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2006 Bahrain GP
Team Quotes - Sunday 12 March
The World Champion Renault F1 Team and Fernando Alonso started their title defence in the best possible way this afternoon at the 2006 Bahraini Grand Prix, with the Spaniard taking victory in a hard-fought battle with Michael Schumacher. However, there were also mixed feelings in the team, as Giancarlo Fisichella was forced to retire on lap 21 following an hydraulic failure on his R26.
Fernando Alonso's victory centred on three key moments: on lap 8, when he narrowly avoided an accident with Felipe Massa after the Brazilian spun behind him into turn 1; and then two moments around the second pit-stop, both in the laps before his stop when he was able to gain vital time on Michael Schumacher, and then exiting the pits, as he battled wheel to wheel with the German into turn 1, to secure the track position that gave him victory. After this moment, on lap 40, he controlled his performance and the gap to the Ferrari all the way to the flag.
Giancarlo Fisichella started the race from his original P9, after the team had changed a large number of peripheral components on the engine in order to try and resolve the power loss he had suffered in qualifying. Unfortunately the problem continued, leaving the Italian around fifty horsepower short of his potential maximum throughout the opening part of the race. He made his first pit-stop on lap 16, but was forced into retirement five laps later after an hydraulic leak.
Flavio Briatore, Managing Director: Thank you to the entire team and our partners for this fantastic victory. Fernando did an incredible job, and managed his race perfectly to win. We can only apologise to Fisico, who had an engine problem all the way through the race and then was forced to retire. The team did an awesome job: the pit-stops were exceptional, and helped Fernando get back out in front of Michael at the end. This was an emotional race, and a fantastic show. We are all very happy.
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: This was a great race for Renault. From the driver onwards, our team showed what it is made of today. It was obviously very, very close around the second stop between Fernando and Michael, and we had known from the start that the laps around the second stop would be crucial. Our best chance of victory this weekend came from running a bit longer on our stints, to exploit the performance we found on the Michelin tyres. It worked, but only just! Our apologies must go to Giancarlo. The engine problem he suffered in qualifying had not gone away as we hoped, and seriously compromised his performance. In the circumstances, he did an exceptional job. Ultimately, though, an hydraulic leak stopped the car and forced him to retire.
Today's season opening race in Bahrain saw Team McLaren Mercedes drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya finish in third and fifth place respectively. Kimi was on a one-stop strategy after starting from the back of the grid, coming in on lap 30 (11 seconds), whilst Juan Pablo stopped twice on laps 23 (8.8 seconds) and 44 (6.9 seconds). Kimi is third in the driver's standings with six points and Juan Pablo is fifth with four. Team McLaren Mercedes is joint first with Renault in the Constructors' rankings with 10 points apiece.
Ron Dennis: "A difficult weekend which stretched the whole team. The results are therefore just reward for their efforts. We are all looking forward to Malaysia where our justifiable expectation is to do better."
Norbert Haug: "Kimi's performance was excellent coming from last place on the grid to finish third on the podium. Kimi was fighting all the way through the race and our one-stop strategy was ideal and helped to make this result possible. With his third place and Juan Pablo's fifth we have gained 10 points and are together with Williams Cosworth the only team which has finished with two cars in the points. So we are heading in the right direction. I want to thank the team for all their efforts following yesterday's problem. We are looking forward to next week's Malaysian Grand Prix."
Jean Todt: "Today we had everything we needed to win, perhaps we needed just that extra little bit of luck ! nevertheless we saw that this weekend our car-engine-Bridgestone tyre package was competitive from the first to the last lap. This is of fundamental importance for team morale and to show that we and our technical partners have worked in the right direction over the winter. This race confirms that there are four teams capable of winning and Ferrari is one of them. Michael made it to the second step of the podium. It's a pity about that qualifying lap that wasn't acknowledged this morning because of the 110% rule, because maybe that bit of extra fuel would have been enough to stay ahead. However we say this with hindsight and it's the sort of thing that is a typical part of racing and we have to accept it. Felipe drove a great race: his spin and the subsequent problem with the tyre change stopped him from doing as well as he could have done. His performance today is still a good sign for the rest of the season. We have a lot of work to do but we'll do our utmost to fight for the championships. Today's result gives an extra boost to the team, the drivers and Bridgestone."
Ross Brawn: "Obviously very frustrating to have come so close to winning a race but after the season we had last year we can take a great deal of encouragement from today's performance. Now we have to work on all those bits and pieces to find that little bit extra to win the next race and the one after that. We are in a close fight at the front and it's down to us now to get everything else right and try and win this championship. Felipe was going very well until he spun and we need to find out what caused it. He had a very good race after that. When he came in for the pit stop we had a problem with the right rear gun. The back-up system didn't work either. We're going to have a careful look and see what caused this error."
