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2005 Canada GP
Team Quotes - Sunday 12 June
Jean Todt: This is an encouraging result, but we must not forget that our aim is to take the win, which escaped us again today. Having said that, prior to the race, I would have happily settled for both drivers on the podium, given that Michael, who had chosen a very aggressive strategy, had a problem at the start and Rubens, who went on to drive an extraordinary race, had started from the pit lane. It was a great performance from him. To finish third, starting where he did is exceptional. We cannot ignore the fact that several cars ahead of us retired and that the team also brilliantly exploited the opportunity presented by the Safety Car. We still have eleven races to go and we and all our technical partners, especially Bridgestone and Shell, will do our utmost, to get back to where we are used to being.
Ross Brawn: Obviously a very pleasing result given the problems we had in the last few races. However, at the start, things looked bad with Rubens in the pit lane and Michael getting swamped at the start. He actually made a good start and his initial acceleration was good and then he seemed to run out of grip. With our very aggressive strategy, running sixth on the road was a disaster. We worked out what could be done and had a pretty good race from then on. The car was good, well balanced, but not exceptional. We were still a little bit off the pace. We got the most out of it and with our strategy around the time of the Safety Car, everything worked extremely well. The guys did a fantastic job and the Bridgestone tyres worked well right to the end. With some new developments coming, I think we can look forward to some good races in the very near future.
Today's Canadian Grand Prix saw a valiant fight by Lucky Strike B·A·R Honda to bring a promising weekend to a positive conclusion. Although Jenson Button and Takuma Sato left the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve empty-handed after a premature conclusion to their race, the whole team leaves Montreal this evening with good reason for optimism.
It was a tough race of attrition for all of the teams with the field depleted by nine drivers at the end of the 70-lap Grand Prix. Both Jenson and Takuma experienced poor starts, which lost them two places each off the grid. Nonetheless, Jenson always had a podium within his sights until he fell victim to the legendary 'Wall of Champions' at the final turn with just 23 laps remaining.
Takuma was tapped at the rear of the car by Jacques Villeneuve in the first corner and sustained some damage to the diffuser and rear wing as a consequence. But his problems really began 22 laps into the race when he experienced a lack of gearbox oil pressure. The team brought him into the pits and worked furiously for 24 laps to replace Takuma's racecar rear end with that of the T-car in only 27 minutes, allowing him to resume the race and make the most of the opportunity to seize an improved qualifying slot in Indianapolis. He rejoined the action with 24 laps remaining but his return to the race was shortlived when the rear of his B·A·R Honda 007 locked up at the hairpin.
Gil de Ferran: "We are obviously disappointed not to have finished the race, however that's racing and the overwhelming feeling as we leave Canada and head to the US is a very positive one. Overall, our performance was much improved from the last race and we were challenging at the front end of the field throughout the weekend. Hopefully that's where we'll be in Indianapolis."
Shuhei Nakamoto: "A disappointing day. On the positive side, the latest spec engine ran well, and our pace throughout the weekend has been much better. All we can do now is look forward and aim to convert the speed into points next weekend in Indy."
After a fantastic start and a solid lead of the race, Giancarlo Fisichella, followed by Fernando Alonso both had to retire. Giancarlo suffered a hydraulics problem after his first pit-stop and his race finished on lap 36. Fernando damaged his suspension hitting the wall on turn 4 and had to retire on lap 39. For the first time this season, the Renault F1 Team didn't score any points. This said, the team still leads the constructors' championship with 76 points. Fernando also leads the drivers' championship with 59 points.
Flavio Briatore, Managing Director: This was a negative week-end for us but we have to consider that so far, we've had a strong season. In this sport, you can't expect a great result at every race. The team did a great job all week-end and today both cars were extremely competitive. We have to keep this in mind and be confident that we will be back on top next week-end at Indy.
