Ferrari F2003-GA
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The Ferrari F2003-GA was a highly successful car used by
Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Società per Azioni, S.p.A. () is the racing division of luxury Italian auto manufacturer Ferrari and the racing team that competes in Formula One racing. The team is also known by the nickname "The Prancing Horse", in refere ...
in the
2003 Formula One World Championship The 2003 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 57th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It began on 9 March 2003 and ended on 12 October after sixteen races. World Championship titles were awarded for both drivers and constructor ...
. The chassis was designed by
Rory Byrne Rory Byrne (born 10 January 1944) is a South African semi-retired engineer and car designer, most famous for being the chief designer at the Benetton and Scuderia Ferrari Formula One teams. Byrne-designed cars have won ninety-nine Grands Pri ...
, Ignazio Lunetta, Aldo Costa,
Marco Fainello Marco Fainello (born 12 September 1964) is an Italian engineer. Early life Born in Verona, Fainello graduated in Mechanical Engineering at Polytechnic University of Milan with a thesis on tyre dynamics. Career After graduating, from 1990 to 19 ...
,
Nikolas Tombazis Nikolas Tombazis ( el, Νικόλαος Τομπάζης; born 22 April 1968 in Athens, Greece) is a racing car designer who has worked in Formula One since 1992 for the Benetton, McLaren, and Ferrari teams. Tombazis graduated with a degree in ...
and James Allison with
Ross Brawn Ross James Brawn (born 23 November 1954) is a British Formula One managing director, motor sports and technical director. He is a former motorsport engineer and Formula One team principal, and has worked for a number of Formula One teams. Serv ...
playing a vital role in leading the production of the car as the team's Technical Director and Paolo Martinelli assisted by Giles Simon leading the engine design and operations. Its development was based on the previous
Ferrari F2002 The Ferrari F2002 was a racing car used by Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro as its entry for competition in the 2002 Formula One season. The chassis was designed by Rory Byrne, Ignazio Lunetta, Aldo Costa, Marco Fainello, Nikolas Tombazis and James ...
, but featured new bulbous sidepods and a lengthened wheelbase to aid aerodynamics. The engine and gearbox were developed versions of the previous model. The car was designated "GA" as a mark of respect to
Gianni Agnelli Giovanni "Gianni" Agnelli (; 12 March 192124 January 2003), nicknamed ("The Lawyer"), was an Italian industrialist and principal shareholder of Fiat. As the head of Fiat, he controlled 4.4% of Italy's GDP, 3.1% of its industrial workforce a ...
, the recently deceased head of
Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...
. The car was introduced just before mid season in 2003, as the F2002 was seen as good enough to be competitive whilst the F2003-GA was developed further. The car was fast and competitive as it won 3 out its first 4 races, but had a tendency to overuse its tyres, which led to several late race tyre problems in mid seasons, causing a slight drop in form during the unusually hot European summer. As a result, Williams and
McLaren McLaren Racing Limited is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor, the second oldest active team, and the second most successful Formul ...
were able to mount a consistent challenge to Ferrari and push Michael Schumacher for the championship. After
Bridgestone is a Japanese multinational tire manufacturer founded in 1931 by Shojiro Ishibashi (1889–1976) in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. The name Bridgestone comes from a calque translation and transposition of , meaning 'stone bridge' in Japan ...
engineers discovered
Michelin Michelin (; ; full name: ) is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes ''région'' of France. It is the second largest tyre manufacturer in the world behind Bridgestone and la ...
were using tyres which changed construction, causing the French tyre maker to provide remoulded tyres late in the season. Ferrari became competitive again as it won the final 3 races of the season, and were able to hold off both Williams and McLaren for the Constructors' Championship, whilst Schumacher snatched his sixth Drivers' title, breaking
Juan Manuel Fangio Juan Manuel Fangio (American Spanish: , ; 24 June 1911 – 17 July 1995), nicknamed ''El Chueco'' ("the bowlegged" or "bandy legged one") or ''El Maestro'' ("The Master" or "The Teacher"), was an Argentine racing car driver. He dominated t ...
's record which had stood for 46 years. The car won seven races, five pole positions, and five fastest laps before being replaced with the dominant F2004 in 2004, a car which was almost identical to its predecessor. On 11 December 2003, after the season had finished, Michael Schumacher raced the car against a Eurofighter Typhoon of the
Italian Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = (Ordinance March of the Air Force) by Alberto Di Miniello , mascot = , anniversaries = 28 March ...
over several measured distances to determine which was faster, the aircraft or the car. The German won the first run, over the distance of 600 metres, thanks to the weight advantage of his car over the jet, but the Typhoon won the two remaining runs over the longer distances of 900 and 1200 metres, winning the overall race. Ferrari used 'Marlboro' logos, except at the French, British and United States Grands Prix. File:2003 Ferrari F2003-GA - 52037261677.jpg File:2003 Ferrari F2003-GA.jpg File:2003 Ferrari F2003-GA - 52037261647.jpg File:2003 Ferrari F2003-GA - 52038355153.jpg File:2003 Ferrari F2003-GA - 52038303076.jpg File:2003 Ferrari F2003-GA - 52038550219.jpg In November 2022, chassis number 229, which Schumacher used to win 5 Grands Prix during the 2003 season, was sold at auction by
RM Sotheby's RM Sotheby's, formerly RM Auctions, is a classic car auction company headquartered in Blenheim, Ontario, Canada. With offices across the United States and several European countries, the company's services include restoration, private treaty sale ...
during Sotheby’s Luxury Week in
Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
,
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. The car, complete with engine and in full running condition, sold for a world record price of CHF14,630,000 ($14,873,327 USD).


Complete Formula One results

(
key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...
) (results in bold indicate pole position, results in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) * 32 points scored with the F2002B


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferrari F2003-Ga
F2003-GA The Ferrari F2003-GA was a highly successful car used by Scuderia Ferrari in the 2003 Formula One World Championship. The chassis was designed by Rory Byrne, Ignazio Lunetta, Aldo Costa, Marco Fainello, Nikolas Tombazis and James Allison wit ...
2003 Formula One season cars Formula One championship-winning cars