Michael Schumacher and Jones, down to 5th. Schumacher then passed Jones at turn 4 to move into 3rd place. Valsattis appeared to jump the start and was eventually issued with a penalty towards the end of the first lap. Raikkonen made the best start, moving up to 12th place, behind Montiero and Fisichella.
On lap 3, Montoya passed Jones at the final chicane, as the Jaguar driver's race pace wasn't as good as it had been in qualifying. Further back, Trulli slipped behind Lotterer's Sauber after running wide at the final chicane, putting the Sauber into 7th. This became 6th on lap 8, as Jones' engine expired whilst defending from Ralf Schumacher. Valsattis meanwhile, had began his fightback through the field, passing Doornbos for 18th on lap 10.
Rear-wing support failure on Schumacher's Ferrari put paid to his Canadian chances on lap 14, retiring from 3rd place. Valsattis meanwhile, had now passed Zaumgartner's Jordan too, and began to pressurise Klien's Jaguar for 16th. Lotterer in 5th, was attracting the attention of Trulli, Coulthard and his own team-mate, as the four cars circled in unison. Montiero, Sato and Raikkonen completed the top 10.
On lap 26, Valsattis had moved up to 13th place, which became 12th on the next lap, as the Renault of Alonso suffered gearbox failure. But Valsattis was also in trouble, as the fuel lines jammed and he had no choice but to park the car. This left 16 cars to do battle, but Button joined the list of those who have crashed into the 'wall of champions', losing the car on lap 31 and ending a promising race early. This brought out the safety car for three laps, enabling those at the front to make their stops. This pushed Montoya and Ralf Schumacher up into 2nd and 3rd places for Williams, some 25 seconds behind Barrichello.
During the stops, Giancarlo Fisichella and Raikkonen took the battle for 6th place to the pitlane, both cars drving down the exit road together, before Raikkonen conceded the place before reaching turn 1.
David Coulthard was the next driver out, losing the back end at turn 3 and hitting the barriers hard. Debris' scattered in every direction, bringing the safety car out yet again. This was turning into yet another classic Canadian race, no-one knowing what was going to happen next.
On lap 50, with just 20 remaining, the safety car made it's third appearance, after oil was dumped onto the track by Klien's Jaguar, the engine expiring whilst the car was in 11th place. Sato was the only driver caught out by the oil slick, the car spinning and making slight contact with the armco. The resulting damage but the BAR Honda into the pits for a new nose, dropping Sato from 8th to 12th, behind the Jordans.
As the final laps started to tumble, 13 cars became 12 when Doornbos' driveshaft failed on lap 63, retiring from 10th place. His team-mate Bruni was doing batter though, reaching as high as 6th during the stops to run in 8th, ahead of Montiero and a recovering Sato. Although the Toyota passed Bruni on the final lap, Sato could do nothing about improving his own race and had to settle for 10th, behind Bruni.
Barrichello kept out of trouble for the entire race, to win by 7 seconds from Montoya and Ralf Schumacher. Lotterer was delighted with his best result in F1, 4th place. And with Fisichella in 6th in the second Sauber, gave the team the kickstart they desperatly needed. Bruni too, was delighted with his trouble-free run, picking up two valuable points for Minardi.



CLASSIFICATION:

1. R.Barrichello
2. JP.Montoya
3. R.Schumacher
4. A.Lotterer
5. J.Trulli
6. G.Fisichella
7. K.Raikkonen
8. T.Montiero
9. G.Bruni
10. T.Sato
11. Z.Baumgartner
12. D.Melrose

DRIVERS STANDINGS:

1. JP.Montoya 132
2. R.Barrichello 121
3. M.Schumacher 117
4. J.Button 101
5. R.Schumacher 79
6. T.Sato 47
7. J.Trulli 47
8. D.Melrose 28
9. F.Alonso 22
10. S.Jones 20
11. C.Klien 18
12. T.Montiero 15
13. K.Raikkonen 14
14. A.Lotterer 12
15. Z.Baumgartner 10
16. G.Fisichella 8
17. M.Valsattis 8
18. D.Coulthard 6
19. G.Bruni 3
20. R.Doornbos 2

CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP:

1. Ferrari 238
2. Williams 217
3. BAR Honda 148
4. Renault 69
5. Jaguar 38
6. Jordan 38
7. Toyota 23
8. Sauber 20
9. McLaren 20
10. Minardi 5

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[AdrianSutil]

Half-Term Report:

Ferrari: Ferrari haven't been a dominant as last season, mainly due to several retirements. The car and team reamin the best in the field, but this year, reliability seems to be their one weak point. Several times, both drivers have retired when in excellent positions, and this has allowed the rest of the field to close up. Qualifying too, hasn't seen the Prancing Horse as dominant as it used to be, regularly pushed back to the second or third row. Michael Schumacher remains the title favourite, but few would believe it's as easy as it could be.

