24/07/2005
NEWS STORY
Starting from eleventh position on the grid, David Coulthard made an impressive start aboard his RB1 and powered up through the field to sixth place. Making his first pit stop on lap 20, the Scot never dropped below ninth position, despite being consistently chased by Toyota driver, Ralf Schumacher. Prior to his second stop, David's engineer came over the in-car radio with some advice, "Pull away from Ralf Schumacher David, pull away from Ralf." Silence, then David's response, "Thanks, that's a good idea, I hadn't thought of that…". Pushing hard, David set a string of competitive lap times, before making a second pit stop on lap 47. He eventually crossed the finish in seventh place to take another two points in both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships.
Starting tenth on the grid, David's team-mate Christian Klien delivered a competitive drive and became locked in a battle with Rubens Barrichello. The pair jostled for position, but Klien had the edge and overtook the Ferrari driver to finish in ninth place overall.
David Coulthard: We felt that we were well set up to get points here this weekend. Qualifying was very close and we performed better than at recent races, which gave us a good foundation for a strong start. From there, we were able to deliver a good race. There are still some inconsistencies with the car that need attention, but we'll continue to work hard and see what we can do in Hungary next weekend.
Christian Klien: I think it was a very tough race and the car was very difficult to drive, especially when it was carrying a lot of fuel. I didn't make such a great start. I was on the right hand side of the track where there was a lot of dirt, and I lost a couple of places. I pushed really hard during the race and made two good overtaking manoeuvres on Barrichello, but apart from that there was not so much good action.
Christian Horner, Sporting Director: Both drivers put in solid performances today. David had an aggressive first lap and came home with two points as a result of a competitive afternoon's work. Christian lost a few places at the start, which cost him some time, but he made two very good passing manoeuvres on Barrichello in the Ferrari. The result finishes off a very solid weekend for the team, which included yesterday's qualifying, a good strong race and a two-points finish to maintain sixth place in the Constructors' Championship.