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2005 Brazil GP
Team Quotes - Sunday 25 September
Jean Todt: Today, we did the best we could, getting the most out of the package at our disposal. This result means we can consolidate our third place in the Constructors' classification. Today, Fernando Alonso took over the Drivers' title that Michael had won with Ferrari for the last five years. Fernando has put together a perfect season, supported by Renault, led by Patrick Faure and Flavio Briatore and Michelin. Congratulations to all of them. There are still two races to go. Along with Bridgestone, we face a lot of work to develop the tyres. We must do our utmost in these next two rounds, because they can produce precious data that can even be useful for next year. Today, our cars proved reliable, the team worked very well and the drivers gave their all.
Ross Brawn: Our race went pretty well. I am pleased that we beat Fisichella and it showed we had a good strategy with Michael. The team carried out the pit stops very well. Of course, we would like to win races, but we are not in a position to do so at the moment. However, I think that all weekend here, we performed to our maximum doing the best that we could at this point in the season. It is a shame that Rubens was unable to start a bit higher up the grid, as he could have been up there as well. The cars worked well as did the tyres. We just need to find some more performance.
The BAR Honda team leaves Brazil with another two points to its tally after Jenson Button finished 7th in this afternoon's 71-lap race. It was a disappointing conclusion to a promising weekend, which also saw team-mate Takuma Sato finish outside the points in 10th position.
Jenson was unable to translate a second row grid slot into a stronger race finish after suffering with tyre graining and oversteer throughout. Takuma was making solid progress through the field on a one-stop strategy but in the second half of his race he experienced a non-critical mechanical problem.
The team will now put its frustrations aside to focus on the challenge of its home grand prix with a two-day test in Jerez next week.
Gil de Ferran: "After a promising day yesterday, this developed into a difficult day with both cars. Jenson had a bad start and was plagued with an imbalance which prevented him from finishing in a better position. The story was similar with Takuma as he also was unhappy with the car. Obviously we will analyse what caused this unexpected problem and hopefully we will have a better understanding of the issues prior to Suzuka. On the plus side, the Honda engines ran well and we look forward to returning to Suzuka for our second 'home' race. All that remains for me to say is congratulations to Fernando Alonso on behalf of everyone at B.A·R Honda."
Shuhei Nakamoto: "It was a difficult start to the race after the accident off the grid, but at least the weather stayed dry throughout. I had been expecting it to rain and make life a lot harder. Both engines ran very well but Jenson struggled with a rear tyre graining problem and was unable to challenge for a podium finish. Takuma suffered with a non-critical mechanical problem in the second half of the race and was unable to fight for a points finish. Our running positions for qualifying in Suzuka are not too bad, so we will put this weekend behind us and focus on a much better home grand prix for Honda."
Fernando Alonso today became the youngest world champion in Formula One history, after his thirteenth podium finish of the 2005 season in the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos. Starting from pole position, the Spaniard drove a characteristically aggressive, consistent race to claim third position at the flag. With a championship lead of 23 points, and only two races remaining in the 2005 season, he therefore has an unassailable lead in the drivers' championship. At 24 years old, he therefore will become the youngest world champion in F1 history, in addition to the records of youngest holder of pole position and youngest race-winner he already holds. Team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella suffered a more complicated race, after struggling with oversteer that limited his pace. After starting third, the Italian finished fifth, just behind Michael Schumacher's Ferrari. The Mild Seven Renault F1 Team now occupies second place in the constructors' championship with 162 points, 2 behind McLaren Mercedes. An all-out fight for the constructors' crown will be the object of the final two races of the season.
Flavio Briatore, Managing Director: I am just delighted today. For Fernando of course, who has been fantastic all season, and for the team as well. They have produced a fantastic car and even if McLaren has been quicker, the points tell the only story that matters, over nineteen races. Fernando is just 24 years old, and he has been an incredible leader in this championship. The team works to make the car quicker, and he transforms that into results: that gives the team amazing motivation. Of course, we have to thank the team back in Enstone and Viry, all the partners who have supported us to make this championship possible, and everybody at the Renault group: they have all been part of a fantastic adventure. Now, we need to do our best in the constructors' championship, with Fisico and Fernando both pushing hard. We are doing our best to get closer to McLaren, and to take it down to the final race.
