By pitpass.com (20/04/2003)
April 20 2003

Well it looks at though the forecasters got it wrong because fifteen minutes before the race is due to get underway the sky is blue and the sun is shining. However the drivers cast anxious glances to the sky just in case, after all if they were banking on wet weather for their race strategy, sunshine and clear skies will be the last thing they want to see.

With five minutes remaining only two cars are missing from the grid, those of the Schumacher brothers. Following the death of their mother Elisapeth, the FIA has declared that both drivers will be excused having to attend any of the pre-race briefings in addition to the other formalities, and should they be successful will not have to attend the podium ceremony or post-race press conference. With two minutes remaining the two drivers take their places on the grid.

Ralph Firman is starting from the pitlane following a last minute problem, the Anglo-Irish driver had a difficult time in qualifying yesterday, as did team-mate Fisichella. Jordan take full advantage of the new rules and fill the yellow car with fuel. Of course Verstappen is also going to start from the pitlane having failed to post a time in qualifying.

The entire field gets away for the parade lap, though Wilson nips into the fits to refuel.

Ralf runs round the outside of his brother at the entry to the chicane as Webber loses several positions, Jaguar's misery is compounded as Pizzonia fails to get away from the grid.

Ralf leads from Michael, with Barrichello in third Montoya fourth, Raikkonen, Alonso, Panis and Coulthard. Webber and Villeneuve have both dropped many places, the Canadian - who made a great start - was held up as a result of Webber's problems.

Heidfeld made a very aggressive start, though some might say too aggressive.

At the end of the second lap Ralf leads by half-a-second while Rubens Barrichello posts the fastest lap of the race. Michael closes on his brother and prepares to make his move.

Montoya is quick setting fastest time in the first sector, as Michael is all over Ralf at Tamburello. As the Schumachers battle it out Barrichello sits right behind them, awaiting his chance.

Michael pulls alongside his brother but Ralf is having none of it,the door is firmly shut.

Raikkonen is still fifth ahead of Alonso, Panis, Coulthard, Heidfeld, Button, Webber, da Matta and Villeneuve.

Out front it's a 'battle royale' as the two Schumachers continue to slug it out. Pizzonia is still in the race, albeit a lap down on the rest of the field. With six laps completed we still have twenty runners.

The first seven are covered by a mere eight seconds, great stuff.

Montoya is still the quickest man on track, the Michelins clearly coming into their own.

At the first chicane Ralf makes a slight mistake and Michael pounce, the WilliamsF1 driver manages to hold position but clearly he has his hands full and Michael is eager to take advantage.

2.4s covers the first four with Raikkonen a further 3.6s behind.

No change in the race order, it looks as though we're not going to see any major changes until the first round of pit stops.

On lap 9 it's Michael that posts the fastest lap of the race 1:24.511. However Montoya nad Raikkonen are also very, very quick in various sectors.

1:24.393 and Alonso - currently sixth - posts the fastest lap, the Spaniard all over the back of Raikkonen.

Now it's Ralf that goes quickest, the German posting a 1:24.294, as Olivier Panis (seventh) pits at the end of lap eleven.

Montoya posts fastest lap (1:24.255), the leading four now covered by 2.6s.

Behind the leading six, it's: Coulthard, Heidfeld, Button, Webber, da Matta, Villeneuve, Trulli, Fisichella, Frentzen and Panis.

Ralf posts the fastest time as da Matta and Heidfeld pit, meanwhile Michael and Rubens post fastest times in sectors two and three.

At the end of lap fourteen it's Alonso that pits as Schumacher posts the fastest lap of the race. For a few laps it seemed as though the Ferraris had 'eased off', clearly not. Alonso exits the pits in tenth.

Now its Webber's turn to pit, the Jaguar was running eighth. Trulli also nips in to refuel.

