2003 F1 Season
16 races · Ferrari F2003-GA
After two years of crushing dominance, 2003 brought the excitement back to Formula 1. A new, more level points system and a fierce tyre war between Bridgestone and Michelin closed the gap to Ferrari, who no longer had the best car on the grid.
Kimi Räikkönen with McLaren and Juan Pablo Montoya with Williams fought back all season long, and the championship reached the final race at Suzuka still alive. There, with careful, calculating driving, Michael Schumacher secured the points he needed.
The German thus claimed his sixth world title, surpassing none other than Juan Manuel Fangio, whose record of five championships had stood for almost half a century and which many believed unbeatable. It was one of the most symbolic milestones of his career.
Drivers' Champion
Michael Schumacher
Ferrari F2003-GA
Constructors' Champion
Ferrari
16 races
Key moment
"Schumacher equals Fangio with his sixth title in Japan, tears on the podium."
What if 2003 had been raced 100 times?
We took the real 2003 grid — every car with its performance and reliability, every driver with his rating — and re-ran the full 17-race championship 100 times.
| Driver | Avg. finish | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Schumacherreal championFerrari | P1 | 100% |
| Kimi RäikkönenMcLaren | P2.5 | 0% |
| Rubens BarrichelloFerrari | P3.8 | 0% |
| Juan Pablo MontoyaWilliams | P3.9 | 0% |
| Fernando AlonsoRenault | P4.8 | 0% |
| Ralf SchumacherWilliams | P5.6 | 0% |
Michael Schumacher wins 100% of the simulated championships. Runner-up Kimi Räikkönen manages 0%: with that machinery, the real result was very nearly the only one available.
Tags
Year
2003
Races
16
Winning car
Ferrari F2003-GA
What if Senna, Hamilton or Alonso had driven the 2003 championship-winning car?