13/06/2004
NEWS STORY
Team Sauber Petronas further consolidated its fifth position in the World Championship for Constructors as Giancarlo Fisichella scored another sixth place finish in today's Canadian Grand Prix, from which Felipe Massa unfortunately retired following an accident.
Giancarlo Fisichella: "I wasn't very quick getting off the line, but that was a blessing after Coulthard and Klien tangled right in front of me in Turn One. I just managed to avoid both of them. After that I just settled down and kept pushing hard. The car was a little inconsistent at various stages of the tyre wear, but five or six laps before each pit stop it was very good and I was able to drive as if I was in a qualifying session. The last stint was the best. Our strategy was great today, and it is very satisfying to score yet more points today."
Felipe Massa: "I was having a strong race, after catching and passing Sato, Glock, Klien and da Matta, but I lost a lot of time in my first pit stop because of a problem with the left rear wheel. Later I also had some trouble with the steering wheel. As for the accident, I have no idea what happened - I was just a passenger. I'm okay and fortunate that the car is strong, and only went to the hospital for a precautionary check-up on my left elbow."
Peter Sauber (Team Principal): "After a turbulent start in which we lost several places, and got trapped behind some slower cars, Giancarlo moved up smoothly in his usual manner to leave one competitor after another in his slipstream. Our sixth place once again brought us three deserved championship points. My congratulations to Giancarlo. Felipe fought with technical problems all weekend. I apologise for giving him a difficult car this weekend, and we are all relieved that he was unharmed after his accident in the closing stages. We are still investigating the cause."