British F1 GP: McLaren 1st and 3rd but Alonso/Renault extend lead
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Image Gallery ( 13 images )Jacques Villeneuve, Sauber, 14th place: “Unfortunately I screwed up my first pit stop. I was looking at the lollipop, but then I got distracted by what was happening in the Red Bull pit and when I saw movement out of the corner of my eye I mistakenly thought it was my lollipop signal to go and moved too soon. My apologies to our refueller Silvan Ruegg, whose foot I hit. Fortunately he is okay. “That incident cost me some time and because of that I got stuck in some traffic and had a pretty cut and thrust race all the way to the finish with Heidfeld and the Red Bull cars. My car was hard to drive today, so it was a tough race.”
Christian Klien, Red Bull, 15th place: "Fifteenth is very disappointing. The car was quite difficult to drive in sections and I didn't have the balance that I needed. The start was quite good and I managed to move up a few places. I was due to make my first pit stop early, so had a light car and could go pretty quick at the beginning. But I got stuck behind Mark Webber and couldn't go at my full pace. I also made a slight mistake on Turn seven. The car was a little nervous on the entry to the corner and I think we had too much front grip. After the first pit stop, I had some clear laps and, as my car was still quite light, I was able to set some good times. After that I got stuck behind Villeneuve and couldn't go at my full pace again for the rest of the race."
Takuma Sato, BAR, 16th place: "The simple fact is that as I was going through the start procedure on the way to the grid, I hit the wrong button on the steering wheel as I was warming up the tyres. I would like to apologise to everyone in the team, everyone who got the car ready and put so much preparation into the British Grand Prix this weekend. I couldn't deliver the result we wanted and could have had today. The team did a great job to get me back in the race and I tried my best but was so far behind that I couldn't do anything. It's been a tough year for us all and we can only continue to keep trying and aim for better things in the second half of the season."
Tiago Monteiro, Jordan, 17th place: "It was a good race for me again.I think we chose the right strategy: we were quite heavy at the beginning and planned on having two stops. I had a great start, passed a few cars and followed Narain as closely as possible in order not to let him get too far ahead. Unfortunately Narain experienced some problems and I was racing alone for a long time. Then, halfway through the race, I was told on the radio that Sato was still behind me. So I was really pushing like crazy to stay away but he was just to quick. There was nothing I could have done. Everybody was very reliable for this race therefore it was very hard for me to finish in a higher position. I have now finished 11 races out of 11. It will be hard for the next rookies to beat this record."
Christijan Albers, Minardi, 18th place: "There was a bit of a problem with the start when it was unclear whether it had been aborted or not. That's why I was slow getting away and lost the positions I had won in qualifying. I was able to overtake Patrick on the first lap to regain a position, but as I was trying to catch Monteiro, the Safety Car came out, and after it went in, I just couldn't catch him. I'm quite happy with the result, as my lap times were pretty consistent on a circuit that doesn't particularly suit our car at the moment."
Patrick Friesacher, Minardi, 19th place: "It was good to finish the race, but it was quite difficult from about one-third distance, when the traffic on some laps meant you lost up to six seconds compared with your normal lap time. Some drivers were two-stopping and some three, and as a result, there seemed to be traffic around me for much of the time, which disturbs your rhythm. Also, as a result of going off-line when other cars are passing you, your tyres often pick up debris when you run on a dirty part of the track. All of those things combined to make it a tough race today."
Narain Karthikeyan, Jordan, DNF: "I had a very good start and overtook Massa but unfortunately he was able to repass me at Becketts. However, I had a very good pace and I managed to run with the pack of Massa, Coulthard and Heidfeld. Unfortunately, shortly after, the car stopped apparently because of an electrical failure. It is very frustrating, as it is the second weekend in a row that I am experiencing some problems with my car, although I managed to finish the race in Magny-Cours. It is really a pity as I was going very well all weekend."
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