After three years in Formula One, and amid a turbulent atmosphere that had claimed the leaderships of Niki Lauda and Bobby Rahal, Jaguar Racing became much more stable in 2003.

Its designers focused on producing a much stiffer chassis, and aimed to root out problems during the pre-season with a concerted programme of on-track testing and factory work.

At the Brazilian Grand Prix Webber crashed heavily, triggering an incident that led to the race being red flagged.

After the Spanish Grand Prix Antônio Pizzonia's seat was under threat and it was reported widely that Jaguar wanted to snap up experienced McLaren test driver Alexander Wurz.

Despite a lap 44 retirement due to gearbox issues, this was his most convincing drive of the season; however Jaguar replaced him with Justin Wilson from the Minardi team.