13/06/2004
NEWS STORY
Team McLaren Mercedes drivers Kimi Raikkonen and David Coulthard finished today's 70-lap Canadian Grand Prix in seventh and ninth places respectively. Both drivers were on a three-stop-strategy, but Kimi visited the pits two additional times when he received a drive through penalty (lap 19) for touching the white line at the pit lane exit and the second time to change his steering wheel (lap 61). David's pitstops took place on laps 11 (8.3 seconds), 32 (8.2 seconds) and 54 (7.9 seconds). Kimi's scheduled stops took place on lap 12 (7.8 seconds), 30 (7.2 seconds) and 45 (10.7 seconds)
Kimi Raikkonen: "It was a difficult race, but I'm pleased to score some points. I was given a drive through penalty as I touched the white line at the pit lane exit, which overall wouldn't have cost me a position. However then an electrical problem developed, which meant we had to change the steering wheel during my third pit stop. It did happen again, so I went on the radio to the team saying I was coming into the pits, so they could change the steering wheel. This additional stop did cost us sixth place, but with five visits to the pits seventh is OK. At least we are going in the right direction, and it was just unlucky we had that problem."
David Coulthard: "My actual start was good, but Turn Two is always difficult here and one of the Jaguars went into the back of my car and spun me around. This put me pretty much at the back of the field and I had a couple of lively laps where I gained a few positions. However, with a three-stop-strategy running at the back you will always struggle. It's a shame that I didn't really get a chance to run in clean air as I think we could have achieved a better result. However the positive is that both Kimi and I finished, which is important as we head to Indianapolis next week."
Ron Dennis: "Both our cars finished the race today, which is a step in the right direction. Kimi's car had an electrical fault, which was short-circuiting some of the steering wheel's electrical functions. This necessitated two changes; one which took place during Kimi's third scheduled stop and the other requiring an unscheduled stop. David's race was spoilt in the multi-car accident at the second corner, which effectively relegated him to the back from where he steadily drove through to ninth place. The important aspect is that both cars finished, and now we can continue to increase our efforts to become more competitive."
Norbert Haug: "Kimi and David did a good job. Kimi came into the pits two times more than originally planned because of a drive through penalty and a stop to change the steering wheel. This prevented him from finishing sixth. David put in a solid performance after he had been pushed into a spin after the start dropping to 16th and eventually finishing ninth."