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MICHAEL SCHUMACHER FEELS CONFIDENT AFTER SETTING PACE

SILVERSTONE, England -- Michael Schumacher hit the front for Ferrari in first qualifying for the British Grand Prix on Friday and his Brazilian teammate Rubens Barrichello brought up the rear.

Schumacher, chasing his 50th win for Ferrari this weekend to increase his eight-point lead in the standings, lapped in one minute 19.474 seconds on an overcast afternoon marked by occasional drizzle.

The five-times world champion was 0.275 of a second quicker than the Williams of Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya.

Ralf Schumacher, winner of the last two races and a championship contender 11 points behind his older brother, was third fastest in the other Williams.

"This was a good day for us," said Michael Schumacher, who led a Ferrari one-two in Britain last year. "The Silverstone track seems to suit our car."

Williams, three points adrift of Ferrari in the constructors' championship with six races remaining, looked strong.

So did Renault, with a new aerodynamic package allowing Spaniard Fernando Alonso to lap fourth quickest and Italian Jarno Trulli sixth.

"We expected this to be a competitive weekend for us and it is proving to be so," said technical director Mike Gascoyne.

McLaren's young Finn Kimi Raikkonen, Schumacher's closest title challenger, paid the price for a mistake at Stowe and had to make do with the 12th quickest time.

"I have struggled a bit to get comfortable with the car today," said the 23-year-old. "So we will be looking at where we can make improvements before tomorrow."

His time was still better than Barrichello, the only driver from the top three teams yet to win a race this season, who went off the track and was stuck in a gravel trap.

The session was halted to enable marshals to remove the Ferrari with Barrichello forced to start second in Saturday's decisive final qualifying.

"I could have been first or second," said the disappointed Brazilian. "I was on a really good lap, then after the second split (time), there was a bit of drizzle and having clipped the kerb, I ended up off the track.

"I am not too bothered. This morning the car was handling very well in race trim and I am confident for the rest of the weekend."

British rookie Justin Wilson, in a Minardi, will be first out after he, too, failed to set a time.

Jenson Button and David Coulthard, the leading home drivers, also had a comparatively disappointing afternoon with McLaren's Coulthard seventh after leading free practice. BAR's Button finished the day ninth.

"The new bodywork has made quite a big difference but we are a little further behind than we wanted to be," said Button.

Toyota fared better with their new aerodynamic developments, Frenchman Olivier Panis clocking the fifth best time.

WILLIAMS, FERRARI SHAPE UP FOR BATTLE OF BRITAIN

SILVERSTONE, Great Britain, Thursday, July 17, 2003 – With three wins in the last four races, the BMW WilliamsF1 Team is favored to win the British Grand Prix on July 20, round 11 of 16 in this season’s FIA Formula One World Championship that includes the United States Grand Prix on Sept. 28 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Team Williams’ first Grand Prix victory came when Clay Regazzoni won the British round of the 1979 championship at Silverstone driving a Williams-Ford FW07. Twenty-four years later, the team returns to Silverstone have racked up 111 Grand Prix victories, 122 pole positions, nine Constructors Championships and seven Drivers Championships.

The team’s most recent victories came with Juan Pablo Montoya winning in Monaco – becoming the only other driver besides Graham Hill to win both the Indianapolis 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix – and with Ralf Schumacher’s consecutive wins in the European and French Grands Prix.

“The last two races were great,” Ralf Schumacher said. “Let’s wait and see if I can win three in a row. McLaren and Ferrari were strong in testing here.

“Williams’ home race is a special event for the whole team, but this year’s race is going to be even more special following our recent victories. After Magny-Cours, the team’s mood is particularly buoyant, but we can’t afford to be complacent: The victories are the team’s rewards for having worked so hard over the past months, but we know we need to continue developing the package. Consequently, we tested various setup configurations as well as completing tire evaluations in Barcelona last week, so we should be well prepared for Silverstone.”

The recent successes by the Williams-BMW drivers have moved the team to within just three points of Ferrari in the Constructors Championship. Montoya hopes to keep the momentum going but acknowledges that the Silverstone circuit may not suit the Williams-BMWs as well as the previous two tracks on the schedule.

“It would be great to keep this momentum going, especially as it is Williams’ home Grand Prix,” Montoya said. “We are very aware that weather conditions will play an influential role over the weekend. It is not unusual to get a lot of wet running during the British GP weekend, which doesn’t really suit our tires too much, but we are definitely aiming for more podium positions.”

How does Montoya think Williams-BMW will fare this weekend?

“It is going to be very hard,” Montoya said. “It is going to be an interesting challenge. I would be surprised if we can dominate the way that we did in the last race. Why? From what we have seen in testing, Bridgestone and Ferrari are really strong here at Silverstone.

“But since then, Michelin have come up with new tires. It is going to be quite an interesting race. We are going to be very competitive. But being very competitive doesn’t mean that we are going to win by a lap.”

Last year’s British Grand Prix winner, Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher, comes into this year’s race leading the World Championship with 64 points while McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen is second with 56 points.

“I am sure that we will be very competitive,” Michael Schumacher said. “We will have a few new parts on the car, and that means we can be optimistic. So far we have been able to fight for victories in every race. That was probably not the case so much in the last two races, but I am pretty optimistic that we can fight for victories from now on.”

Of the six drivers in the top three teams, Ferrari’s Rubens Barrichello is the only one not yet to win this year.

“I have seen a lot of stories in the press along the lines of ‘Rubens is not doing well this year’ and I disagree with that,” Barrichello said. “I always try my best; I am not a sleeper. This year, the situation is tougher, and we have occasionally started a bit further back on the track, so for me, Silverstone represents the chance to do it just right.”

The West McLaren-Mercedes team comes to Silverstone intent on closing in on Ferrari and Williams-BMW.

“We have the potential to challenge for victory in our home Grand Prix,” said McLaren managing director Martin Whitmarsh.

Scotland’s David Coulthard will compete in his 10th British Grand Prix. He won the race in 1999 and 2000.

“The British Grand Prix has an added significance to myself and West McLaren-Mercedes being our home race,” Coulthard said. “As a Formula One driver, you always want to win your home Grand Prix, so my wins were something pretty special, and it would be fantastic to repeat the result this year.”

In other news, the BMW WilliamsF1 Team will run Budweiser sponsorship on its cars after signing a multiyear sponsorship deal with the United States-based corporation Anheuser-Busch, Inc.

The Jaguar Racing team will get plenty of attention this weekend as film star Arnold Schwarzenegger will visit the British Grand Prix as a guest of the team. Schwarzenegger is in England to promote his latest film “Terminator 3,” which makes its London premier on July 21. The Jaguar-Cosworths that Mark Webber and Antonio Pizzonia will drive this weekend will carry a specially designed “Terminator 3” livery. Schwarznegger’s co-star, Kristanna Loken, will join him at Silverstone on Sunday.

***

USGP tickets: Tickets for the 2003 United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis are on sale, and the IMS ticket office encourages customers to place orders early to ensure the best possible opportunity to acquire good seats.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.imstix.com, or by calling the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700 or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area. Parking and camping information also can be obtained through the ticket office.

2003 British Grand Prix Fast Facts

Date: Sunday, July 20, 2003

Race: Eleventh of 16 on 2003 schedule

Venue: Silverstone

On TV: Race (live) – 7:30 a.m. (EDT) July 20, Speed Channel. Qualifying 2 (live) – 9 a.m. (EDT) July 19, Speed Channel. Qualifying 1 (live) – 9 a.m. (EDT) July 18, Speed Channel.

