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2005 Japan GP
Team Quotes - Sunday 9 October
Jean Todt: This result lived up to our admittedly un-ambitious expectations. Michael had to dig deep into his reserves of talent to get the Ferrari-Bridgestone package home in seventh place. Rubens' chance of finishing in the points was compromised by the accident at the first corner. The subsequent Safety Car period offered the possibility of regaining some ground, but nothing much came out of it. Today's result confirms us in third place in the Constructors' championship behind the two teams which, running on the rival tyre to Bridgestone, have dominated the season. Objectively, this was the best we could do. Two points is not much, but all the same, we dedicate them to one of our team, Ivan Petterlini, who tragically died last Sunday. These last few days, all of us have been thinking of him. In a few days, we will be back on track in Shanghai for the final race of the year. The only pleasure we can derive from that is that this negative season is coming to an end. Then, along with Bridgestone, we will be able to turn our full attention to preparing for 2006.
Ross Brawn: Rubens got caught up in the mess at the beginning, which made his race very difficult from then on. Michael made a great start and I think we had a very good strategy today. But the performance of the package just faded in the middle of the race and became difficult to deal with. This then put us in a defensive position from about lap 20 onwards, which meant we had to try and protect our position. At the second pit stop, we had to make some adjustments to the car which meant we lost a place to Coulthard. We were not as fast as the front runners, but nevertheless we did a good job today, within the limits of our performance at the moment.
Jenson Button finished the Japanese Grand Prix in 5th place today, but he was disappointed that he was unable to convert a P2 start into a podium finish. A gritty performance saw him grasp 2nd position for the middle stint of the race but a problematic pitstop and a lack of pace cost him two places in the final order. His team-mate, local hero Takuma Sato, endured a tumultuous race to finish a frustrating 13th in front of his home crowd.
Jenson had a difficult start and lost one place off the grid but he went on to engage in a strong battle with Fisichella. When the fuel flap failed to open at his first pitstop he lost over six seconds, which prevented him from maintaining the fight at the front of the pack.
Takuma ran wide at the first corner and was unable to avoid touching Barrichello as he tried to get back on track. He rejoined the race way down in 18th position and fought his way back through the field, but a further incident involved a coming together with Trulli which put the Italian out of the race.
Gil de Ferran: "I must admit that we are disappointed with today's result, especially in front of so many Honda fans. Both cars generally lacked pace and we had several separate incidents that hampered our progress. It was a shame that Taku was unable to fight for points at his home Grand Prix, but the first turn incident made that virtually impossible. Jenson lost one position at the start and was having a good race until the first stop, when unfortunately the fuel flap did not open, losing him a lot of time. Our lack of pace after the first stop and losing an extra position in the pits meant that Jenson could only finish 5th. Obviously we were hoping to be quicker during the race and further analysis is necessary before we give our final verdict. We look forward to a better race in China."
Shuhei Nakamoto: "To be honest we have had a disappointing day and we have not managed to get the best out of the package. We only have one more race in the V10 era so have to do the best we can in China next week."
The Mild Seven Renault F1 Team finished a thrilling Japanese Grand Prix in second and third positions this afternoon with Giancarlo Fisichella leading home team-mate Fernando Alonso. After starting third, Giancarlo Fisichella took second place at the start and led much of the race once early leader Ralf Schumacher had pitted for his first stop. He continued to lead the race into the final stint, and when Kimi Raikkonen exited the pits for the final time just five seconds behind the Italian, it was clear that the scene was set for a tense battle. Giancarlo defended his position stoutly, but lost the lead to the Finn into the first corner on the final lap. Fernando Alonso started sixteenth, and after a stunning opening lap was running eighth. He lost seven seconds in the middle of the second stint, when he was obliged by the FIA to concede a position to Klien for the second time, and then drove aggressively throughout, making up positions with some of the season's most dramatic overtaking manoeuvres. He ran a short middle stint but the time lost during the opening stint had cost him track position, and left him with too much to do to fight for the lead at the end of the race. Nevertheless, he finished third – his fourteenth podium of the year – and helped the Mild Seven Renault F1 Team re-take the lead in the Constructors' Championship by two points, with one round remaining in China. The team now has 176 points; Fernando Alonso leads the drivers' championship on 123 points; while Giancarlo Fisichella remains fifth, on 53 points.