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: Giancarlo retired with a hydraulic problem and Fernando had his suspension damaged after he hit the wall at the exit of turn 4. The car has been very competitive all week-end which makes it even more frustrating to lose this opportunity here in Canada. We bounced back after Monaco and we'll bounce back after this one as well!
Mark Webber today scored four valuable points for the BMW WilliamsF1 Team by finishing in 5th place, having started from 14th on the grid. In an hectic race, where only 11 cars out of 20 reached the end, Nick Heidfeld was forced to retire after 43 laps when running in 7th position due to an overheated and, therefore, failed engine.
Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1): It is good to pick up some points, but it is a shame because a lot more was possible with potentially at least one car on the podium. However, circumstances prevented us from achieving that. The brakes on the cars were fine, and the tyres were solid as well. This result moves us into equal third place in the Constructors' Championship and we are aiming to build on that in Indy.
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): It was more than a turbulent race. If you start from positions 13 and 14 and get rewarded with four points, under normal circumstances one would be happy. But today there was more within our reach. The ambient temperature has been significantly higher today than what we had expected, which caused the engines to run over their temperature limits. In Nick's case, continuously driving in a slipstream hampered the air flow to cool the engine which created an additional problem. This finally caused the engine failure. During the last few laps, when Mark wasn't affected by traffic, we decided to reduce the load on his engine.
Team McLaren Mercedes driver Kimi Raikkonen won today's Canadian Grand Prix to gain ten important Championship points. Team mate Juan Pablo Montoya was black flagged and excluded from the race for exiting the pit lane under a red light. Both drivers were on a two stop strategy in the 70-lap race but the second stops were brought forward as a result of the deployment of the Safety Car on lap 47. Kimi stopped on laps 24 (10.597 seconds) and 48 (10.850 seconds). Juan Pablo came in for fuel on laps 25 (10.117 seconds) and 49 (6.050 seconds). Kimi remains second in the Driver's World Championship with 37 points whilst Juan Pablo is 11th with 16 points. Team McLaren Mercedes is second in the Constructors' ranking with 63 points.
Ron Dennis: "Throughout the race we had to take some difficult decisions which only increased the pressure on the pitwall. Against this backdrop the mistake was made of not calling Juan Pablo in immediately after the deployment of the Safety Car which, of course, was only compounded by him driving through the red light. This shadow should not detract from a fantastic race by both Kimi and Juan Pablo. A one-two was possible and would have most likely seen Juan Pablo take his first victory for the team. However, there are many more races this season and as always as a team we will bear the consequences of our actions whether they are positive or negative. Our strategy for the remaining races remains unchanged. We will attack with a clear intention of winning with a firm and continuing commitment to equality for the drivers."
Norbert Haug: "A great race and a good performance from Kimi, Juan Pablo and everybody in the team. Juan Pablo was disqualified because he exited the pit lane under red lights after his second stop. Sorry for him, he drove a great race and would have deserved a win, which hopefully he will achieve very soon; he showed today that he can do it. I would like to thank everybody for the efforts displayed at McLaren in Woking, Mercedes-Ilmor in Brixworth and at Mercedes-Benz in Stuttgart and we are all now looking forward to the US Grand Prix in Indianapolis in seven days."
Sauber drivers Felipe Massa and Jacques Villeneuve finished fourth and ninth respectively in today's Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, adding five points to our score.
Peter Sauber (Team Principal): "I am very happy with this result. Felipe was finally rewarded after two unlucky races. He drove a fantastic, controlled race, particularly in the closing laps. Unfortunately Jacques was not able to benefit from his high grid position after damaging the front wing in the second corner, which compromised his race straight away. I would have been very happy for him to score points in his home race.
"Besides the performance of the drivers we should never forget that a key part of the game is to build reliable, strong and consistent cars, so thanks also to our team at Hinwil for their crucial contribution to this success."