Circuit length: 3.194 miles, 5.141 km

Race length: 60 laps

2002 race winner: Michael Schumacher, Ferrari

2002 pole winner: Juan Pablo Montoya, Williams-BMW

Recent winners: 2001 – Mika Hakkinen, 2000 – David Coulthard, 1999 – Coulthard, 1998 – M. Schumacher, 1997 – Jacques Villeneuve, 1996 – Villeneuve, 1995 – Johnny Herbert, 1994 – Damon Hill, 1993 – Alain Prost, 1992 – Nigel Mansell, 1991 – Mansell

POINTS RACE HEATING UP AS F1 HEADS TO HOT FRANCE

MAGNY-COURS, France, Thursday, July 3, 2003 – In a Formula One season that has seen six different winners in the first nine races, it is difficult to predict who will win any race. And that holds true for the French Grand Prix on July 6.

It’s the 10th of 16 rounds in the FIA Formula One World Championship that includes the United States Grand Prix on Sept. 28 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Michael Schumacher, the only multi-time winner this season, leads the Drivers World Championship with 58 points while Kimi Raikkonen is second place with 51 points. Schumacher, a five-time winner in France, said Ferrari will work hard to stay ahead in the points.

“We would like to build on this lead in France,” he said, “and I think it is possible to do so.”

Rubens Barrichello has finished on the podium five times this year but has yet to win.

It was here in France a year ago that Raikkonen came close to earning his first F1 victory but ended up second after sliding off on a patch of oil while leading. He did earn his first victory this season in March at Malaysia.

A week ago, Raikkonen earned his first F1 pole position and led the first third of the European Grand Prix but retired with engine problems.

Raikkonen and the West McLaren-Mercedes team are looking for a payback this weekend.

“I am particularly looking forward to the event and hopefully erasing the memories of my now-infamous incident toward the end of the race last year,” Raikkonen said. “It was, of course, a bittersweet moment when I missed out so narrowly on what would have been my first Formula One victory.”

Raikkonen and teammate David Coulthard have both scored a victory this season. Williams-BMW teammates Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya have also won this season. Ralf Schumacher is the year’s most recent winner, having scored a victory last Sunday in the European Grand Prix.

“After my victory at the Nürburgring, I am going to Magny-Cours with much more confidence,” Ralf Schumacher said. “In the last few races we have proved that we can compete with the Ferraris and the McLarens, and if you can do well on a circuit like the Nürburgring, you should be able to do well elsewhere. Our expectations are obviously high, but we know we still have work to do to maintain our current competitiveness.”

2000 Indianapolis 500 winner Montoya also made headlines in the last race because of his audacious passing maneuver when he went by Michael Schumacher on the outside to snatch second place.

“The French Grand Prix will hopefully be another good race for us as our car is always fairly competitive at Magny-Cours,” Montoya said. “Last year I was on pole, and I’ve always been pretty quick there anyway. For the last two years it has been really hot there, which will really suit our Michelin tires, as well.”

This is the home Grand Prix for Michelin, the Mild Seven Renault team, and Panasonic Toyota driver Olivier Panis.

“It doesn’t bring added pressure,” said Renault driver Fernando Alonso. “The team and I always do the best we can, whatever the race.”

Panis has never finished in the top six in his home Grand Prix.

“Although I have not done too well here in the past, I am very confident for this year’s race because I believe that the high-speed circuit should suit our TF103 car,” Panis said.

The layout of the Magny-Cours circuit has been modified for the first time since 1992. The Chateau d’Eau bend (Turn 13) has been reprofiled. And the configurations of the final turns, called the Lycee Complex, also have been have been changed, so Turns 14 through 17 are completely different to the old layout that contained 16 turns.

The changes have lengthened the track from 2.641 miles (4.251 km) to 2.741 miles (4.411 km), and that has resulted in the race distance changing from 72 laps in 2002 to 70 laps this year.

***

…USGP2003-066…

2003 French Grand Prix Fast Facts

Date: Sunday, July 6, 2003

Race: Tenth of 16 on 2003 schedule

Venue: Nevers Magny-Cours

On TV: Race (live) – 7:30 a.m. (EDT) July 6, Speed Channel. Qualifying 2 (live) – 8 a.m. (EDT) July 5, Speed Channel. Qualifying 1 (live) – 8 a.m. (EDT) July 4, Speed Channel.

Circuit length: 2.741 miles, 4.411 km

Race length: 70 laps

2002 pole winner: Juan Pablo Montoya, Williams-BMW

2002 race winner: Michael Schumacher, Ferrari

Recent winners: 2001 – M. Schumacher, 2000 – David Coulthard, 1999 – Heinz-Harald Frentzen, 1998 – M. Schumacher, 1997 – M. Schumacher, 1996 – Damon Hill, 1995 – M. Schumacher, 1994 – M. Schumacher, 1993 – Alain Prost, 1992 – Nigel Mansell, 1991 – Mansell

RALF SCHUMACHER CONTINUES WILLIAMS-BMW RESURGENCE WITH VICTORY, MONTOYA SECOND

NURBURG, Germany, Sunday, June 29, 2003 . Ralf Schumacher led Williams-BMW teammate Juan Pablo Montoya to a one-two sweep of the European Grand Prix on June 29 at Germany.s Nurburgring circuit. It was a popular home victory
for the German driver, who grew up in the nearby town of Kerpen, and for
German engine manufacturer BMW.

.It.s great to win in front of the home crowd,. Ralf Schumacher said. .The
crowd was amazing today. It.s great to win after a long time and
especially after I failed to turn two poles into victory in the last two races.

.We had the perfect car with the perfect tires today, and if we consider
we were about 10 kilos heavier (with 22 pounds of fuel) than the others at
the start, it was a good performance..

This was Ralf Schumacher.s first victory since the Malaysian Grand Prix in
March 2002 and the fifth of his career. He is the sixth different driver
to win in nine races this season.

Montoya took over second place on Lap 43 after an aggressive passing move
in which he went around the outside of Michael Schumacher.s Ferrari in the
180-degree Turn 7. Montoya gave the Ferrari just enough room, but it slid
outward into the Williams-BMW. The two cars touched, and Schumacher.s
Ferrari spun and was stranded in the gravel trap. Safety marshals pushed Michael
Schumacher back on the track, and he rejoined the race in sixth place.

Michael Schumacher.s outside assistance was judged to be legal in this
case because the marshals were pushing his car out of a dangerous position.

After studying the clash between Michael Schumacher and Montoya, race
officials judged it to be a racing incident and took no penalizing action
against either driver.

Tire problems kept Montoya from closing on Ralf Schumacher, but he still
managed to finish well ahead of Rubens Barrichello. Suffering from an
ill-handling Ferrari, Barrichello settled for third place.

Fernando Alonso (Mild Seven Renault) and David Coulthard (West
McLaren-Mercedes) had a fierce tussle for fourth place in the last third of the race.
It ended when Coulthard had to swerve around Alonso, whom according to
Coulthard suddenly slowed, and Coulthard bounced sideways out of the race.

After studying the incident, race officials decided to take no action.
It was not a good day for the McLaren-Mercedes team. Pole winner Kimi
Raikkonen led 20 of the first 25 laps before his car suddenly succumbed to an
engine failure.

On the final lap, M. Schumacher closed on Alonso, but Alonso held on to
fourth place and crossed the line .431 of a second ahead of Schumacher.s
Ferrari.

With that fifth-place finish, M. Schumacher increased his lead in the
World Championship by four points, and he now leads second-place Raikkonen,
58-51.

Williams-BMW climbed into second place in the Constructors standings
behind Ferrari with the 1-2 finish. Ferrari leads the Constructors points,
95-82.

