Michael Schumacher wins Imola; Jos another DNF
Published on 20 April 2003 by Huub Rothengatter
The Ferrari F2002 gets another victory before it will be replaced by its successor F2003-GA. Michael Schumacher shows the world that he is still top notch. In a pitstop filled race the German grabs his first victory of this season without any problems. He doesn't gain a lot points on the leader Kimi Raikkonen because the young Fin came second. The difference between the two drivers is 14 points. Barrichello finishes in third, after some fruitless attempts to overtake Raikkonen. The Brasilian loses time during his last pitstop because of problems with his left front tyre.
Battling it out at the front is not one of Minardi's objectives. The engine of Jos's car doesn't work properly so Jos has to settle for starting from the pit straight in his T-car. When te race starts Ralph Firman and Justin Wilson are leaving from the pit straight and Antonio Pizzonia stalls his car on the grid. This is advantageous for Jos and he goes into the first corner in 17th position. He is able to keep Firman in his Jordan and his team mate Justin Wilson behind him by driving reasonably good lap times, for a Minardi.
At the front of the pack good fights for position are happening. Imola is a circuit where the fuel consumption is high, this means that most drivers are going for a three stop strategy. Of the top teams on McLaren opts for a two stopper but in the end Raikkonen can't make it against Michael Schumacher's three stops. At the beginning of the race it seemed to be a real fight between the Ferrari and BMW Williams cars. Ralf Schumacher is faster than his brother at the start and leads the race for 15 laps until the first pitstops. When everyone has been in for the regular first stops Michael Schumacher is leading the race. Both Williams drivers loose a lot of time during their pitstops. This comes in handy for Ferrari, Michael Schumacher was not able to overtake his brother until then. The Ferrari has more grip but on the long straights the strong BMW engine had enough power to keep the Ferrari behind it. About what both brothers have been thinking about during the race we can only guess. Their mother died in hospital last night and they were both on the first row. Even fighting for the lead for a while.
Jacques Villeneuve is the first victim of the race. He stops his car at the end of the straight with hydraulic problems. After that Wilson (fuelling problems), Jos Verstappen (electronics), Firman, Webber and Fisichella (all engine problems) have to call it a day. Juan Pablo Montoya only comes seventh due to his four pitstops, which went all but smoothly. The best overtaking manouvre is done by Barrichello when he slips through on the inside of Ralf Schumacher in the chicane before start/finish. Out of joy the emotional Brasilian raises his fist. Talking about emotions: respect for the Schumacher brothers who did their best during difficult times.
