Barrichello on pole, Jos 17th

Published on 11 October 2003 by Huub Rothengatter

Rain was the main factor during today's qualification. Halfway the session it started with a drizzle but changed to a downpour later, Especially Michael Schumacher, his brother Ralf and Jarno Trulli were hindered by these conditions. Michael was able to set a time but did not get any further than position 14. Ralf Schumacher went back into the pits without setting a time.

Just before the rain really started Montoya managed to do a good lap and put himself on poleand forced Da Matta to second place. Rubens Barrichello managed to set a good time in changing conditions and created a reasonable gap between Montoya and himself. It looks like these two teams have complete different strategies.

Pole for Barrichello

Raikkonen had to go out before his main rival Schumacher. What looked like a disappointing lap, 8th fastest, appeared to be a good one compared to Michael Schumacher.
Toyota was celebrating with their drivers on 3rd and 4th place. Mark Webber did good business with an excellent 6th place.
Jos Verstappen can be found on 17th, only 0.6 seconds behind the reigning worldchampion Schumacher. Both Jordans were almost within reach.
The outcome of the qualification was unpredictable due to the rain, but this is an excellent situation for an interesting, exciting race. Rain is still on the charts in Suzuka. The big difference between the Michelin and Bridgestone tyres would be an important factor in tomorrow's Grand Prix.