Mark Webber.s Jaguar-Cosworth, Jenson Button.s Lucky Strike BAR-Honda and
Nick Heidfeld.s Sauber-Petronas rounded out the top eight, respectively.
After a mechanical failure caused him to spin out on his qualifying lap,
Heidfeld started from the pits and climbed up to finish in the points for the
second time this season.

Ralf Schumacher averaged 121.560 mph (195.633 km/h) to complete the
60-lap, 191.918-mile (308.863-km) race in one hour, 34 minutes and 43.622
seconds. His margin of victory was 16.821 seconds.

The European Grand Prix was the ninth race in this year.s 16-event FIA
Formula One World Championship that includes the United States Grand Prix on
Sept. 28 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The next round is the French
Grand Prix on July 6.

QUOTEBOOK

RALF SCHUMACHER (Williams-BMW, winner): .I had a very good start, and for
some reason Michael (Schumacher) did not. I took the chance and jumped into
second position into the first corner. I think that seen from the outside
that maneuver looked more spectacular than it actually was. I believe I
could have caught Kimi (Raikkonen), even if it would have been difficult..

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA (Williams-BMW, second): (About passing M. Schumacher):
.I had new tires, and if I wanted to pass him it had to be straightaway to
use the extra grip. I came out of the corner, put the nose in, and he
blocked me. So I went straight to the other side and went around the outside.
When I went to the corner, I wasn.t going to give him all the track, but I
gave him enough room to go around the inside. I didn.t go for the curb or
anything. I was pretty wide. I braked really late. Actually, Rubens gave me a
hand there because when I was following Rubens he was taking the corner
pretty wide. I thought .Ah, there has got to be plenty of grip out there,. and
I went, and it was fine. When we touched, Michael probably went in too
fast, and when he touched it spun the car around..

RUBENS BARRICHELLO (Ferrari, third): .Considering the difficulties I had
with the balance of the car, this is a fairly good result. I had a good
start and managed to pass Juan Pablo. After that in the first stint, I could
match the pace of those ahead, but could not catch them, and I was also
conserving fuel a bit at that point. It was disappointing that Montoya got past
me in the pit stop. However, after the pit stops, the balance of the car
was not as good with the full fuel load, and it improved a bit as the car got
lighter..

FERNANDO ALONSO (Mild Seven Renault, fourth): .I had a good fight with
Jarno in the first few corners, which he eventually won. I managed to get past
him when he pitted before me. I was under a lot of pressure during the
last stint, first from Coulthard and then Michael, but I managed to keep my
position..

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER (Ferrari, fifth): .Considering that my lead in the
world championship has now increased to seven points, I cannot really complain
about the result of this race . especially as with the new points system it
takes longer to catch up, except in the case of a non-finish. As for the
collision with Juan Pablo, in my opinion it was a straightforward racing
incident. He was faster than me, tried to pass, gave me just enough room to
survive. Maybe I could have wished for a little bit more space, but I have no
problem with Juan Pablo over this. No one was to blame. Of course, I am
happy for Ralf, keeping it in the family at our home race..

MARK WEBBER (Jaguar-Cosworth, sixth): .A tough and sometimes frustrating
race but one which has given us three more championship points. I.m a little
disappointed not to have achieved a better balance on the car and at
times. The rear tires were simply too good. I suffered understeer during the
first two stints, but after my second stop, the car came good and very
competitive. It was interesting and quite enjoyable to fight the BAR-Honda of
Jenson Button out there today, and in the end my pit-crew did a great job to
help get me out ahead of him..

JENSON BUTTON (Lucky Strike BAR-Honda, seventh): .The start was poor, and
there must have been a 30-meter gap between me and the guys in front, but I
caught up in the first corner and managed to get by Webber in the process.
I was really struggling with oversteer and had to take it easy on the
first couple of stints to conserve the tires. It.s been a tough weekend here,
so I am pleased we were able to get a couple of points..

NICK HEIDFELD (Sauber-Petronas, eighth): .After I didn.t get a timed
qualifying lap yesterday, I decided to start the race from the pit lane. At the
beginning it was not easy to pass both Minardi drivers, and I also got
stuck behind Villeneuve. But after that the car was going well. I am just very
happy about my result..

DAVID COULTHARD (West McLaren-Mercedes, retired on Lap 57): .I was
fighting with Alonso for fourth, and there were a couple of incidents, one in
particular at Turn 8 when I ended up on the grass. However, a few laps later I
was forced to take evasive action to avoid running into the back of him as
he braked incredibly early, and that was the end of my race. I have my own
views on the incident, which I will discuss privately with Alonso, but at
the end of the day it.s for the stewards to decide..

JACQUES VILLENEUVE (Lucky Strike BAR-Honda, retired on Lap 52): .Once we
got going, the pace wasn.t too bad, but it was hard being stuck behind the
Minardis. I made a couple of mistakes, as well, and I was lucky to recover
from my spin at the chicane. Just as it looked like I.d at least be able to
finish the race, second gear broke, and it was over..

KIMI RAIKKONEN (West McLaren-Mercedes, retired on Lap 26): .I.m extremely
disappointed, as we could have won today. I made a textbook start from pole
position and was able to control the race and was pulling away until I had
to retire with an engine failure. The gap to Michael can easily be closed
with a good result..

RACE RESULTS

NURBURG, Germany . Results of the European Grand Prix with position,
driver, country, chassis-engine, laps completed and reasons out:

1. Ralf Schumacher, Germany, Williams-BMW, 60
2. Juan Pablo Montoya, Colombia, Williams-BMW, 60
3. Rubens Barrichello, Brazil, Ferrari, 60
4. Fernando Alonso, Spain, Renault, 60
5. Michael Schumacher, Germany, Ferrari, 60
6. Mark Webber, Australia, Jaguar, 59
7. Jenson Button, Great Britain, BAR-Honda, 59
8. Nick Heidfeld, Germany, Sauber-Petronas, 59
9. Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Germany, Sauber-Petronas, 59
10. Antonio Pizzonia, Brazil, Jaguar, 59
11. Ralph Firman, Great Britain, Jordan-Ford, 58
12. Giancarlo Fisichella, Italy, Jordan-Ford, 58
13. Justin Wilson, Great Britain, Minardi-Ford, 58
14. Jos Verstappen, Netherlands, Minardi-Ford, 57
15. David Coulthard, Great Britain, McLaren-Mercedes, 56, spin
16. Cristiano da Matta, Brazil, Toyota, 53, engine
17. Jacques Villeneuve, Canada, BAR-Honda, 51, gearbox
18. Jarno Trulli, Italy, Renault, 37, fuel pressure
19. Olivier Panis, France, Toyota, 37, engine
20. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, McLaren-Mercedes, 25, engine
Lap leaders: Raikkonen 1-16, R. Schumacher 17-21, Raikkonen 22-25, R.
Schumacher 26-60

***

POINTS

Drivers: M. Schumacher 58, Raikkonen 51, R. Schumacher 43, Montoya 39,
Alonso 39, Barrichello 37, Coulthard 25, Trulli 13, Fisichella 10, Button 10,
Webber 9, Frentzen 7, da Matta 3, Villeneuve 3, Heidfeld 2, Panis 1, Firman
1.

Constructors: Ferrari 95, Williams-BMW 82, McLaren-Mercedes 76, Renault
52, BAR-Honda 13, Jordan-Ford 11, Sauber-Petronas 9, Jaguar Racing 9, Toyota
4.