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: Fernando is a worthy champion, and thoroughly deserves every success he has achieved this year. The race itself was not dramatic for either driver, but it certainly produced a spectacular result. Now, we will be focusing 100% on the constructors' championship. There is no doubt McLaren are quicker than us, and we relinquished our lead today – albeit by a slender margin. But the team is working hard to develop the car and improve our speed, and we were certainly closer to them this weekend thanks to the developments at Enstone and Viry. We fully intend to take the fight to McLaren right up until Shanghai. But first things first: we will be celebrating a worthy champion this evening, and letting the feeling sink in properly!
The outcome of today's Brazilian Grand Prix was not what the BMW WilliamsF1 Team may ultimately have achieved. Both of the team's cars were involved in an accident just metres after the start, which put Antonio Pizzonia out of the race whereas Mark Webber was forced to pit for major repairs which lost him 25 laps, while his car was being repaired.
Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1): This is a disappointing result. After the start incident we lost a lot of time in the pits repairing Mark's car. Although we could not repair everything, we did enough to make it a safe runner. We did this in order to improve Mark's qualifying position for the next race, which we managed to do. The pace of Mark's car was really strong considering that he was running on low revs in order to keep the engine fresh for the next race. Antonio suffered too much damage to his car to be able to continue So, the pace of the car was good and I think that points were definitely possible today. Well done to Renault and Fernando on winning the Drivers' Championship.
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): Well done to Renault and Fernando Alonso, who today wrote a new page in the history of F1, becoming the youngest World Champion. There is not much to say about our race. Both of our drivers were involved in an accident even before the firct corner. Antonio's car was damaged too much to continue whereas Mark came back to the pits. The mechanics changed in record time the floor, radiator, suspension and some bodywork. Finally he was able to race. We now have to check if the engines were damaged in the accident or if we will be able to use them again with no risks in Japan. We hope we will have a positive end to the season.
Team McLaren Mercedes claimed a one-two finish in today's Brazilian Grand Prix and took the lead in the 2005 Constructors' World Championship. This was the team's first one-two since the 2000 Austrian Grand Prix and McLaren's 40th one-two. Juan Pablo Montoya drove a dominant race to win the Brazilian Grand Prix for the second year in a row. Kimi Raikkonen was a close second to claim maximum points for the team. Both drivers were on two stop strategies with Juan Pablo coming in on laps 27 (8.2 seconds) and 54 (6.2 seconds) whilst Kimi came in on laps 30 (10 seconds) and 59 (5.8 seconds). Kimi also set the fastest lap of the race on lap 29 with 1:12.268. Fernando Alonso has now claimed the 2005 Drivers' World Championship and Kimi remains second with 94 points whilst Juan Pablo has moved up to third with 60 points. Team McLaren Mercedes leads the Constructors Battle with 164 points.
Ron Dennis: "A phenomenal and well disciplined race by both Juan Pablo and Kimi. Our strategy meant that our actual qualifying performance was masked as we were running with a lot of fuel. We are delighted to be in the lead of the Constructors' World Championship but are disappointed not to be able to challenge for the Drivers' during the last two races. However, today's performance makes us confident that we are in a position to end the season on a high. Apologies to Kimi and Juan Pablo for the missed opportunities this season. Congratulations to Fernando and I'm sure he will be worthy World Champion. Now he has to raise his game as he faces a significant challenge to beat us in the remaining races."
Norbet Haug: "A perfect double win and a great achievement by both our drivers and the entire team which put us in the lead of the Constructors' World Championship. Our strategy worked well and gave us the opportunity to use our strong technical package to the maximum. Congratulations to Fernando and Renault for winning the Drivers' World Championship he and Renault deserve it."
Sauber drivers Felipe Massa and Jacques Villeneuve finished 11th and 12th respectively in today's Brazilian Grand Prix in Interlagos.
Peter Sauber (Team Principal): "We had a handicap when we had to start Jacques from the pit lane because of the infringement with the rear anti-rollbar on his car, but even if he had started from his 11th place on the grid it would have been very difficult for us to challenge for points today.
