Minardi fastest in France

F1 - 4th July '03

F1 minnow Minardi stunned the Grand Prix establishment by finishing first qualifying for the French G.P. on the front row.

Heavy rain prior to the session left the track wet for the championship leaders but sunshine broke over the Magny-Cours circuit, drying out the track for the smaller teams. Tail-enders Minardi, running last in the session, benefitted from the drying track to take first and second on the provisional grid for Sunday's race. Jos Verstappen led team-mate and F1 rookie Justin Wilson in a clean sweep of the front row.

The session began in wet conditions, playing into the hands of teams running Bridgestone tyres, most notably Ferrari who headed the time sheets for most of the session. But as the sun broke and parts of the track developed a dry line, Michelin runners came to the fore.

Jaguar's Mark Webber was the first runner to take advantage of the drying track and predicted after his run that the tail-enders would "easily run low 1 minute nine-teens". The Australian was a little overoptimistic but the later runners did benefit with Jacques Villeneuve, and Olivier Panis trumping the Jaguar man's best time.

Jordan driver Ralph Firman gambled on dry tyres and almost reaped a just reward for his bravery, holding provisional pole until the Minardi's emerged to take a remarkable one-two/

1. J.VERSTAPPEN MINARDI COSWORTH 1'20"817 196.488 km/h

2. J.WILSON MINARDI COSWORTH 1'20"968 + 0'00"151

3. R.FIRMAN JORDAN FORD 1'23"496 + 0'02"679

4. N.HEIDFELD SAUBER PETRONAS 1'24"042 + 0'03"225

5. O.PANIS TOYOTA 1'24"175 + 0'03"358

6. A.PIZZONIA JAGUAR 1'24"642 + 0'03"825

7. J.VILLENEUVE BAR HONDA 1'24"651 + 0'03"834

8. M.WEBBER JAGUAR 1'25"178 + 0'04"361

Back to F1 News & Discussion Page
Back to Main Page

Visit Linksheaven! The Motor Racing Directory