EUROPEAN GP PROVIDES HOMECOMING FOR GERMAN DRIVERS

NURBURG, Germany, Thursday, June 26, 2003 . The second half of the Formula
One season, which includes the United States Grand Prix on Sept. 28 at
Indianapolis, gets underway with the European Grand Prix at Germany.s
N.rburgring this weekend.

This is a home Grand Prix for World Championship leader Michael
Schumacher, Ralf Schumacher, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Nick Heidfeld as well as
engine manufacturers BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

The Schumacher brothers grew up in the nearby town of Kerpen.

.Coming to the N.rburgring is something special for me,. Michael
Schumacher said. .It is not far from my home, and usually a lot of my fans turn out
to support me. That helps, and it.s a great feeling when you arrive to find
this tremendous atmosphere. It.s good to have this support, and also I
have many good memories of this place..

Those good memories include three F1 wins at the N.rburgring. A win Sunday
would be his 50th for Ferrari and the 69th of his career. His brother,
Ralf, also has good memories of the N.rburgring.

.I am really looking forward to going to the N.rburgring,. said
Williams-BMW.s Ralf Schumacher, .partly because it is so close to Kerpen, where I
grew up, but mainly because the FW25 is continually improving and producing
good results. This has obviously been hugely motivating for everyone in the
team as well as for myself. I.ve raced at the N.rburgring 17 times in my
career..

Ralf Schumacher.s teammate, Juan Pablo Montoya, winner of the 2000
Indianapolis 500, said his victory in the Monaco Grand Prix earlier this month has
motivated the team to a new level.

.Winning definitely creates a better atmosphere,. said Montoya, who
started on the pole here last year, .and it also provides a great environment to
produce more good results. We came to Germany with an optimistic attitude.
I especially enjoy this race, as it.s a great driver.s circuit. Since the
changes made for last year.s race, there are more overtaking opportunities,
making it a more interesting race to drive as well as providing a better
spectacle for the fans..

This will be David Coulthard.s 150th Grand Prix start, and he.s spent 125
of those races with West McLaren-Mercedes. His teammate, Kimi Raikkonen,
lost the lead in the World Championship two weeks ago when he finished sixth
in the Canadian Grand Prix while Michael Schumacher won.

.Obviously, the result at Canada was not ideal,. Raikkonen said, .but it
was not a disaster. Despite my qualifying position (last), I was able to
salvage some points, and as a consequence Michael only has a lead of three
points, and at this halfway point of the season we still have another eight
races to go and a lot of points to be won..

McLaren has decided to not race its new MP4-18 car until the British Grand
Prix on July 20th at the earliest, so Coulthard and Raikkonen will drive
the MP4-17D this weekend.

Frentzen and Heidfeld, who drive for Sauber-Petronas, are the other two
German drivers racing in their home Grand Prix this weekend. Both grew up in
the town of Moenchengladbach.

In the first three races this season, Heidfeld finished eighth in Malaysia
while Frentzen took a sixth in Australia and fifth in Brazil. Since then,
neither driver has scored a point.

.We are not the fastest at the moment, for sure,. Frentzen said, .but we
try to keep fighting and try to do our best in the circumstances we are in
at the moment. Our main focus is to develop the car a little bit faster..

The European Grand Prix is a .floating. title and it has been used at
several different venues since 1983, including Jerez in Spain, Brands Hatch and
Donington in England and the N.rburgring in Germany.

The N.rburgring track was modified extensively last year to create better
overtaking opportunities through the first section of four turns now called
the Mercedes Arena.

Several more modifications have been made to the track this year. Turn 4,
the last bend in the Mercedes Arena, has been shaped rounder to provide a
smoother line for the drivers as they come through the turn. The runoff
areas have been paved with asphalt.

To prevent the drivers from cutting across the curbs at the NGK Chicane,
Turns 14 and 15, the chicane is now sharper with a more pronounced
left/right turn. The modifications lengthened the track from 3.197 miles (5.146 km)
to 3.199 miles (5.148 km).

***

USGP tickets: Tickets for the 2003 United States Grand Prix at
Indianapolis are on sale, and the IMS ticket office encourages customers to place
orders early to ensure the best possible opportunity to acquire good seats.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.imstix.com, or by calling the IMS ticket office at (317)
492-6700 or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area. Parking and camping
information also can be obtained through the ticket office.

.USGP2003-063.

2003 European Grand Prix Fast Facts

Date: Sunday, June 29

Race: Ninth of 16 on 2003 schedule

Venue: N.rburgring, Germany

On TV: Race (live) . 7:30 a.m. (EDT) June 29, Speed Channel. Qualifying 2
(live) . 8 a.m. (EDT) June 28, Speed Channel. Qualifying 1 (live) . 8 a.m.
(EDT) June 27, Speed Channel

Circuit length: 3.199 miles (5.148 km)

Race length: 60 laps

2002 race winner: Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari

2002 pole winner: Juan Pablo Montoya, Williams-BMW

Recent winners: 2001 . Michael Schumacher, 2000 . Michael Schumacher, 1999
. Johnny Herbert, 1997 . Mika Hakkinen, 1996 . Jacques Villeneuve, 1995 .
Michael Schumacher, 1994 . Michael Schumacher, 1993 . Ayrton Senna, 1985 .
Nigel Mansell, 1984 . Alain Prost, 1983 . Nelson Piquet

JEFF GORDON IMPRESSED WILLIAMS-BMW; SCHUMACHER LOCKED INTO CLOSE POINTS CHASE

MONTREAL, Wednesday, June 18, 2003 – During the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, the BMW WilliamsF1 team continued to talk about how impressed it was with NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon’s driving skills in a Formula One car.

Swapping cars, Gordon drove Juan Pablo Montoya’s Williams-BMW FW24, and Montoya drove Gordon’s DuPont Chevrolet Monte Carlo around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s F1 circuit June 11.

“He did pretty good,” Montoya said of Gordon. “Patrick Head (Williams-BMW’s technical director) said to the team, ‘This guy should be pretty good, so let’s give him a fair chance.’ He did a lot better than a lot of young kids coming up who are in single-seaters all the time.

“All the team was very impressed with his performance, and the team took it quite seriously. He got in the car and he did a good job.”

As for driving Gordon’s Winston Cup car, Montoya said: “The power’s quite good, but what really surprised was the lack of braking. Into Turn 1, there’s only markers for 150 meters, and you probably have to brake 100 meters before that just to make the corner. It’s like you need to throw an anchor out to slow it down!”

Montoya wasn’t degrading the Winston Cup car, merely pointing out the intriguing differences between two diverse forms of motorsport.

“It was fun,” Montoya said of his laps in Gordon’s car. “It was different, a lot different.”

Team owner Sir Frank Williams was not in Indianapolis for the car swap but was impressed by what he heard about Gordon’s performance.

“The reports I have received from those present were that he is a really, really good driver, and that he was unafraid of the car,” Williams said in a press conference in Canada. “His NASCAR car was braking at 250 meters, approximately, at the end of the pit straight, and after about two laps he was braking at 75 meters in the F1 car. Juan was braking at about 60 or something like that. And his lap times were one second slower than Juan’s.”

Would Williams consider giving Gordon a proper F1 test?

“We were truly, and (this is) not for the benefit of any North Americans here, we were very, very impressed,” Williams said. “The good news is he is very, very quick; the bad news is we can’t afford him. He is a winning NASCAR driver and his earnings, I am told, are out of sight!

“But I should say on behalf of all my colleagues (other F1 team directors) here, we would all love to have a world-class U.S. driver in a Grand Prix team.”

***

Points chase still tight: With his win in the Canadian Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher leads the Drivers Championship for the first time this season. He has 54 points and is three points ahead of Kimi Raikkonen, who arrived in Montreal four points ahead of Schumacher.