"All of us at Sauber would like to congratulate Fernando Alonso on becoming the youngest-ever World Champion. He has had a fantastic season and deserves his crown, as do Renault their success in winning the drivers' World Championship."
David Coulthard's race was over before it had even begun today, after a first-corner incident involving Antonio Pizzonia and Mark Webber forced him out on Lap one. Making an excellent start, David placed his wheels inside the two Williams' ahead of the first corner. Despite this, Antonio moved from right to left to gain a better position and it became a case of too many cars in too little space. With Webber on David's other side, there was nowhere for the Scot to go. The three cars touched, David lost his front right wheel and retired from the race. Starting from sixth on the grid, his team-mate Christian Klien pushed hard aboard his RB1. But, despite a determined effort, he was unable to maintain position and finished ninth, narrowly missing out on Championship points.
Christian Horner, Sporting Director: Christian drove a faultless race this afternoon, made no mistakes and maintained a good pace, but, unfortunately, it wasn't enough to contain our rivals. Looking at the results, there are two McLarens, two Ferraris and two Renaults in the points; a Honda and Toyota ahead of us and a Honda and Toyota behind us. It's therefore frustrating that, after such a strong drive, Christian didn't get any points. Nonetheless, it was a very good effort he put in this afternoon. David's incident was an unfortunate way to finish what has been a frustrating weekend for him.
Chris Jilbert – Cosworth F1 Race Engineering: Congratulations to Christian for driving a great race, it's a shame he narrowly missed out on a Championship point, but great disappointment for David with his first lap retirement. Both Cosworth 12 Series engines ran without issue throughout the course of the weekend, and will now be checked and readied for use in Suzuka.
Panasonic Toyota Racing salvaged a points finish from a difficult weekend at today's Brazilian Grand Prix at an overcast Interlagos where the rain held off. Ralf Schumacher took his TF105 to 8th place after a solid afternoon's work in trying circumstances after suffering understeer in qualifying yesterday caused by a tyre issue. Jarno Trulli faced a hard task from 18th on the grid after suffering a ten place penalty for an engine change yesterday. He lost places avoiding an incident at the first corner and found himself in traffic for most of the race before retiring with a pneumatic problem on the last lap. The result means that Toyota still holds 4th place in the constructors' championship with 81 points.
Ralf Schumacher faced a tough afternoon's work because of an issue with his tyres during qualifying yesterday, but he drove well to take a point for 8th place, his 12th points finish of the season.
Jarno Trulli had a frustrating afternoon, starting down in 18th place. He lost ground avoiding the incident at the start and he endured a difficult afternoon's work in traffic before he retired late on with a pneumatic problem.
A difficult Brazilian Grand Prix weekend for Panasonic Toyota Racing ended with the consolation of a single point after a solid afternoon's work around Interlagos.
Tsutomu Tomita – Team Principal: "It was good that Ralf made the points but he could have had so much more. During qualifying he had some severe understeer on his car because he was not satisfied with his particular set of tyres. We are very disappointed that this happened, but because of the strong racing and commercial relationship between Michelin and Toyota over many years we are confident that this situation will not arise again. Ralf should have started further up the grid and it certainly didn't help his race balance so in the circumstances he did very well. It was a frustrating race for Jarno. He did well to avoid Pizzonia in the first corner but then spent much of the race in traffic without a real chance to attack because it's so hard to overtake here. It all means it is now very difficult to chase third position in the constructors' championship, but we will keep pushing. We are especially keen to show our best performance at home in Japan in two weeks' time."
It was a case of mixed fortune for the Jordan Grand Prix drivers in today's 71-lap Brazilian Grand Prix. After a hectic start, which saw Karthikeyan gain some positions and Monteiro call at the pits at the end of the formation lap, both drivers settled down to run steady races. However, on lap 35, Karthikeyan had to do an unscheduled stop to change his left front tyre due to a flat spot which made him lose some time. Nevertheless, he finished the race in 15th position. Monteiro had to retire on lap 56 due to a mechanical failure. His retirement put an end to an impressive 16 finishes in a row, a record for a rookie.
