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2005 Belgium GP
Team Quotes - Sunday 11 September
Jean Todt: This was a chaotic and confusing race. We hoped to exploit the unusual weather conditions but this year, it seems that even the luck that can be a fundamental part of motor racing will not come our way. Maybe we have had too much of it in the past few years, but I hope we can now get back in credit on this score as quickly as possible. At the start of the race, Michael was a front runner, while Rubens who had started from further back, was struggling a bit. When the Safety Car came, out we tried to gamble on dry tyres on Michael's car, but very quickly, he realised the car was impossible to drive in these conditions. So another stop was needed to go back to rain tyres, but Michael's race lasted just one more lap, when he was hit by Sato in the braking area for La Source. This meant all our hopes rested with Rubens, who had moved into the points by this stage. His race was going normally, but when his rain tyres began to go off significantly, he had to pit again to fit dry ones with just a few laps remaining. The time he lost doing this and in getting the dry tyres up to temperature cost him fourth place.
Ross Brawn: It was a day when some opportunities presented themselves, but we did not take all of those that came our way. At the beginning of the race we held our positions but we were not that strong. Then, we thought we would take a chance and try dry tyres on Michael's car when the Safety Car came out, but he realised there was no way he could drive on them. The lap times seemed to indicate that dries would work, but for some reason they did not and we had to change back immediately. Then, to finish it off, came the accident with Sato. Rubens struggled at the beginning of the race, then the car got better. But towards the end we tried to stay on the wet tyres, but they got too hot and changing to dries cost us a position. The only good thing is we have slightly increased our lead over Toyota.
BAR Honda were back on the podium this afternoon as Jenson Button stormed to a spectacular third place finish in the Belgian Grand Prix. In a tumultuous race in typically difficult weather conditions, Jenson battled hard throughout the 44-lap race to achieve his first podium at the challenging Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
His first stint was fraught with oversteer and he was unable to prevent Ralf Schumacher and Giancarlo Fisichella from getting past. This was corrected with a front wing adjustment in his first pitstop, which came under safety car conditions after Fisichella's enormous accident at Eau Rouge. The team gambled with a switch to dry tyres after the threat of further rain subsided but it became very clear within the space of a lap that the conditions were still too damp and a second stop ensued to switch back to wets. The rest of his race ran faultlessly and he was closing in on Alonso to finish 3.7 seconds behind him.
Takuma Sato's race came to a premature end after just 13 laps when he emerged from behind the safety car with cold tyres and brakes and was unable to prevent contact with Michael Schumacher as he braked into La Source. As a result, Takuma has eben given a 10-place grid penalty at the next race for his part in the incident.
Gil de Ferran: "Exciting is probably a gross understatement to describe Jenson's race today. To finish on the podium from where we were earlier on in the race was fantastic. After good starts by both drivers the strategy became quite complex during the first safety car period. At that point it is fair to say we underestimated how low the level of grip was and how long it would eventually take for the track conditions to improve enough for dry tyres. Having put drys on at our first stop, we came back in to fit wet tyres and fell to the back of the pack for the restart. Unfortunately for Taku, who was having a very good day, the race ended soon afterwards with the turn one incident. From that point on, all went well for us as Jenson drove a real stormer in the late stages and was the fastest man on the track for many laps. The crew did a fantastic job under a lot a pressure, executing many pit stops perfectly in close succession. It is always good to go into the next race after a podium so onwards to Brazil!"
Shuhei Nakamoto: "Jenson drove another very good race for a hard-fought podium. After struggling at the start with oversteer, he got more comfortable with the car after a wing adjustment. It was a shame for Taku that he had an incident with Michael shortly after his tyre change. The new spec engine ran without any problems, and we'll aim to keep up the momentum for the last three races."
