Brazilian GP 2003: a fan's perspective

I am a fan of Giancarlo Fisichella and this was one report I had roughly written after the race. I have edited it but tried to stick to my original to see it through a fan’s perspective. Enjoy:

Review:

It was raining very heavily before and during the start of the race. Frentzen’s car had a problem so he started from the pit lane. A few others- Pizzonia, Firman and Verstappen visited the pits as well for minor changes. Due to the extreme heavy rain, the race was started behind the safety car. It lasted for quite a few laps with many drivers visiting the pits in between in rider to fill up so as to stay on track as long as possible once the race actually began. The SC finally went in once the rain had reduced and track had become drier.

Very soon Heidfeld (Sauber) was the first retirement thanks to an engine failure. David Coulthard (Mclaren) took the lead from Barrichello (Ferrari). Barrichello was fading away at that point. Coulthard was under pressure from teammate Raikonnen who sliced ahead. Ralf Schumacher (Williams) and Jarno Trulli (Renault) were the first 2 casualties to the conditions, spinning but luckily saving the car at curva do sol. Ralph Firman’s (Jordan) front suspension broke and he smashed into Monaco 96 GP winner Oliver Panis (Toyota), hence ending both their races. This resulted with another SC period but things were not over for Maylander yet as he was called upon 2 more times as Justin Wilson (Minardi), JPM Montoya (Williams), Antonio Pizzonia (Jaguar), wet weather maestro Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), Jos Verstappen (Minardi), Jenson Button (BAR) spun and crashed at the later badged “most expensive junkyard in the world” curva do sol falling foul to the treacherous track conditions. 

Mark Webber (Jaguar) and few other drivers had scares but saved their car on time at the same turn. The wet track had been suiting the Michelin shod runners, but now the drying track played into the hands of the Bridgestone shod runners (Ferrari, Jordan, Minardi and Sauber). Barrichello who had fallen down the order soon started catching up with the leaders and was back in the lead ahead of David Coulthard on lap 44. Dreams of a home win for Barrichello were in everyone’s mind only to see him retiring having run out of fuel (fuel system issue). That continued a tearful Barrichello’s horrific home run. By this time Fisichella (Jordan- had pitted a few laps before SC had returned to pits) had worked himself up to fourth place, only to move up to third position after Ralf Schumacher pitted. Ralf came out ninth as Fernando Alonso (Renault) served a drive through penalty for overtaking under yellow flags. 

The order was Coulthard, Raikonnen, Fisichella, Alonso, Frentzen, Trulli, Villeneuve, Webber, R. Schumacher and Da Matta with all others out of the race. Coulthard then pitted handing the lead to Raikonnen. Trulli (apparently struggling) pitted and came out eight while Coulthard had rejoined in fourth place. Fisichella began to challenge Raikonnen and finally overtook him to the extreme joy of Jordan (who were celebrating their 200^th GP in F1). Seventh place Webber crashed on the start-finish curved straight hence bringing out the SC once again immediately. As the drivers were passing the debris (tyre), an over-enthusiastic (3^rd placed) Alonso ended up hitting it and spiraled into the barrier, thus bringing the race to a premature end. Due to a lapse by the officials, it wasn’t sure as to whom the actual winner was.  All thought Fisichella was the winner, and there were celebrations in the Jordan pit as Fisichella came into the pits (with his car partly on fire). While they were celebrating, the news came in that Raikonnen was the winner based on a 2 lap count back from when the red flag had been shown. Fisichella and the Jordan team were devastated, but they sportingly agreed to the result, but it was nice to see Raikonnen invite him to the top step of the podium.

Within 2 weeks there was the Imola GP to be held, but before that, things were cleared and Jordan sufficiently proved that Fisichella had started the new lap due to which a 2 lap count back would mean that Fisichella had been in the lead on the lap 2. Hence Fisichella was rightly declared the winner on the eve of the Imola GP and the trophies were exchanged. This was Giancarlo’s first and most special GP victory in my opinion

Historical facts:

-          This was Jordan’s 200^th GP

-          This was Formula 1’s 700^th GP

-          This was the first race wherein a driver (Alonso) was missing from the podium due to injury (as he was stretchered off to the medical center).

-          This was the first race wherein the victor didn’t get the trophy during that event.

-          15 out of first 34 laps were behind SC (21 SC laps overall)
      This was Giancarlo Fisichella's first win in F1
      This was Jordan Gp's last win in Formula 1.