Giancarlo Fisichella's first F1 win was awarded post-race via court appeal, making it Jordan's fourth and final victory at the 700th championship race.
Key Facts
- Race milestone
- 700th Formula One World Championship race
- Laps completed
- 56 of 71 scheduled (red-flagged)
- Attendance
- 120,000 spectators
- Jordan team milestone
- 4th and final victory; team's 200th Grand Prix
- Last Ford engine win
- First since 1999 European Grand Prix
- Italian driver victory gap
- First since Patrese won 1992 Japanese Grand Prix
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Two major crashes on lap 56 blocked the Interlagos circuit, forcing race officials to show the red flag. Confusion arose over whether the flag was shown on lap 55 or 56, which determined which lap's results would count for the final classification.
The 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix was stopped after 56 laps. The win was initially given to Kimi Räikkönen, but Jordan appealed, and a court ruling established the red flag fell during lap 56, meaning Fisichella led at the end of lap 54. Fisichella was thus declared the winner, with Räikkönen second and Alonso third.
Fisichella earned his first Formula One victory and Jordan their last, boosting both in the championship standings. McLaren extended their Constructors' lead over Renault to 16 points, while Räikkönen increased his Drivers' Championship lead to nine points over Coulthard.