Panasonic Toyota Racing capped off a disappointing weekend at the Bahrain Grand Prix with a difficult race around the Sakhir circuit. The new package has struggled for pace all weekend and for that reason the team put the two drivers on different strategies, turning the afternoon into an effective test session. This decision was taken as part of a bid to come away from Bahrain with as much data as possible about how to get the most out of the cars at the coming races. Both Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli fought hard in trying conditions but in the end they could do no better than 14th and 16th places at the first race of 2006. Toyota will now head to next weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix hoping to have learned some lessons as it tries to make a step forward.
Ralf Schumacher raced on a three-stop strategy as Toyota opted to gain as much data as possible from the day's work.
Jarno Trulli battled hard on a two-stop strategy in a bid to help Toyota to learn as much as possible from Sakhir.
This weekend's disappointing performance has come as a shock to the Panasonic Toyota Racing team.
Tsutomu Tomita – Team Principal: "The first grand prix weekend of 2006 has been a shocking way to start the year – not only for the team but for the fans all over the world. This afternoon our reliability was good and Ralf and Jarno used all their skill and spirit. But the car was unexpectedly slower than many of the other cars and we could do nothing to step up during the race. We put the drivers on different strategies – Ralf on three tops and Jarno on two. At one point Jarno was good enough to let Ralf through because he was on a different strategy and a lighter fuel load, which meant he finished ahead. But overall we have to treat the weekend as a test session and use it to analyse why we didn't get the expected performance level. It was a disappointing race and a disappointing weekend and certainly not what we expected coming here based on our performance in testing. The basic balance of the car was okay but we have just been struggling for grip all weekend. It seems we have lost the considerable performance advantage we have built up since the middle of last year so we have a lot of work to do to understand the reasons. This is a very frustrating atmosphere but I'm sure that we will make every effort to come back at the coming races."
Sam Michael, Technical Director, WilliamsF1: "Our final positions today don't reflect our real pace as the car was fast and we were perhaps a bit too conservative on our pit stop strategy by running too long at the start. However, looking at the FW28 over the race, it is clear that we have a strong car aerodynamically and mechanically. With all of the new partnerships that we have, today is a credit to all involved. The tyres worked fantastically, we couldn't have asked for better, as our long runs on Friday with Alex indicated. Unfortunately on qualifying day, the track was a bit too cool for our compound compared to the other Bridgestone runners, but today the compound was perfect. Together with our other technical partner, Cosworth, it is clear we have a good combination. Mark drove a solid race, start to finish. Nico made mistake at turn one, which cost him 45s on his in lap and pitstop - without this, he would have been on the podium and he did record the fastest lap of the race. For his first race, it's a fantastic result. Our target now is to turn up in Malaysia and deliver the goods."
Simon Corbyn, Head of F1 Race Engineering, Cosworth: "Today was a great start to the season with Williams. Neither of the Cosworth CA 2006 engines missed a beat throughout the race and the performance of the series two engines was very competitive and everyone at Cosworth deserves thanks for all their efforts over the winter."
Jenson Button brought home five Championship points for the Honda Racing F1 Team today in the opening round of the 2006 Formula One season, displaying encouraging pace for much of the race. He ended the Bahrain Grand Prix in fourth position after competing for a podium position for much of the 57-lap race and enjoying some great battles, including a thrilling dual with his new team-mate Rubens Barrichello.
Unfortunately Rubens' first race for the team was blighted by a gearbox problem and he was unable to push for position. He ended the race in 15th place.
Gil de Ferran: "Jenson drove a brilliant race, pushing hard throughout and showing that we had very similar pace to the leaders. Unfortunately he had a clutch problem at the start which dropped him back and ended up compromising the whole race. Rubens was running well early on but he lost the use of a gear which wiped out his chances. We come away from Bahrain disappointed with our final result but at the same time very encouraged by the performance of our car and drivers and looking forward to Malaysia."
Shuhei Nakamoto: "A disappointing result. Looking at the positives, Jenson's pace matched that of Fernando and Michael for most of the afternoon, and he drove his customary strong race throughout, but the start spoiled his chances of a better finish. It was a shame for Rubens that his debut race for us was affected by a gearbox problem. The V8 engine has been strong the whole weekend, and we remain positive for next week."
Starting from eighth and thirteenth on the grid respectively, Christian Klien and David Coulthard pushed hard in the first race of the season today aboard their new RB2s. Following a two-stop race strategy, Christian remained firmly in the top ten throughout the race and crossed the finish to claim a Championship point for both himself and the team.
On a contrasting one-stop strategy, David was also looking good for a points finish. However, after collecting a flat spot on his tyre when he locked under braking during a battle with Nick Heidfeld, the Scot had to endure violent car vibrations for the remainder of the race. In the closing stages, he dropped from eighth to tenth and narrowly missed out on a points finish. But hey, considering the RB2 hadn't completed a full race distance before today – not such a bad overall result.