Fernando Alonso took second position in this afternoon's Belgian Grand Prix after a controlled performance throughout the 44 lap race, which was run in greasy conditions. Team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella crashed in Eau Rouge on lap 11. Fernando and Giancarlo started the race in fourth and thirteenth positions respectively, in greasy conditions on intermediate tyres. Fernando ran fourth for the early part of the race, while Giancarlo quickly made progress through the field, climbing from P14 on lap one to P7 on lap 10. However, he then lost control of his R25 in the quickest corner on the circuit, Eau Rouge, but escaped unhurt from the ensuing accident. Fernando Alonso, meanwhile, ran a two-stop strategy, pitting under the safety car brought out by his team-mate's accident and then once more on lap 32. As the circuit slowly dried, fitting dry tyres became an increasingly enticing option, but Fernando maintained his third position and a controlled pace. Juan-Pablo Montoya's accident promoted the Spaniard to second position in the closing laps, at the same time as the circuit became viable for dry tyres; however, the gap to Fernando's pursuers meant he could manage the gap as the laps counted down and cross the line seven seconds ahead of Jenson Button. Fernando Alonso now leads the drivers' championship by 25 points, with a total of 111 points, while the Renault F1 Team maintains a 6 point lead in the Constructors' Championship, losing 2 points to McLaren this afternoon, with a total of 152 points.
Flavio Briatore, Managing Director: This was a very difficult race, and Fernando has got another fantastic result. The whole team did a great job, with some perfect stops and the strategy was what we needed. Everybody did a great job today. Fisico was pushing hard and really flying when he crashed. I think he did a great job too, but sometimes accidents happen as we saw with Montoya as well. Fernando did the job he needed to, and now I think it will be difficult for Raikkonen to catch him; but the constructors' championship is much closer, and we will stay focused on that until the end.
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: This was always going to be a race of nerves, and it certainly turned out that way. We had a number of difficult decisions to make, and it is very satisfying to take second place after that. In the early stages, Giancarlo was the fastest man out there and I am sure that without one mistake, we would have had two cars on the podium. But today was all about a team effort, and alongside a faultless drive from Fernando, the team did a fantastic job in a pressure situation. We had some problems with our pit-stops at the last couple of races, and the mechanics all worked very hard on it for this weekend. The excellent stops showed their work has paid off.
It was a very hectic final race of the European season today and on a drying track, Mark Webber came through to finish an eventual fourth, having started 9th and collecting five valuable points for the BMW WilliamsF1 Team in the process. Team-mate Antonio Pizzonia had an accident with four laps to go and was forced into retirement.
Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1): Today's race was a very exciting one for everybody. We picked up some good points with Mark. It was a good to go on dry tyres for the last laps. We tried earlier in the race to put both cars on dry tyres as did a lot of other teams. But it didn't work and both needed to pick up intermediates again. The Stewarts are investigating what happened when Antonio came together with Juan Pablo.
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): This was a really eventful race. As the entire weekend, it was influenced by the weather. Difficult conditions resulted in several accidents. Today the right strategy was crucial, especially to find the right moment for the change from intermediates to dry tyres. Many drivers tried this too early. Dry tyres were only for the best choice for the last laps. This decision enabled Mark to improve to fourth position. Having started ninth, this is a very good result.
Team McLaren Mercedes driver Kimi Raikkonen took victory in today's Belgian Grand Prix crossing the finishing line 28.3 seconds ahead of Alonso. It looked like the team was heading for a one-two finish until three laps from the end when Antonio Pizzonia hit Juan Pablo and took him off the circuit. Both Kimi and Juan Pablo were on two-stop strategies and came in at the end of lap 11 when the Safety Car was deployed, Juan Pablo (10.0 seconds) and Kimi (9.3 seconds). Juan Pablo came in again on lap 33 (7.2 seconds) and Kimi followed on lap 35 (6.2 seconds). Kimi remains second in the Drivers World Championship with 86 points and Juan Pablo fourth with 50 points. The team remains second in the Constructors' Championship with 146 points, six points behind Renault.
Ron Dennis: "Both drivers put in a faultless performance today which should have given the team maximum points. Kimi claimed his win in a disciplined and controlled manner in very difficult conditions. Juan Pablo was the innocent victim of other people's mistakes but this should not distract from his race which was executed with true team spirit. We of course take some satisfaction from winning eight of the last 11 Grands Prix. As you can imagine we are looking forward to Brazil in a positive frame of mind."
Norbert Haug: "Congratulations to Kimi on a great win and a perfect performance in the race. This was the almost ideal weekend for the team in which we performed very well in challenging conditions. We had the right strategy and were in control of the race. Unfortunately due to a competitor's mistake we could not take the full benefit of the team's efforts. However Juan Pablo did a brilliant job and didn't put a foot wrong throughout the weekend. I feel sorry for him as the accident was not his fault."
Sauber drivers Jacques Villeneuve and Felipe Massa finished sixth and 10th respectively in today's Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.
