25/06/2006
NEWS STORY
A first-lap collision between Tiago Monteiro and Christijan Albers capped off a disappointing weekend for MF1 Racing at the Canadian Grand Prix.
The incident, which took place at the hairpin at the end of the back straight, involved Monteiro hitting the back of his teammate's car, effectively ending both drivers' races. Albers' M16 was too damaged to continue and abandoned by the side of the track. And although Monteiro was able to nurse his vehicle back to the pits for a new front wing, he immediately found himself a lap down and struggled with poor handling for the remainder of the race, eventually finishing 4 laps down in 14th position.
The team hopes for better fortune next weekend as it packs up and heads to the U.S. for Round 10 of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Tiago Monteiro: "First of all, I have to apologise to my team for my mistake at the start of the race. I was on the inside portion of the track, on the dirty part, and I locked my rear wheels. I lost control of my car and hit my teammate, so I'm very annoyed with myself and sorry about that. After that, we changed what we could on the car - obviously, it wasn't in the best condition - and we brought the car home in 14th. We took a big risk on the strategy - Christijan and I were on different strategies - and although mine didn't pay off, we needed to try it. Our soft tyres weren't ideal for the track conditions, and it was really tough race. There were lots of marbles in the corners and the car was very difficult to drive. But we managed another finish, which is really the only positive thing we can take away today. I hope that next week, in Indy, we can have a fraction of the success that we enjoyed last year."
Christijan Albers: "It was a shame to be out so early, because I think our race pace could have been really strong - better than our qualifying, that's for sure. I had a reasonable start and was able to pick up a few positions, overtaking Montagny and Monteiro after the first few corners. I was fighting with Sato for position and then, when I arrived at Corner 10, I don't know what happened. I just felt something hit me from behind, I spun, and then I saw it was Tiago. Our wheels were interlocked, and it was game over for me, because the right side of my car was destroyed. I think it's quite obvious what happened, so let's leave it at that and move on."
Colin Kolles, Managing Director: "It was not a very enjoyable race for us, because it was finished before the end of the first lap. So, unfortunately, we just had to endure the rest of it and do our best to bring the remaining car home. As far as we're concerned, the shunt was a racing incident and we've already dealt with it and put it behind us. Now, we must concentrate on doing a better job in Indianapolis."
James Key, Technical Director: "A very disappointing afternoon, to be sure. We had an unfortunate shunt at the beginning of the race, which didn't really allow us to continue with any sort of competitive pace or challenge for position, as Tiago's car was very damaged and lost a lot of downforce as a result. We had him on a long strategy to try to take advantage of safety cars or improving track conditions, but being down a lap right at the start made that impossible. We need to sort out a number of issues for Indianapolis, because these types of incidents really don't do us any favours."
To check out our Canadian Grand Prix picture gallery, click here