Rocky start for F1's rookies

Jaguar's Antonio Pizzonia came closest to going the distance, but retired with just a handful of laps remaining due to rear suspension failure. Jordan's Ralph Firman was the first of the 2003 crop to crash out when he shunted heavily at Turn Five early on, and he was quickly followed out of the race by Toyota's Cristiano da Matta, who spun off into a gravel trap.

Minardi's Justin Wilson made a stunning start to his grand prix career, rocketing from last on the grid to an amazing ninth place by lap two. He fell back down the order, however, and was forced to retire when a stone punctured his radiator.

"It was fantastic to have the opportunity of getting towards the midfield and being able to race some of the guys and drive past them," said Wilson. "It was just bad luck to get a stone through the radiator."

Firman said of his crash: "I was not pushing 100 percent when the accident happened. I was well within myself but then suddenly had major oversteer, lost the car and hit the barrier. Rubens [Barrichello] went off there and I understand there was a possibility of some oil on the track, but I don't honestly know."