Williams: Williams have continued their good form from 2003 into the next year, with Montoya spear-heading the title attack. Ralf Schumacher has been disappointing so far, in comparison to his team-mate, but an improvement from the German could close the gap to Ferrari quicker than expected. Montoya is really enjoying his racing at the moment, and many people are backing him for the title.

BAR Honda: BAR Honda are the surprise of the year, after an average 2003. Despite what people may think, Jenson Button is still very much in the title race, as a couple of excellent results in the next few races will close the gap to almost nothing. Sato has impressed many in his first year, and a first win is surely just round the corner. They look odds-on to claim 3rd place in the constructors title, but Button has the skill, speed and reliability to push the Ferrari and Willaims' all the way.

Renault: Renault are where they expected to be, fighting for 4th place. Alonso has been something of a disappointment, and his contract is up for renewal at the end of the year. Trulli meanwhile, has led the Renault atatck, something which has surprised many. His pace in the qualifying session has been transferred to the race, and several good results have seen him move comfortably ahead of Alonso in the standings. The car is generally relaible, but they will have a hard task of beating BAR Honda to 3rd come season end.

Jaguar: Jaguar have impressed many with their turn of speed, as 2003 was a bit of a disappointment. Jones continues to prove what an excellent racer he is, and is linked to several teams for 2005. Klien meanwhile, has suffered from bad luck, but has still collected a very good haul of points to help Jaguar in their battle for 5th. If the car can keep its first-half reliability intact, they have every chance of doing so.

Jordan: Jordan were rumoured to be struggling in pre-season, with limited funds and a pay-driver in Zaumgartner. Then, Nick Heidfeld was sidelined for the entire year and the team had to bring in the unproven Daniel Melrose. But the car has proven to be reliable and quick, as both drivers have used this to their full effect. Zaumgartner's heart-breaking retirement in Australia is long forgotten, as the team have pressed on with their development and reaped the rewards. Another excellent 5th in the title race would bode well for 2005, when again money will be a major issue.

Toyota: Toyota expressed their desire to battle Renault and BAR Honda for 3rd during the pe-season tests, but a troublesome gearbox and chassis prevented the team from making serious inroads at seasons start. The car has started to improve as the season has gone on, culminating in an excellent 7-9 at the Nurburgring. The team hope to push Jaguar and Jordan for 5th place, although it might be a step too far. The team have already declared their intention to halt development on their 2004 challenger and instead look towards next year, where both Montiero and Valsattis will again drive the red & white cars.

Sauber: Sauber have had one of those seasons where its all summed up in one race: Canada. Before then, awful reliability and poor pace has seen the team towards the back of the field, as the BMW buy-out rumour intensifies. Both Lotterer and Fisichella deserve a better car, and their perserverence paid off in Canada, where thanks to bad luck from other's and good race craft from both drivers, saw them collect 20 points with a 4th and 6th. This has remained the only time Sauber have scored points this year, and are in danger of slipping back to 9th place yet again.

McLaren: To say thier season has been poor is a massive understatement. For a team with as many championships as they have, to be 9th at the halfway mark is nothing short of a joke. The car is fragile and prone to breaking. The powerplant is under-powered, and the chassis itself seems to be made out of plastic. Coulthard has struggled badly with the felxing car, and his big crash in Canda seems to have had a big effect on him. Raikkonen meanwhile, has fared a little better then Coulthard, but only a few point finishes for the Finn shows the awful pace of the Mclaren. The team have already looked towards 2005, where they expect to be at the front once again.

Minardi: It's been a typical season for Minardi, usually at the back, save for some excellent performances. Both Bruni and Doornbos have shown they can cut it in Formula 1, and have both scored points. The problem lies with the race pace of the cars, as they regualrly qualify off the back row, usually in touch with even McLaren. The team of course is under-funded, but have shown once again, what a small, professional outift it is. They will finish 10th, barring a massive upset, but by no means is that an embarassment, as more than once both drivers have taken it to the midfield.

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