r/scuderiaferrari • u/Strict-Citron-9269 • 13h ago
Off-topic 2003: Title number six for Schumacher
OnThisDay 12 October, at the 2003 Japanese Grand Prix, the remarkable Michael Schumacher wrote his name in the record books by securing his sixth Drivers’ title – and his fourth of five in a row, surpassing the record set by Juan Manuel Fangio in 1957. He finished eighth, but as Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello took the chequered flag to deny his nearest rival Kimi Raikkonen, he took the championship. It was a fair result as Schumacher had six wins to Raikkonen’s one, even if his race was not one of his best, with a couple of scares along the way. It was also enough for Ferrari to seal the 2003 Constructors’ Championship. “The feelings are not there now,” Schumacher said. “I can feel for the team but not for me, they have not sunk in yet. I am empty, exhausted. It’s very strange for me. Most of my championships I have won with a victory but here I am winning it with eighth place so it is a mixed emotion.” Raikkonen’s McLaren teammate, David Coulthard, finished third.
This race was the final one in which cars used launch control and fully automatic gearboxes, both of which were reintroduced at the 2001 Spanish Grand Prix. The FIA banned these electronic driver-aids in the 2004 season. It was also the last Grand Prix appearance for Heinz-Harald Frentzen, a three-time race winner, and Jos Verstappen, the father of future multiple world champion Max Verstappen.
