Looking back, there are some memorable races that fans remember long after it happened. The Brazilian Grand Prix in 2003 was one such race. It contained a lot of surprises, even after the race ended. That event was the epitome of motorsports drama, where truth is stranger than fiction.
This race was the third event of the 2003 season and despite Ferrari’s dominance the previous year, McLaren drivers won the first two races. During the course of the season, momentum would ebb and flow from team to team and driver to driver. It was an interesting one to follow and the Brazilian Grand Prix added to the mixed-up nature of that season.
Brazil used to host it’s grand prix early in the season. That meant it was fall in the Southern Hemisphere and being Brazil, that sometimes included rain. For 2003 it came…in buckets. This made for challenging conditions even for the best drivers in the world.
Turn Three in particular was treacherous, six cars spun out there including Michael Schumacher. Yes, even Der Regenmeister got caught-out by the conditions. Plus, even drivers who did not crash or spin out had a difficult time of it. A lot of drivers went off at one point or another yet managed to recover.
You had to feel for Rubens Barichello in the other Ferrari too. He dropped-out while leading due to a fueling error during a pitstop. This was highly unusual during the Ross Brawn days since Ferrari was a well-disciplined team that made few mistakes. As it turned-out, Rubinho never won his home grand prix.
Mark Webber had a big impact with the wall as he enters the main straight, then a few second later Fernando Alonso hit one Webbo’s detached tires and had a heavy crash. Debris was strewn everywhere and the Red Flag came out. So who won? Many of you already know but you can take a look at this video for a great summary of what went on during that crazy race.
See what I mean…
Oh, a while back FOM posted a summary of that race that gives fans an idea of how nuts that event was.
One of the reasons why I love Formula One and events like the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix is that sometimes, the strangest things happen. You can’t predict it but over time certain patterns emerge. Some tracks like Interlagos seem to produce more interesting races than other events. This could be due to variable weather, especially the rain. It could also be that the track is fast but relatively short, meaning lap times are quick. This leads to traffic and sometimes high-speed impacts. The undulating nature of the track contributes to it’s character as well, which I think contributes to good racing. That’s why many die-hard fans look forward to the Brazilian Grand Prix.
So when you have a chance, take a look for yourself and enjoy a blast from the past.