At the end of lap sixteen Ralf pits, Michael leads. The WilliamsF1 is out in 6.4 but the clutch doesn't bit costing the German several vital seconds. Button also pits as Barrichello posts fastest lap of the race.

At the end of lap seventeen Rubens pits along with Montoya, meanwhile Michael posts the fastest lap of the race 1:22.491.

Barrichello appeared to cross the white line at the pit exit, will he be penalised?

At the end of lap eighteen Schumacher pits, he's back out in 8.2s, rejoining in third behind the two McLaren.

After this first round of stops, the order is: Raikkonen, Coulthard, Michael, Ralf, Barrichello, Montoya, Alonso, Panis, Button and Heidfeld.

That one 'clear' lap the Michael had - while Ralf was pitting - made all the difference, hence the fact that he's still in third. Mark Webber meanwhile gets a drive through for speeding in the pitlane as Jacques Villeneuve's race come to an end as he pulls off just after the pitlane exit.

At the end of lap twenty-one it's Coulthard that pits, the Scot is back out in 9.8s, rejoining the race in sixth behind Montoya. Raikkonen stop at the end of the next lap, he's out again in 8.6s, rejoining in fourth behind Barrichello. McLaren clearly gave him less fuel to get himn out of the Ferrari but it didn't work.

Twenty-three laps completed and Michael leads from Ralf, Barrichello, Raikkonen, Montoya, Coulthard, Alonso, Panis, Button and Heidfeld.

More than one third into the race and we only have one retirement, the hapless Villeneuve.

Twenty-four laps completed and Michael leads by 7.3s with Barrichello a further second behind.

Now dare we say it, but after those first few frantic laps, and the first round of pit-stops, it looks as though we could be in for another one of those processional events that we'd been assured were a thing of the past.

Wilson becomes the second retiree of the afternoon he'd been in the pits for a couple of laps with a terminal problem.

Lap twenty-seven and Panis makes his second stop of the afternoon and we're not even at half-distance. Michael meanwhile is now 10.1s ahead of his brother as Rubens closes on the WilliamsF1.

Da Matta pits, the Toyotas not having a good weekend, that said neither are the Jordans with Fisichella in fifteenth and Firman one place behind.

It appears that Montoya is going to make an early second stop, the Colombian extremely unhappy with his tyres which are costing him valuable time. Hew stops at the end of lap thirty and subsequently drops to sixth. Ralf pits on the next lap which seems odd, are both WilliamsF1s on three-stop strategy? Certainly when Juan Pablo pitted there appeared to be a problem with his rig and it's thought that he didn't receive any fuel.

Meanwhile da Matta seems to have forgotten what mirrors are for as he cuts across in front of the race leader.

End of lap thirty-two and Montoya does indeed have to make another stop, for the fuel he should have been given two laps earlier.

At the end of the next lap it's Barrichello that pits for fuel and fresh rubber. A lap later and it's the turn of his team-mate to stop, the German out again in 7.2s.

Schumacher exits the pits ahead of Raikkonen, the Ferrari still leads.

Thus far almost everyone has made their second stop - other than Montoya who's had three - though Raikkonen, Coulthard, Alonso, Button, Frentzen and Trulli have only stopped once.

At the end of lap thirty-five, Schumacher leads from Raikkonen, then Ralf, Barrichello, Coulthard, Alonso, Button, Montoya, Frentzen and Panis.

Michael leads by 2s with Ralf a further 9.6s behind. The German weaves his way through the back markers who are all focussing on their own little battles.

The pace has eased up, we haven't seen a new fastest lap for more than twenty laps or even a best sector time.

Button pits at the end of lap thirty-eight, the English youngster on a two-stop strategy. Alonso stops at the end of the next lap.

Schumacher leads Raikkonen by 1.5s, having had trouble passing Trulli, with Ralf third then Barrichello, Coulthard, Alonso, Montoya, Frentzen, Button and Panis.