Flavio Briatore, Managing Director: What a fantastic race! It was a great spectacle for all the fans here at Suzuka, and watching on television. We had overtaking, dramatic incidents and a battle for the lead that went down to the final lap. Honestly, I think the key moment of this race was not at the end, but in the first stint when Fernando was forced to give his position back to Klien. We didn't understand why, because he had already done it once, but the FIA asked him to do it again. That cost him nine seconds, and meant he was in much more traffic during the rest of the race. Without that delay, he could have been in front of Raikkonen after the second stop, and maybe we would have seen a different result. As for Fisico, he led for much of the way but couldn't hold Raikkonen off at the end. But honestly, we must look at the positives now. We have one race left, we are leading the constructors' championship again, and there is a new engine upgrade to come in China. There is everything still to play for there.
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: After securing our third double podium finish of the season, it is strange to come away with a slight feeling of disappointment, but losing the lead so close to the end of a race we had led for much of the way, is hard to stomach. Undoubtedly, this was one of the most exciting races of the year, but things didn't go our way. Fernando drove fantastically well from sixteenth position, but the curious decision by the FIA to let Klien regain his position twice certainly cost him time, and left him battling traffic for much of the race. Even so, it was a great sight to see him cut close and put in the kind of aggressive race he had promised us. As for Giancarlo, he had executed his planned strategy perfectly, and it gave him a comfortable lead over the cars that started around him on the grid. However, he couldn't find the pace at the end to hold off Raikkonen. Even so, we have done a great job today: McLaren only finished with one car, and we took advantage of the situation to reclaim the championship lead. We will be looking to finish the job in China.
The FW27 proved strong and competitive today with Mark Webber running the entire race in the top 6 positions, having started seventh, and eventually achieving fourth place, helped by his strong pace, a well-planned strategy and some excellent pit-work. Team mate Antonio Pizzonia retired from the race on lap 10 when he spun off and his car ended up in the gravel.
Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1): It was a good effort by Mark, he drove well. We also had a good strategy and our crew did a good job on the pit stops to beat David Coulthard's Red Bull and also later on Jenson Button in his BAR. The pace of our car has improved. Unfortunately Antonio was out early. However, we are a winning race team so we continue to push until we get back there.
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): It was a great Grand Prix with many battles and overtaking manoeuvres. Mark drove a clean race. He only finally had to bend under the pressure of Kimi Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso. The pit crew did a fantastic job by gaining Mark two places and therefore enabling him to finish fourth. It is a shame Antonio retired early. Compliments to Kimi, one doesn't see often a driver winning a race from grid position 17.
Team McLaren Mercedes driver Kimi Raikkonen claimed victory in the penultimate race of the 2005 season at the Suzuka circuit in Japan after starting 17th. This was the team's sixth consecutive victory and Kimi's seventh of the season which means that Team McLaren Mercedes has won a total 10 races out of 18. Juan Pablo Montoya retired from the race on lap one after an incident with Jacques Villeneuve. Kimi was on a two-stop strategy and came into the pits on laps 26 (8.3 seconds) and 45 (4.9 seconds). The team now heads for the last race in China trailing Renault by two points in the Constructors' standings.
Ron Dennis: "Probably the best race of Kimi's career and a fantastic reward for the team's efforts in what has been a challenging weekend. The strategy was executed in a professional and disciplined manner and Michelin also performed to their usual high standard. Unfortunately Juan Pablo was the victim of an incident with Jacques Villeneuve which is currently being investigated by the Stewards, and we expect them to share our opinion. We now look forward to an exciting end to the season in Shanghai where our aim is to clinch the Constructors' title."