Adrian Burgess: Today was a difficult afternoon. Both drivers were doing good jobs. Narain had a flat spotted tyre, which we had to change on safety grounds as it was too dangerous to risk carrying on with it. This extra pit stop spoilt his afternoon. Unfortunately for Tiago, his race finish record had to come to an end as we had a mechanical problem with the car. He has had a fantastic reliability this year and it is a pity it had to come to an end so close from the end of the season. Apart from that, we all want to congratulate Fernando Alonso on winning the Championship this afternoon.
It was smiles and handshakes all round in the Minardi F1 Team garage at the conclusion of today's Brazilian Grand Prix, not only for the gritty drive that netted Christijan Albers 14th place, but also for the fact Fernando Alonso sealed the 2005 FIA Formula One Drivers' Championship at the Interlagos circuit, the sport's youngest-ever champion having launched his F1 career with Minardi five years ago. The race started dramatically for Albers and team mate, Robert Doornbos, the pair managing to avoid a first-corner crash, which required the Safety Car to be deployed. The debris was cleared quickly, but soon after the race resumed, Albers' car suffered a sensor failure that compromised the performance of the differential and traction control system for the remainder of the event, and made the driver's consistent pace all the more commendable. Doornbos, too, ran a strong race, climbing as high as 13th place just before the first of his two scheduled pit stops. Unfortunately, he was not to see the chequered flag, though, as a broken oil pipe forced him to retire his car after 33 laps.
Paul Stoddart, Team Principal, Minardi Cosworth: On a day that Minardi produced its first-ever World Champion in Fernando Alonso, it was fitting to see him on the podium. I believe he will go on to be a very worthy champion and a tremendous ambassador for this sport. Like many drivers, Fernando started his career with Minardi, and even in those early days, there were obvious signs of his huge natural talent and ability. It was equally clear that with the right team and the right car at the right moment, today was always going to happen. We wish both Fernando and Renault all the best, and I think they have every right to be very proud of a job well done. As for our own race, I think it's fair to say we've been having our own private battle with the Jordans all weekend, but Christijan drove his heart out this afternoon to finish ahead of both of them. In the end, his determination allowed him to bring the car home in a well-deserved 13th place, despite struggling at times with the set-up. As for Robert, sadly, a broken oil pipe brought his race to a premature conclusion, which was a great shame, as both drivers gave their all this weekend. There are still two races to go, however, and the team and drivers will be putting in maximum effort to achieve strong results in both.
On a day which saw Fernando Alonso unofficially crowned World Champion after five years of dominance by Bridgestone equipped Michael Schumacher, the former World Champion and his teammate Rubens Barrichello took points for fourth and sixth place finishes this afternoon in the 71-lap Brazilian Grand Prix. Their points haul enables the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro team to not only maintain their third place in the Constructors' Championship but widen the gap from 10 to 17 points ahead of the Toyota Racing Team. Schumacher now ties for third place in the Drivers' Championship with Juan Pablo Montoya. Despite the looming rain clouds and the occasional wet patches on track from overnight rain, the race took place in generally dry conditions, resulting in a straight battle as various qualifying and fuel strategies played out. Fellow Bridgestone runners, Minardi's Christijan Albers and Jordan's Narain Karthikeyan took the chequered flag but their respective teammates Robert Doornbos and Tiago Monteiro failed to finish. It was a particularly disappointing end to a promising weekend for Monteiro who had qualified 13th the previous day. It also brought an end to his flawless finishing record in his debut year. The Formula One paddock now moves on to the final races of the year, the Japanese and Chinese Grands Prix.
Hisao Suganuma – Technical Manager – Bridgestone Motorsport: Both the Ferrari drivers had good strong performances today, especially Michael who was able to run quite a good pace up with the front runners. We are pleased that our tyres showed speed and consistency today and even towards the end of the race, Michael was able to push and keep the rest of the field behind him. Even though there were some wet patches on the track and it was slightly damp in places, our tyre performance did not seem to be affected, which was good to see. It was a good fourth place for Michael and a good sixth place for Rubens at his home grand prix. We have been encouraged by this weekend's performance and shall be incorporating these results into our future developments. I'm sorry to see Tiago's record stop here but we expect him to bounce back in the final two races. And finally, our congratulations to Fernando Alonso who has proved himself a worthy successor to Michael Schumacher this year.
