*** 2005 Italian Grand Prix ***

[Toronto]

RACE FINAL
Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 10 Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren-Mercedes 53 1:14:28.659 1 10
2 5 Fernando Alonso Renault 53 +2.4 secs 2 8
3 6 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 53 +17.9 secs 8 6
4 9 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 53 +22.7 secs 11 5
5 16 Jarno Trulli Toyota 53 +33.7 secs 5 4
6 17 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 53 +43.9 secs 9 3
7 8 Antonio Pizzonia Williams-BMW 53 +44.6 secs 16 2
8 3 Jenson Button BAR-Honda 53 +63.6 secs 3 1
9 12 Felipe Massa Sauber-Petronas 53 +75.4 secs 15
10 1 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 53 +96.0 secs 6
11 11 Jacques Villeneuve Sauber-Petronas 52 +1 Lap 12
12 2 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 52 +1 Lap 7
13 15 Christian Klien Red Bull Racing 52 +1 Lap 13
14 7 Mark Webber Williams-BMW 52 +1 Lap 14
15 14 David Coulthard Red Bull Racing 52 +1 Lap 10
16 4 Takuma Sato BAR-Honda 52 +1 Lap 4
17 18 Tiago Monteiro Jordan-Toyota 51 +2 Laps 17
18 20 Robert Doornbos Minardi-Cosworth 51 +2 Laps 18
19 21 Christijan Albers Minardi-Cosworth 51 +2 Laps 20
20 19 Narain Karthikeyan Jordan-Toyota 50 +3 Laps 19
Fastest Lap: Kimi Räikkönen 1:21.504


Fri Parc 1
Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Points

1 35 Pedro de la Rosa McLaren-Mercedes 1:20.201
2 7 Mark Webber Williams-BMW 1:21.816
3 9 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.842
4 10 Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren-Mercedes 1:22.078
5 8 Nick Heidfeld Williams-BMW 1:22.351
6 38 Ricardo Zonta Toyota 1:22.567
7 4 Takuma Sato BAR-Honda 1:22.577
8 1 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1:23.739
9 14 David Coulthard Red Bull Racing 1:24.001
10 37 Vitantonio Liuzzi Red Bull Racing 1:24.166
11 2 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 1:24.196
12 18 Tiago Monteiro Jordan-Toyota 1:25.134
13 39 Nicolas Kiesa Jordan-Toyota 1:25.374
14 21 Christijan Albers Minardi-Cosworth 1:25.497
15 19 Narain Karthikeyan Jordan-Toyota 1:25.611
16 20 Robert Doornbos Minardi-Cosworth 1:25.853
17 40 Enrico Toccacelo Minardi-Cosworth 1:25.896
18 11 Jacques Villeneuve Sauber-Petronas
19 3 Jenson Button BAR-Honda
20 12 Felipe Massa Sauber-Petronas
21 15 Christian Klien Red Bull Racing
22 5 Fernando Alonso Renault
23 6 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault
24 16 Jarno Trulli Toyota
25 17 Ralf Schumacher Toyota


Fri Prac 2
Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 38 Ricardo Zonta Toyota 1:20.531
2 10 Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.583
3 9 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.735
4 35 Pedro de la Rosa McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.922
5 7 Mark Webber Williams-BMW 1:22.032
6 8 Nick Heidfeld Williams-BMW 1:22.107
7 37 Vitantonio Liuzzi Red Bull Racing 1:22.253
8 16 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:22.278
9 6 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 1:22.440
10 5 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:22.594
11 15 Christian Klien Red Bull Racing 1:22.600
12 1 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1:22.749
13 12 Felipe Massa Sauber-Petronas 1:23.052
14 17 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 1:23.126
15 11 Jacques Villeneuve Sauber-Petronas 1:23.208
16 2 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 1:23.213
17 4 Takuma Sato BAR-Honda 1:23.223
18 3 Jenson Button BAR-Honda 1:23.415
19 14 David Coulthard Red Bull Racing 1:23.506
20 18 Tiago Monteiro Jordan-Toyota 1:23.994
21 19 Narain Karthikeyan Jordan-Toyota 1:24.202
22 20 Robert Doornbos Minardi-Cosworth 1:24.233
23 21 Christijan Albers Minardi-Cosworth 1:24.264
24 40 Enrico Toccacelo Minardi-Cosworth 1:25.245
25 39 Nicolas Kiesa Jordan-Toyota

