Formula 1
Canadian GP: Minardi race notes
European Minardi Cosworth looked to be on course to score its first World Championship points of the season in this afternoon's Canadian Grand Prix in Montréal, drivers Justin Wilson and Jos Verstappen running 10th and 11th respectively late in the ...
Published: Jun 16, 2003, 9:44 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
European Minardi Cosworth looked to be on course to score its first World Championship points of the season in this afternoon's Canadian Grand Prix in Montréal, drivers Justin Wilson and Jos Verstappen running 10th and 11th respectively late in the race and after the second of their two scheduled pit stops. Unfortunately, Wilson was forced to retire his car on lap 63 of the 70-lap race when a gearbox problem developed. Verstappen, however, pressed on to finish an excellent ninth -- European Minardi's best result so far this year.
Both drivers made excellent starts, Wilson in particular attracting attention with yet another spectacular opening-lap charge, on this occasion climbing from his 18th-place starting position on the grid to 11th. With this weekend's news concerning significant commercial investment in the team, European Minardi now looks forward to producing some strong results in the second half of the 2003 Formula One World Championship season.
Jos Verstappen:
"I was happy to finish today's race in ninth place, as it's our best result so far this season. It's a shame we weren't able to get eighth place and the Championship point that goes with it. The car ran really reliably in the race, for which I must thank all the guys. I had to let the frontrunners through after my second pit stop, which inevitably slowed me down a bit, but you can't ignore the blue flags, even though you almost have to coast down the straights at times to let people pass you. It's a good result for the team, though, and I'm very pleased with it."
Justin Wilson:
"The car was fantastic today -- I could do what I wanted with it and position it where I wanted it on the track. Everything was going to plan, the car hadn't missed a beat all afternoon, and then, just a few laps from the end of the race, I heard a bang as I was coming down the back straight and lost all drive. I was able to coast into the pits, but there was nothing that could be done. It's such a shame, because I think we could have had two strong finishes for Minardi here in Canada. It's good for the team, however, that Jos got a top-10 finish."
Paul Stoddart, Team Principal, European Minardi Cosworth:
"In what has been a rollercoaster weekend for European Minardi here in Montréal, it was great to see both our drivers not only setting competitive times in today's race, but also fighting for top-10 positions. Justin's first stint, which saw him climb from 18th to 11th, was simply amazing, and yet again proves he must be one of the fastest starters in Formula One. As the race settled down, it was clear both drivers were challenging for top-10 positions, and were it not for a gearbox failure on Justin's car, we would have scored a World Championship point today. As Minardi moves back to Europe for the second half of the 2003 F1 season with our new partner, Bernie Ecclestone, we look forward to being able to show the true potential of our car."
JOS VERSTAPPEN
Best lap 1 min 18.521 secs
Position: 9
Chassis: PS03/03
JUSTIN WILSON
DNF
Chassis: PS03/04
-minardi-
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Canadian GP: Michelin race notes
Next article Pollock confident of Villeneuve's future
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Justin Wilson
Mick Schumacher gaining confidence on ovals after Phoenix test
IndyCar
IndyCar
Phoenix Raceway
Mick Schumacher gaining confidence on ovals after Phoenix test
Top 10: F1 feeder series kings who were overlooked the following year
FIA F2
FIA F2
Top 10: F1 feeder series kings who were overlooked the following year
Dale Coyne Racing signs veteran team manager Mitch Davis
IndyCar
IndyCar
Laguna Seca
Dale Coyne Racing signs veteran team manager Mitch Davis
More from
Minardi
Alpine may be F1’s best ‘worst team’ of all time
Formula 1
Formula 1
Alpine may be F1’s best ‘worst team’ of all time
Alonso showed championship credentials in first F1 race - ex-Minardi boss
Formula 1
Formula 1
Saudi Arabian GP
Alonso showed championship credentials in first F1 race - ex-Minardi boss
Top 10 Minardi F1 drivers ranked: Alonso, Webber, Badoer and more
Formula 1
Formula 1
Top 10 Minardi F1 drivers ranked: Alonso, Webber, Badoer and more
Latest news
Alex Bowman hits out at critics in snarky post, shooting down early exit rumors
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
2 h
Alex Bowman hits out at critics in snarky post, shooting down early exit rumors
Ryan Blaney gets sweet redemption after 'nightmares' following 2024 Homestead loss
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
2 h
Ryan Blaney gets sweet redemption after 'nightmares' following 2024 Homestead loss
IndyCar 2026 season review: Dale Coyne Racing
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 2 h
IndyCar 2026 season review: Dale Coyne Racing
Noah Gragson apologizes to Daniel Suarez for spinning him at Homestead
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
3 h
Noah Gragson apologizes to Daniel Suarez for spinning him at Homestead
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe