|
2005 European GP
Team Quotes - Sunday 29 May
Jean Todt: This was a very difficult race. In the chaos after the start, we ran the risk of seeing both our cars out of the race and, at the end of the first lap, Rubens was ninth and Michael fourteenth. We had to fight from start to finish. Rubens, who had chosen an aggressive strategy based on three stops, drove a great race, managing to get on the podium, after the leader retired on the final lap. Michael, who had opted for two pit stops, finished fifth. Obviously, these are not the results we aspire to, but at the moment, we have to settle for what we can get. If we cannot get near the front of the grid, then it is hard to win the race. This race marks the start of the second third of a long season. We know we still have a lot of work to do along with Bridgestone to get back on top and we will do that with our characteristic determination and methodical approach. I am convinced that we will soon succeed. These ten points are the result of a great job from our drivers and the entire team.
Ross Brawn: It was a frustrating start to the race because of what happened at the first corner. Considering that at the end of that lap we were last and close to last, I think we had a fantastic race. Rubens was very good and drove a great race. Michael had a two stop strategy which meant he obviously had a heavier fuel load. I think this led to his tyres being a bit “difficult” in the closing stages. Possibly the balance on his car was not quite so good either. Rubens was on a three stop, which meant less stress on the tyres and his were very good. He had race winning pace today. Unfortunately, problems on the first lap meant we could not exploit that fully.
Lucky Strike BAR Honda ended today's European Grand Prix outside of the points after Jenson Button and Takuma Sato crossed the line in 10th and 12th places respectively. This was far from the comeback performance BAR Honda had been hoping for, the 007 lacking the pace demonstrated in recent testing. The team now needs to understand the reasons for this.
Takuma's race was compromised by the melée in the first corner, which actually promoted Jenson and Taku to 8th and 9th places after several cars left the circuit. Massa, who was running ahead of Taku, was forced sideways and slowed on the exit, which made a coming together with Sato unavoidable. He lost part of his front wing on impact and was forced to pit for a nose change.
Jenson's balance veered between oversteer and understeer which conspired to make his race a battle from start to finish. Nonetheless, both Jenson and Takuma were pleased to have moved further up the qualifying order for the next race in Canada, by which time the team hopes to have resolved its performance issues in a double test next week at Silverstone and Monza.
Gil de Ferran: "Unfortunately this has been a disappointing day for us as our speed in testing clearly has not translated into good race pace this Sunday. Basically, our car just wasn't fast enough. At this stage we do not fully understand why, but we will investigate this during tests at Monza and Silverstone this week. We clearly need to find a solution before we leave for the races in North America. On the positive side, both cars finished reliably, with the Honda engines passing the test of surviving two race weekends with flying colours, despite lying dormant for the five weeks since Imola. We will also have a better position in the qualifying line-up for Canada."
Shuhei Nakamoto: "No reliability problems with the engine, but we're disappointed not to have produced a points-winning performance here. We will continue pushing forward with our development programme at Monza and Silverstone this week, and expect to be in better shape for Canada and the USA."
Fernando Alonso took a scintillating victory in this afternoon's European Grand Prix, his fourth of the 2005 season and the Mild Seven Renault F1 Team's fifth, seizing the lead on the final lap of the race after Kimi Raikkonen's McLaren spun out at the first corner. The Spaniard had hunted down the Finn during the final fifteen laps of the race and, in spite of a costly off-track moment just before his final pit-stop, succeeded in maintaining the pressure on the leader until the final lap. The Spaniard's two-stop strategy, running very long in the opening stint in order to make up position, paid off handsomely in spite of a collision in the opening corner where the Spaniard half spun following contact from Ralf Schumacher.
Italian Giancarlo Fisichella drove an equally strong race to sixth position, starting from the pit-lane after his engine stalled on the grid. Employing a similar late-stopping strategy to his team-mate, he made up fourteen positions in the 59 laps, especially around the second stop when he jumped ahead of a large group of competitors. His sixth place finish brought the team a further three points.
The Renault F1 Team has stretched its lead in the Constructors' Championship, and now has 76 points, while Fernando Alonso sits atop the Drivers' Championship with 59 points. Giancarlo Fisichella is sixth with 17 points.
Flavio Briatore, Managing Director: This was a fantastic victory for the whole team, and especially Fernando after a drive where he did not give up from start to finish. We thought before the race that other cars were lighter than us with their fuel load, and the race proved us right; it also showed we had the right strategy as we made up places on the other cars. Michelin provided great tyres, and we used them in the right way to keep pressure on McLaren until the last laps – and it paid off. We showed today that our car is quick, as Fisico managed to climb fourteen positions from the back to finish sixth. Congratulations to the whole team on a great win.
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: This was a fine win for the whole team, but our feelings go to Kimi and McLaren who did an excellent job today. We took a very different approach with our strategy this weekend, which was designed to pay off at the end of the race, and in fact we did better than expected. Fernando lost a lot of time in his first stint after being hit by Ralf in the first corner and losing positions, which left him stuck behind Coulthard for the first twenty laps. However, he drove the kind of consistent race we are used to seeing and the car was very strong at the end. Our apologies once again must go to Giancarlo – we don't know what caused his engine to stop on the grid, but he drove a strong race and collected valuable points from a difficult position.
Following Nick's second place in Monaco, and securing his maiden pole position yesterday, Nick Heidfeld came today second at the Grand Prix of Europe, giving the BMW WilliamsF1 Team another positive result in the space of a week. Unfortunately, team- mate Mark Webber retired from the race just after the start, after an accident on turn one.
Sam Michael (Technical Director WilliamsF1): It was a fantastic drive from Nick which made our three-stop strategy work. We were on hard tyres to complement our plan and it proved to be the right decision. It was the harder compound from Michelin which made it onto the podium today. It is another good result for us and it is just what the team needed. Mark had an accident in the first corner which was a shame as he was on a different race strategy with higher fuel load compared to Nick and the other cars around him.
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): It has been a turbulent race with many incidents in which we have been involved. Mark's race was over in the first corner. Nick delivered another error free race. He was on three stop strategy which meant he was taking a bit of a risk. This enabled him a drive without traffic and he made full use of this opportunity. Pole position and a second place in the race made a great weekend for him and for the whole team. Though, one must feel sorry for Kimi. He was dominating the race and to retire in the last lap obviously is very bitter.
Team McLaren Mercedes driver Juan Pablo Montoya finished today's European Grand Prix in seventh position. Kimi Raikkonen retired on the last lap due to a suspension failure having led for most of the race. A flat spotted tyre and the resulting strong vibrations were the cause of the failure. Juan Pablo's race was severely hampered at the first corner after the start when he was hit by another car. He resumed in 13th position having gained two places from his fifth place grid position. Both drivers were on two -stop-strategies which saw Kimi coming in on lap 18 (9.1 seconds) and lap 43 (6.7 seconds). Juan Pablo pitted on lap 19 (9.2 seconds) and lap 45 (7.8 seconds). Kimi remains second in the Drivers' World Championship with 27 points whilst Juan Pablo is eighth with 16 points. Team McLaren Mercedes are second in the Constructors' Championship with 53 points.
Ron Dennis: "Perhaps understandably the whole team has a strong sense of disappointment, heightened by the fact that Kimi's retirement took place on the last lap. Kimi flatspotted his right front tyre passing Jacques Villeneuve and from that moment on the front suspension was subject to extremely high levels of vibration. Kimi was able to cope with the inevitable blurred vision for over 15 laps and the team discussed with him his tyre condition. We jointly decided to go for the win and no member of the team including Kimi regrets this decision. The resulting suspension failure was understandable in the circumstances. Juan Pablo's race was looking good after a strong start putting him third after the first corner. Inevitably someone is going to get the braking wrong into the first corner and in this instance it appeared to be Mark Webber with Juan Pablo suffering the consequences. Once he had returned to the field and even with a badly damaged floor he was able to race to seventh place."
Norbert Haug: "Kimi drove a tremendous race and deserved to win. His retirement from the lead four kilometres from the finish was caused by a flat spotted tyre and strong vibrations resulting in a suspension failure. This is a very disappointing end to the race which had been dominated by Kimi. Juan Pablo's chances for a good result were over at the first corner after the start whilst being in third place when Mark Webber pushed him off the track. However we will continue to attack and try to do our best in the fight for the World Championship. We are now looking forward to the next race in Canada."
Sauber drivers Jacques Villeneuve and Felipe Massa finished 13th and 14th respectively in today's European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring.
