German F1 GP: Alonso's sixth win, Renault's seventh
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Image Gallery ( 31 images )Juan Pablo Montoya, Team McLaren Mercedes, second place: "A good day for me but a frustrating one for Kimi. I hope the result made up a bit for the mistake I made yesterday. It was tough because of all the hard work everybody has been putting in. Anyway, I gained eight places on the first lap which was very good and then settled down a bit behind the next four cars to save some fuel as there was no need to take any risks as I knew there would be a good chance to pass during the pitstops. To start so far back was an experience I would rather not repeat as I couldn't even see the lights and just moved when the other cars moved. The balance of my car was perfect, and we were able to put in a strong performance. The strategy was spot on and allowed me to push during the race especially when I had the chance to get ahead of Button and Schumacher following their second stops. Without yesterday's mistake, which put me at the back of the grid, a race win would have been possible."
Ron Dennis, Team Principal, Team McLaren Mercedes: "Clearly a weekend of what could have been. Juan Pablo's mistake on Saturday and Kimi's car's hydraulic problem during the course of dominating the race put paid to what could have been a great weekend. The speed and general performance of the cars were exceptional and clearly should have provided Juan Pablo and Kimi with the opportunity of a one-two finish. Juan Pablo's excellent drive from the back of the grid to second clearly demonstrates our capability. Of course the mountain is now a bit higher and steeper to climb, but our commitment to the challenge remains undiminished - it's more difficult but not impossible."
Norbert Haug, Mercedes MotorSport Director: Kimi's performance was extraordinary until a hydraulic failure finished his race on lap 36. This is a bad blow to his chances in the title fight. Juan Pablo did a very good job fighting through the field from last to finish second. It's clear that our reliability must be improved to become as good as the speed of our technical package. We will work hard for it."
Jenson Button, Lucky Strike B.A.R Honda, third: “It’s fantastic to be back on the podium today after a great race for me and the team. I don’t need to tell anyone what a tough season this has been for us and it’s a great feeling to come away from here with a trophy for the guys who’ve worked so hard to get us up there today. I didn’t get a great start and obviously Michael was able to pass me. In the first stint I worried that I might not be able to catch him but then he seemed to lose a bit of pace and I just kept pushing and pushing until I had my chance. I had to keep pushing hard because I knew he was stopping later than me, but in the end I was able to keep him behind for the rest of the race. Catching Juan Pablo was always going to be a different matter though. For us it was just a great race and I enjoyed every minute because I could push the car all the way. It’s a huge boost to everyone at the Team, Honda and Michelin and my thanks to all of them.”
Gil De Ferran, Sporting Director, Lucky Strike B.A.R Honda: "We are very happy with Jenson's podium. He drove a very strong race pushing hard throughout and perfectly executing an overtaking manoeuvre over Michael that turned out to be decisive for us to finish third. The Honda engine and Michelin tyres performed faultlessly throughout the race. Unfortunately Taku got caught in a traffic jam coming out of turn three and had to stop for a new nose, which delayed him a lot and made it difficult for him to score points. This result sets us up nicely for the qualifying order in Hungary, where we are again hoping to be fighting at the sharp end of the grid."
Shuhei Nakamoto, Engineering Director, Honda Racing Development : "Congratulations to Jenson for a fantastic drive - including a brilliant overtaking manoeuvre on Michael Schumacher - right in front of a group of over 1000 Honda dealer guests! He drove a great race from start to finish and fully deserved his podium finish. It was a shame that Takuma had another early race incident, but he again recovered well and must keep looking forward. I'm sure his luck will turn."
Giancarlo Fisichella, Mild Seven Renault F1 Team, 4th position: “What a race! It was full of action, from start to finish, and with the problems we had, I think it was good to finish fourth. I had a good start, but there was no space to pass on the right-hand side and that meant my line into turn 1 was not ideal, so I was in a big bunch of cars at the next corners. On the run to the hairpin, Sato hit my car – although he has apologised now – and knocked off part of the rear wing. The handling felt strange for a few laps, and I lost more places before I could start pushing. I made some places at the first stop, then the engineers said to start looking after the rear brakes, so I was taking things easily, braking earlier than normal and just controlling my pace. Even so, we were quite worried about the wear and the brake balance was all the way forward at the end of the race! But two laps from the end, they said on the radio that I could try and overtake Michael and it was quite easy – he had tyre problems, and I was much faster than him. It was a good result for the team, but I still had the pace to do better.”
Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, fifth place: “In the end, I guess you could say this was an interesting race, although I would have preferred to be fighting for a podium finish rather than the lower places. I struggled a lot with my tyres today, which is why I could not hold off Jenson. Later, Giancarlo got past me as I had a fuel feed problem. Fifth place is okay in that I did not lose any positions from where I started, but of course I was hoping to do something better for the fans, who were incredible all through the weekend. I am proud to have such support.”
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