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F1: US Grand Prix 2003 - Jaguar race results

4K views 22 replies 14 participants last post by  Night_Lurker 
#1 ·
US GRAND PRIX – RACE
28th September 2003



Weather: Mixed conditions, wet and dry
Track temp: 16 – 20 degrees Air temp: 13 – 16 degrees



Difficult track conditions made today’s race a challenge for both those behind the wheel and in the garage. Mark Webber and Justin Wilson both started well and worked their way quickly and error-free up the order to find themselves in 1st and 3rd by lap twenty. As conditions deteriorated, Justin was brought in to change tyres from grooves to shallow wets and then he continued to drive a determined and solid race to bring his R4 home in a point scoring eighth position. Mark found himself leading the race during the worst of the weather but suffered as a result of a lack of grip and somewhat frustratingly ended his race on lap 22 when he spun-off on corner eight. A difficult race overall but one that rewarded the team with yet another point in the race for fifth position. The team are now firmly focused on Suzuka and the race ahead for more points. There is all to play for at the last race on the calendar.



Dr Mark Gillan – Head of Vehicle Performance
“Mark and Justin both went to the grid in shallow wets but it soon became clear that they would need only grooves, so we made this change just prior to the start. The pace of the car was good over the first few laps and it was not long before both cars were racing in the top ten. However, typical to Indianapolis the temperamental weather changed for the worse and we were lucky with Justin timing it just right to come in and change onto shallow wets as the heavens opened. Unfortunately Mark was leading the race when the rain was at its worse and as he struggled for grip he spun and that was the end of his race. Justin continued despite also fighting against a lack grip and he did well to move his R4 into eighth position. Justin held his own in the field and did an admiral job to bring the car home in one piece to finish not only his first race with the team but to secure a well deserved point for both him and the rest of us. The race for fifth has heated up even more as we go to Suzuka and of course with all to play for we will be aiming for a bit more on-track success for the last race. The team have done a sterling job this weekend and we will continue with this determination in Japan.”



Justin Wilson
Position: 8th Best time: 1:13.324 Chassis: R4-05 T-Car: R4-04

“That was by no means an easy race and I was more than happy to see the chequered flag. The start of the race was fairly clean but as the conditions kept changing it became increasingly difficult to achieve good long runs. The team did a great job today to support me and a combination of our race strategy and well-oiled pit stops certainly helped me secure eighth place. I am of course very pleased to have achieved my first Championship point here at Ford’s home race and at this time in the calendar. It has been a tough few months for me but I knew that my luck would change at some point. My weekend overall has been a good learning curve for me and I am only too pleased to add to the points tally in our bid to fight for fifth in the

Constructors Championship. It was unfortunate that we could not have scored more but to be honest I was trying hard just to stay on track and to have secured a point is a real bonus”



Mark Webber
Position: DNF Best time: 1:13.099 Chassis: R4-03

“I was really looking forward to today’s race despite starting in 14th and I am naturally disappointed not to have finished. I had a good start and the first twenty laps were tough under the conditions but we made a tremendous leap forward to the extent that I was leading the race by lap twenty. As the conditions were so mixed I was not actually too sure about where I was in the order so I was quite shocked to find myself up there. The car’s handling was generally good and the pace of the car evident. Unfortunately as the conditions deteriorated I was heading in for my first pit stop and a change of tyres on to shallow wets when I lost the car on corner eight. There was little I could do and of course that was the end of the race for me. We have generally had a good weekend so it is always de-motivating not to finish on a high. However, well done to Justin who scored his first point and finished the race. It was not easy out there so it was good to see that the R4 handled the conditions and secured us another point.”
 
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#5 ·
FPR_Lowndes said:
pure luck Michael won, pure bloodly luck

Anyone know why Michael didnt have cigarette advertising but kimi did, i dont think jordan had cigarette ads either
What? Mclaren have never won on luck before?
It goes both ways, plenty of races have been won on luck before and plenty will be in the future!
Pure luck that michael lost bulk point with a puncture in germany which kept kimi in the tile, pure luck that Michael won this race.

Or perhaps we should bring up the sheer number of parts Mclaren have changed between the Qualifying and Race this year in "Parc Ferme" we are talking heads, head gaskets, entire suspension assemblies, hardly small components, pure luck they have been allowed to change these even though theoretically you are not supposed to...


Anyway in answer to your question about cigarette advertising, in the wisdom of american law, they allow one team to be sponsored by a cigarette brand but any subsequent teams competing in the country must block the sponsorship out, marlboro sponsor a team in the IRL, so must be blocked out for the F1, West do not, so they can run without the logos blocked out...
 
#8 ·
I cant believe that when Webber was leading in the wet they choose to bring in Wilson in instead of Webber.

I can bet Webber would have finished in the top 5.

Hmm, I wonder if Montoya can nudge Michael into the sand next race like he did to barra this race. lol

Have to say it was one of the better races iv'e seen this year.
 
#10 ·
Am I the only one that thinks Montoya did no wrong in the 2nd lap?! - anyway, as much as I hate that dickhead shu, I must say it was a great drive, even if there was a small element of luck. His mid-stint was a t a blitzing pace and no one had a chance in hell, I sure as hell don't like him nor do I want him to win his record 6th championship, but if he does I'll have nothing but respect for a great driver.

Having said that - Montoya's out, GO KIMI!!!
 
#11 ·
As the commentators said, anything that could go wrong for Montoya did. Accident (lost two places), drive thru(and more here), fuel rig (12 seconds), poor tyre choice (alot more again), weather (ties in with tyre choice, or more importantly, the options he had available in the face of a mega intermediate Bridgestone).

There's always next year, or whenever Schumi retires.... :fraz:

Too bad for Webber too, I also think he could have finished in the top 5.... damn getting up at 3.30am to watch Schumacher win. Ah well, was fairly interesting to watch! To next year!

Cheers.... Tim
 
#16 ·
Donut King said:
Oh come on, if schumacher was involved in a similar incident and it was kimi, or montoya who went off the track you would be crucifying him right now. Montoya f&@ked up and paid the price, simple as that.
No I wouldn't. I'd se that as a racing incident no matter who was driving, be it Shu' or even Mark Skaife... not enough evidence for a drive thru IMO. :fraz:
 
#21 ·
I didn't see the race but congrats to schuey and ferrari. No matter how much people hate schuey he is the best in the business and has been for a while now. Other teams have had ample opportunity to knock him and ferrari off the top but have buckled under pressure. Schumacher seems to cope with the pressure with ease. From the footage I saw of Rubens and Montoya, clearly Montoya should have just backed off...Montoya ain't no angel on the track.
 
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