Peter Sauber (Team Principal): "This was a dramatic race for everyone. Jacques had a very good drive to sixth and it had not been easy for him to go with the decision to adopt a one-stop strategy. In particular he did a very good job handling a fuel-heavy car in difficult conditions. Felipe was on schedule for a top finishing position, but we agreed with him to take a calculated risk to change to dry tyres, and unfortunately it did not pay off. His second stop came just a bit too early in retrospect, because the track changed five laps later, but at Sauber we are here to race and sometimes these things happen."
As expected, the unpredictable weather made conditions difficult for the drivers in the 2005 Belgian Grand Prix. Following intermittent rain in the morning, Red Bull Racing duo David Coulthard and Christian Klien started the race on intermediate tyres. As the track began to dry, many drivers, including David and Christian, took the opportunity to change to slicks when the safety car came out on lap 11. But, struggling for grip, they were forced to re-pit and return to the intermediates. Including high-speed corners and sudden elevation changes, the Circuit of Spa Francorchamps is one of the most technically demanding tracks of the year and, on lap 18, David Coulthard's engine showed the strain. Unable to continue, the Scot was forced to retire, while his team-mate Christian returned to slick tyres and finished the race in ninth position, narrowly missing out on points.
Christian Horner, Sporting Director: The cross over point at which we could change from intermediate to slick tyres wasn't very obvious. I think we timed Christian going onto slicks near to the end of the race at the right time, but, by then, we'd given away too much track position. When we went to slicks earlier in the race, David immediately said it was still too wet and came back in along with Webber, Trulli and a few others who had also tried slicks. Christian did an extra lap before coming back in, which cost him around 25 seconds and probably lost him a point. But, he drove a good race and didn't make any mistakes. When we put him on slicks the second time, he was one of the quickest cars on the track. Unfortunately, David suffered the first engine failure of the year, it's disappointing but to get to the 16th race of the year without any before is pretty good going.
Chris Jilbert Cosworth F1 Race Engineering: Cosworth suffered it's first race engine failure of the 2005 season in David's car during today's Belgium GP. There was no significant warning on the telemetry prior to failure. The engine was on it's second event of the demanding Monza/Spa combination, but the duty cycle was actually not as severe as predicted given the weather conditions this weekend. We will now check the logged data & inspect the engine to determine the cause of failure. This is a disappointing result given Cosworth's excellent reliability record this season, plus the fact that David would potentially have been able to add to his points tally today.
Ralf Schumacher salvaged two points from an incident-packed race for Panasonic Toyota Racing at today's Belgian Grand Prix. In the first wet race of 2005, both Ralf and Jarno Trulli had run in the top three at different points of the race and both stood a chance of making the podium. But the race was interrupted by a safety car period following a crash involving Giancarlo Fisichella. In the end, bad timing with tyre choice at the pit stops left both drivers further down the order. Ralf went on to take 7th place while Jarno crashed out late on trying to avoid Monteiro's Jordan which had slowed suddenly. The result means that Toyota still holds 4th place in the constructors' championship with 80 points but the gap to the top three has lengthened to 10 points.
Ralf Schumacher looked to have reaped the benefits of a perfectly timed pit stop just before the safety car period, but he was forced into an extra stop after switching to dry tyres too soon. He eventually took 7th place.
Jarno Trulli started third and raced strongly up to the safety car period. But an ill-judged switch to dry tyres by the team left him needing an extra pit stop and demoted him down the field. He went off late on trying to avoid a slow car.
A strong weekend's work for Panasonic Toyota Racing ended in disappointment after a frustrating afternoon's work around Spa-Francorchamps.
Tsutomu Tomita Team Principal: "It's obviously very disappointing to have lost out on two possible podiums today, but we took a challenging gamble which didn't pay off. Our pace in the first stint was very quick and we were able to compete with the top cars. At that point were heading for very good results but once the safety car came out we made the wrong decisions on the tyre changes so it didn't work out. The timing of the safety car worked well for Ralf, but we switched Jarno to dry tyres because we could see the line was drying slightly. We had to make a call but we made the wrong call. Then we made another tight call at Ralf's second pit stop and that cost him too. Nevertheless I am happy with the strategy decisions we took today. We are in Formula 1 to win and I prefer that we take a challenging gamble like that to make it to the top than settle for second best. At least today we gained valuable experience about how to race in wet conditions."