Willy Rampf (Technical Director): "We had a disappointing ending to what had been a great race for us. Felipe was able to steer clear of the first-corner incident and drove with strong pace and the chance to score points for sixth place until he encountered a problem. We have yet to examine the tyres, and while we await a report from Michelin we will also carry out our own analysis of all our car data from the race. As for Jacques, his strategy was compromised by the first-corner collisions and he was never in a position thereafter to be able to recover the lost ground."
After an action-filled European Grand Prix, David Coulthard finished in fourth position today. Starting from 12th on the grid, the 13 time Grand Prix winner capitalised on a first-corner incident, when Mark Webber retired after entering the turn with too much speed. Moving up to fourth overall, David demonstrated competitive pace and led the race for two laps, before a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane dropped him back to fifth. The result claimed five more points for the team and increased its 2005 total to 19, after seven races. Tonio Liuzzi made an excellent start from 14th on the grid and charged through the field to provisionally hold sixth overall. He delivered some impressive lap times, before crossing the line in ninth position, narrowly missing out on a points finish.
Christian Horner, Sporting Director: It was a fantastic race for us. We capitalised on the first lap incident on the first corner and David had the pace today. He was doing very good times and set a string of fastest overall laps towards the end of the race. It was a shame that the Minardi pulled out right in front of him in the pit lane, which distracted him and caused him to release the speed limiter button fractionally early. But, it's another fourth place for the team and a podium cannot be that far away. Tonio also did a good job and missed out on scoring a point, principally due to traffic on his out lap.
Günther Steiner, Technical Director: We had a little bit of luck at the start of the race, but all credit to David and Tonio. They both did a good job and kept out of trouble. I think it's a great result for the team. We had no technical problems with the cars and the drivers did they best they could.” Dave Prigg, Cosworth: “An unexpected, but fantastic result for David, although unfortunate he just missed out on a podium finish. It was an exciting race that saw a Cosworth powered car lead for the first time this season. Both engines did their job faultlessly once again and will continue onto Montreal, the final event for the TJ 10 series engine prior to the introduction of a significant performance upgrade at Indianapolis.
A difficult afternoon's work at the European Grand Prix saw Panasonic Toyota Racing's Jarno Trulli pick up a point for 8th place. Trulli made a strong start to be up to third early on but a drive through penalty earned for a starting grid infringement by the team dropped him down the order. A gritty drive from there ensured that the Italian secured another points finish. Ralf Schumacher had an even harder race after he became involved in a first corner clash and had to pit for a new nose. He was battling up through the field when he spun shortly after half distance. After a successful evening of haute cuisine by German chef Johann Lafer on Saturday this result was slightly harder to swallow but it keeps Toyota in 3rd place in the constructors' championship on 44 points.
Jarno Trulli battled all day to bring his car home in 8th place finish, enough to keep him in the top three of the drivers' championship on 27 points. It could have been more but for an early drive through penalty for an infringement on the grid that dropped him down the order.
Ralf Schumacher had the most difficult of starts to his home grand prix, losing his nose after a first corner collision. The resulting pit stop sent him to the back of the field. He then pushed up the field, but he spun out on lap 33.
Panasonic Toyota Racing had a difficult home race as both Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher were forced into unscheduled visits to the pits in the early laps. After a start like that, Jarno's point was some consolation.
Tsutomu Tomita – Team Principal: This was obviously a disappointing race result for us but Jarno did well to bring the car home for a point – even if it was helped by a competitor's troubles. We knew we were in for a tough afternoon right from the beginning. Our problems started on the grid when Jarno's engine didn't start and we couldn't get the spare starter quick enough to get off the grid in time. That's why we got the drive through penalty which left him too far behind to manage anything higher than 8th place. Then Ralf was involved in an accident at the first corner. From then on he kept pushing but he spun off trying to catch Sato. Still, this is a long season and we will have good results on some days and less good on others. This result will spur us on even more for the next two races in Canada and the USA."
