German F1 GP: Alonso's sixth win, Renault's seventh
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Image Gallery ( 31 images )Christijan Albers, Minardi F1, 13th: “I’m pleased to have finished, although it turned out to be a tough race, as the car set-up was not quite what we had aimed for. Looking at it positively, however, it’s something we can improve on for the next race, and hopefully gain some more performance. That said, even though the car may not have been perfect today, it was raceable, and as a result, we were able to do a reasonable job. Certainly, I’m pleased with the outcome of the race, but I think it could have been even a little better”.
Paul Stoddart, Team Principal, Minardi Cosworth: “Today, the Minardi F1 Team achieved one of its year-long goals, by putting in a solid performance all weekend to finish ahead of its nearest rivals. Both drivers, who had to deal with damaged cars as the result of separate first-lap incidents, put in truly gutsy performances this afternoon. That, combined with the continuing hard work by the race team and all the staff back at the factory, is paying off. Well done to everybody!”
Robert Doornbos Minardi F1, 18th: “I’m happy to have finished my first Grand Prix, although it was definitely a very eventful race. I had a problem at the start with the launch control, and therefore did a manual start. I’m sure it looked dramatic, with lots of wheelspin, but I lost position against some of the other cars. Once I got going, the first lap was chaos. It was very good for me, though, as I gained a number of positions. Then, on the third lap, as we arrived at the Arena, my car took a big hit from Villeneuve and I spun. As a result, I had to make an unscheduled stop to have the car checked, and that was quite a shame because I think we had the pace to stay with the Jordans and to stay close to my team mate. If we were going to have a bit of bad luck, though, it’s maybe preferable to get it out of the way today, at the first race, and then next week it will all go a lot better. I’m feeling fit and now looking forward to Hungary”.
Kimi Raikkonen, Team McLaren Mercedes, DNF: "What can I say! It's always terrible to retire from a race, but to retire whilst in the lead with a good gap to the number two car is even worse. This is the worst thing that could have happened as it looked like the race was in the bag. However that is motor racing, but it seems like I have had my fair share of bad luck this season. Myself and the whole team now need to overcome today's disappointment and focus on the Hungarian race and the rest of the season. There is still a mathematical chance that I can win the Drivers Championship but it's getting difficult. However we are still in the battle for the Constructors' battle, so we will keep on fighting."
Jarno Trulli, Team Toyota Panasonic, DNF: "That was a very unlucky day for me. At the start the car didn't pull away well, then at first corner I had a problem with Webber, who was suffering with his gearbox and just pushed me wide onto the very outside of the circuit. I picked up a puncture and found the car difficult to stop into the second and third corners and down the straight. So I had to pit and change the front left tyre. The balance was fine after that, and in fact the car felt very good today, better than it has for a couple of races, and I was able to overtake Sato down the straight. Later on I knew there were blue flags, but they came just as I was overtaking Heidfeld. I let Montoya past immediately afterwards but was given a penalty. Finally I had a problem with the pneumatic pressure in the engine and I was forced to stop. All in all, that was just one of those races when everything happened."
Jacques Villeneuve, Sauber, DNF: "I seemed to get hit by everybody today! On the first lap Rubens came into the side of me at the hairpin; I think maybe somebody pushed him. Then I had the thing with Doornbos on lap four. He was being very over-aggressive in his first race, and he moved over on me while he was braking so we touched. That was Formula Ford stuff, unnecessary. As for Monteiro on lap 27, I really don’t think that he saw me. "The funny thing is that the car was still good after all that contact, but eventually it developed a serious vibration. We changed the front tyres but that didn’t fix it, and it began to get worse and worse, so I had to ease off a little. There was no point in risking everything by then."
Mark Webber, Williams BMW F1, DNF: “I don't know what I've got to do this season to get some luck. At the first corner after the start I got hit at the right rear by Sato and had suspension damage. The mechanics replaced the part quickly, but obviously by the time I went back on track I was 11 laps behind the leader. This compromised my race of course, but it will also affect qualifying for the next race, as I will have a very early start slot.”
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