2003 United States Grand Prix

The race began at 13:00 local time before an estimated 120,000 spectators.^[1][77] A brief rain shower began falling on the circuit before the race and suddenly developed to heavier rain with hail stones, making the track damp before drying up.^[78][79] The weather was cloudy with the ambient temperature at 13 to 17 °C (55 to 63 °F) and the track temperature 16 to 20 °C (61 to 68 °F);^[30][80] a 30 percent chance of rain was forecast.^[81] Every driver started on dry-weather compound tyres.^[82] When the five red lights went out to begin the race from its standing start, Räikkönen made a clean start to hold the lead into turn one.^[83][84][85] Panis passed the slow-starting Barrichello to take second as the latter had an automatic gearchange upshift glitch that prompted him to change gears manually.^[83][86] In turn nine, Kiesa collided with Firman's rear and had an unscheduled pit stop for a replacement front wing.^[77][80] Michael Schumacher moved from seventh to fourth, while Montoya slid from fourth to seventh before the first lap's end.^[84]

Räikkönen led Panis by 1.6 seconds at the end of lap one, with Ralf Schumacher third.^[83] Coulthard overtook Barrichello on the inside at turn one for fifth.^[82][87] Light rain began falling on parts of the track on the second lap.^[83] Ralf Schumacher used the better horsepower of his engine to pass Panis for second on the main straight to begin lap three. Montoya was close behind Barrichello and went to the inside of him after braking for the complex of turns following the main straight.^[87][88] In turn two, they were alongside each other when Montoya was pushed onto the kerb by Barrichello. This saw Montoya's right front wheel and Barrichello's left rear wheel collide, sending Barrichello into the gravel trap and into retirement.^[79][87] Montoya fell to eighth, behind both Renaults.^[82] He overtook Trulli for seventh on lap four as Michael Schumacher gained on Panis.^[83]

At the start of lap five, Michael Schumacher moved out of Panis's slipstream and overtook him on the inside of the main straight's centre into turn one for third.^[80][83][88] As he finished the overtake, yellow flags were being waved at turns one and two to help remove Barrichello's car from the gravel.^[83][88] After McLaren checked camera evidence, Dennis talked with the race director regarding the pass, but the FIA stewards did not penalise Michael Schumacher with a drive-through penalty, ruling that he completed the manoeuvre shortly before entering the yellow flag zone.^[89][90] McLaren and Williams did not protest the decision.^[91] On the same lap, the rain intensified, allowing Alonso to pass Coulthard for fifth.^[80][83] Panis was the first front runner to make a pit stop for intermediate tyres at the end of lap six as the rain became harder. Panis fell to 15th after being seven seconds slow leaving his pit stall.^[82][83][88]

An error by Alonso dropped him behind Coulthard and Montoya on that lap.^[83] Michael Schumacher was passed for third on the inside on the main straight by Coulthard on lap seven, as his Bridgestone grooved tyres performed worse than the Michelins in the changing track conditions. Soon after, Montoya attempted an unsuccessful overtake on Michael Schumacher.^[79][80][88] Montoya overtook Michael Schumacher for fourth place on the outside of the banked turn 13 on lap seven, as the rain began to ease slightly. Michael Schumacher then lost fifth to Alonso. The track began to dry from lap eight, when the stewards announced Montoya was being investigated for his third lap incident with Barrichello and perhaps passing a slower car in yellow flags. Drivers who made pit stops for rain tyres made further pit stops to switch to dry compound tyres as the track dried.^[82][83]

Ralf Schumacher began closing up on race leader Räikkönen on lap 10, pulling to within a second of him by the 14th lap.^[80] Coulthard, Montoya and Alonso were close behind each other as all three duelled for third with the circuit now completely dry.^[82] Michael Schumacher set the race's fastest lap of 1:11.473 on lap 13.^[77] On lap 15, Montoya overtook Coulthard for third at turn one,^[80] before Alonso passed Coulthard for fourth three turns later.^[82] Ralf Schumacher made his first scheduled pit stop at the end of that lap. He rejoined the track in 12th.^[83] During lap 17, Coulthard was pressured by Michael Schumacher between turns two and three.^[80] Montoya and Coulthard made their first pit stops for fuel and tyres when the lap ended.^[82] Montoya lost time when the refuelling hose nozzle failed to attach the first time, necessitating a switch to a backup system.^[79][88] He fell behind Coulthard and into 11th.^[83]

