BMW 2003 Season Review


WilliamsF1 Drivers

By BMW Motorsport
November 22 2003

Weak start, strong mid-season, disappointing finale. This describes the 2003 Formula One season for the BMW WilliamsF1 team. This 2003 season review from BMW Motorsport takes you through the most successful season for the BMW & WilliamsF1 partnership.

   
BMW Motorsport 2003 Season Review
 
Weak start, strong mid-season, disappointing finale.

The BMW WilliamsF1 Team had never come so close. With two races to go before season’s end, the team still had both titles within their grasp. In the USA, however, any hopes of the Drivers’ World Championship title were swept away in the rain. In Japan, capricious weather during qualifying and a rare technical fault in the race meant the Constructors’ title also fell by the wayside. Yet at the outset of the season nobody could have imagined that the BMW WilliamsF1 Team would have cause for complaint having attained such heights.

Dr Mario TheissenBMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen summed up the season on a corresponding note: “Our fourth season has been the strongest so far. After some initial difficulties we achieved four wins, including both one-two finishes of the 2003 World Championship. Furthermore, with 1,800 racing laps we were once again the most reliable team. We can be proud of the huge strides made by the chassis and likewise by the BMW P83. Under the new regulations,
which demand a longer running time, our engine has again demonstrated its reliability. We fought for the title right to the finish.”

With 144 points, the BMW WilliamsF1 Team posted a clear improvement on the previous year’s results. In 2002, a total of 92 World Championship points had sufficed to put them into second place in the FIA Formula One Constructors’ World Championship.

Testing start.

At its public unveiling on 31st January, the FW25 received an enthusiastic welcome. Far from an iteration of its predecessors, it was clearly an innovative, all-new design. A shorter wheelbase was the most striking of its new attributes – and largely responsible for the fact that the team had to jettison most of the empirical evidence gathered. Despite disappointing test results, faith in the new concept remained undiminished, and this perseverance was to pay dividends.

Ripe for victory.

“A truly impressive achievement”, Theissen said of the team who had evolved the FW25 into a winning car. “Under the pressures of an ongoing season”, he went on, “nobody has made such progress for a long time.” At the seventh Grand Prix of the season, the car with the BMW P83 engine would prove unbeatable: Ralf Schumacher took pole at Monaco, while Juan Pablo Montoya won the most prestigious Grand Prix in the calendar. Henceforth the Colombian took to the podium eight times in a row – a feat unrivalled by any other driver on the grid. Ralf Schumacher, meanwhile, was the only driver to make it into the points in
every one of the first ten races. Victory in Monaco marked the real breakthrough and more outstanding Grands Prix would follow. Canada saw both drivers on the podium, while at the Nürburbring and Magny-Cours there were one-two finishes, and Montoya’s winning performance at Hockenheim was like a triumphal procession – he finished with a lead of more than 65 seconds.

No luck overseas.

With a four-point lead in the Constructors’ rankings, the BMW WilliamsF1 Team set off for the two final races of the season, the US and Japanese GP. BMW had a further evolution of the P83 in its cargo hold. This engine registered 19,200 revolutions a minute at the final in Suzuka, surpassing the peak engine speed of 2002 – a remarkable feat in the light of the regulation change compared to the previous year. But not even this powerpack from Munich managed to salvage any of the titles. Performance during qualifying at Indianapolis was modest, while in the race itself a penalty for Montoya and a heavy downpour combined
with pit stop troubles put paid to Montoya’s chances of the Drivers’ title. In Japan, Ralf Schumacher’s hard-fought ride ended in twelfth place, while Montoya had to retire from the lead with a technical fault for the second time in the season. A leak in the hydraulic system also quashed any hopes of the Constructors’ title.

Ralf SchumacherAustralian GP.

It was a successful curtain-raiser for the BMW WilliamsF1 Team in Melbourne: after sobering test results from the new FW25, Montoya came second at Albert Park in a turbulent race interrupted by safety car phases. He could have won, but made a mistake on lap 48 of 58 while in front, losing his lead to Coulthard. Due to the cars being stacked in the pitlane Schumacher had to wait for Montoya to finish his stop. Additionally, problems during a tyre change in the pits forced him from third place to the back of the field. Ultimately he had to settle for an eighth-placed finish, which now came with a championship point. The team benefited from their decision to start the race with dry tyres on a still damp track. It was the first time that qualifying was based on a single timed lap. Montoya took third place on the grid, Schumacher ninth.

MontoyaMalaysian GP.

Schumacher brought the team a comforting race result in Sepang. Although he had started from 17th place on the grid, after an action-packed 56 laps he was fourth to cross the finishing line. Montoya wasn’t so lucky. With temperatures of 34 degrees Celsius and very high humidity, he had started from eighth on the grid, but was rammed by Pizzonia in a Jaguar on the first lap and, following a lengthy repair stop, finished back in twelfth place.

Ralf SchumacherBrazilian GP.