The battle for third place is extremely close as only three points separate Fernando Alonso (34), Ralf Schumacher (33), Juan Pablo Montoya (31) and Rubens Barrichello (31).

At this time last season, Michael Schumacher had 70 points, while Ralf Schumacher and Montoya were tied for second place with 27 points each.

Ferrari has taken over the lead in the Constructors Championship with 85 points while West McLaren-Mercedes is now second with 76 points. With their second and third place finishes in Canada, R. Schumacher and Montoya moved Williams-BMW to within 12 points of McLaren.

***

Villeneuve’s future: Jacques Villeneuve’s contract with the Lucky Strike BAR-Honda team expires at the end of this season, and he is not certain what his future holds.

BAR made a significant step forward this year, and 1995 Indianapolis 500 winner Villeneuve said he would like to be around to enjoy the benefits of the work he has put into the team he’s been with since it started in 1999.

“When you make a decision, you have to see what is available and what your options are,” Villeneuve said of his future, “and it is impossible for me to give you an answer until I know what the options really are. It is easy to say now, ‘Oh, I only want to drive in these kinds of teams,’ but then when the question is you drive in another team or you stay at home? Then maybe you change your mindset.”

As for his salary, he said: “The teams will do everything they can to bring down your value and as a driver, your management will do everything they can to bring up your value. That’s the law of the market.”

***

This one’s on Michael: Michael Schumacher already holds the record for the most career points scored in F1, and his win in Canada raised his total to 999. Alain Prost is second with 798.5 points, followed by Ayrton Senna with 614.

“That’s a good number,” Schumacher said of his score. “In Germany, if you achieve a number like that, you have to give a drink free to everyone, so let’s see what we’re going to do tonight. It is going to be expensive for me!”

***

Close finish: Michael Schumacher’s margin of victory over his brother, Ralf, in Canada, .784 of a second, was not quite as close as it had been in Monaco two weeks earlier when Juan Pablo Montoya edged Kimi Raikkonen by .602 of a second.

But the gap that covered the top three finishers in Canada – 1.355 seconds compared to 1.720 seconds in Monaco – made this year’s Canadian Grand Prix one of the four closest top-three finishes since the modern World Championship started in 1950.

***

Montoya to NASCAR? Montoya won the Indianapolis 500 in 2000 and the CART championship in 1999. Would he ever consider racing in NASCAR?

“If I wanted to keep racing, you could consider it,” he said. “Put it this way, if I got bored with F1 and wanted to do something else, I’d look at all the options. But at the moment, I am pretty happy here.”

***

Ecclestone invests in Minardi: Bernie Ecclestone has bought a stake in the European Minardi-Cosworth team.

“Bernie Ecclestone has become a significant investor,” a Minardi statement said. “Minardi Team Principal, Paul Stoddart, and Ecclestone agreed terms on Saturday, June 14, during the course of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend. This development will in no way affect the day-to-day operations of the Faenza-based team, but will provide the much-needed financial stability that will allow the team to focus on increasing its overall level of competitiveness.”

Minardi owner Paul Stoddart said: “I am pleased to announce that Bernie Ecclestone has made a private investment in Minardi, which will provide stability, and with it, the chance to move the team forward. On a personal note, it has been a roller coaster weekend for Minardi, and it’s great to see that when the chips are down, the man who built the sport up to what it is today really does care. The responsibility now falls to me to ensure he has made a wise investment.”

Ecclestone stepped in to give Minardi some much-needed financial aid to bring an end to a sometimes-bitter debate over whether Minardi should receive money from a proposed “fighting fund.”

On Jan. 15, McLaren director Ron Dennis proposed the creation of a “fighting fund” that would provide financial aid to some of F1’s smaller teams. The money would come from the pool used to pay the teams their share of F1’s TV income.

Stoddart believed that he had been promised $8 million from the fund and argued that the money should be paid. Dennis and several other team owners maintained that several conditions, including rules stability, for the money to be paid out had not been met. Stoddart and Dennis vigorously debated the issue at length during a press conference with several team owners June 13 at the Canadian Grand Prix.

In the end, Ecclestone solved the problem by using his money to bail out Minardi.

MONTOYA HOPES TO CONTINUE ROLL IN CANADA

MONTREAL, Thursday, June 12, 2003 – The Formula One world tour continues this weekend with the Canadian Grand Prix on Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

The race, round eight of 16, marks the first of two trips the F1 teams will make to North America this season. The teams will return for the United States Grand Prix, round 15, on Sept. 28 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Fresh from his win in the Monaco Grand Prix two weeks ago, 2000 Indianapolis 500 champion Juan Pablo Montoya is confident of another strong performance this weekend in Canada in his Williams-BMW.

“I think we should be pretty strong here,” he said. “I think we probably should be stronger here than in Monaco. We won Monaco, so we should be quite competitive here.”

World Championship points leader Kimi Raikkonen finished a close second in Monaco and hopes for a similar competitive performance in Montreal.

“It was a good, solid result at Monaco, providing some valuable points toward our championship total,” Raikkonen said. “I was, of course, disappointed not to win the race, but the car felt good. I think I could have won in Monaco had it not been for traffic, but I am now looking forward to the Canadian Grand Prix. I have finished in fourth position in both Canadian races I have driven in, and am hoping to move further up the points positions this year.

“The car should be good here. The tires are working well, and we should be in good shape.”

Reigning World Champion Michael Schumacher has won five times and finished second three times and earned six poles in 11 starts in Canada. He has three wins this season and is four points behind Raikkonen in the Drivers Championship.

“I expect McLaren to be our main competitors here,” Schumacher said, “but we need to keep an eye out for Williams, as well. Tires will be an important factor here this weekend.”

This is the home Grand Prix for 1995 Indianapolis 500 winner and 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve. He’s hoping for better reliability in this race than he has encountered in the first seven races this season – he’s finished in the points only once – in his Lucky Strike BAR-Honda. While he has plenty of sponsor and media commitments away from the track, they don’t cause any distractions once he climbs in the car.

“What is difficult in Montreal is everything that goes on around the race,” he said. “Once you are at the racetrack and you are driving, then you could be anywhere in the world.”

Villeneuve doesn’t feel any extra pressure racing at home.

“If we had come here after winning a few races this year then there would be pressure,” he said. “But the way the season’s been going, we (may) do the same as every other race, which is the car breaks down. The only bad thing that could happen is that the car finally doesn’t break down but I go off! That would be a bad one!

“We should be competitive, definitely. The car’s been a big improvement this year. I just hope the monkey will jump off my back, because it’s been a little difficult this year.”

Villeneuve and his teammate Jenson Button, who has been cleared to race after missing the Monaco Grand Prix because of an accident, will have the latest specification Honda V10 here in Canada.

“It is quicker,” Villeneuve said of the latest engine. “It has more power in the area we asked for, and it a little bit lighter. It is an improvement on many fronts.”

The Mild Seven Renault team, fourth in the Constructors Championship, has had at least one car finish in the points in each Grand Prix so far this season. Jarno Trulli believes the points-scoring trend could continue even though the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve doesn’t ideally suit the Renault.

“Chassis-wise you can say that we have always had good performance here,” Trulli said. “The track suits the chassis. The only problem is that, as you know, we could be struggling a little bit on the straight. Let’s see if we can find a good compromise and then make the package work. We also have the Michelin tires, which we feel are very competitive at the moment so it could be another good weekend – for sure, not the best one – but we’re still confident.”

***

Ferrari to keep Schumacher through 2006: Five-time World Champion Michael Schumacher has extended his contract with Ferrari through the end of the 2006 season. Ferrari also has re-signed the rest of its “super team” of key managerial and technical personnel to remain with the team through 2006.