Norbert Haug: "Congratulations to Kimi and the entire team for an outstanding performance. Both drivers' had a big handicap starting from the back which meant that Juan Pablo was a victim of the traffic on the first lap. Kimi had to fight hard to make progress being hampered by lots of traffic. The team's strategy helped him and he gave it his all. Passing Fisichella on the outside of the first corner on the last lap was one of the greatest moves we have seen for a long time – probably since Mika's in Spa 2000. Thanks to Michelin for an excellent job and their first Formula One win in Japan and also to all the team members and let's go for it in China next week."
Sauber drivers Felipe Massa and Jacques Villeneuve finished 10th and 11th respectively in today's Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.
Peter Sauber (Team Principal): "Both drivers had strong and consistent races. Although we split the strategies after the safety car came out, Felipe and Jacques were less than a second apart at the finish which suggests that our result was the best we could have hoped for today."
Starting from sixth on the grid, David Coulthard capitalised on his qualifying effort and made an excellent start by diving through the field to make up two places. Christian also held on well and, after the first corner, the Red Bull Racing duo lay in fourth and fifth place respectively. When pole position driver Ralf Schumacher made his first pit- stop, David moved up to third, before briefly leading a Grand Prix for the second time this season. While the front- runners played leapfrog though their differing pit–stop strategies, Championship leaders Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, who had started 16th and 17th, charged up though the field. After a nail-biting finale as the race went right to the wire, David finished sixth to claim three Championship points, while his team-mate Christian crossed the line in ninth.
Christian Horner, Sporting Director: "To start sixth and finish sixth is a solid result, but the potential was there to beat BAR and Williams today. David led the race briefly prior to his first stop, but unfortunately the car wasn't quick enough after it was re-fuelled and he sacrificed some time. We made up ground later on when David completed an excellent sequence of laps and went past Schumacher through his final pit-stop. Unfortunately, Christian lost too much time in the first part of the race. He picked up the pace in the second but, by then, he'd given up bit too much ground to the cars ahead and it was another frustrating ninth place finish for him."
Michael Janes – Cosworth F1 Race Engineering: "All Cosworth TJ engines performed faultlessly throughout the Suzuka GP weekend, the second event for both race engines. We are obviously very pleased to have assisted David in his hard-earned points finish and look forward to repeating the same next weekend in Shanghai."
Panasonic Toyota Racing has taken a single point from its home race after Ralf Schumacher took 8th place around Suzuka. The German started in pole position after a storming performance in qualifying yesterday. He made the most of his start, holding the lead into the first corner and building up a two-second lead on the first lap. But an early safety car period following Montoya's crash did not fit in well with his three-stop strategy and he drifted down the order. Jarno Trulli faced the hardest of tasks from 19th on the grid, so he started from the pit lane to fill up with fuel. Unfortunately he was taken out by Sato early on so he never had the chance to see the race through. Toyota heads to China for the last race of 2005 holding 4th place in the constructors' championship with 82 points.
After yesterday's pole position, Ralf Schumacher stormed into an early lead in the early laps of the Japanese Grand Prix. But the safety car period did his strategy no favours, and he ended up taking a solitary point for 8th place.
Jarno Trulli always faced the most difficult afternoon, starting from the pit lane. But his race was cut short after only ten laps when he was hit from behind by Takuma Sato.
There were mixed fortunes for the two Toyota drivers at their home Japanese Grand Prix. But the point for Ralf Schumacher's 8th place comes as some consolation for the team's home fans that packed the stands.
Tsutomu Tomita – Team Principal: "It's disappointing not to have scored more points after being on pole. Ralf made a fine start and he succeeded in building up a lead with two quick laps before the safety car came out. Unfortunately the safety car stayed out far longer than we expected and that effectively ruined our three-stop strategy. Later on he had a problem with tyre vibration which meant he couldn't get back more places, but without the safety car we could have had a podium. Jarno was always going to have a difficult day starting from the pit lane but he was put out of the race by a hopelessly ambitious move on the part of Takuma Sato. A driver should be aggressive but fair. So it was a disappointing end to a good weekend, but that's racing. I'm sorry for all the fans who have come to support us, but unfortunately things didn't work out for us today. We will now hope for a better race in Shanghai next week."
