2003 Canadian GP: Schumacher wins on tired brakes ahead of Ralf

Michael Schumacher won the Canadian GP at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal on 15 June 2003. Starting from 3rd on the grid, he beat his brother Ralf Schumacher and Ralf's team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya in the Williams. The race was decided in the first round of pit stops: the Ferrari driver stayed out longer than Ralf and rejoined ahead of him. He then brought the win home despite worn brakes. According to Atlas F1, he finished just 0.784 seconds clear of Ralf, and less than five seconds separated the top four. It was his 68th Grand Prix win, grandprix.com reported.

Ralf Schumacher got away well from pole position and kept the lead. Montoya went around the outside at the first corner and defended second place against Michael Schumacher. Further back it got tight: Rubens Barrichello ran into the back of Fernando Alonso's Renault and lost his front wing. Antônio Pizzonia in the Jaguar hit the second Renault of Jarno Trulli. Barrichello and Pizzonia both had to pit for new front wings.

On lap 2, Montoya spun at the final chicane and dropped to fifth behind Mark Webber. He later took the blame for the mistake. He then fought his way back up and, according to Atlas F1, also passed Alonso on lap 10. The spin proved costly for Williams: Montoya was no longer a buffer between Ralf and Michael, and the world champion was now right on his brother's tail.

Ralf led the first 19 laps before the first round of stops began. According to Atlas F1, his stop took just 8.8 seconds, Michael's 10.6 seconds. Even so, the Ferrari emerged ahead of the Williams, because Michael had set fast laps in clean air before his stop. He led from lap 20.

Alonso had stayed out even longer and therefore led from lap 21. After his stop, Michael Schumacher retook the lead from lap 26. In the second round of stops the front-runners pitted again. According to Atlas F1, Ralf even kept his front tyres on to save time, but he still couldn't get ahead of his brother. Alonso led once more for six laps from lap 49. After his final stop, the lead belonged to the Ferrari for good from lap 55.

It was not an easy win. According to grandprix.com, Michael Schumacher struggled with brake wear for almost the entire race and couldn't push all the time. After the second stops he eased off to save his brakes. That allowed Ralf and Montoya to close up, and five laps from the end Alonso had joined the group too. According to grandprix.com, Montoya was also struggling with his brakes and downshifts.

Still, nobody got past. Ralf said he was never close enough to try. Team principal Frank Williams, by contrast, felt Montoya would probably have taken more risks: “possibly to probably Juan would have had a bigger go.” (Atlas F1). Michael called the win “the ideal result at the end of a very tough and tight race” (grandprix.com). At the flag Ralf was 0.784 seconds behind, Montoya 1.355 seconds and Alonso 4.481 seconds. Barrichello still came home fifth after his early wing change, more than a minute behind the winner.

Only eleven drivers were classified, and nine retired. The laps in this list are the last laps each driver completed:

• Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Sauber): after lap 6, electronics. He was the first retirement.
• Jacques Villeneuve (BAR): after lap 14, brakes.
• Giancarlo Fisichella (Jordan): after lap 20, gearbox.
• Ralph Firman (Jordan): after lap 20, engine. He had started from the pit lane. This meant Jordan lost both cars on the same lap.
• Jarno Trulli (Renault): after lap 22. The official cause is an accident. According to the sources, his car was suffering from the after-effects of the start collision with Pizzonia.
• David Coulthard (McLaren): after lap 47, gearbox.
• Nick Heidfeld (Sauber): after lap 47, engine.
• Jenson Button (BAR): after lap 51, gearbox.
• Justin Wilson (Minardi): after lap 60, gearbox.

Two of the classified drivers didn't make it to the finish either. According to Wikipedia and grandprix.com, Pizzonia parked his Jaguar with brake problems and was classified tenth, four laps down. Cristiano da Matta (Toyota) suffered a suspension failure and was classified eleventh.

The biggest climber of the day was Kimi Räikkönen. He had spun at the second corner in qualifying and, without a time, had to settle for 20th on the grid. McLaren sent him into the race from the pit lane on fresh tyres and gambled on a single stop. According to Atlas F1, the tread came off one of his tyres on lap 33. The early stop dropped him from fifth to tenth. Even so, he worked his way up to sixth, gaining 14 places. That earned him three important points, even though he lost the championship lead.

Jos Verstappen also took the chequered flag in the Minardi, gaining six places to finish ninth. Webber scored two points for Jaguar in seventh, and Olivier Panis one point for Toyota in eighth. Sauber had a black day: Frentzen retired early after starting 10th, and Heidfeld later with an engine failure. With Alonso's laps in the lead and fourth place, Renault showed how competitive the team had become.

The win took Michael Schumacher to the top of the drivers' standings. After eight of 16 races he had 54 points, three more than Räikkönen on 51. Behind them were Alonso (34), Ralf Schumacher (33), Montoya and Barrichello (31 each). According to Wikipedia it was Michael's fourth win of the season, and according to grandprix.com his sixth win in Montreal.

Ferrari also took the lead in the constructors' standings: 85 points to 76 for McLaren and 64 for Williams. For Williams, pole position and two podium finishes still left a bitter aftertaste, because Montoya's early spin had damaged their chances in the fight for victory. You can find the full table in the 2003 standings.