Starting 17th and 19th on the grid for the 2005 European Grand Prix, Tiago Monteiro and Narain Karthikeyan made strong starts, avoided incidents at the first corner and therefore improved their positions. After the first pit stop, Karthikeyan managed to pass Monteiro and kept a good pace throughout. Unfortunately for him, he made a small mistake near the end, which allowed Monteiro to overtake him. Monteiro had a good race overall apart from a drive through penalty for not respecting blue flags, which made him lose some precious time. Both drivers adopted similar pit-stop strategies, each calling in twice for fuel in the course of the 59-lap race. The team is really satisfied to bring both cars to the chequered flag, a result providing them with another solid, two-car finish, the fifth this season.
Trevor Carlin: Both our drivers had eventful races. Fighting with Jacques Villeneuve for the first part of the race was exciting. It took quite a long time for Villeneuve to pass Narain and he did not actually pass Tiago. Then, the race settled down after the pit stops. Unfortunately Narain made a small mistake in the end. We are quite satisfied with our race pace throughout the race and the progress we are making.
The Minardi F1 Team recorded the first double finish for its new PS05 chassis at today's Grand Prix of Europe, drivers Christijan Albers and Patrick Friesacher finishing 17th and 18th respectively in the hard-fought race. Fortunately, they were able to avoid the first-lap incident involving former Minardi driver, Mark Webber, and with the exception of a drive-through penalty assessed against Albers, for not moving over quickly enough for a faster car, the Faenza squad had a relatively uneventful race. Both drivers adopted two-stop refueling strategies, and while having to make some small adjustments to their cars during the race, Albers and Friesacher ran consistently to the chequered flag.
Paul Stoddart, Team Principal, Minardi Cosworth: Once again this weekend, I think we've demonstrated that we have made progress with the new car, and it is very satisfying that both Christijan and Patrick ran to the chequered flag today. It is unfortunate that Christijan incurred a blue-flag penalty for failing to move over quickly enough for David Coulthard, and we have apologised to Red Bull Racing over the incident. It is now onward and upward to Montreal and Indianapolis, for the Canadian and US Grands Prix. They are races in which Minardi has shown well in the past, and we will be aiming for a strong performance in both.
Bridgestone equipped Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro driver Rubens Barrichello took a well earned third place podium position this afternoon in the European Grand Prix ahead of his teammate Michael Schumacher who finished the 59-lap race in fifth place. The pair started from seventh and tenth places on the grid but both got caught up in the first corner confusion and found themselves having to fight their way up through the field again from ninth and fourteenth places. Using their respective fuel strategies to their advantage, they will be pleased to have come away with six and four points. The Scuderia continues to lie in fifth place in the Constructors' championship with a total of 31 points. Both drivers from the Jordan Grand Prix and Minardi F1 teams finished today's race at the Nurburgring and Tiago Monteiro in particular will be pleased to have completed every round so far this season. The event also marked the first time the Minardi team has got both cars home following the introduction of the new PS05 and will now be looking to build on that as the Formula One paddock heads across the Atlantic for the next rounds in Canada and the United States.
Hisao Suganuma – Technical Manager – Bridgestone Motorsport: I'm very pleased to see the return of a Ferrari to the podium again. Rubens drove a good race and deserved the reward. He also set the third quickest lap in the race this afternoon and I think overall, today's result was a reflection of our good tyre performance in race trim. We had no tyre issues such as high wear or blisters and I am only sorry that the Ferrari drivers got caught up in the first corner incident. Had they not been held up and had a clear run I think they could have capitalised even more. The Jordan and Minardi drivers all finished the race too which I am pleased to see and we now look forward to the two flyaway races in Montreal and Indianapolis.
Ross Brawn – Technical Director – Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro: We have been left wondering what might have been again, which is very frustrating. We know we have difficulties in qualifying and this was made worse by what happened on the first lap. Considering that by the end of that lap we were last and close to last, I think we had a fantastic race. The car was very good in the race. Michael had a two stop strategy with the heavier fuel load and towards the end of the race the tyres were getting a little bit difficult as a result. Rubens was on a three stop, lighter fuel load [strategy] which put less stress on the tyres. The tyres were very good and he had a great race. Rubens had race winning pace today but unfortunately couldn't use it. Both drivers were on the same specification of tyre but Michael probably didn't have quite as good balance in the race with the extra fuel and this took the tyre over the edge whereas Rubens was in much better shape.
