Rain, Rain...
United States Grand Prix, September 27, 2003

By Karen Wagoner
Photos Courtesy of Ferrari Media

First off, I'm only filling in for Erik. He was somewhere over Alaska (on his way back from China) while the race was being run. He’s seen the race, but he still doesn't know what day it is. Second off, go easy on me. This is my first article. For that matter, it's my first attempt. That said, let's get on with it.

This was a race of firsts, drive-thru penalties, blown engines, and a dream dashed to pieces. But, we'll have to wait another two weeks to get the outcome. My kind of season.

The firsts? Three different teams led a race for the first time in team history. Jaguar's Marc Webber led until the back end got away from him in turn eight of lap 22. BAR Honda’s Jenson Button lead 17 laps, but didn't finish because "his engine stopped". And, Sauber even managed to lead for a while.

The penalties (and a dashed dream)? Montoya's championship hopes were dashed by a drive thru penalty, and the botched pit stop didn't help any. The drive thru penalty came as a result of his run-in with Rubens Barrichello, in which the Ferrari wound up in the gravel. Rubens' comment after the race didn't indicate that he blamed Montoya. He said "With Montoya, we were running side by side. I thought I had left him enough space, but he touched me and I spun." Montoya, understandably, was not a happy camper. He seemed to hold the marshals responsible for his championship loss. "A very disappointing race, basically decided by the penalty I was given for the accident with Rubens and the moment I had to pay it. Due to the changeable weather conditions, in fact, it started to rain hard just when I was given my 'drive through' penalty, which forced me to delay by one lap my pit-stop to change onto wet tyres. It is sad to lose my Drivers' Championship chances in this way, especially knowing that I just needed to finish 5th today, to keep my hopes open."

As devastating as this race may have been for Montoya, I don't think it was an excuse to stalk away from the venue like a baby without so much as a "thank you for coming" to his fans. They paid hard earned money to see their boy, and they deserved better.

Remember that (American TV) commercial that claimed drama is a 17 second pit stop? I used to tell Erik that if there was a 17 second pit stop in F1 there would definitely be some drama. We almost had it. Montoya had a 15 second stop caused by a fuel rig problem. The tyres were on the car, but the fuel rig hadn't yet gone in. Oops!

McLaren-Mercedes' David Coulthard and Toyota's Christiana Da Matta both received drive through penalties for speeding in pit lane. DC later pulled into the garage with a gearbox problem.

The blown engines? Call me crazy, but I just love to see an engine blow. As long it's not somebody I'm pulling for and no one gets hurt. BAR Honda's Jenson Button retired with a blown engine. Renault's Fernando Alonzo lost his, too. But the prize in this category goes to BAR Honda's Jacques Villeneuve. Hope this isn't the most spectacular thing he does all season, but the odds are slim. Villeneuve's engine blew big. Flames shot out the back, and smoke enveloped the car when it stopped. And, Jacques can really move when someone lights a fire under his derriere. He even took the steering wheel with him. Isn't that a fine-able offence? Or does fire trump the rule book?

In the end, Ferrari took the top step. This was Michael Schumacher's 70th win. Kimi took second, which keeps him in the running. He trails Michael Schumacher by 9 points. And, Ferrari leads the Constructor's Championship by 3 points over BMW-Williams.

Tune in October 12 for the end of the story.