European F1: last lap heartbreak for Raikkonen

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European F1: last lap heartbreak for Raikkonen

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Fernando Alonso, Mild Seven Renault F1, Winner: “I was afraid from the start of the race after Ralf hit me – I thought the car might have been damaged, and that I would have to retire. After a few corners, though, it was clear that everything was OK so then it was a case of pushing hard, doing the strategy and trying to get a good finish. The car was very good today, easy to drive, and the strategy was definitely perfect. I was quite happy to settle for second before the last pit-stop, then the team said Raikkonen had a problem and that I should push – that was when I went off because I was just trying 100% and made a mistake. But even so, I was catching Kimi and then I saw him crash at the first corner. For me, the big worry was that I would get caught up in the debris, and then I just had to stay calm for the last lap and take the flag. The most important thing about this victory is that is shows our team is strong. After Monaco, the mood was quite low but we have shown we can bounce back. Today’s performance shows we are still leaders, and that both cars are quick – Fisi did a great job to be sixth, and he will be even quicker next time, I am sure. I think today proved we are really going to fight for this title.”

Flavio Briatore, Managing Director, Mild Seven Renault F1: “This was a fantastic victory for the whole team, and especially Fernando after a drive where he did not give up from start to finish. We thought before the race that other cars were lighter than us with their fuel load, and the race proved us right; it also showed we had the right strategy as we made up places on the other cars. Michelin provided great tyres, and we used them in the right way to keep pressure on McLaren until the last laps – and it paid off. We showed today that our car is quick, as Fisico managed to climb fourteen positions from the back to finish sixth. Congratulations to the whole team on a great win.”

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering ,Mild Seven Renault F1: “This was a fine win for the whole team, but our feelings go to Kimi and McLaren who did an excellent job today. We took a very different approach with our strategy this weekend, which was designed to pay off at the end of the race, and in fact we did better than expected. Fernando lost a lot of time in his first stint after being hit by Ralf in the first corner and losing positions, which left him stuck behind Coulthard for the first twenty laps. However, he drove the kind of consistent race we are used to seeing and the car was very strong at the end. Our apologies once again must go to Giancarlo – we don’t know what caused his engine to stop on the grid, but he drove a strong race and collected valuable points from a difficult position.”

Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren Mercedes, DNF after leading into last lap: "I am really frustrated to retire from the race in the lead on the very last lap having dominated throughout. I had a well balanced car until a flatspot on my right front tyre caused terrible vibrations which eventually led to the suspension failure. We lost valuable ten points in the championship, however we will do our very best to try to win races in the remainder of the season as we have a very competitive package. This is not just a sad result for me but for the entire team that has worked so hard."

Ron Dennis, Principal, McLaren Mercedes: "Perhaps understandably the whole team has a strong sense of disappointment, heightened by the fact that Kimi's retirement took place on the last lap. Kimi flatspotted his right front tyre passing Jacques Villeneuve and from that moment on the front suspension was subject to extremely high levels of vibration. Kimi was able to cope with the inevitable blurred vision for over 15 laps and the team discussed with him his tyre condition. We jointly decided to go for the win and no member of the team including Kimi regrets this decision. The resulting suspension failure was understandable in the circumstances. Juan Pablo's race was looking good after a strong start putting him third after the first corner. Inevitably someone is going to get the braking wrong into the first corner and in this instance it appeared to be Mark Webber with Juan Pablo suffering the consequences. Once he had returned to the field and even with a badly damaged floor he was able to race to seventh place."

Norbert Haug, Mercedes Motorsport: "Kimi drove a tremendous race and deserved to win. His retirement from the lead four kilometres from the finish was caused by a flat spotted tyre and strong vibrations resulting in a suspension failure. This is a very disappointing end to the race which had been dominated by Kimi. Juan Pablo's chances for a good result were over at the first corner after the start whilst being in third place when Mark Webber pushed him off the track. However we will continue to attack and try to do our best in the fight for the World Championship. We are now looking forward to the next race in Canada."

Nick Heidfeld, BMW WilliamsF1, second place: “It's obviously great to be second today after yesterday's pole position of. I didn't think I was able to win, but a podium finish was within reach. We knew that Kimi would have a better start and in fact he went in front from the start, but I still had a go at him into the first corner but ultimately he held on to his position. I pushed as hard as I could in the first stint to open a good gap from the cars behind me and our strategy of three stops paid off, because towards the end I was in third position. The car was good and I didn't make any big mistakes. Barrichello was getting closer and closer in the closing laps but I pushed hard and could keep him behind me even despite having lost my rear tyres a bit. Then Kimi had the accident and it was just luck to claim second place. Thanks to WilliamsF1, BMW and Michelin - it's clear that we are recovering our form strongly”

Sam Michael, Technical Director WilliamsF1: “It was a fantastic drive from Nick which made our three-stop strategy work. We were on hard tyres to complement our plan and it proved to be the right decision. It was the harder compound from Michelin which made it onto the podium today. It is another good result for us and it is just what the team needed. Mark had an accident in the first corner which was a shame as he was on a different race strategy with higher fuel load compared to Nick and the other cars around him.”

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