“Jean Todt will continue in his role as Managing Director of the Gestione Sportiva to the end of 2006,” a Ferrari statement said. “Also continuing to report in to him up to that date will be Technical Director Ross Brawn, Engine Director Paolo Martinelli, Chief Designer Rory Byrne and head of engine design Gilles Simon. Furthermore, Ferrari announces that it has extended its agreement with the driver Michael Schumacher to the end of the 2006 season.”

Ferrari’s super team has won three consecutive Drivers Championships and four consecutive Constructors Championships. They all had contracts through 2004, but by staying on until 2006 it means that Schumacher should be able to add considerably to his records.

He has tied Juan Manuel Fangio’s mark of five world titles and holds virtually every other major F1 record including wins (67), fastest race laps (54) and career points (989). Schumacher has won 54 pole positions and still trails Ayrton Senna, who hold the record with 65 poles.

Schumacher’s teammate, Rubens Barrichello, has a contract through 2004.

…USGP2003-058…

Media Contacts: Ron Green, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, (317) 492-6780, rgreen@brickyard.com
Paul Kelly, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, (315) 673-0184, pkelly@brickyard.com
World Wide Web: http://www.usgpindy.com

2003 Canadian Grand Prix Fast Facts

Date: Sunday, June 15

Race: Eighth of 16 on 2003 schedule

Venue: Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal

On TV: Race (live) – 12:30 p.m. (EDT) June 15, Speed Channel. Qualifying 2 (live) – 2 p.m. (EDT) June 14, Speed Channel. Qualifying 1 – 2 p.m. (EDT) June 13 Speed Channel

Circuit length: 2.709 miles, 4.361 km

Race length: 70 laps

2002 race winner: Michael Schumacher, Ferrari

2002 pole winner: Juan Pablo Montoya, Williams-BMW

Recent winners: 2001 – Ralf Schumacher, 2000 – Michael Schumacher, 1999 – Mika Hakkinen, 1998 – M. Schumacher, 1997 – M. Schumacher, 1996 – Damon Hill, 1995 – Jean Alesi, 1994 – M. Schumacher, 1993 – Alain Prost, 1992 – Gerhard Berger, 1991 – Nelson Piquet

JACQUES VILLENEUVE UNHAPPY WITH RESULTS IN FORMULA ONE

MONTREAL -- Canadian Jacques Villeneuve brushed off the weight of history on Thursday as he prepared for a home grand prix 25 years after his late father Gilles won in Montreal.

"Oh, I didn't know," the 1997 champion told a news conference at the circuit that now carries his father's name when asked about an anniversary that has fired up local interest.

"It's great," he said. "I guess I'll call my mom and it will be nice.

"It's not something that has much importance to me. The day I stop racing and have children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren than I'll probably look at all these numbers.

"It will be great to have memories. But right now, while I'm racing, all that matters is that we do a good weekend."

Gilles Villeneuve, who won for Ferrari in the first race held at the island circuit in the St Lawrence Seaway in 1978 and died at Zolder in Belgium in 1982, is the only Canadian to capture his home race.

Jacques came second in 1996, his debut year, but has failed to score a point in six subsequent appearances to the disappointment of a nation far more immersed in Formula One than its U.S. neighbors.

Villeneuve's apparent insouciance was dismissed by some locals as no more than a sign that he wished to shut out the past, since it would be remarkable for him to be truly unaware of the theme of the weekend.

But the BAR driver has more pressing concerns if his career is not to become history as well.

His manager Craig Pollock was quoted in local newspapers as saying that the 32-year-old would definitely be staying in Formula One next year but Villeneuve was giving little away about what the future held.

He agreed that he expected to remain -- "unless he (Pollock) does a very bad job" -- but said it was still too early to assess all the options.

However, he agreed that a call from Ferrari was unlikely, given Michael Schumacher's decision this week to extend his contract by two more years to the end of 2006, since he would not accept a subservient role.

"I wouldn't drive in Rubens (Barrichello)'s position, which means he's not allowed to have anything, then no that wouldn't suit me," he said.

"But you can always have a team like McLaren do, they don't have a number one and two, they have two number ones."

Villeneuve, whose contract at BAR is up for renewal this year, has retired from four of his seven races this season and he said he was looking forward to better luck and more reliability from his team.

But he said the lack of success meant there was less pressure on him at home.

"If we had come here after winning a few races this year then there would be pressure.

"The only bad thing that could happen is that the car finally doesn't break down but I go off. That would be a bad one. But we should be competitive, definitely. The car has been a big improvement this year.

"I just hope the monkey will jump off my back because its been a little bit difficult this year."

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA HOLDS OFF RAIKKONEN

MONTE CARLO, Monaco -- Juan Pablo Montoya succeeded where world champions Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill failed on Sunday and ended Williams's 20-year wait for a Monaco Grand Prix victory.

Montoya also put a halt to Michael Schumacher's three-race winning streak in Formula One, holding off Kimi Raikkonen in the final laps on the twisting street course for his second career victory. His other came at the Italian Grand Prix in 2001.

Raikkonen, in a McLaren-Mercedes, was second, 0.6 seconds behind at the finish of the 78-lap, 2.08-mile course. Raikkonen extended his standings lead over Schumacher, 48 points to 44.

Schumacher, in a Ferrari, was third, 1.7 seconds behind Montoya. Schumacher was looking to equal Ayrton Senna's record of six Monaco victories.

A generation of Formula One fans have grown up since a Williams driver was last handed the winner's trophy by Prince Rainier after the annual street race in the Mediterranean principality.

That last win in 1983 was provided by Finland's world champion Keke Rosberg and this time it was a Finn -- McLaren's championship leader Raikkonen -- that Montoya beat to trigger the pit wall celebrations.

"Everybody needed this," said Montoya, summing up the relief of a team that had not won in 22 races and had come under increasing criticism and media scrutiny of late.

The Colombian started on pole last year only to see his hopes fade with an engine failure after 46 laps in a scenario that has become familiar to Williams fans over the years whenever the season's glamor race comes around.

In 2001, he lasted three laps.

Mansell, runaway champion for Williams in 1992, never won in Monaco despite leading the race that year from pole. His bid was slowed by a loose rear wheel.

Hill, whose champion father Graham was known as 'Mr. Monaco' for his five wins with BRM and Lotus, never won the race either despite pole position with Williams in 1995.

Williams also had pole in 1993 with France's Alain Prost and 1997 with Germany's Heinz-Harald Frentzen.

With his car unflatteringly compared to a tortoise this year, Montoya turned it into a hare with a faultless display of driving to join the late Brazilian Ayrton Senna, his idol, as a Monaco winner.

He needed it as much as his team; it was only the second victory of Montoya's Formula One career.

While it came at the slowest circuit on the calendar, his other was at the fastest -- Italy's Monza track in 2001.

"You've got to say that I had quite a few races where I had the chance to win," said Montoya, who started seven times on pole last year without winning any of them.

"The last one was Melbourne (where he led this year), I threw it away, so there was quite a bit of pressure not to basically make any mistakes.

"I won Monza and now this. It's fantastic. I'm so happy, it's just unreal.

"It wasn't only bringing this race to Williams but trying to get another win for myself," he said. "I was more concerned about that than Williams, to be honest, but as we are in the same team I guess it was well worth it."

The Colombian, a former CART champion, compared the victory to winning the Indy 500 in 2000.

"It is like the most special race you can win and being the only street course in the championship it is very special. It's a great atmosphere."