The weather changed radically overnight from heavy rain to bright sunshine for the penultimate round of the 2005 FIA Formula One Championship at Suzuka. Starting 11th and 20th on the grid, Narain Karthikeyan and Tiago Monteiro made strong starts, avoided incidents at the first corners, gained some positions and settled into a good race rhythm. With less than 10 laps to go, Karthikeyan had to do an unscheduled stop to change his right front tyre due to a flat spot. However, the drivers took the chequered flag in 14th and 16th places. The team is really satisfied to bring both cars to the chequered flag, a result providing them with another solid, two-car finish, the 12th this season.
Adrian Burgess: We brought both cars to the finish again which is good. Narain had an imbalance with the car, which damaged his front tyres, and eventually he locked up once too often and flat spotted one. We decided to change it for precautionary reasons, as it could have become too dangerous for him to carry on. Tiago had a good race again from the back and finished 14th. Now we are heading to the final race in China next week and try to finish with a good result.
Minardi F1 Team drivers Robert Doornbos and Christijan Albers started today's Japanese Grand Prix in strong enough fashion, having climbed to 14th and 12th places respectively by the time they made their first pit stops. Both men picked the pace up further during the following stints, but then problems arose during the second round of pits stops that ultimately changed the complexion of the race for the Faenza squad. First, Doornbos overshot his pit box, with the result that the front jack man sustained a bruised leg, while the following lap, Albers also missed the stop marks as he came into the pits. This led to a problem locating the refuelling nozzle, with the result that a small amount of fuel spilled on the hot bodywork and immediately burst into flames. The fire was extinguished quickly, and fortunately, no serious injuries resulted, but Albers lost two laps while the situation was sorted out. In his final stint, Doornbos made amends for his earlier mistake by overtaking Karthikeyan's Jordan at the chicane on lap 43. He claimed 15th place at the chequered flag, while his delayed team mate made up some ground, but finished 17th.
Paul Stoddart, Team Principal, Minardi Cosworth: Today really was ‘the one that got away', as we clearly had a faster race car than Jordan, but due to mistakes by both drivers in their second pit stops, we weren't able to capitalise on our advantage. The team did derive some satisfaction, however, from the fact that three former Minardi drivers finished in the top four positions of today's race.
Seven time World Champion Michael Schumacher had to use all his skills in this afternoon's thrilling Japanese Grand Prix to finish the race in seventh place, having started from fourteenth on the grid. The Bridgestone shod driver endured a series of challenges from the championship's front runners and a longer than anticipated second pit stop to make an adjustment to his car before crossing the finishing line in seventh place. Schumacher's two points proved essential as they have confirmed the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro team's third place in the 2005 Constructors' World Championship. Schumacher continues to lie in third place in the Drivers' points standings after his main challenger, Juan Pablo Montoya, crashed out of the race. Rubens Barrichello had a less satisfying 12th place finish after an opening lap collision resulted in an off track excursion and a subsequent left rear tyre change. Of the remaining Bridgestone runners, Jordan's Tiago Monteiro finished ahead of his teammate Narain Karthikeyan and Minardi's Robert Doornbos and Christijan Albers.
Hisao Suganuma – Technical Manager – Bridgestone Motorsport: We are disappointed to have lost our home grand prix today. Rubens had a collision with another car in the opening lap, lost position and was unable to really get back into the race. Michael made a good start which kept him up with the front runners and taking into account his fuel load, we are quite satisfied with his lap times. The times were also consistent which was good to see in this afternoon's relatively warm conditions. Unfortunately, he was unable to make a stronger challenge today and as he also lost a position in the pitstop, seventh was the best he could do. However, it was a fascinating race today with plenty of overtaking and defending going on. I hope the China Grand Prix will be as entertaining.
Ross Brawn – Technical Director – Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro: Rubens got caught in the mess at the beginning and that made his race very difficult. Michael on the other hand got a great start and he had a good strategy. Unfortunately his car faded in the middle of the race and from lap 20 onwards he was on the defensive. We are disappointed to have lost out to the opposition in the second pitstop but we had to make an adjustment and that cost us time and a position. We weren't at the front today but I think everyone did a good job.
