25/09/2005
NEWS STORY
It was a case of mixed fortune for the Jordan Grand Prix drivers in today's 71-lap Brazilian Grand Prix. After a hectic start, which saw Karthikeyan gain some positions and Monteiro call at the pits at the end of the formation lap, both drivers settled down to run steady races. However, on lap 35, Karthikeyan had to do an unscheduled stop to change his left front tyre due to a flat spot which made him lose some time. Nevertheless, he finished the race in 15th position. Monteiro had to retire on lap 56 due to a mechanical failure. His retirement put an end to an impressive 16 finishes in a row, a record for a rookie.
Narain Karthikeyan: I made a decent start and kept up with Sato and Trulli for quite a while. Then I had to make my first pit stop and when I went out, I had to give way to the leaders and therefore lost two to three seconds a lap for two consecutive laps. This cost me a lot of track position. However, I was then catching Albers but, coming to turn 1, I had a flat spot and had to make an extra pit stop which again cost me some time. The car after that was very good but it was too late. I am nevertheless happy to finish another race this season.
Tiago Monteiro: My consecutive race finishes had to stop at some point. It is a pity as everyone was hoping we could make it to the end of the season. I had a mechanical problem but this is racing. It happened to me in the past and it will happen again in the future, but it is still frustrating. Until then, it was an amazing weekend, I started 11th on the grid due to Villeneuve's penalty. I was going very well during the race but you cannot control mechanical issues. There is nothing we can do about it. Now we are thinking about the next two races already.
Adrian Burgess: Today was a difficult afternoon. Both drivers were doing good jobs. Narain had a flat spotted tyre, which we had to change on safety grounds as it was too dangerous to risk carrying on with it. This extra pit stop spoilt his afternoon. Unfortunately for Tiago, his race finish record had to come to an end as we had a mechanical problem with the car. He has had a fantastic reliability this year and it is a pity it had to come to an end so close from the end of the season. Apart from that, we all want to congratulate Fernando Alonso on winning the Championship this afternoon.