Having driven both on lower grade tires where faults are more pronounced, I can say that the '09 model has a bit more grip on liberal throttle application resulting in more push than the already understeery '03 model. That said, learning how to drive it results in consistently faster laps (for me) on the faster, more open tracks such as Monza and Spa thanks to the grip on exit. The '03 lends itself better to tighter tracks--though you would be a dang fool to take either--and, oddly enough, pulls harder flat-out in 4th and 5th...I suspect there's something amiss with that pop-up spoiler.