David Coulthard and Christian Klien both finished the Canadian Grand Prix in the top eight today, to collect more points in the 2005 FIA Constructors' and Drivers' Championships and increase team's total to 22. Starting 12th on the grid, David delivered a calculated and strategic drive to move steadily up through the field. While nine of the twenty starters did not finish, the Scottish driver held his nerve and maintained a competitive pace aboard his RB1 to finish the race in seventh position. Making his fourth grand prix start for the team, Christian Klien moved up eight places from his grid position of 16th to end the race in eighth position.
Christian Horner, Sporting Director: Persistence paid off at the end of the day and both drivers kept their noses clean, reacted to situations well, looked after their car's brakes and we picked up three points. So, in terms of a team result, it was as much as we could have hoped for today. We knew we didn't quite have the pace here, but we maximised our chances, the tyres lasted well and came away with a solid result.
Günther Steiner, Technical Director: Considering our starting position on the grid, we did a good job today and it's great to see both drivers finish in the points. The car ran faultlessly, with no technical problems and I have to thank the team. They did a fantastic job and today's result was very much down to them.
Dave Prigg, Cosworth: A fantastic double points finish for David and Christian, which continues Red Bull Racing Cosworth's record of scoring points in all but one GP this year. This finish also provides Cosworth with the enviable position of being the only engine manufacturer to supply a team with an uninterrupted sequence of engines from the start of the season. An unmatched level of reliability from the TJ2005 10 series engine, at its final race. Red Bull Racing will enjoy a significant performance step with the introduction of the TJ2005 12 series engine next week at Indy.
Panasonic Toyota Racing has recorded yet another points finish at today's incident-packed Canadian Grand Prix after Ralf Schumacher took 6th place around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. But there were mixed emotions as Jarno Trulli was robbed of a podium by a brake failure eight laps from home. Both drivers had eventful races, with Jarno moving up two places at the start and then moving steadily up to third when he retired. Ralf climbed up through the field after losing ground at the start on his way to three championship points. The German treated the whole team to an evening of karting last night, so there were a few sore limbs among the mechanics. But this result, which means that Toyota has retained a share of 3rd place in the constructors' championship, will help soothe the aches and pains.
Ralf Schumacher took his yet another points finish by finishing 6th today at Montreal. The German lost ground at the start but battled hard all afternoon in traffic to bring home three points.
Jarno Trulli was denied his fourth podium of the season after suffering a brake failure in the closing stages of the Canadian Grand Prix but the Italian retains third place in the drivers' championship.
Panasonic Toyota Racing will leave Montreal still holding onto a share of third place in the constructors' championship after today's points finish in an incident-strewn Canadian Grand Prix.
Tsutomu Tomita - Team Principal: "Both drivers put in fantastic efforts today, but as a team we were very unfortunate. Jarno made a great start, he drove well all afternoon and he was heading for the podium until he suffered a brake failure. We had lost all the telemetry on his car shortly after half-distance so we couldn't monitor what was happening on the car. He reported back no problems so we'll have to see what happened when we get the car back. Ralf had a bad start and lost positions so it was difficult to move forward with his strategy. He did a very good race, and did well to make up some places in the first laps. During the safety car period he ended up the lead car when Montoya pitted on the instructions from race control. From a lap back all he could do was stay in 6th for three valuable points. The good thing is that Toyota again showed its strong performance to the world and we will continue to challenge next week at Indianapolis."
The Jordan Grand Prix drivers had an eventful race today at the Canadian Grand Prix. On lap 8, Karthikeyan made a small mistake, went off on the grass, which allowed Monteiro to pass him although he regained the track. However, Karthikeyan managed to retake his position after his first pit stop. Unfortunately, 0n lap 25, he had to retire after touching the wall, which resulted in damaging his right rear suspension. Monteiro showed a good pace throughout the race, avoided incidents and finished in 10th position, his eight consecutive finish.
Adrian Burgess: It was a very eventful race for Jordan Grand Prix today. I would like to congratulate Tiago for breaking the record of consecutive race finishes in his first year in Formula One. It is very impressive for him. Narain made a small mistake, which was unfortunate but we are relatively satisfied with the progress we are making so far. Now we will work hard to have another good race in Indianapolis next week.