Montoya led Raikkonen by about a second with 18 laps to go. They stayed that way until Raikkonen started edging closer in the last five laps.

In the last two laps, Raikkonen drew within a few car lengths of Montoya on the tight curves, and Michael Schumacher was lurking a few seconds back.

Brother Ralf Schumacher, Montoya's Williams-BMW teammate, finished fourth. He was on the pole and led through the first 20 laps. Renault drivers Fernando Alonso and Jarno Trulli were fifth and sixth.

McLaren's David Coulthard, who won the race in 2000 and 2002, was seventh followed by Rubens Barrichello in the other Ferrari.

Britain's Jenson Button missed the race, a day after he crashed during practice. Button, stiff and sore, felt fit but doctors suggested he not drive, his BAR-Honda team said.

The Canadian Grand Prix is in two weeks in Montreal.

RALF SCHUMACHER SETS RECORD PACE IN MONACO

MONTE CARLO, Monaco -- Ralf Schumacher won the pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday with the fastest time ever on the famed street circuit.

Brother Michael Schumacher, looking to equal Ayrton Senna's mark with six Monaco victories, was fifth.

This was only the second pole for the younger Schumacher in his Williams-BMW. The last was at the French Grand Prix in 2001.

Ralf Schumacher was timed in 1 minute, 15.259 seconds on the 2.08-mile twisting course, averaging almost 100 mph. The circuit was redesigned this year to allow more passing and higher speeds.

Michael Schumacher finished in 1:15.644 after posting the fastest time in prequalifying Thursday.

``I am not happy with this result but I am not particularly concerned about it,'' he said.

After a rough start this season, the five-time world champion is second in the driver standings, two points behind McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen. He can take the lead with a victory no matter what Raikkonen does Sunday.

Raikkonen was timed in 1:15.84 for his lap and will start second, followed by Juan Pablo Montoya and Jarno Trulli.

Rubens Barrichello, Michael Schumacher's teammate, was sixth in 1:15.820, the worst collective starting positions for Ferrari this year. David Coulthard, who won this race in 2000 and 2002 was timed in just 1:15.700.

Britain's Jenson Button crashed during morning practice and was taken to the hospital, but his team said he was not injured. Team leader David Richards is optimistic Button can race Sunday.

Button did not take part in qualifying. If he is cleared to start Sunday, he would have to begin the 78-lap race in the pit lane because he would not have had a qualifying time.

MONACO PLACES PREMIUM ON PRECISION PERFORMANCE

MONACO, Wednesday, May 28, 2003 – Qualifying is a crucial aspect of any Formula One race, but it is more important than ever at the Monaco Grand Prix.

“Qualifying is very important here as it is extremely difficult to overtake during the race,” said 1995 Indianapolis 500 winner and 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve. “If you are further down the grid at the start, the pit stops play an important part in making up positions.”

Formula One’s new qualifying format, which gives the drivers just one chance over one lap to set their qualifying time, means that any mistakes in qualifying will have serious consequences. At best, the driver may end up a half a dozen more places further down the grid. Or it could be worse.

“If you crash in qualifying and you damage your car and you end up on the back of the grid, you’re out of the race straight away, at least out of the points for a race,” said 2000 Indianapolis 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya who won the pole here in Monaco last year in his Williams-BMW.

Be it practice, qualifying or the race, the narrow, barrier-lined streets of the twisting Monaco circuit are very unforgiving.

“The Armco barriers and the lack of run-off areas means that judgment is based on millimeters rather than centimeters,” said David Coulthard, a two-time Monaco winner in his West McLaren-Mercedes. “There is no margin of error, but that just adds to the unique challenge this track offers.”

Racing at Monaco is a tough challenge, said Villeneuve’s Lucky Strike BAR-Honda teammate Jenson Button.

“The circuit is really twisty and bumpy,” Button said, “and it takes its toll, especially on your arms because of the tight turns. Most corners are blind, so you have to take a leap of faith and hope nothing has happened on the track in front of you. I read that someone once said that racing at Monaco is ‘like riding a motorcycle in your living room’ and they weren’t wrong.”

Over the years, several drivers have dominated in Monaco. 1966 Indianapolis 500 winner Graham Hill won the Monaco race five times while Ayrton Senna holds the record with six victories. Alain Prost won in Monaco four times, and Stirling Moss has three victories. Michael Schumacher has five wins, two poles and has never qualified lower than sixth in Monaco.

There’s a good chance that somebody will try a wild-card strategy in qualifying. Drivers must start the race with the same amount of fuel that was left in the tank at the end of qualifying. Some drivers may be tempted to qualify near the front with light fuel load even though that means an early pit stop will be required.

Such a strategy would not result in that driver qualifying at the front and then holding up what should be faster cars, Schumacher said.

“If someone really does do something like that,” Schumacher said, “and he does the speed that he does in qualifying, that will the speed that he will do in the race, but probably for not very long, because he goes into the pits. But he can still do this speed, and therefore he goes with you or with whomever. I don’t think it’s the case that you need to be worried about being blocked because it is a slowish car.”

This year the drivers will be competing on a Monaco track that has several reconfigured bends.

Due to construction along the harbor front, the track has been changed. A 5,470 square yard (5,000 square meters) area has been built into the harbor along the vicinity of the swimming poll and La Rascasse corners. A chicane has been added in the second turn at the swimming pool, and the entry to the La Rascasse hairpin has been opened out so that the turn is no longer really a hairpin but rather a 90-degree bend approached by a fast wide-angled left-hand sweeper. The pit exit has also been modified, and the cars now blend into the track after the first corner instead of on the pit straight.

The circuit length has been changed from 2.094 miles (3.370 km) to 2.076 miles (3.340 km).

“It looks a lot more open,” Coulthard said of Rascasse. “I’m conscious of not saying it looks easier, just in case I go and drop the ball there. But the entry to Rascasse does look like it’s less challenging than it was in the past, which in some respects is a shame because that was one of the difficult spots on the track.

“But, generally, it may give us more opportunity for overtaking, or if not overtaking, it should make it easier to lap slower cars during the race. All in all, I would say it is an improvement.”

The tight hairpin at Rascasse used to claim a lot of cars, but the corner shouldn’t be as big a problem this year.

“I’m surprised they still kept the very slow chicane after the swimming pool,” Montoya said. “I think it could have been a bit quicker. I think the last corner (Rascasse) will probably save a lot of money for the teams because that’s the place that everybody crashes.”

This reshaping of the circuit part of a three-year construction plan that will eventually include building pit garages and renovating the esplanade along the harbor front.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER CLOSES ON RAIKKONEN

SPIELBERG, Austria -- Michael Schumacher watched the orange flames rise near his head during a fiery pit stop, yet remained focused on racing.

The Ferrari crew doused the fuel-loading fire and the driver, and not long after, Schumacher was spraying champagne in Victory Lane, celebrating his win at the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Schumacher beat Formula One leader Kimi Raikkonen for his third straight win and the 65th of his career, closing within two points of first place in the standings.

"Seeing the fire was not nice, but I think the guys reacted very well with the extinguishers," Schumacher said. "I guess the mechanics thought I was a little too cool and wanted to warm me up."

The five-time Formula One champion, who failed to finish in the top three in the first three races of the season, has 38 points, compared to Raikkonen's 40 after six races.

Schumacher, who started from the pole, finished 3.3 seconds ahead of Raikkonen's McLaren-Mercedes in the 69-lap race on the 2.69-mile A1-Ring. Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello, was third, 3.9 seconds behind. Jenson Button was fourth in a BAR-Honda, and David Coulthard of McLaren finished fifth.