Jordan Grand Prix drivers, Tiago Monteiro and Narain Karthikeyan had good starts under wet conditions at the very demanding 44-lap Belgian Grand Prix, the last of the European race of the season. Both drivers took the advantage of stopping for fuel and changing tyres when the safety car was on the track following Fisichella's accident and rejoined the race in 9th position for Monteiro and 14th for Karthikeyan. The second pit stops went according to plan and the drivers drove strongly throughout the race. The team has the huge satisfaction to see both cars take the chequered flag with Monteiro finishing in 8th position, scoring one precious point, and Narain in 11th place.
Adrian Burgess: It is a fantastic result for everybody. Tiago and Narain drove storming races and avoided the trouble. 16 out of 16 for Tiago and another finish for Narain. After Indianapolis, we would not have thought we could take any more points but this is really great for everybody involved here at the circuit and back at the factory, plus our partners Bridgestone and Toyota.
Today's Belgian Grand Prix might best be described as "a gamble that didn't pay off" for the Minardi F1 Team. Drivers Christijan Albers and Robert Doornbos started the race from the pit-lane, with Doornbos in the spare car, Albers in his normal race car, and both on wet-weather tyres. It was soon apparent that these were not appropriate for the wet, but drying, track surface, and both drivers were called in after just a few laps to have shallow wets (intermediates) fitted. The lap times improved immediately, but on lap 15, Albers reported that second gear was no longer working. The race then settled into a consistent rhythm for the Minardi duo until approximately half-distance, when both stopped for their second, and what should have been final, pit stops. Albers remained on intermediates, but Doornbos switched to dry tyres, the team gambling that conditions had improved sufficiently for the grooved slicks to work effectively. Unfortunately, such proved not to be the case, and after an off-course excursion on his out-lap, Doornbos returned to the pits for a fresh set of intermediates. Both drivers then pressed on to the finish, eventually taking 12th and 13th places at the chequered flag.
Paul Stoddart, Team Principal, Minardi Cosworth: We took a gamble today on the rain that didn't come and started on full-wet tyres. From that point onwards, our race was effectively compromised. That said, both drivers, and indeed, the whole team, got through a difficult race and a most difficult weekend. Full marks to Tiago for scoring a well-deserved point, and my thanks to the whole Minardi Team, including factory-based staff in Faenza, for their support.
Bridgestone runners Rubens Barrichello and Tiago Monteiro both scored points in this afternoon's incident filled Belgian Grand Prix, finishing fifth and eighth respectively, but Michael Schumacher had a torrid time after an incident with another runner put an end to his chances in Spa. Although no rain fell during the race, the 44-lap Grand Prix took place in difficult wet conditions after previous torrential downpours earlier in the day. The Ferrari and Jordan drivers all started on standard wet tyres but Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro's Schumacher tried switching to dry tyres on lap 11. After realising conditions were still too wet, he returned for wet tyres once more only to get caught up in an incident with Takuma Sato shortly after, resulting in his retirement. The World Champion retains his third place in the Drivers' standings but it was Barrichello's points for fifth that have increased the gap between Ferrari and Toyota in the Constructors' battle for third. Jordan's Tiago Monteiro, meanwhile, kept his wits about him to take a well earned point scoring eighth place finish, his 16th finish in as many races. Minardi's Dutch pair, Christijan Albers and Robert Doornbos also both finished the race but their decision to start on extreme wet tyres, as they were expecting heavy rain to fall, left them with a lot of catching up to do on a drying track.
Hisao Suganuma Technical Manager Bridgestone Motorsport: That was a difficult race today. Track conditions were very tricky and tough on the tyres. In the initial stages Michael was running with the leading pack and we were expecting him to be able to close the gap until he had his unfortunate collision with Takuma Sato. Rubens on the other hand was caught midfield but did his best to climb through to take fifth place. It was quite a messy race with lots of tyre changing going on. Of the other Bridgestone runners it was Tiago Monteiro who impressed most. He had a steady race in difficult conditions and has done well to take a point for eighth place. Today was the first time this year where we have had such wet race conditions. We have gained plenty of valuable data today for further wet tyre development. Looking ahead now, we have three races to the end of the season and we shall be pushing hard to finish the season on a high.