Kimi Raikkonen scored a spectacular victory in the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, the penultimate round of the 2005 Formula One world championship. From 17th on the grid – he was one of several leading drivers who suffered the consequences of a heavy rain shower during qualifying – the Finn survived a first-lap clash with team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya and fought his way through the field to emerge in second place after the final round of pit stops. He then cut the gap to long-time leader Giancarlo Fisichella and – after a couple of failed overtaking attempts – managed to usurp his rival at the start of the 53rd and final lap.
It was the Finn's seventh victory of the campaign – and Michelin's 17th. The company has now scored 92 F1 world championship wins but this was its first at Suzuka.
McLaren chairman Ron Dennis described the win as "probably Kimi's best". "It's a fantastic reward for the team's effort in what has been a challenging weekend. The strategy was executed in a professional and discipline manner and Michelin also performed to their usual high standard." added Ron.
Raikkonen's last -lap opportunism put the seal on the season's most spectacular race – an event that featured a series of breathtaking passing manoeuvres.
Ralf Schumacher led initially from pole position, but the German was handicapped by a three-stop strategy that eventually dropped him to eighth, behind a clutch of rivals who refuelled only twice. Fisichella passed front-row starter Jenson Button at the start and appeared to have the race under control once Schumacher stopped… but then Raikkonen appeared in his mirrors.
The race had been interrupted almost as soon as it started, because Montoya's car was left in a dangerous place after he crashed in the closing stages of the opening lap. Drivers then had to follow the Safety Car for more than 10 minutes while the Colombian's shattered McLaren was cleared.
World champion Fernando Alonso (16th on the grid) and Raikkonen both made swift progress through the field in the early stages, engaging in a memorable battle with Ferrari rival Michael Schumacher. At one stage, Alonso passed the German around the outside at 130R – one of the season's most challenging corners. Progress wasn't all plain sailing for the Spaniard, however. Stewards ruled that he had unfairly gained a place on Christian Klien, so he had to ease off for a few seconds and let the Austrian back through. Despite this and other delays – he was trapped behind slower cars after his first stop and ended up having to pass Michael Schumacher a second time – Alonso eventually made his way into third. He secured the position secure by passing Mark Webber on the run to the first turn, all but kissing the grass run-off in the process.
Webber's Williams crew gained him positions during both scheduled stops – he vaulted past David Coulthard and Button respectively – and that was enough to earn him his second fourth place in the space of three grands prix. He finished ahead of Button and Coulthard, who completed a Michelin clean sweep of the top six.
Michael Schumacher took seventh, ahead of his brother. Klien – a career-best fourth on the grid – took ninth as best of the remaining Michelin finishers, ahead of Felipe Massa, Jacques Villeneuve and Takuma Sato. Local hero Sato had a difficult afternoon. He ran wide at the first corner, necessitating an unscheduled pit stop, and later tangled with Jarno Trulli's Toyota. The Italian – who chose to start from the pits after spinning off during qualifying and failing to set a time – was forced to retire on the spot. Webber's team-mate Antonio Pizzonia also retired, after spinning into the gravel at Degner Curve.
Pierre Dupasquier, Michelin motorsport director: "What a fantastic race– it was a privilege to play a small but vital role in such clash of the titans, RenaultF1 and McLaren-Mercedes. I was delighted that Michelin's tyres enabled its partners to perform in such a spectacular manner through the 53 laps – and the ferocious pace did not compromise our customary performance or durability. This was a perfect illustration of how the current F1 regulations provide the basis for great racing."
Nick Shorrock, director of Michelin F1 activities: "It's great to celebrate our first win at Suzuka– and particularly in such circumstances, in a race that was full of entertaining battles from the first lap to the last. We have managed to evolve our F1 tyres throughout the season without ever dulling our competitive edge and both our ‘prime' and ‘option' compounds were highly competitive today. The early safety-car period naturally caused pressures to drop, but this had no adverse effect. Our tyres performed in a safe, effective manner in all conditions throughout the afternoon."
Ron Dennis, McLaren Group chairman: "That was probably Kimi's best race yet– the result of a great team effort. Michelin played a crucial role in our success and we're all now looking forward to China."
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