On lap 18, light rain returned to the circuit before intensifying on the next lap.^[83] This made cars difficult to drive, and team managers tried to mitigate the effects of the changing conditions by predicting whether the track would remain wet or dry.^[92] Alonso, Räikkönen and Michael Schumacher made pit stops to remain on dry-weather tyres over laps 18 to 20. Because of the activity in the pit lane, Webber led the race for two laps, with Button second and Wilson third as the rain continued to get heavier. On lap 21, Button lost control of his car on the wet track, and Wilson moved into second place as drivers began stopping for rain tyres.^[83][88] Michael Schumacher, who had proposed switching to rain tyres during his first pit stop,^[86] was asked by Brawn to enter the pit lane for intermediate tyres on lap 22.^[30][82] After analysing video footage, the stewards imposed a drive-through penalty on Montoya after deciding that he caused the crash with Barrichello.^[84][92][91]

Ralf Schumacher stayed on the track for one extra lap due to a radio miscommunication with his team.^[87][88] He lost traction on the wet grass and crashed backwards into the turn eight tyre barrier.^[79][80] He retired the car with rear suspension damage on the turn's run-off area.^[80][82] Webber's visibility was limited due to his visor steaming up, and he lost control of his Jaguar on dry tyres.^[77][88] He hit the turn eight tyre barrier with his car's front and retired.^[80] Montoya served his drive-through penalty on lap 22 while Coulthard led one lap before going off the track.^[83][88] Button and Frentzen gained the most from the rain since they had switched to rain tyres at their first pit stops and held first and second,^[83][87] with Michael Schumacher gaining on the leaders.^[91] On lap 23, Montoya went off the circuit at turn eight and onto the grass before another pit stop for the full rain tyres, dropping to 11th.^[80][82][83] Button began pulling away from Frentzen in second as the Bridgestone tyres outperformed the Michelins in the wet. Wilson dropped from third to sixth in three laps when Räikkönen, Michael Schumacher and Alonso passed him.^[80][83][91]

On lap 28, Michael Schumacher overtook Räikkönen at the end of the back straight into turn eight for third as the rain subsided. Panis lost control of his Toyota and crashed into the turn seven tyre wall two laps later, ending his race. Coulthard continued to drive on dry tyres after going off the track at turn eight on lap 32.^[30][80][82] During lap 33, Michael Schumacher caught Frentzen and overtook him without much defence at the end of the back straight for second place so that he could begin closing up to race leader Button.^[82][83][91] He ran off the racing line at the next corner but remained in second.^[79] Heidfeld passed Alonso at turn eight for fifth two laps later.^[30][83] Michael Schumacher closed up to Button and overtook him on the inside for the race lead at turn one on lap 38. He began to gradually pull away from Button as drivers began making more pit stops to change to the dry compound tyres.^[83][84] On lap 42, Button pulled over to the side of the main straight with smoke billoiwing from his engine due to a loss of hydraulic pressure,^[80][84] something BAR were aware of but were unable to rectify.^[86] His retirement promoted Frentzen to second position, Heidfeld to third and Räikkönen to fourth.^[83] Smoke billowed from Alonso's engine between turns eight and nine, forcing him to retire on lap 47. Michael Schumacher made his third pit stop for fuel and dry tyres at the end of lap 48, giving Frentzen the race lead.^[80]

Frentzen made his second pit stop for fuel and tyres at the conclusion of the 49th lap and rejoined the race in third.^[82][83] Coulthard retired in the McLaren garage one lap later with a gearbox control unit failure.^[30][80][86] Heidfeld made his final pit stop on lap 51, dropping to fourth and moving teammate Frentzen to second and Räikkönen to third, who was closing in on Frentzen.^[82][83] Firman lost control of his car in turn seven on the 53rd lap after hitting a plastic kerb at turn seven. He retired from the race due to front wheel and fuel problems.^[77][86] Fisichella's slower car delayed Frentzen, allowing Räikkönen to reduce the gap and overtake him on the inside into turn one for second at the start of lap 55.^[82][84] Eight laps later, Trulli caught and overtook Heidfeld for fourth.^[82][83] Villeneuve retired from the race on lap 66, with smoke and fire erupting from the rear of his car into turn eight,^[80] ending a possible duel with Wilson for eighth.^[79] Two laps later, Montoya used Heidfeld's slipstream to pass Fisichella for sixth.^[79][82]

Michael Schumacher led the final 24 laps to earn his sixth victory of the season and the 70th of his career. Räikkönen came in second 18.2 seconds later, and Frentzen finished third, his first podium result since the 2000 United States Grand Prix.^[80] Trulli was fourth, while Heidfeld finished fifth, his best result of the season. Montoya finished a lap down in sixth, ahead of Fisichella in seventh, his second points finish of the season after winning the Brazilian Grand Prix.^[77] Despite driving over a Jaguar mechanic during a pit stop, Wilson finished eighth, earning him his first career championship point.^[77][93] Da Matta finished ninth after serving a drive-through penalty handed by the stewards for speeding in the pit lane. The Minardi team of Verstappen and Kiesa finished in 10th and 11th, four laps down. The attrition rate was high, with just 11 of the 20 starters finishing the race.^[77][80]