The 700th Formula One race since the World Championship premiere in 1950 turned out to be one of the most turbulent in history. Extreme weather conditions, numerous accidents and five safety car phases accompanied the race in Sao Paulo. Due to a cloudburst, the race started 15 minutes late behind the safety car and was interrupted following serious accidents involving Webber and Alonso. After a delay of several days, the results were finally based on the positions at the end of lap 54 of the scheduled 71. That put Schumacher into seventh place, he had come in for a pit stop from third position on the
track just before the race was abandoned. Montoya had retired from fifth place on lap 25 following a mistake, having been among the victims of aquaplaning at turn three. In qualifying, Schumacher had bettered his team mate for the first time in 2003, the German came sixth after his flying lap in the second qualifying session, the Colombian ninth.

Ralf SchumacherSan Marino GP.

Schumacher was mourning the death of his mother on Sunday morning but still managed to build up his leading laps and just missed a hoped-for podium place at Imola with a fourth-placed finish. Montoya ended the race in seventh place. Both drivers lost valuable time during their pit stops. On one occasion Montoya hadn’t lined his car up perfectly and later on had a problem with the operation of the fuel rig, which required an extra stop. Schumacher selected the wrong gear. But there were still positive aspects to be gleaned from the first European round of the championship: in qualifying, grid places two and four for Schumacher and Montoya respectively showed they were back in fine fettle. There was also clear evidence that the ongoing evolution of the FW25 was paying off.

Spanish GP.

Fourth and fifth places in the race for Schumacher and Montoya made for
a satisfactory ending to a difficult weekend at Barcelona. The conditions of the Circuit de Catalunya once again proved treacherous. Here the wind blows sand onto the racing line and causes fluctuations in air and track temperatures. It poses a particularly tough challenge for any team. Schumacher started from seventh on the grid, Montoya from ninth. A safety car phase prompted the team to switch from a three- to a two-stop strategy, which proved disadvantageous, however. Then, when Schumacher spun off the track, he sustained damage to his aerodynamics and the cooling air supply to the engine. The final eight laps
accordingly became an extreme test in terms of water and oil temperature – one which the BMW P83 passed with flying colours.

Austrian GP.

The team effort in Spielberg bore disappointing results, but nevertheless confirmed the upward trend. Montoya qualified for third place on the grid, while Schumacher started the race from tenth after becoming beached in the gravel during Friday’s first qualifying session. The starting procedure at this, the final Austrian GP for the foreseeable future, had to be aborted twice because a Toyota stalled on the grid. Later, Montoya led the race for eight laps before retiring on lap 32 due to a water system failure, the first technical retirement of the season for the team. Schumacher was battling in the race with his third set of tyres and skidded off the track as a result of understeer. This lost him a position and he finished the race in sixth place.

Ralf SchumacherMonaco GP.

At the most prestigious race of the year in Monte Carlo, Montoya – starting from third position on the grid, won the first race of the season for the BMW WilliamsF1 Team. Prior to that, Schumacher had taken the team’s first pole position of 2003. In the race itself, he was very quick to begin with but could not maintain the same pace, losing places and spinning at Rascasse to ultimately finishing fourth. In the Constructors’ Championship, the BMW WilliamsF1 Team consolidated their third place. In the seventh of 16 World Championship races the team had finally got into their stride, and it was not to be just a one-off success. From now on the FW25 was a force to be reckoned with. The season was getting even more exciting.

Ralf & Juan PabloCanadian GP.

For the first time since Hockenheim in 2002, both drivers made it onto the podium together again, with Schumacher and Montoya taking second and third places in Montreal. For the fourth time since the inception of the BMW WilliamsF1 Team, they had both begun the race from the front row of the grid. For Schumacher it was the third pole position of his F1 career and the second in succession. At the start of the race the two drivers defended their positions against Michael Schumacher, but by the second lap the double lead was
over: Montoya spun after he outbraked himself and had to slot back in in fifth place, subsequently moving up into third after two successful passing manoeuvres. Following the first pit stops, Ralf Schumacher lost the lead on his outlaps to his brother Michael, who drove a faultless race and gave his younger brother no chance of getting past.


MontoyaEuropean GP.

A one-two victory at the Nürburgring – with Schumacher ahead of Montoya – took the team into second place in the Constructors’ Championship. And there was more good news: BMW and WilliamsF1 announced the continuation and intensification of their collaboration, with their contract now extended until the end of 2009. Schumacher and Montoya had qualified for third and fourth places on the grid. The key factors in this double victory were: firstly, Ralf Schumacher out accelerated his brother, who had started from second place on the grid ahead of him. Secondly, the team’s race strategy proved correct, with a
relatively light load before the next refuelling stop, Ralf was able to gain time against Michael Schumacher and Räikkönen, pitted later; Montoya was in a similar situation in relation to Barrichello. And thirdly, Montoya outmanoeuvred Michael Schumacher in a plucky pass to take second place.

Ralf SchumacherFrench GP.

This round brought the second one-two win in a row: in France too, Schumacher was first to cross the finish line ahead of Montoya. After the tenth race of the 2003 season, the BMW WilliamsF1 Team now had 100 points and were just three adrift of Ferrari. Schumacher had claimed pole once again and was sharing the front row of the grid with Montoya. A perfect start, textbook pit stops, Montoya claiming the fastest race lap, it was a commanding performance from the first to the final lap.

