2003 Formula 1 Race Schedule as per formula1.com

BMW Car Club of British Columbia

2003 F1 Links and Race Calendar

Formula 1 Grand Prix Race Dates and Locations for 2002

BMW has an active Motrosport history. This page provides some links to some BMW pages, and more important our own local Motorsport enthusiasts and F1 watchers.

This is the direct link to the BMW Motorsport Web site

The BMW Williams F1 Team pages

BMW Motorsport Pit Shop
The source for great stuff

Australian GP - PREVIEW
02/28/2003

Great anticipation surrounds the start of the 2003 FIA Formula One World Championship at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne next weekend. Adding to the traditional intrigue that greets a grid of new race cars is the wholesale amendment over the winter to the regulations that govern the sport. The only certainty is that the race weekend will be one of the most unpredictable starts to a new season in recent memory.

The BMW WilliamsF1 Team will be race-debuting the FW25, a race car that is substantially different from its recent predecessors. Powered by a new engine from BMW, the P83, the powertrain test programme began on September 18th 2002, and was supplemented by an extensive system and chassis programme after the launch of the new car on January 31st, 2003. After a comprehensive test programme at various venues in Spain, the pre-season preparation comes to a close. While the team is cautiously optimistic about its potential, only Sunday March 9th can answer the many questions about the new rules and the relative performance of the teams.

Juan Pablo Montoya:
I start the season with a great deal of optimism. We have been testing a lot during the winter and have arrived at what I believe is a good stage of preparation.

I do think though that whatever each team has done over the winter, nothing really tells you where you are until the first GP weekend, and this season, the new rules will add some more uncertainty. I like the idea of one-shot qualifying.

Last year in Melbourne I finished second and this result gives me a positive feeling about returning to Australia. It would be great to improve on last year's result, of course, but I will be quite content to build my performance race by race this season, and make sure we improve each GP right the way to the end of the season.

The Albert Park track is pretty unique, and quite unlike any other race track during the year, and importantly, is very different from anywhere we have tested during the winter. Australia in is a great country and it is a very good place to have the very first race. I can't wait to get started.

Ralf Schumacher:
I don't think it has ever been so difficult to predict the outcome of a season's opening race. I think the consequences of the rule changes will have a more decisive effect than which team has the fastest car.

I genuinely have no idea who will be ahead. All I know is that we have been working very hard on our car in order to make it as competitive as possible. We are in good shape, but it will take time until we have developed the full potential of the new chassis. Regardless, I am happy that the season is finally starting. I always look forward to Australia and to Melbourne and I really like staying in the city, even if it is only for a few days.

Sam Michael (Chief Operations Engineer WilliamsF1):
Australia will be an exciting race for everyone, especially due to all of the rule changes over the winter. They will certainly present us with a challenge. Add to this the usual pre-season tension with every team wanting to know how good a job they have done with their cars, and I am sure the first race will not disappoint.

Melbourne is a street circuit with low grip. It is predominately a combination of slow and medium speed corners but with two high speed sections that must be considered in the setup of the car.

Maximum downforce is used with a set up biased towards providing good traction. Now that we have to race the same set up as we use in qualifying, we will face some hard decisions on which way to go. The other key factor in Melbourne is engine power on the Albert Park circuit which is important to be able to run the high wing levels.

Michelin have done an excellent job over the winter on dry and wet tyre development. By regulation, they can now supply only one specification of wet tyre instead of three.

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
The fact that we have managed to test the BMW P83 quite early on the test bench as well as in the car enabled us to undertake a very intense winter test programme. The P83 is an entirely new engine, which should once again set the benchmark in F1 for power, weight and centre of gravity.

We are currently concentrating our efforts on the reliability of the engine, which has become a more important consideration due to the new rules. In Melbourne we will, for the first time, have to run the same engines in the race which have been extremely stressed in qualifying. This makes extraordinary demands on the engine, the effects of which are still very difficult to calculate. Because of the late introduction of this rule, we are developing an understanding of the implications of the regulation change on the test bench, as well as on the car during testing.

Facts and Figures
- The city of Melbourne lies on the eastern south coast of Australia and is the capital of the state of Victoria. The city covers an area of 7,280 sq kilometres and is home to 3.2 million people. Melbourne's economic and political centre is located within the municipal boundaries of the City of Melbourne, an area of 36.5 sq kilometres that encompasses the Central Business District, some of Melbourne's most historic suburbs, the Southbank precinct as well as most of Melbourne's famous sporting venues and its famous parks and gardens. With its strategic position in the Asia Pacific region, Melbourne is also the nation's transport hub.