Ross Brawn – Technical Director – Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro: The race went pretty well and we are pleased that Michael was able to take Fisichella. We had a good strategy and good pitstops. We shall take some pleasure from today and although we want to win races of course, we are currently not in a position to and we did everything we could have done this weekend to have a good race. There is some reward from today. It was a shame Rubens couldn't start higher on the grid as he could have been a real contender. However, both cars were good, the Bridgestone tyres were good and we just need to find more performance and get back to the old days.
Michelin driver Fernando Alonso has made history as the youngest winner of the FIA Formula One world championship after taking third place in today's Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos, São Paulo.
Alonso, who made his F1 debut in 2001 after just two seasons of car racing, took the chequered flag at the age of 24 years, 1 month and 27 days in Brazil. Previous record-holder Emerson Fittipaldi was 25 years 8 months and 29 days old when he clinched the 1972 world title at Monza, Italy.
Alonso is the fourth driver to clinch the F1 title on Michelin tyres but the first to have done so since the company returned to grand prix racing in 2001. His success caps a tremendous season for Michelin, which has totally dominated grand prix racing in conjunction with its seven partner teams.
With 17 of the 19 races complete, Michelin has notched up 16 victories, 16 pole positions and 14 fastest laps. Its partners have taken 41 podium finishes from a possible 51 and scored 543 of the 663 available points.
Michelin is also assured of victory in the world championship for constructors, although its partners McLaren Mercedes – which leads by two points – and Renault have yet to settle the final outcome.
Michelin's double title success has been achieved during the first year of testing new F1 regulations that require drivers to use a single set of tyres for qualifying and a full race distance. Teams have competed on five continents during the past seven months and Michelin's consistent success in a wide variety of climatic conditions has underlined its tyres' unparalleled performance and durability. The company has also demonstrated its unrivalled versatility, thanks to similarly effective World Rally Championship and MotoGP campaigns – as well as an eighth consecutive victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours, the world's most gruelling endurance event.
Pierre Dupasquier, Michelin motorsport director: "We offer our congratulations to Fernando Alonso and the whole of Flavio Briatore's Renault team. When it returned to the sport in 2002, team president Patrick Faure said he hoped to be challenging for the world title by 2005 and Renault has done rather more than that. I'm very happy that Michelin has helped the team fulfil its ambitions.
"Fernando and arch -rival Kimi Räikkönen have driven impeccably all season and the title has been settled over 17 races, rather than just today, but we can be proud of a magnificent effort by all our partners during this year's F1 campaign. Michelin's tyres have had the upper hand all season and we will spare no effort to maintain our dominance during the final two races."
Nick Shorrock, director of Michelin F1 activities: "Today marks the culmination of a magnificent success for Fernando Alonso and everybody associated with Flavio Briatore's Renault team. It is a fitting tribute, too, to all those who have contributed to Michelin's world title effort, both here at the circuit and in our offices and workshops at Clermont- Ferrand.
"Our tyres performed as expected in Brazil today, with their customary blend of speed and durability. It has been a great day for Renault and a good one, too, for McLaren Mercedes, with a splendid one-two finish that has elevated the team to first place in the world championship for constructors. There is still plenty to race for in the final two grands prix of the season – and we look forward to playing our part in that."
Pat Symonds, executive engineering director, Renault F1 Team: "Once again we had a podium full of Michelin drivers today– including the company's first world champion since it returned to the sport. That underlines the quality of its product. Michelin has effectively won every race in a dominant year and thoroughly deserves its title success."
Patrick Faure, president, Renault F1 Team: "This title is a victory for Fernando Alonso and Renault, but it is just as much so for all of our technical partners – and Michelin is naturally foremost among them. The company has supported us every inch of the way and we have worked extremely well together. What's more, Michelin is guaranteed the world title for constructors, which can be won only by Renault or McLaren. It has been a perfect season for Michelin and I'd like to extend my compliments to its whole team."
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