Christian Horner, Sporting Director: "Going into the race having not completed more than 20 consecutive laps, I think it was an excellent effort from the whole team. Both drivers drove well on different strategies and appeared to have reasonable pace, especially at the beginning. However the two Williams cars had incredible pace, especially after their pit stops, and we just weren't quick enough to hold them off, particularly Rosberg. But, we have one Championship point and we're off the mark. We now have to build from here."
This was not a great start for our team in Bahrain. After starting from 10th and 11th places respectively, neither Nick Heidfeld nor Jacques Villeneuve was able to score points in this opening round of the 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship. After an incident after the start, Nick dropped to 19th and had to fight back to 12th. Jacques retired on lap 30 with engine failure.
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): The start of the weekend was promising, but unfortunately we could not maintain our performance for the race. Jacques' car suffered a serious engine failure, without any warning. The unit was removed immediately after we got the car back, and sent to Munich for analysis. Nick was the victim of a collision in the first corner with Nico Rosberg, and was relegated to the tail of the field. From there he recovered to 12th but the lap times were not as good as expected. That shows that we have started well but still have much to do.
Willy Rampf (Technical Director Chassis): After qualifying we were optimistic for the race, but I have to admit that our pace this afternoon was not at the level we had expected after practice on Friday and Saturday. We have to analyse the reasons for this carefully, but for sure there is a lot of work to do.
It was a disappointing end to a tough weekend for MF1 Racing, as the team struggled to find both pace and reliability at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir. Christijan Albers suffered a driveshaft failure at the start, while Tiago Monteiro's car was diagnosed with a terminal transmission problem that forced him into the T-Car.
On a positive note, Tiago Monteiro overcame a myriad of problems to earn 19th finish of his 20-race Formula 1 career. Despite a complete lack of familiarity with a car that was not optimised for him and being forced to start the race from the pit lane, the 2005 reliability leader once again demonstrated an uncanny ability to get the job done, no matter the obstacles.
Colin Kolles, Managing Director: "Today was a very difficult day for the team, but sometimes these things happen, unfortunately. You can't control luck, so there's no point dwelling on this. Now, we are looking forward to working together with our technical partners to improve our overall package and demonstrate the performance we know we are capable of."
Adrian Burgess, Sporting Director: "We finished with one car in our first race of the year, Tiago doing a good job to bring the T-Car home, which he'd never driven before. It was an unfortunate start of the year for Christijan, who suffered a mechanical failure on the grid. We're not happy with the result today, but we'll do our best to fix it and get our season started properly at the next race."
Gerhard Berger (Team Owner): "It's a really good result for us. With not many of the front runners stopping, finishing mid-field is about the best we could expect. It reflects our place in the order and the team can be more than happy, having performed well all weekend. Well done to everyone who worked so hard to get here. For Red Bull to get all four of its cars to the finish is also a result. From a personal point of view, I have to say this was a special day, watching my first race as a team owner. I am very happy, because in this team's previous life, people could sometimes feel sorry for you if you worked here. But I think after this race, I can go to the restaurant without having to hear bad comments!"
Takuma Sato came home to complete the Super Aguri team's inaugural Formula One Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit today. Team mate Yuji Ide made a gallant effort during his F1 racing debut following an early drive-through penalty, fuel rig complications and finally a stop out on track due to a mechanical problem with only 10 laps of the grand prix remaining.
Aguri Suzuki, Team Principal: ""Well this race was like a test for us. All that happened and what we were testing was something we should have done during the winter season. We will learn through each race and today was a good lesson for us. I spoke to both drivers before the race and told them that the most important thing for us to do today is to finish and from that experience, learn as much as possible. Taku did a good job.
"Yuji told me that he really wanted to finish the race, but he will have to improve step-by-step - so every single race will be a great lesson for him. He just needs more experience and the team will improve the car for both drivers."
Bridgestone shod Michael Schumacher came within milliseconds of winning this afternoon's season opening grand prix in Bahrain to finish a morale boosting second to reigning world champion Fernando Alonso. Having set the pace for much of the race Schumacher relinquished the lead after exiting from his final pitstop marginally behind the Spaniard. WilliamsF1's drivers Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg also showed considerable potential for the season ahead with both finishing in the points. Nico Rosberg's seventh place finish was well earned and he set the field alight with his pace and race craft. He secured the fastest lap of the race at 1m32.408 seconds and his closing stage overtaking manoeuvre on Christian Klien marked him out as a driver to watch this year. Four of the top six fastest drivers out on track today were running on Bridgestone tyres, giving Bridgestone Motorsport high expectations for the season ahead.