- The circuit sits in Albert Park and is bordered the Albert Park Lake. As Melbourne has been experiencing unseasonably low rainfall, the park has been sprayed with 112,000 litres of water on 17th of February which were been made available after the end of a swimming pool and spa expo at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.

- 2003 is the eighth year in succession that Melbourne has hosted a Grand Prix. In previous years, the home of the Australian Grand Prix was Adelaide, where WilliamsF1 scored four victories. In Melbourne, Damon Hill claimed WilliamsF1's solitary victory in 1996.

- The BMW WilliamsF1 Team has a mixed record on the street circuit, scoring a podium in 2000 when Ralf Schumacher raced from 11th on the grid to 3rd place to inaugurate the new partnership between BMW and WilliamsF1. The start to the 2001 season was not as successful, with both cars retiring before the finish. In 2002, Juan Pablo Montoya finished in a strong second position, while Ralf Schumacher retired from the race after a dramatic accident with Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari) at the very first corner. Ralf qualified for third position in 2002, Juan Pablo was sixth on the grid.

- The circuit length of the Albert Park is 5.303 km (3.296 miles), the race distance is 58 laps or 307.574 km (191,158 miles).

- Relatively low tyre degradation is expected for Melbourne. The BMW WilliamsF1 Team pit stop strategy last year was a single stop.

- The Grand Prix commences at 1400hrs local on Sunday, March 9 -0300hrs UTC, 0400 hrs in Central Europe.

- Following the introduction of the new regulations, two qualifying sessions will be held, with each driver running for one lap on Friday and Saturday respectively. The order for Friday's qualifying session will be the order of the 2002 final championship standings. For final qualifying on Saturday, drivers will start in reverse order of Friday's times. Both qualifying sessions will start at 1400hrs local.

- Winner of the 2002 Australian Grand Prix was Michael Schumacher in a Ferrari F2002. He is also holder of the current lap record (1m28.214s). The 2002 pole position was taken by his team mate Rubens Barrichello (1m25.843s). Kimi Räikkönen (McLaren-Mercedes) recorded the fastest race lap at the circuit last year (1m28.541s)

Juan Pablo Montoya #3
DOB: 20/09/75, Bogota (COL)
Nationality: Colombian
Residence: Monte Carlo (MCO)
Marital status: Married to Connie
Height: 1.68 m
Weight: 72 kg
F1 debut: 2001, Melbourne
GP starts: 34
Poles: 10
Wins: 1
Points (total): 78
Points 2002: 47 (3rd)
Fastest laps: 6

Ralf Schumacher #4
DOB: 30/06/75, Hürth (DEU)
Nationality: German
Residence: Salzburg (AUT)
Marital status: Married to Cora, one son (David)
Height: 1.78 m
Weight: 73 kg
F1 debut: 1997, Melbourne
GP starts: 100
Poles: 1
Wins: 4
Points (total): 180
Points 2002: 45 (4th)
Fastest laps: 6

Paddock Media Briefings:

Thursday
14:00-14:30 JPM (TVs followed by print media)
14:30-15:00 RS (TVs followed by print media)

Friday
5 minutes after Qualifying is over: 5 minutes of TV interviews at the back of the garage (both drivers)

Saturday:
5 minutes after Qualifying is over: 5 minutes of TV interviews at the back of the garage (both drivers)
16:30-17:00 RS (TVs followed by print media)
17:00-17:30 JPM (TVs followed by print media)
17:30-18:00 Frank Williams / Mario Theissen (print media only)

Sunday:
5 minutes after Race ends: Sam Michael available for media questions at the back of the garage (15 minutes)

Drivers' helmets will be available for pictures on:
Thursday at 4:00pm
Friday at 1:00pm

TV Footage:
The BMW Group will be providing a regular TV Feed before every Grand Prix during the 2003 season. The feed consists of interviews with the BMW WilliamsF1 Team drivers Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya and BMW Motorsport Directors Mario Theissen and Gerhard Berger as well as additional footage including cutaways.

The feed will be broadcast via two satellite space segments in Central Europe, South America, US East Coast and East Canada. The relevant satellite data will be released via our TV-Fax-Mailing List. If you are not yet included in this mailing list, please send a mail to: joerg.schweizer@bmw.de.

