12/03/2006
NEWS STORY
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.
David Coulthard: "I flat spotted early on when I was wheel to wheel with Nick (Heidfeld), which afterwards caused huge vibrations in the car. There's so much vibration when that occurs, you lose visibility, your eyes are shaking in your head and it feels like you're sitting on top of a spin drier. You can't read the pit board nor the displays in the car. The team wanted me to do an oil transfer, but I had to ask them what colour the button was that I needed to press, as you can't read anything when it's like that. It's horrible and rounds off a pretty disappointing weekend."
Christian Klien: "After the problems we suffered during the winter, it's great that both cars crossed the finish today. The first part of the race went well and I was able to make up a few positions, but later on I wasn't able to keep the same pace. The cars grip seemed to give way a little and I lost some time. I also had a problem with the clutch. It's a shame that Nico (Rosberg) overtook me in the final laps as it meant I dropped from seventh to eighth in the closing stages."
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."