2003 Hungarian Grand Prix
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 13 of 16 in the 2003 Formula One season | |||
The Hungaroring after being modified in 2003.
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| Date | 24 August 2003 | ||
| Official name | XIX Marlboro Magyar Nagydíj | ||
| Location | Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 4.381 km (2.722 mi) | ||
| Distance | 70 laps, 306.663 km (190.552 mi) | ||
| Weather | Warm, dry and sunny, 28°C | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Renault | ||
| Time | 1:21.688 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
 Juan Pablo Montoya
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Williams-BMW | |
| Time | 1:22.095 on lap 37 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Renault | ||
| Second | McLaren-Mercedes | ||
| Third | Williams-BMW | ||
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The 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix (formally the XIX Magyar Nagydíj) was a Formula One motor race held on 24 August 2003 at the Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary. It was the thirteenth round of the 2003 Formula One season. The 70-lap race was won by Renault's Fernando Alonso after starting from pole position, becoming at the time the youngest ever driver to win a Grand Prix, beating the previous record of Bruce McLaren. This record lasted for over five years until it was beaten by Sebastian Vettel on 14 September 2008 in the 2008 Italian Grand Prix.
It was the first to be held under the newly revamped Hungaroring, with the main straight lengthened and the first hairpin tightened, as well as further alterations near the latter stages of the lap in order to encourage more overtaking.
During practice Jordan driver Ralph Firman suffered a horrendous crash when his rear wing failed, causing his car to swap ends immediately and collide backwards into the crash barriers with such force that he was knocked unconscious and had to sit out the race. He was replaced by local driver Zsolt Baumgartner making his Formula One debut at his home Grand Prix.
Alonso, starting from pole on the clean side of the track, made a clean start and lead into the first corner, while the two Williams of Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya, who had started second and fourth respectively on the dirty line had difficulty getting away and were down to around tenth place by the first corner, being compounded by Schumacher's spin at the second corner.
The McLaren-Mercedes of Kimi Räikkönen managed to climb to third on the opening lap from his grid position of seventh. With Mark Webber struggling in second place, Alonso managed to gain 7s in the first three laps and 21s in the first 13 laps before being forced to pit for fuel. Webber, who had also light-fueled to a high qualifying position, also pitted. Alonso reentered the track in second place, just behind Räikkönen, while Webber dropped much further down the field. At the end of the 16th lap, Räikkönen, Barrichello and Montoya all pitted, allowing Alonso to resume his lead.
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