Pizzonia, who is already a lap down following problems at the start, pits for fuel but his crew isn't ready for him, costing the Brazilian vital seconds. Heinz-Harald Frentzen also suffers a difficult stop.

Lap forty and Jos Verstappen becomes the third retirement of the afternoon, a miserable race for the Dutchman and indeed the Italian team which is based just a few miles down the road.

Barrichello is now 0.3s behind Ralf with Coulthard a further second behind, a real scrap going on for third place. Montoya can merely watch with envy, had it not been for his 'bad' tyres and the refuelling problem he could have been a contender.

At the end of lap 44 Raikkonen makes his second stop but it's a disaster as the McLaren driver cannot seem to find first gear. On track Schumacher almost throws it all away as he runs wide at Piratella. Raikkonen exits the pits behind the three-way battle for third.

Coulthard pits at the end of the next lap, the Scot also on a two stop strategy, he's out in 7.6s and rejoins in sixth.

Michael leads his brother by 16s, followed by Barrichello, Raikkonen, Coulthard, Montoya, Alonso, Button, Heidfeld and Webber.

Michael pulls away from the WilliamsF1 as Ralf falls into the clutches Barrichello. These three still have to stop however with Raikkonen 33s behind the race leader it looks as though Michael could have this sewn up.

At the end of lap forty-eight Ralf pits, giving Rubens a brief respite. The German rejoins in fourth ahead of Coulthard.

Next time around and it's Michael that stops, the German out again in 7s, and rejoining ahead of his team-mate who has to make his final stop. The German allows Rubens through, the Brazilian needs to build a safety cushion ahead of his stop, the Scuderia wants a 1-2.

Sure enough at the end of lap forty-nine, Rubens pits. There's a problem with the left front, it's a disaster as the Brazilian takes 13.3s, he re-joins behind Ralf Schumacher who is running third behind Raikkonen, a poor result for Ferrari but a great one for the Schumachers, today of all days.

Fifty-two laps completed and Michael leads Raikkonen by 19.6s, followed by Ralf, Barrichello, Coulthard, Alonso, Montoya, Button, Webber and Panis. However Ralf makes a mistake at the start of the pit straight and Rubens pounces, Ferraris first and third.

Ralph Firman's race is over, the Jordan pulling off in a cloud of smoke as the Ford engine gives up.

The gap between Michael and Kimi is now down to 17.9s, but this would appear to be the German 'easing off' rather than Kimi speeding up. Indeed Rubens is now only 4.9 behind the McLaren and closing.

What looked as though it was going to be a perfect day for Mark Webber is now turning into a bit of a nightmare as the Australian pulls into the pits. A dreadful race for the Jaguars, as Webber gets out of his car.

The gap between the first two is now down to eleven seconds but Schumi looks comfortable, as Rubens is now four seconds behind the McLaren.

Michael leads Kimi, followed by Rubens, Ralf, Coulthard, Alonso, Montoya, Button, Panis and Heidfeld.

Barrichello has the gap down to 1.8s as Giancarlo Fisichella's engine goes the same way as his team-mate's. The oil flag comes out following Fisi' expiry, Schumi eases off, he doesn't want to throw it away now.

Barrichello is all over the back of Raikkonen but it seems too little too late, had it not been for that troublesome pitstop, who knows?

Schumacher crosses the line to take a fine, well-deserved and emotional win. Raikkonen hold Barrichello off to take second while Ralf takes fourth. David Coulthard finishes an excellent fifth ahead of Alonso, a dreadfully unlucky Montoya and Jenson Button.

A poignant day, for this could well be the last race at Imola and the last race appearance of the F2002. Somehow this seems a fitting result.

Great strategy from McLaren, a splendid fight between the Schumacher siblings - which will hopefully silence some of Ralf's critics - and a clear signal that Ferrari, and indeed Schumacher are far from finished.

Not as exciting as some would have us believe, but some great moments and excellent performances.



This article was produced by pitpass.com and is used with permission.