The top three drivers appeared on the podium to collect their trophies and spoke to the media in the subsequent press conference.^[44] Michael Schumacher admitted that tyres played a role in the final result and stated that he was not surprised to finish in the top three because he knew he would gain positions regardless of his starting position.^[94] Räikkönen said he lost the race due to changing weather conditions and admitted he was slightly disappointed to finish second, adding, "I was fighting as much as I could. We only got second place. Of course, it's not the best, because Michael won, and we came second for the championship."^[94] Frentzen was ecstatic to finish third despite the fact that frequent podium finishes were not his team's goal for the season, and he stated he decided to ask his team to swap to wet-weather tyres after glancing at the sky and predicting a long period of rain.^[94]

Because he was upset over being eliminated from title contention, Montoya did not talk to the press immediately after the race.^[95][96] He said four days later that it took him two days to realise he could not win the championship and that he could have finished second or third without the drive-through penalty.^[95] After reviewing video footage of the third lap crash, Barrichello felt he had given Montoya enough room, saying, "I went into the corner and all of a sudden, I felt a bang. I had given him space into Turn 2, running on the outside, just hoping to get better traction."^[97] Trulli blamed his poor qualifying performance on his lack of a better finish, but he felt his car improved throughout the race and he attacked regardless of the conditions.^[98] Button called his lap 42 retirement the "worst feeling" in his career, "When things are going well and you suddenly have a problem like that it's a nightmare. It's four years now and we still haven't had a podium."^[99]

According to Michelin motorsport director Pierre Dupasquier, the company needed to improve its rain tyres in the off-season after being slower than Bridgestone tyres in wet conditions, "The lessons learned will help us to strengthen our all-round performance and that will be a great source of motivation."^[100] The weather, according to Brawn, was critical to winning the race,^[87] whereas Williams chief operations engineer Sam Michael said his team had made numerous mistakes in their strategy and that they would review them.^[101] Wilson was pleased to get his first career points in the race, crediting his eighth-place finish to his team's race strategy and pit stops, "It has been a tough few months for me but I knew that my luck would change at some point."^[102] Fisichella stated that his seventh-place finish was positive because Jordan did not anticipate to win championship points given the car's pace and starting position.^[103] Verstappen accused Firman of denying him a championship point.^[104]

Michael Schumacher's victory put him nine championship points ahead of Räikkönen in the World Drivers' Championship, with 92 championship points to the latter's 83 championship points.^[11] Montoya was 10 championship points behind Michael Schumacher, and finishing sixth meant he was mathematically eliminated from title contention. Because both Ralf Schumacher in fourth and Barrichello in fifth failed to finish the race, neither improved their championship points total.^[11][77] Ferrari retook the World Constructors' Championship lead with 147 championship points, three more than previous leaders Williams. McLaren were third with 128 championship points, with Renault fourth with 84 points.^[11][85] Sauber scored ten championship points to increase their total to 19, moving them from ninth to fifth with one race of the season remaining.^[80][93]

Drivers who scored championship points are denoted in bold.

Pos	No.	Driver	Constructor	Tyre	Laps	Time/Retired	Grid	Points
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	B	73	1:33:35.997	7	10
2	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren-Mercedes	M	73	+18.258	1	8
3	10	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Sauber-Petronas	B	73	+37.964	15	6
4	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	M	73	+48.329	10	5
5	9	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber-Petronas	B	73	+56.403	13	4
6	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams-BMW	M	72	+1 Lap	4	3
7	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan-Ford	B	72	+1 Lap	17	2
8	15	Justin Wilson	Jaguar-Cosworth	M	71	+2 Laps	16	1
9	21	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	M	71	+2 Laps	9
10	19	Jos Verstappen	Minardi-Cosworth	B	69	+4 Laps	19
11	18	Nicolas Kiesa	Minardi-Cosworth	B	69	+4 Laps	20
Ret	16	Jacques Villeneuve	BAR-Honda	B	63	Engine	12
Ret	12	Ralph Firman	Jordan-Ford	B	48	Spun off	18
Ret	5	David Coulthard	McLaren-Mercedes	M	45	Gearbox	8
Ret	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	M	44	Engine	6
Ret	17	Jenson Button	BAR-Honda	B	41	Engine	11
Ret	20	Olivier Panis	Toyota	M	27	Accident	3
Ret	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar-Cosworth	M	21	Spin	14
Ret	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams-BMW	M	21	Accident	5
Ret	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	B	2	Collision/Spun off	2
Sources:[2][105]

• Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
• Bold text and an asterisk indicates competitors who still had a theoretical chance of becoming World Champion.

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