The Video-News-Release will be available as digiBETA from the BMW WilliamsF1 Team motorhome. Should you have any further questions please contact: Joerg Schweizer, BMW Group, Corporate Communications, TV, t +49-89-382-21163, m +49-175-29 04 903, e joerg.schweizer@bmw.de

Date Grand Prix Location

09 March 2003 Australia Melbourne

23 March 2003 Malaysia Sepang

03 April 2003 Brazil Interlagos

20 April 2003 San Marino Imola

04 May 2003 Spain Barcelona

18 May 2003 Austria A1 Ring

01 June 2003 Monaco Monte Carlo

15 June 2003 Canada Montreal (Check out Bimmer Night)

29 June 2003 Europe Nurburgring

06 July 2003 France Magny Cours

20 July Britain Silverstone

03 August 2003 Germany Hockenheim

24 August 2003 Hungary Hungaroring Budapest

skipped in 2003 Belgium Spa Francorchamps

14 September 2003 Italy Monza

29 September 2003 USA Indianapolis

12 October 2003 Japan Suzuka

BMW Car Club of British Columbia
2003 F1 Links and Race Calendar
Formula 1 Grand Prix Race Dates and Locations for 2002

BMW has an active Motrosport history. This page provides some links to some BMW pages, and more important our own local Motorsport enthusiasts and F1 watchers.
	This is the direct link to the BMW Motorsport Web site
	The BMW Williams F1 Team pages
BMW Motorsport Pit Shop	The source for great stuff
	Australian GP - PREVIEW 02/28/2003 Great anticipation surrounds the start of the 2003 FIA Formula One World Championship at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne next weekend. Adding to the traditional intrigue that greets a grid of new race cars is the wholesale amendment over the winter to the regulations that govern the sport. The only certainty is that the race weekend will be one of the most unpredictable starts to a new season in recent memory. The BMW WilliamsF1 Team will be race-debuting the FW25, a race car that is substantially different from its recent predecessors. Powered by a new engine from BMW, the P83, the powertrain test programme began on September 18th 2002, and was supplemented by an extensive system and chassis programme after the launch of the new car on January 31st, 2003. After a comprehensive test programme at various venues in Spain, the pre-season preparation comes to a close. While the team is cautiously optimistic about its potential, only Sunday March 9th can answer the many questions about the new rules and the relative performance of the teams. Juan Pablo Montoya: I start the season with a great deal of optimism. We have been testing a lot during the winter and have arrived at what I believe is a good stage of preparation. I do think though that whatever each team has done over the winter, nothing really tells you where you are until the first GP weekend, and this season, the new rules will add some more uncertainty. I like the idea of one-shot qualifying. Last year in Melbourne I finished second and this result gives me a positive feeling about returning to Australia. It would be great to improve on last year's result, of course, but I will be quite content to build my performance race by race this season, and make sure we improve each GP right the way to the end of the season. The Albert Park track is pretty unique, and quite unlike any other race track during the year, and importantly, is very different from anywhere we have tested during the winter. Australia in is a great country and it is a very good place to have the very first race. I can't wait to get started. Ralf Schumacher: I don't think it has ever been so difficult to predict the outcome of a season's opening race. I think the consequences of the rule changes will have a more decisive effect than which team has the fastest car. I genuinely have no idea who will be ahead. All I know is that we have been working very hard on our car in order to make it as competitive as possible. We are in good shape, but it will take time until we have developed the full potential of the new chassis. Regardless, I am happy that the season is finally starting. I always look forward to Australia and to Melbourne and I really like staying in the city, even if it is only for a few days. Sam Michael (Chief Operations Engineer WilliamsF1): Australia will be an exciting race for everyone, especially due to all of the rule changes over the winter. They will certainly present us with a challenge. Add to this the usual pre-season tension with every team wanting to know how good a job they have done with their cars, and I am sure the first race will not disappoint. Melbourne is a street circuit with low grip. It is predominately a combination of slow and medium speed corners but with two high speed sections that must be considered in the setup of the car. Maximum downforce is used with a set up biased towards providing good traction. Now that we have to race the same set up as we use in qualifying, we will face some hard decisions on which way to go. The other key factor in Melbourne is engine power on the Albert Park circuit which is important to be able to run the high wing levels. Michelin have done an excellent job over the winter on dry and wet tyre development. By regulation, they can now supply only one specification of wet tyre instead of three. Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): The fact that we have managed to test the BMW P83 quite early on the test bench as well as in the car enabled us to undertake a very intense winter test programme. The P83 is an entirely new engine, which should once again set the benchmark in F1 for power, weight and centre of gravity. We are currently concentrating our efforts on the reliability of the engine, which has become a more important consideration due to the new rules. In Melbourne we will, for the first time, have to run the same engines in the race which have been extremely stressed in qualifying. This makes extraordinary demands on the engine, the effects of which are still very difficult to calculate. Because of the late introduction of this rule, we are developing an understanding of the implications of the regulation change on the test bench, as well as on the car during testing. Facts and Figures - The city of Melbourne lies on the eastern south coast of Australia and is the capital of the state of Victoria. The city covers an area of 7,280 sq kilometres and is home to 3.2 million people. Melbourne's economic and political centre is located within the municipal boundaries of the City of Melbourne, an area of 36.5 sq kilometres that encompasses the Central Business District, some of Melbourne's most historic suburbs, the Southbank precinct as well as most of Melbourne's famous sporting venues and its famous parks and gardens. With its strategic position in the Asia Pacific region, Melbourne is also the nation's transport hub. - The circuit sits in Albert Park and is bordered the Albert Park Lake. As Melbourne has been experiencing unseasonably low rainfall, the park has been sprayed with 112,000 litres of water on 17th of February which were been made available after the end of a swimming pool and spa expo at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. - 2003 is the eighth year in succession that Melbourne has hosted a Grand Prix. In previous years, the home of the Australian Grand Prix was Adelaide, where WilliamsF1 scored four victories. In Melbourne, Damon Hill claimed WilliamsF1's solitary victory in 1996. - The BMW WilliamsF1 Team has a mixed record on the street circuit, scoring a podium in 2000 when Ralf Schumacher raced from 11th on the grid to 3rd place to inaugurate the new partnership between BMW and WilliamsF1. The start to the 2001 season was not as successful, with both cars retiring before the finish. In 2002, Juan Pablo Montoya finished in a strong second position, while Ralf Schumacher retired from the race after a dramatic accident with Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari) at the very first corner. Ralf qualified for third position in 2002, Juan Pablo was sixth on the grid. - The circuit length of the Albert Park is 5.303 km (3.296 miles), the race distance is 58 laps or 307.574 km (191,158 miles). - Relatively low tyre degradation is expected for Melbourne. The BMW WilliamsF1 Team pit stop strategy last year was a single stop. - The Grand Prix commences at 1400hrs local on Sunday, March 9 -0300hrs UTC, 0400 hrs in Central Europe. - Following the introduction of the new regulations, two qualifying sessions will be held, with each driver running for one lap on Friday and Saturday respectively. The order for Friday's qualifying session will be the order of the 2002 final championship standings. For final qualifying on Saturday, drivers will start in reverse order of Friday's times. Both qualifying sessions will start at 1400hrs local. - Winner of the 2002 Australian Grand Prix was Michael Schumacher in a Ferrari F2002. He is also holder of the current lap record (1m28.214s). The 2002 pole position was taken by his team mate Rubens Barrichello (1m25.843s). Kimi Räikkönen (McLaren-Mercedes) recorded the fastest race lap at the circuit last year (1m28.541s) Juan Pablo Montoya #3 DOB: 20/09/75, Bogota (COL) Nationality: Colombian Residence: Monte Carlo (MCO) Marital status: Married to Connie Height: 1.68 m Weight: 72 kg F1 debut: 2001, Melbourne GP starts: 34 Poles: 10 Wins: 1 Points (total): 78 Points 2002: 47 (3rd) Fastest laps: 6 Ralf Schumacher #4 DOB: 30/06/75, Hürth (DEU) Nationality: German Residence: Salzburg (AUT) Marital status: Married to Cora, one son (David) Height: 1.78 m Weight: 73 kg F1 debut: 1997, Melbourne GP starts: 100 Poles: 1 Wins: 4 Points (total): 180 Points 2002: 45 (4th) Fastest laps: 6 Paddock Media Briefings: Thursday 14:00-14:30 JPM (TVs followed by print media) 14:30-15:00 RS (TVs followed by print media) Friday 5 minutes after Qualifying is over: 5 minutes of TV interviews at the back of the garage (both drivers) Saturday: 5 minutes after Qualifying is over: 5 minutes of TV interviews at the back of the garage (both drivers) 16:30-17:00 RS (TVs followed by print media) 17:00-17:30 JPM (TVs followed by print media) 17:30-18:00 Frank Williams / Mario Theissen (print media only) Sunday: 5 minutes after Race ends: Sam Michael available for media questions at the back of the garage (15 minutes) Drivers' helmets will be available for pictures on: Thursday at 4:00pm Friday at 1:00pm TV Footage: The BMW Group will be providing a regular TV Feed before every Grand Prix during the 2003 season. The feed consists of interviews with the BMW WilliamsF1 Team drivers Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya and BMW Motorsport Directors Mario Theissen and Gerhard Berger as well as additional footage including cutaways. The feed will be broadcast via two satellite space segments in Central Europe, South America, US East Coast and East Canada. The relevant satellite data will be released via our TV-Fax-Mailing List. If you are not yet included in this mailing list, please send a mail to: joerg.schweizer@bmw.de. The Video-News-Release will be available as digiBETA from the BMW WilliamsF1 Team motorhome. Should you have any further questions please contact: Joerg Schweizer, BMW Group, Corporate Communications, TV, t +49-89-382-21163, m +49-175-29 04 903, e joerg.schweizer@bmw.de