Ralf SchumacherBritish GP.

The GP at Silverstone saw two safety car phases – one sparked by a demonstrator. Problems with handling and a very windy qualifying meant that Schumacher and Montoya had to make do with places four and seven on the grid. Due to the altered timings of the pit stops brought about by the safety car phases, Montoya was driving in 13th place for a while, but steamrollered his way back up through the field to finish second for the third time in succession. Schumacher was also in contention for a good finish, but was thrown back into
20th place following an extra pit stop to remove a torn-off guide vane that was blocking the air flow. His catching-up efforts ultimately took him into ninth place. For the first time in 2003, he had not made it into the points.

MontoyaGerman GP.

In the blistering heat of Hockenheim, Montoya celebrated his second win of the season to put himself into second position in the Drivers’ rankings behind World Champion Michael Schumacher. The Colombian took pole position ahead of Ralf Schumacher and, before a gathered crowd of 105,000, dominated the race to claim victory with a 65-second lead over Coulthard. His teammate was forced to retire following an accident with Barrichello and Räikkönen immediately after the start. This collision became the subject of an FIA hearing in Paris: stewards at Hockenheim had made Schumacher responsible for the crash and penalized him for it. At the next GP in Hungary the German was to be put back ten grid
positions. The team appealed, and the penalty was commuted to a fine. In the Constructors’ Championship, just two points now separated the BMW WilliamsF1 Team and Ferrari.

Ralf SchumacherHungarian GP.

After entirely unsuccessful starts on the dirty side of the track – Schumacher had qualified for second place in Budapest, Montoya for fourth – both drivers found themselves in the middle of the pack. Then Schumacher spun on the first lap, which threw him back to the end of the field. In a spectacular bid to catch up again on a circuit where passing is deemed to be virtually impossible, Montoya and Schumacher managed to battle their way into third and fourth positions. They triumphed in some brilliant duels and capitalized on the times when the competition was refuelling earlier than them to pick up some fast
laps. Schumacher in particular put up an impressive fight. Montoya drove his fastest race lap ever, with Ralf Schumacher second fastest. For the first time in 2003, the BMW WilliamsF1 Team took the lead in the Constructors’ World Championship. In the Drivers’ rankings, the top three were almost level-pegging on points: Michael Schumacher (72), Montoya (71) and Räikkönen (70).

Marc GeneItalian GP.

At Monza, Montoya just lost the battle for pole to Michael Schumacher and, despite a bold attack, also failed to overtake him in the race and the Drivers’ Championship. Ralf Schumacher had to drop out of the Italian GP. He had suffered concussion on the same track in a serious accident during testing the previous week. After free practice and first qualifying on Friday, his problems returned. Test driver Marc Gené stood in for him and delivered an impressive performance. Although he was first out on the track during the final qualifying session, he drove the fifth-fastest time. In the race, too, the Spaniard finished fifth, earning the team four crucial points. With two GPs to go, the BMW WilliamsF1 Team still had a four-point lead over title defenders Ferrari (141:137).

Ralf SchumacherUS GP.

At Indianapolis the BMW WilliamsF1 Team were in for a bitter disappointment. Unpredictable weather made for difficult conditions during practice and qualifying, as well as in the race, on what is already an extremely challenging circuit in terms of the car’s set-up. Montoya started the race from fourth on the grid, Schumacher from fifth. The German had the better start, but missed the ideal moment for a tyre change during a heavy shower and skidded out of the race. Montoya lost ground at the start and collided with Barrichello on the third lap, for which he received a drive-through penalty. The timing was unfortunate.
Since no work on the car is permitted during such a drive-through, he too missed the right moment for a tyre change. Following this string of incidents the Colombian had to settle for a sixth-placed finish. With Michael Schumacher winning the race and Räikkönen finishing second, Montoya would have had to secure fifth place to remain in contention for the Drivers’ World Championship. In the Constructors’ rankings, meanwhile, the BMW WilliamsF1 Team were now three points behind Ferrari.

Japanese GP.

At Suzuka, the BMW WilliamsF1 Team also had to bury all hopes of winning the Constructors’ title. After the inclement weather during the race at Indianapolis, conditions during final qualifying in Japan were little different. Montoya was one of the last drivers to take his flying lap on a dry circuit and made it into second place on the grid. Schumacher had no chance in the rain and started the final race from the back of the field. In the race, on a dry track,  Montoya outmanoeuvred Barrichello to take the lead until a loss of hydraulic pressure forced him to bow out on the ninth lap. His teammate put up a good
fight over the entire distance, only to finish the race in twelfth place. It meant the BMW WilliamsF1 Team ended the season as runner-up in the Constructors’ World Championship once again. Montoya finished one of the most exciting F1 World Championships ever in third place, while Ralf Schumacher came fifth. His brother Michael secured an eighth-placed finish to claim a historic sixth World Championship title.
 
 
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