2003 United States Grand Prix
The 2003 United States Grand Prix (formally the XXXII SAP United States Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 28 September 2003 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. It was the fifteenth and penultimate race of the 2003 Formula One World Championship and the fourth United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis. Ferrari's Michael Schumacher won the 73-lap race after starting seventh. McLaren's Kimi Räikkönen finished second from a pole position start, with Sauber's Heinz-Harald Frentzen third, his first podium finish in three years and his last.
| 2003 United States Grand Prix | |||||
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Race 15 of 16 in the 2003 Formula One World Championship
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| Race details | |||||
| Date | 28 September 2003 | ||||
| Official name | XXXII SAP United States Grand Prix | ||||
| Location |
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Speedway, Indiana | ||||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||||
| Course length | 4.192 km (2.605 miles) | ||||
| Distance | 73 laps, 306.016 km (190.238 miles) | ||||
| Weather |
Scattered showers with temperatures up to 20.6 °C (69.1 °F); Wind speeds up to 25.93 km/h (16.11 mph) | ||||
| Pole position | |||||
| Driver | McLaren-Mercedes | ||||
| Time | 1:11.670 | ||||
| Fastest lap | |||||
| Driver | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | |||
| Time | 1:11.473 on lap 13 | ||||
| Podium | |||||
| First | Ferrari | ||||
| Second | McLaren-Mercedes | ||||
| Third | Sauber-Petronas | ||||
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Lap leaders | |||||
Michael Schumacher led the World Drivers' Championship before the race, with Williams leading his team Ferrari in the World Constructors' Championship. Räikkönen began from pole position after setting the fastest qualifying lap in the second qualifying session. He led for the first 18 laps before making a pit stop for rain tyres due to changing weather conditions. Six different drivers shared the race lead throughout the race due to changing weather conditions. Michael Schumacher overtook British American Racing (BAR) driver Jenson Button to take the lead on lap 38, holding it for the rest of the race to claim his sixth victory of the season and the 70th of his career.
The race result increased Michael Schumacher's lead in the World Drivers' Championship to nine points over Räikkönen, while Williams driver Juan Pablo Montoya remained third but could no longer win the title because he finished sixth following a collision with Schumacher's teammate Rubens Barrichello that earned him a drive-through penalty. Ferrari retook the World Constructors' Championship lead from Williams with a three-point advantage. McLaren were another 16 points behind with one race remaining in the season.