Ross Brawn Technical Director Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro: It was a day of opportunities and we didn't take many of them. We held position at the beginning of the race but were not strong. We then decided to take a chance putting Michael on dry tyres but he realised immediately he couldn't use them and changed back to wets. Of course, he then got involved with the incident with Sato. Rubens struggled at the beginning but came back later. He tried to stay on the wet tyres but they were getting too hot so had to change to dry. It cost us a position. It was not a good race and the only good thing was that we increased the points gap to Toyota.
Kimi Raikkonen won a tense, rain-affected Belgian Grand Prix to keep his slender world title hopes alive with only three rounds of the world championship remaining. It was the Finn's sixth victory of the season and Michelin's 15th in 16 races as well as its 90th on aggregate.
All drivers started on intermediate tyres in murky conditions and the Finn ran second initially to pole position-winning team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya. He slipped to third after a Safety Car period which began on lap 11, when a sizeable accident at Raidillon stemmed Renault driver Giancarlo Fisichella's progress through the field persuaded drivers to adjust their strategies.
The reshuffle promoted Ralf Schumacher to second and Raikkonen had to wait until the German's next scheduled stop, on lap 24, before he got a clear run at Montoya. He gradually narrowed the gap and moved ahead after the final round of tyre stops. Despite the drying conditions, Raikkonen's Michelin intermediates proved their versatility by allowing him to set competitive times in the race's closing stages.
Montoya was denied a second-place finish when he was hit by Williams driver Antonio Pizzonia, who had made a late switch to dry tyres. Both cars were forced to retire after the incident, which gifted second place to world championship leader Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard chose to run a conservative pace from the start and now needs only six points from the final three races to become F1's youngest champion.
"I want to say thank you to Michelin as well: we started the race in wet conditions, and finished with the track nearly dry, but the tyres they gave us were extremely quick all the way through. They have done a really fantastic job."
Although neither world championship is yet decided, Michelin is guaranteed a title double with three grands prix remaining.
Mark Webber was one of several drivers to experiment with dry tyres during the Safety Car period, but he quickly changed his mind. He switched again to dries in the closing stages, however, and took a strong fourth place, ahead of Rubens Barrichello, Jacques Villeneuve, Ralf Schumacher and Tiago Monteiro. Schumacher lost time after making a premature switch to dry tyres, but he had a set refitted in the closing stages and netted the race's fastest lap.
Christian Klien was best of the remaining Michelin runners, ahead of Felipe Massa, Montoya and Pizzonia, the latter of whom were classified 14th and 15th despite their failure to complete the distance. Jarno Trulli ran third in the early stages, but an untimely gamble on dry tyres dropped him down the field and he eventually crashed out. David Coulthard suffered an engine failure the team's first since last December and Takuma Sato dropped out when he clashed with Michael Schumacher moments after the Safety Car restart. At the time of his accident, Fisichella had risen from 13th the result of a 10-position grid penalty following an engine change to seventh.
Michelin's day: Nick Shorrock, director of Michelin F1 activities: "This was the race we have wanted for some time a chance to see how our latest wet- weather tyres performed in hard racing conditions. It was important to understand how the track might evolve and to identify the appropriate moment to change tyres, but hindsight shows that the decision to use intermediates throughout in wet and drying conditions was the best option. We are extremely pleased with this result. The Michelins were very competitive in the wet, which gave our partner teams an advantage, and they were able to capitalise on that as our tyres' performance held up in the changing conditions."
Pierre Dupasquier, Michelin motorsport director: "There were lots of questions to be answered at the start of the race. How might our rivals fare? Would the confidence we have in our latest wets prove to be justified in the wake of so many encouraging tests? I think we can be very satisfied with the answers.
"We knew from our dominant victory in last season's rain -hit Brazilian GP that we had made progress with our wet-weather rubber and we have continued to build on that. Today's result proved the point in no uncertain terms. We picked up lots of useful data today and this was a very satisfying victory."
Martin Whitmarsh, CEO Formula One, Team McLaren Mercedes: "Today's conditions were difficult but our Michelin tyres were great for the whole race. Our drivers stayed on intermediates throughout. They proved to be very competitive in the wet and we were able to run a no-risk strategy by staying out on them in the drier conditions at the end, when we were still able to be competitive. The tyres demonstrated great versatility and I'd like to thank Michelin for the part it played in another McLaren victory."
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