Austrian Grand Prix - Ferrari Owners' Club

GRAND PRIX: Austria: Schumacher Stays Cool
by Val McKay

21.5.03

This may have been the last GP at Austria's A1-Ring but it will not be easily forgotten.

The supercool Michael Schumacher overcame every obstacle, manmade and natural. Nothing on the track could challenge him and fire and rain could not disrupt his serenity.

The Toyota of da Matta stalled twice on the grid, causing two aborted starts and a twenty minute delay. Thereafter, the unruffled Schumacher led off the start followed by Montoya, Raikkonen and Barrichello, whose attempt to slip past Kimi for 3rd place was unsuccessful.

The Safety Car's appearance on lap 2 bunched the field and as they restarted Montoya summoned all his Champ Car experience to try to outmanoeuvre Michael but had to slot in behind him. Raikkonen and Barrichello were following with but a whisker between them.

Just after Schumacher set his first fastest lap, a rain shower then began to make its way across the circuit, finally drenching the treacherous Turn 1. Schumacher's Bridgestones simply could not cope and Montoya made up 4secs before his slick pitstop.

Barrichello then set the fastest lap before his disastrous 19.8 sec stop. The fuel hose refused to disengage and one was tempted to think, poor old Rubens, who was also suffering from a cold, has all the bad luck. Little did we know what was to come.

With a 9.4 second lead and the spare fuel rig waiting for him, Michael came in for his first stop. As the refueller struggled once again with the hose, the faulty nozzle dropped fuel onto the hot bodywork and it ignited.The 20 second stop must have felt like a lifetime for him, watching in his mirror as two extinguishers were deployed with Ross Brawn telling him to sit tight. The champion calmly wiped his visor and left the pits with a very short measure of fuel.

Setting fastest lap after fastest lap, we then saw an awe-inspiring performance. If Montoya's BMW engine had survived beyond lap 31 , he would still have had no answers. Schumacher took the lead as he and Raikkonen passed the stricken Williams.

Four laps later Barrichello passed Button to claim 3rd position. On lap 40 the Ferrari pitcrew made ready for Schumacher's second stop as he set his final fastest lap of 1.08.337. He had built up a massive 23 second lead during this stunning middle stint. A cautious 12.6 seconds stop fuelled the car to the end and he rejoined in 3rd place.

This was not to be end of the trials and tribulations. Alonso, who had reached 5th after a pitlane start, spun off as his engine let go at Turn 1, leaving a dangerous oil slick to be negotiated, with Michael almost sliding off. Both Ferraris were now lapping in the 1.09's and as the pitstops panned out, there was no question that this was Michael's race.

Who would be 2nd, could Raikkonen keep the charging Barrichello behind him? Unfortunately for Ferrari fans, he could. Jensen Button came home a commendable 4th - maybe a podium place for him soon.

Michael Schumacher was supreme, the 2003-GA was poetry in motion and I am sure that this peerless partnership can win a 6th World Championship.

Jean Todt:

What a race! It was evident today that, although we were up against very strong opposition, we had the best package. I think this race will go down in history. When Rubens came in for his first stop on lap 21, there was a problem with the refuelling rig, so Michael’s was used. Then, on the next lap, it was Michael’s turn to pit. A small amount of fuel was still in the nozzle from the previous refuelling, which dripped onto the car and caught fire. Thanks to the bravery and efficiency of the team, he was able to rejoin the race in third place. Michael went on the attack, got back the lead and brought home a third consecutive win of the season. Rubens had an extraordinary drive: but for the problem at his first pit stop, he could have won or at least come second.

Michael Schumacher :

Three wins in a row is good for us. Today, it was going our way until the pit stops. I could see the fire – maybe the mechanics thought I was cold and wanted to warm me up! But the team did a good job to control the situation, reacting quickly with the fire extinguishers. I did wonder how serious the problem was. I had a couple of tricky moments, the first when Montoya blew up in front of me. I had already passed Kimi at that point, but I was not sure if Juan Pablo would continue racing or get off the line. Then, I saw the waved yellow when Alonso went off, but no oil flag, so I ended up going very wide at the first corner, at a crucial stage of the race when I did not want to give away time to Kimi. When it was raining, I was able to be a bit cautious as I was leading.

Rubens Barrichello :

I am happy to be on the podium and to score points, especially as I have been feeling under the weather all weekend with a cold, which meant I was sweating a lot in the car. It was a great race, except for my first pit stop, which cost me time. Without that, maybe I could have finished higher, but these things happen in racing. I think today I paid the penalty for my tyre choice, even if the car felt good in terms of consistency throughout the race. At the start, I nearly passed Kimi down the outside. I got slightly ahead, but I was unable to turn in to take the position as the track was dirty on that side. In the closing stages, I pulled alongside him again. I could see him understeering, so I tried to push him to the inside of the corner. The move did not work and then he increased his pace a bit and I could not get too close to him because of the turbulences.

RACE RESULTS - AUSTRIAN GP
69 Laps. Weather : cloudy, dry, one small shower.

Classified:
Pos	Driver	Team		Time
1.	M. Schumacher	Ferrari	(B)	1h24:04.888
2.	Raikkonen	McLaren	(M)	+ 0:03.362
3.	Barrichello	Ferrari	(B)	+ 0:03.951
4.	Button	BAR	(B)	+ 0:42.243
5.	Coulthard	McLaren	(M)	+ 0:59.740
6.	R. Schumacher	Williams	(M)	+ 1 Lap
7.	Webber	Jaguar	(M)	+ 1 Lap
8.	Trulli	Renault	(M)	+ 1 Lap
9.	Pizzonia	Jaguar	(M)	+ 1 Lap
10.	da Matta	Toyota	(M)	+ 1 Lap
11.	Firman	Jordan	(B)	+ 1 Lap
12.	Villeneuve	BAR	(B)	+ 1 Lap
13.	Wilson	Minardi	(B)	+ 2 Laps

World Championship Standing, Round 5:
Drivers:			Constructors:
1.	Raikkonen	40	1.	Ferrari	64
2.	M. Schumacher	38	2.	McLaren	63
3.	Barrichello	26	3.=	Renault	35
4.	Alonso	25	3.=	Williams	35
5.	Coulthard	23	5.	BAR	11
6.	R. Schumacher	20	5.=	Jordan	11
7.	Montoya	15	7.	Sauber	8
8.=	Fisichella	10	8.	Jaguar	4
8.=	Trulli	10	9.	Toyota	3
10.	Button	8
11.	Frentzen	7
12.	Webber	4
13.=	da Matta	3
13.=	Villeneuve	3
15.=	Firman	1
15.=	Heidfeld	1