"It was an interesting and entertaining race," Schumacher said. "It started to run our way and then the pit stop came."

Schumacher's crew had to battle flames during a pit stop after the 23rd lap when a fuel hose would not come off, sparking the blaze and forcing crew members to use fire extinguishers.

"A small amount of fuel was still in the nozzle from the previous refueling, which dripped onto the car and caught fire," Ferrari team boss Jean Todt said.

Throughout it all, Schumacher remained calm, staying in his car and nonchalantly wiping fire extinguishing foam from his visor.

"I was watching around and seeing what was going on," Schumacher said. "You know you have protection. You have the overalls. You know you can survive for a good while."

Schumacher's stop took more than 20 seconds, well over the usual 10 seconds. He left the pits and moved into third place behind Juan Pablo Montoya and Raikkonen.

The order changed quickly on the 32nd lap. As Montoya's engine failed in a trail of smoke, Schumacher passed Raikkonen and moved into the lead, stretching his advantage to 2.6 seconds after 33 laps.

"I started losing water pressure and I knew the race was over," Montoya said.

Schumacher pitted after the 42nd lap and slipped to third behind Raikkonen and Barrichello. He regained the lead when Raikkonen and Barrichello pitted after the 51st lap and was not challenged the rest of the way as he maintained a lead of nearly 10 seconds over Raikkonen.

DRIVERS NOT EAGER TO SEE AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX FINAL CURTAIN

SPIELBERG, Austria, Thursday, May 15, 2003 --The Formula One teams are in
Austria for round six of the FIA Formula One World Championship that
includes the United States Grand Prix on Sept. 28 at Indianapolis.

The Austrian Grand Prix takes place Sunday, but it"s very likely this will
be the last F1 race in the scenic country.

Austria played host to a Grand Prix in 1964, from 1970-87 and then again
from 1997-2003. But this year marks the last time a Grand Prix probably will
take place in Austria. New events, such as those in China and Bahrain in
2004, as well as tobacco advertising laws in Europe have forced Austria off
the schedule next year. There is only a very small chance that the Austrian
Grand Prix will return in the near future.

"It is a shame," said Germany"s Ralf Schumacher, who lives in Austria. "It
is a very nice area to come to. It is very nice anyway in Austria " good
food, great hotels around " so it is good to be here."

Austria has played host to some memorable F1 races over the years, and
last year"s event certainly falls in that category. A year ago, the Ferrari
team created a furor of controversy and angered fans at the track when it
ordered Rubens Barrichello, who was leading the race, to move over and let his
teammate Michael Schumacher win. Ferrari wanted Schumacher to gain the
maximum number of points in the Drivers Championship.

"With hindsight, it was a very controversial decision," Barrichello said.
"But now, a year later, I prefer to look only at the more positive aspects
of that race. We all know what happened at the end and in a way, I think it
had an impact on the whole history of Formula One."

The FIA has banned such team orders in 2003.

Michael Schumacher is looking ahead to this year"s race rather than back
to last year"s event.

"Last year, the Austrian event was difficult for us," he said, "but it is
not worth making any comparisons with today, as the current situation is
very different."

Ferrari arrived in Austria this week having finished first and third in
the recent Spanish Grand Prix with its new F2003-GA car. Michael Schumacher
said the performance of the new car that took him to victory on the
Barcelona circuit bodes well for the rest of the season.

"Barcelona is a circuit which shows the true potential of the car,
specific in aerodynamic purpose, so if it goes well there, it is supposed to go
well everywhere," Schumacher said.

Brimming with confidence after finishing second in the Spanish Grand Prix
in his Mild Seven Renault, Fernando Alonso is ready to take on all
challengers in Austria.

"I am feeling very good and confident for the future," Alonso said. "With
every race, I get to know the team better. Today I feel stronger when I
come up against other drivers. Last year, even though I drove thousands of
kilometers at the team test driver, I was always alone so there was never any
direct confrontation. These first races have taught me a lot, and I am
becoming more and more capable of exploiting the car"s potential."

The Williams-BMW team still seeks its first win of the season.

"Hopefully this will be a good race for us," said 2000 Indianapolis 500
winner Juan Pablo Montoya. "The track is a fairly complex one setup-wise. We
tested some new parts last week, so it will be interesting to see if the
car has improved since the last race. Last year, I managed to score a podium
position in Austria, so I am looking to repeat that this year."

Both West McLaren-Mercedes drivers failed to finish in Spain, and that is
something that championship leader Kimi Raikkonen and teammate David
Coulthard don"t want to repeat in Austria.

"The last Grand Prix in Spain was obviously difficult for me and the
team," Raikkonen said, "but that is racing, and I am now looking forward to the
Austrian race and hopefully scoring some points toward my championship
tally."
Coulthard said, "The A1 Ring often comes in for criticism, but it offers
numerous overtaking opportunities and seems to produce entertaining Grands
Prix."

Along with Michael Schumacher and Coulthard, Jacques Villeneuve is one of
the three current drivers who have the Austrian Grand Prix. Villeneuve won
the race in 1997, two years after he won the Indianapolis 500.

"I enjoy racing at the A1-Ring," Villeneuve said. "The layout of the track
is really good, and it has a nice rhythm. It"s a good track for
overtaking. The Austrian GP is a fun race to watch and a fun race to drive."

Villeneuve hopes that his Lucky Strike BAR-Honda team has solved its cars"
reliability problems.

"Hopefully we are in a position to not only finish the race," he said,
"but to get some points. Although it"s been difficult to accept all the
problems we have been experiencing on the car, I am really looking forward to the
race."

2003 Austrian Grand Prix Fast Facts

Date: Sunday, May 18
Race: Sixth of 16 on 2003 schedule
Venue: A1-Ring, Spielberg
On TV: Race (live) --7:30 a.m. (EDT) May 18, Speed Channel. Qualifying 2
(live) -8 a.m. (EDT) May 17, Speed Channel. Qualifying 1 (live)-8 a.m.
(EDT) May 16, Speed Channel
Circuit length: 2.688 miles, 4.326 km
Race length: 71 laps
2002 race winner: Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
2002 pole winner: Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari
Recent winners: 2001 -David Coulthard, 2000 -Mika Hakkinen, 1999 - Eddie
Irvine, 1998 - Hakkinen, 1997 - Jacques Villeneuve, 1987 - Nigel Mansell,
1986 - Alain Prost, 1985 - Prost, 1984 - Niki Lauda, 1983 - Prost, 1982 -
Elio De Angelis

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER CONTINUES MASTERY IN SPAIN; da MATTA KEEPING EYE ON INDY

INDIANAPOLIS, Tuesday, May 6, 2003 – Michael Schumacher’s victory in the Spanish Grand Prix on May 4 was his third in a row at the track and his fifth at this event.

Five-time World Champion Schumacher has finished in the points in every Spanish Grand Prix he has entered. He took a sixth place in his first race in Spain in 1991. Since then he has racked up five victories, two second places, three thirds, a fourth and a fifth.

***

Indy 500 fan: Cristiano da Matta, who earned his first F1 points when he finished sixth in Spain his Panasonic Toyota, is keeping an eye on what’s happening at this year’s Indianapolis 500.

“I am a very big fan of the Indy 500,” da Matta said. “It is definitely a race I want to compete in one day. A good friend of mine (Tony Kanaan) is second in the points right now, so I will be watching him very closely.”

***

Points battle tightens up: Michael Schumacher took a 10-point chunk from Kimi Raikkonen’s lead in the Drivers Championship by winning in Spain while Raikkonen didn’t finish.

After five races, Raikkonen leads with 32 points, but Schumacher climbed to second place with 28 points. Compare that with the standings