Hisao Suganuma, Technical Manager of Bridgestone Motorsport: "This is a good way to start the season. It wasn't a Bridgestone win and there's always room for improvement but we are very encouraged. It shows that our general development direction was correct over the winter and we will keep pushing to make the Bridgestone teams competitive. Michael Schumacher finished second and the two Williams drivers had strong performances. The Toyotas did struggle to use their maximum potential but we shall try to help them after analysing this weekend's data further. It was good to see Takuma Sato bring one of the Super Aguri cars home. The team has done exceptionally well in such a short period of time. We are pleased with the competitiveness of our tyres here, having improved our levels of grip and consistency. Four of the six fastest cars today were Bridgestone runners and that gives us plenty of encouragement for the long season ahead."
Ross Brawn, Technical Director – Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro: "It's obviously very frustrating to come so close to winning but after last season we'll take great encouragement from today. We're in the competition and it's down to us now to get it right and win the championship. The Bridgestone tyres were good and consistent today and both drivers chose to use their new set in the final stint of the race."
Sam Michael, Technical Director - WilliamsF1: "Today's final positions did not reflect the true situation. We had the fastest car out there and we have a lot to build on. Perhaps we were a bit conservative with our strategy. The Bridgestone tyres worked fantastically - we could not have asked for better. We saw in free practice on Friday with Alex how well they performed on long runs and the compound was perfect for the race. Mark had a solid race and finished well. Nico made a rookie mistake at the start but drove really well and setting the fastest lap on his debut was exceptional. I'm very happy with our partners' (Cosworth and Bridgestone) performance on our first GP together and look forward to delivering the results in Malaysia."
Fernando Alonso's Formula One title defence began perfectly in the opening round of the 2006 world championship, the Bahraini Grand Prix at Sakhir. The Renault driver made a bright start from fourth on the grid to sweep past Jenson Button and Felipe Massa before the race was half a lap old. The Spaniard then tracked Michael Schumacher for the opening two stints of the race, before finally edging ahead after his second and final pit stop. Rejoining just ahead of his main rival, the Spaniard defended robustly and remained in front all the way to the end of a thrilling season- opener. Lapped traffic presented Schumacher with a late opportunity to challenge again, but Alonso was once more equal to the task.
It was Alonso's ninth F1 victory, Renault's 26th with a car wholly of its own manufacture and Michelin's 94th. Renault executive engineering director Pat Symonds said: "Our victory and tactics today had a lot to do with our ability to exploit Michelin's excellent tyre performance during our slightly longer race stints. Congratulations to all at Michelin – everybody has done a lot of hard work over the winter and the results speak for themselves."
Patrick Faure, President Renault F1 Team: "That was a fantastic race with which to begin the season. We watched a great battle between two tyre companies – and the best one won: Michelin"
The race marked the return of mid-race tyre stops – for the first time since 2004 – and Michelin's F1 director Nick Shorrock was pleased with the company's response. He said: "The latest rule changes were designed to make the racing more competitive. The desired result has been achieved and Michelin has risen to the challenge. I'm delighted with the way our products performed."
Alonso added: "I knew the race was mine if I got out in front of Michael at my second stop. In the end I had quite a nice gap – it was a really fun race."
After failing to set a qualifying time in the wake of a rear suspension failure, Kimi Raikkonen plumped for a one -stop strategy from the back of the grid and scythed through the field to finish third, little more than half a second clear of Jenson Button. Button twice passed Raikkonen's team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya during the race – and the Colombian admitted he hadn't been truly happy with his chassis set-up all weekend.
Christian Klien finished eighth to take the final championship point – and his team-mate David Coulthard was classified 10th, although he pulled off with a technical problem on the slowing-down lap. The only V10-powered team in the field – Michelin-shod newcomer Scuderia Toro Rosso – achieved a double finish, with Vitantonio Liuzzi and American rookie Scott Speed taking 11th and 13th places. They sandwiched Nick Heidfeld, who recovered well after being tipped into a spin on the opening lap.
The other two Michelin drivers failed to finish. Giancarlo Fisichella ran strongly in the opening stages, but eventually succumbed to hydraulic problems, while Jacques Villeneuve retired with a spectacular, fiery engine failure.
Teams now face a race against time to be ready for the Malaysian GP, which takes place at the Sepang circuit next weekend.
Nick Shorrock, Michelin Formula One director: "It was always going to be important to wait until the first race of the season was over before we drew any firm conclusions about the latest F1 regulations or our own performance – and I'm delighted on both counts. Our partners have worked incredibly hard with us during the past few months and several of them reaped the rewards today. It was a very positive result for Renault, McLaren and Honda in particular."
Pat Symonds, executive engineering director, Renault F1 Team: "Our victory and tactics today had a lot to do with our ability to exploit Michelin's excellent tyre performance during our slightly longer race stints. Congratulations to all at Michelin – everybody has done a lot of hard work over the winter and the results speak for themselves."
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