Fernando Alonso extended his Formula One world championship advantage with a dramatic last-gasp success in today's Grand Prix of Europe at the Nürburgring. The Spaniard swept into the lead when rival Kimi Raikkonen was forced to retire at the start of the final lap. Alonso finished 16.5s clear of Nick Heidfeld as Michelin maintained its unbroken run of F1 success. The company remains unbeaten in 2005 after seven of the season's 19 races and has won the last eight world championship grands prix. This was the 82nd victory in Michelin's distinguished F1 career.
World championship leader Fernando Alonso scored his fourth Formula One win of the season in today's Grand Prix of Europe – but only after race-long leader Kimi Raikkonen retired at the start of the 59th and final lap. "The car was very good today, easy to drive, and the strategy was definitely perfect. I think today proved we are really going to fight for this title," said Fernando.
Flavio Briatore, Managing Director Mild Seven Renault F1 Team: "This was a fantastic victory for the whole team, and especially Fernando after a drive where he did not give up from start to finish. Michelin provided great tyres, and we used them in the right way to keep pressure on McLaren until the last laps – and it paid off."
The Finn outdragged pole position qualifier Nick Heidfeld at the start and quickly opened up a comfortable lead. Chasing a third straight grand prix success, Raikkonen looked to have everything under control until the race's final stages. On lap 34, he flat-spotted his front-right tyre while lapping Jacques Villeneuve – and this provoked a serious vibration that would have dramatic consequences as the race entered its final stages.
Alonso, who got ahead of Heidfeld as a consequence of making two scheduled refuelling stops to the German's three, sliced into Raikkonen's lead and was just 1.5s in arrears as they started their final lap. Under braking for the first corner, something in Raikkonen's long-suffering suspension broke and he speared off the road. Alonso swept through to take the fifth victory of his F1 career and extend his world championship lead to 32 points.
Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello – the only driver apart from Heidfeld to stop three times – took third.
A first-corner pile-up shuffled the order in the early stages. Third-fastest qualifier Mark Webber clipped Juan Pablo Montoya into a spin as the pack arrived – and that set off a chain-reaction collision that delayed Barrichello and defending champion Michael Schumacher, while Ralf Schumacher and Takuma Sato pitted at the end of the lap to repair consequential damage. Webber was the only driver to retire in the immediate aftermath.
When the dust settled, Jarno Trulli held third from David Coulthard – but the Italian soon lost time with a drive-through penalty, imposed because members of his crew had not cleared the grid within the maximum time limit. Coulthard went on to take a strong fourth – equalling his team's best result of the campaign – while Trulli fought back to take the final point in eighth.
There were strong recoveries, too, by Giancarlo Fisichella, who stalled at the start and charged through from last place to sixth, and Montoya, who took seventh.
Of the remaining Michelin runners, Vitantonio Liuzzi was ninth in his final start before Christian Klien takes the reins of the team's second car in Canada. Liuzzi is expected to return to the frontline later in the year. Jenson Button was 10th in B·A·R-Honda's comeback race and the unfortunate Raikkonen was classified 11th. Sato, Villeneuve and Massa took 12th to 14th places respectively, but Ralf Schumacher joined Webber as one of only two retirements when he spun off shortly after half-distance.
Pierre Dupasquier, Michelin motorsport director: "Another gruelling weekend has produced yet another Michelin F1 success – and one or two talking points besides. Our partner teams were as dominant in the race as they have been throughout the weekend and, indeed, throughout the season. Looking at the overall picture, it is clear that our tyres provided their usual combination of speed and durability.
"One has to feel sorry for Kimi Raikkonen, though. He flat-spotted his front-right tyre, which caused a serious vibration that clearly took its toll in the race's closing stages. When he made his second scheduled stop on lap 43, we could see the problem very clearly. The trouble is, it becomes very easy to lock your brakes repeatedly once a tyre has been flat-spotted – and that just amplifies the problem. We have seen cars locking up on many occasions throughout the weekend – it seems to happen quite a lot here, because one or two corners encourage drivers to turn in while braking."
Nick Shorrock, director of Michelin F1 activities: "This was the first race to feature F1's revised qualifying system and we saw a range of different strategies employed. The final result reflects well on Michelin and its partners and I'd like to compliment Renault and Fernando Alonso on the way they controlled the race throughout a tough grand prix in hot conditions."
Pat Symonds, executive director of engineering, Renault F1 Team: "Our car and tyres were very good today and I'd like to congratulate Michelin on its seventh win of the season."
|
