If I could name Räikkönen’s single biggest weaknesses during his 2003 title campaign, it would undoubtedly be his qualifying.
The new qualifying format for 2003 put a premium on overall driving experience, leaving those with less wheel-time at a serious disadvantage.
With just two full seasons of Grand Prix racing going into 2003, Räikkönen was the least experienced of the title hopefuls that year.
While Räikkönen and Williams’ Juan Pablo Montoya did make their F1 debut together in 2001, Montoya had already cut his teeth in the North American racing scene, winning the Champ Car series two years prior.
While I am not making excuses for plain old driver error, Räikkönen’s overall driving experience put him on the back foot in 2003, case in point being his less than consistent qualifying performances.
As you’ll soon see, Räikkönen had next to no trouble making up place during the race, carving his way up the field finish on the podium a number of times. But life would have been much easier for Räikkönen if he qualified better on Saturday.
When it comes to F1, every result matters.
If you aren’t maximising your points haul every weekend, you run the risk of you open yourself up failure. Räikkönen would end up losing the championship by two measly points at season’s end.
Räikkönen would set the tone for the rest of his season in Melbourne. Teething issues with the new qualifying format saw him line up in 15th for the big race. Rain blanketed the Albert Park circuit just before the race, leaving it in half-wet conditions. Räikkönen ducked into the pits after the formation lap, opting for a set of dry tires. The quickly drying track put those with wet tires on the backfoot. Räikkönen’s opportune pitstop saw him make up a number of positions under green.
Suffering suspension failure, Mark Webber would bring out the safety car. Taking advantage of the free safety car, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jarno Trulli, and Ralf Schumacher dove into the pits to refuel, leaving Räikkönen to take the lead. But tucked under his gearbox was the reigning champ, Michael Schumacher. Despite suffering attack after attack, the wonderkid was unfazed, racing on with icy precision.
Frustrated, Michael would pit on lap 29, with Coulthard and Räikkönen following suit three laps later.
A drive through penalty for speeding in the pits would cost Räikkönen the race lead, and ultimately the race win. Serving his penalty on lap 39, he came out behind the two Renaults of Trulli and Alonso.
Schumacher took the lead from Montoya after the Williams driver went to refuel on lap 42. But the race was far from over. Having driven over the curbs far too aggressively, Michael had severely damaged his car. Shown the black and orange flags, Michael had to come in for repairs within three laps or incur serious punishment. So, with one stop left to go, Michael pitted on lap 46, handing the lead over to Montoya.
But Montoya would go into turn one with a little too much gusto, spinning out and letting Coulthard take the lead. Raikkonen held off Michael Schumacher to come home in third.
Malaysia would be milestone race for Räikkönen, showcasing just what the young driver could do. While Räikkönen put in a time good enough for fourth during the first qualifying session on Friday, the McLaren driver could only manage seventh during the decider on Saturday. Räikkönen locked his brakes and slid sideways going into the hairpin, adding to his final result in qualifying. But Räikkönen would work his magic during the race, snapping up the first win of his F1 career in Malaysia. He crossed the line 30 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Rubens Barrichello, capping off a dominant display of driving. It was never a matter of if, but when, Räikkönen would snag his first victory.
Brazil was an interesting race for many reasons. While he did qualify in fourth, Räikkönen would finish the race in first. But a week later, the FIA overturned the final result, giving the win to Giancarlo Fisichella instead.
Räikkönen would qualifying in sixth for the San Marino Grand Prix but finish in second place, pulling off yet another recovery drive.
Räikkönen’s qualifying would reach a new low in Spain. Coming out of a corner, Räikkönen drifted too wide and went off the road. Putting in a competitive lap time was next to impossible after his little excursion. Räikkönen would start the Spanish Grand Prix in dead last. His horror weekend was far from over. But that’s a story for another day.
Kimi would qualify in second place for the Austrian Grand Prix, bouncing back from his forgettable weekend in Spain. If his car were actually up to snuff, Räikkönen would have snapped his second win of the season. He’d be passed for the lead by a rabid Michael Schumacher, who broke the lap record 6 times chasing after the young Fin. But he still came home in second, snapping up valuable points in his championship fight.
Like any other race there in the modern era, Monaco was a predictably boring affair. Räikkönen finished right where he started in Monaco. Hounding Räikkönen the entire race, Montoya couldn’t find enough room to make a move stick, settle for second place. The two drivers would finish fractions of a second apart.
Canada was another missed opportunity Räikkönen. But unlike in Spain, Räikkönen completed the full race distance. While he did recover well, finishing fifth on Sunday, I shudder to think what could have been had he not made he his costly error during Saturday’s qualifying session. Räikkönen ended up in the tire barrier after understeering at the infamous Senna hairpin. This costly mistake would see him start at the back of the grid once again. After leading for seven grand prix, Schumacher would take first place from Räikkönen in the Drivers’ Championship. After a somewhat shaky start to the season, Schumacher finally found his footing, winning half of the races up until that point. But Räikkönen’s fifth place finish meant he was only three points adrift of Schumacher.
Räikkönen was out to redeem himself at the European Grand Prix. He set the tone early, putting in a time three tenths quicker than the hometown hero Michael Schumacher in the first qualifying session on Friday. He’d bag the first pole of his career around the Nürburgring circuit, putting in a time three hundredths quicker than the championship leader Michael Schumacher. But once again, Räikkönen would miss out on scoring points when his engine suffered a catastrophic failure. Before then, Räikkönen was running 4.8 seconds clear of Ralf Schumacher in second place. Not only was he running well clear of the lesser Schumacher, but he was increasing his gap too.
Räikkönen would qualify fourth and finish fourth in the French Grand Prix.
He would go one better for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, finishing the race in third after also qualifying in third.
Despite qualifying in a respectable sixth for the German Grand Prix, Räikkönen would have another unfortunate race a day later. His race came to an end early on when Barrichello’s Ferrari slammed into him before turn one. Fortunately for Räikkönen, Michael’s own race was a disappointing one, with the championship leader finishing only seventh.
A less than desirable starting position wasn’t enough to hamper his chances in Hungary. He climbed from seventh to second come race day. With Räikkönen and Montoya finishing in second and third respectively, the Michelin-clad runners bit a sizable chunk out of Schumacher’s lead, with just two points now separating the title rivals.
Favouring cars with a little more oomph, Räikkönen somewhat lagged around the 5.7 km long circuit. He qualified five tenths of a second behind the pole sitter Michael Schumacher, putting him in fourth for Sunday’s race. He was the fastest of the two McLaren drivers however, with his more experienced teammate David Coulthard only managing eighth. He’d come home in a distant fourth. There wasn’t a whole he could’ve done with subpar machinery.
Räikkönen earned his second career pole at the United States Grand Prix. But he would fall prey to Michael Schumacher’s superior F2003 once again, finishing 18 seconds off in second place.
While the gap between Räikkönen and The Michael was not totally insurmountable, Räikkönen needed a miracle if he had any hopes of being World Champion in 2003. He really didn’t help his chances during the second qualifying session however, qualifying in a less than desirable 8th for the all-important race on Sunday. Lack of experience is largely to blame for his botched qualifying attempt. Just when it mattered most, he faltered. He was thrown somewhat of a lifeline though, with Michael Schumacher managing only 14th during his own qualifying lap. In typical Räikkönen fashion however, he recovered to finish in second place, picking up eight points for his trouble. Schumacher would pull off a recovery drive of his own at Suzuka, crossing the line in eight points to guarantee his record breaking sixth world championship.