In a Canadian Grand Prix full of incident and mechanical carnage, the Minardi F1 Team recorded its best result of the 2005 season, Christijan Albers taking the chequered flag in 11th position and recording some competitive lap times in the process. Team mate, Patrick Friesacher, also ran strongly from the start, but his car suffered a loss of hydraulic pressure soon after the second of his scheduled pit stops, and he was forced to retire on lap 39. Like a number of drivers, Albers took advantage of the Safety Car deployment on lap 47, diving for the pits to take on sufficient fuel to finish the gruelling 70-lap race. The Team comes away from the Canadian Grand Prix weekend encouraged by its performance both in qualifying and in the race, and now looks forward to next weekend's United States Grand Prix – an event that last year yielded a World Championship point for the Faenza squad.
Paul Stoddart, Team Principal, Minardi Cosworth: Without doubt, today's race was Minardi's strongest so far this year, with a gutsy performance from Christijan to finish in P11. Sadly, Patrick retired on lap 39, with a power steering failure, which resulted in a loss of hydraulic pressure. There's no question but that there is still performance to come from the PS05, and we now look forward to next weekend's race, in Indianapolis.
Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello finished a thrilling Canadian Grand Prix this afternoon in second and third places at the sweltering Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, giving them their first double podium finish of the season. Schumacher, who started from the front row, lost several places at the beginning of the race but used the consistency of his car and tyre package and the Safety Car period to his best advantage to climb back up to second. Barrichello, meanwhile, had to fight every inch of the way, having started from the pitlane after a gearbox problem ruined his qualifying run yesterday. Schumacher's second place finish has now boosted him to fifth place in the Drivers' Championship standings with 24 points, three points ahead of teammate Rubens Barrichello who lies in seventh place. Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro remains in fifth place in the Constructors' Championship but have significantly closed the gap to the front runners. Meanwhile, Jordan Grand Prix's Tiago Monteiro took the chequered flag in tenth place, continuing his run of eight finishes in as many races. Minardi's Christijan Albers also crossed the finishing line, in eleventh.
Hisao Suganuma – Technical Manager – Bridgestone Motorsport: "It was great to see the two Ferrari drivers on the podium today as everyone has worked very hard for this result. We experienced very hot track temperatures today, which were quite tough on the tyres, so I was pleased to see them perform so well. After Michael qualified in second yesterday, our tyres then provided both him and Rubens with a consistency in performance that enabled them to achieve second and third places today. Considering Rubens started from the pitlane, a third place finish was excellent. I was also pleased to see that Ferrari didn't experience wear or blistering problems today while both Christijan Albers and Tiago Monteiro also crossed the finishing line. I must say thank you to our race and test teams because a result like this comes from a lot of hard work and cooperation. We have certainly made a good step forward with the new tyre specification which was brought here and once we have made the appropriate post race checks, hope to use it again in Indianapolis. However, while the results were an improvement on our earlier race performances, we always try to win so we will continue to push hard."
Ross Brawn – Technical Director – Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro: "A very pleasing result today - particularly after the last few races. Having said that, the beginning of the race was a disaster with Rubens starting from the pitlane and Michael, who actually got a good start, but for some reason got stuck after that. We had a very aggressive strategy so running in sixth was a disaster. But we picked ourselves up and worked out what could be done and ran a pretty good race. The car was good and was balanced but not exceptional and we could see we were a little off the pace. So we made the best use of it, the strategy and the safety car and it all worked extremely well. The Bridgestone tyres were strong and were there until the end so no problems there. We've got things to look forward to with a new aero package in Magny-Cours, a new engine spec coming and developments on the tyres so I'd like to think we can fight from a position of strength in the next few races."
