Magny Cours, July 07: Germany's Ralf Schumacher won the 2003 French Grand Prix. It was his second win in a week and his Williams team's second one-two finish in a row. Ralf led from start to finish at Magny-Cours on Sunday (July 6) to take the chequered flag 13.8 seconds ahead of his Colombian team mate Juan Pablo Montoya. Formula One championship leader Michael Schumacher finished third for Ferrari, extending his overall lead over McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen to eight points after the young Finn crossed the line in fourth place. The team later stated that the Finn had no working rear brakes for the last three laps of the race. David Couthard was fifth in his McLaren and Australia's Mark Webber was sixth for Jaguar, ahead of Brazilian Rubens Barrichello in the second Ferrari. Olivier Panis, France's lone driver, collected the last point in his home grand prix for Toyota. Barrichello, who failed to start last year's race, after suffering a mechanical failure on the grid, had little more luck a year on. The Brazilian spun at the start/finish line at the end of the first lap and went from eighth to last. His charge back up the field enlivened an otherwise processional first half of the race.


There were glum faces at Renault after both their cars retired with blown engines within a couple of laps of each other. Giancarlo Fisichella's Jordan-Ford car also retired in clouds of white oil smoke.


McLaren's David Coulthard took fifth place, his race considerably slowed by a troubled third pitstop while he was running third. The Scot was flagged away before the fuel nozzle had been fully pulled out of the fuel tank and the car dragged the refuellers a few metres before Coulthard was stopped.


Ralf Schumacher kept Montoya behind him, stepping up the pace in the later stages of the race so that he narrowly kept the lead as he emerged from the pits after his third pit stop.



Michael Schumacher, running in fourth, managed to get ahead of Raikkonen using his proven technique of fast laps before and after his final pitstop.


It was Ralf's sixth career win and, following his home triumph at the Nuerburgring last weekend, intensified the title battle with six grands prix remaining. Schumacher has 64 points, Raikkonen 56 and Ralf 53.


Williams have now won three of the last four races and are just three points behind Ferrari in the constructors' championship.


Result of Sunday's French Formula One Grand Prix motor race: Race distance: 70 laps (308.586 kms) 1. Ralf Schumacher (Germany) Williams one hour 30 minutes 49.213 seconds (average speed 203.888 kph) 2. Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia) Williams 1:31:03.026 3. Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari 1:31:08.781 4. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) McLaren 1:31:27.260 5. David Coulthard (Britain) McLaren 1:31:29.502 6. Mark Webber (Australia) Jaguar 1:31:55.593 7. Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Ferrari one lap behind 8. Olivier Panis (France) Toyota 1 lap 9. Jacques Villeneuve (Canada) BAR 1 lap 10. Antonio Pizzonia (Brazil) Jaguar 1 lap 11. Cristiano da Matta (Brazil) Toyota 1 lap 12. Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Germany) Sauber 2 laps 13. Nick Heidfeld (Germany) Sauber 2 laps 14. Justin Wilson (Britain) Minardi 3 laps 15. Ralph Firman (Britain) Jordan 3 laps 16. Jos Verstappen (Netherlands) Minardi 4 laps


Not classified (did not finish): Jarno Trulli (Italy) Renault 45 laps completed Fernando Alonso (Spain) Renault 43 Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Jordan 42 Jenson Button (Britain) BAR 21


Fastest lap: Montoya 1:15.512 on lap 36


Formula One world championship standings after Sunday's French Grand Prix: Drivers 1. Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari 64 points 2. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) McLaren 56 3. Ralf Schumacher (Germany) Williams 53 4. Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia) Williams 47 5. Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Ferrari 39 6. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Renault 39 7. David Coulthard (Britain) McLaren 29 8. Jarno Trulli (Italy) Renault 13 9. Mark Webber (Australia) Jaguar 12 10. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Jordan 10 11. Jenson Button (Britain) BAR 10 12. Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Germany) Sauber 7 13. Jacques Villeneuve (Canada) BAR 3 14. Cristiano da Matta (Brazil) Toyota 3 15. Olivier Panis (France) Toyota 2 16. Nick Heidfeld (Germany) Sauber 2 17. Ralph Firman (Britain) Jordan 1


Constructors 1. Ferrari 103 points 2. Williams 100 3. McLaren 85 4. Renault 52 5. BAR 13 6. Jaguar 12 7. Jordan 11 8. Sauber 9 9. Toyota 5 10. Minardi 0


Bureau Report