Four Michelin drivers set a searing pace in the opening stages of the Canadian Grand Prix – but only one of them survived 70 gruelling laps. Initially at the tail of the leading group, Kimi Raikkonen capitalised as a variety of problems struck his rivals and was able to ease to his third win of the campaign, more than a second clear of world champion Michael Schumacher's Ferrari.
Renault drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and Fernando Alonso swamped front-row qualifiers Jenson Button and Schumacher at the start. Button clung on to third initially, but the German was swiftly barged aside by McLaren team- mates Juan Pablo Montoya and Raikkonen. The McLarens moved ahead of Button when the Englishman made his first scheduled stop on lap 15, and thereafter any of the top four looked capable of victory.
Montoya threatened to get ahead of Alonso when the first four came in for fuel – but although the Colombian rejoined a few inches ahead at the start of the 26th lap, he ran wide onto the grass and dropped immediately back behind the Spaniard. And then the leading group began to crumble…
On lap 33, Fisichella slowed with a hydraulic problem and gifted the lead to Alonso. The Spaniard only lasted six laps, however, before clipping a wall and retiring to the pits with suspension damage.
Montoya remained ahead of Raikkonen – who was struggling with a slight steering problem – until lap 47, when third-placed Button crashed heavily at the final chicane. The Safety Car was deployed… but not in time for Montoya to make the pit entrance at the end of his 48th lap. Raikkonen – and almost every other driver – took advantage of the situation to make their final pit stops. Montoya came in on lap 49 and rejoined just behind Raikkonen – but he jumped a red light at the pit lane exit and was promptly disqualified.
That left Raikkonen to hold off Schumacher to the flag – and despite concerns about his skewed steering wheel he was still more than a second clear at the flag.
"I have gained what I lost at the last race and my championship battle is back on. I came here to get ten points and we got them and I'm really pleased."
Ron Dennis, McLaren Group chairman, added: "We've had no problems at all with our Michelin tyres – they gave us an opportunity to pace ourselves and win comfortably. I'd like to extend my thanks to Michelin for another great job."
The high rate of attrition allowed Rubens Barrichello – who started from the pits after a gearbox problem wiped out his qualifying run on Saturday – to take third place. That had looked almost certain to go to Jarno Trulli, but a suspected front brake problem forced the Italian out with only seven laps remaining.
Felipe Massa took fourth, ahead of Mark Webber, Ralf Schumacher, David Coulthard, Christian Klien and Jacques Villeneuve.
Local favourite Villeneuve qualified a promising eighth, but first-lap contact with Takuma Sato damaged his nose section and he lost time pitting for a replacement.
Of the other Michelin runners, Nick Heidfeld was running ninth when his engine failed and Sato struggled after being hit by Villeneuve. He eventually pitted for gearbox repairs, but rejoined on the 47th lap – just as Button crashed. He soldiered on for a while before his rear brakes locked and pitched him into a spin.
Pierre Dupasquier, Michelin motorsport director: "Despite losing four of our front-running cars through a variety of problems, we maintained our impressive run of F1 form today. The Renaults and McLarens were untouchable in the early stages and all four drivers looked like potential winners, with Jenson Button's B·A·R-Honda comfortably holding the leading Ferrari at bay not far behind.
"In the end, a number of race incidents forced out several of our fastest cars – but Kimi Raikkonen did an excellent job to stay ahead all the way to the flag. In terms of tyre performance, everything has gone absolutely to plan this weekend."
Nick Shorrock, director of Michelin F1 activities: "The three compounds used in this race performed as expected and all of them completed a full race distance. We wondered what effect the late Safety Car period might have, with pressures dropping off at slower lap speeds, but a fair bit of rubber had worn off the tread by that stage and the tyres returned very quickly to full operating temperature – as lap speeds indicated. After losing a bit of our Saturday morning pace in qualifying – largely, we think, because of the way the track had evolved – it was very pleasing to see that we were back to our full potential in the race.
"Last but not least, I'd like to congratulate McLaren-Mercedes for emerging on top in an incident-packed, fiercely-contested grand prix."
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