Qual
Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Points

1 9 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 1:20.878
2 10 Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.054
3 5 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:21.319
4 3 Jenson Button BAR-Honda 1:21.369
5 4 Takuma Sato BAR-Honda 1:21.477
6 16 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:21.640
7 1 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1:21.721
8 2 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 1:21.962
9 6 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 1:22.068
10 17 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 1:22.266
11 14 David Coulthard Red Bull Racing 1:22.304
12 11 Jacques Villeneuve Sauber-Petronas 1:22.356
13 15 Christian Klien Red Bull Racing 1:22.532
14 7 Mark Webber Williams-BMW 1:22.560
15 12 Felipe Massa Sauber-Petronas 1:23.060
16 8 Antonio Pizzonia Williams-BMW 1:23.291
17 18 Tiago Monteiro Jordan-Toyota 1:24.666
18 20 Robert Doornbos Minardi-Cosworth 1:24.904
19 19 Narain Karthikeyan Jordan-Toyota 1:25.859
20 21 Christijan Albers Minardi-Cosworth 1:26.964

[SFDMALEX]

Man I thought Ferrari would pull a one of Victory this time around but damn, looks like they arent even going to take a number 3 spot.

[sameerrao]

Bah! Ferrari is 1-2 seconds of the pace - a huge amount. I think they can get fight for 7th or 8th :(

[davide]

My dad is gonna watched the race live on Monza... that fucking twat, he didn't even bring me with him!

Kimi gonna take this one, I feel it.

[bmagni]

if its not ferrari then let kimi be it, anyone but alonso or montoya please !!

[zondaland]

Well it will be one hell of a charge from Kimi if he manages it. Engine change - AGAIN *tearing hair out* unless Montoya takes Alonso out I think we will be seeing the effective end of the championship this weekend. :cry:

[5vz-fe]

fuck...Those Mercedes engine really sux big time

[sameerrao]

My heart goes out to Kimi!

Michael looked really on it. I thought his time would take a few more spots ahead. But it was not to be.

Montoya looks likely to win this one with the sheer speed of the McLaren. I think Kimi will make it to the podium. Kimi's lap must really have been phenomenal considering how much more fuel he must be carrying. All that load still pole position. He is certainly the fastest man in F1 today!

Alonso is running a Swiss watch with a Japanese movement :wink: summa cum magna reliable. He is not making mistakes and his car is ultra-reliable. Well-deserving champion-elect.

Driver quotes: (source: www.Formula1.com)

Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren (1st, 1m 20.878s):
“Unfortunately, I can not make the best use of my qualifying performance which would have been pole position. Having to start from 11th position I face a difficult race but it was the best I could achieve. However the speed of our car is so good, which means I still see a chance of moving up the field and you never know what happens.”

Juan Pablo Montoya, McLaren (2nd, +0.176s):
“A clean and fast lap and I am pretty happy with my performance. It is good to start from the front, and I now need a trouble free run to the first corner. To get through there without problems is crucial. Unfortunately Kimi has to start from 11th, but a lot is still possible. We will give it our all to win the race and close the gap in both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Championship.”

Fernando Alonso, Renault (3rd, +0.441s):
“It was a nice lap for me. We have had a few more problems with the car than we expected this weekend, after a good test, but we worked quite a lot this morning to prepare for the race and improve the handling. Even so, I had some doubts about our speed over one single lap, but I showed the speed was there this afternoon - which makes me even more confident for tomorrow. Obviously, I have been helped by Kimi’s problem but that doesn’t change anything for us: we know we need to finish the race with no problems, and hopefully get on the podium. That’s what I will be doing tomorrow afternoon.”

Jenson Button, BAR (4th, +0.491s):
“I am pretty happy with that! After suffering with the set-up of the car a bit this morning, and having to slow up in the final free practice session because of the two yellow flags, I was a little disappointed before qualifying. Alonso and I were extremely close for 2nd, but 3rd here does have the advantage of being on the cleaner side of the track. It’s nice to be near to the front on the grid again and hopefully we have a reasonably good strategy and pace so we can keep it there!”

Takuma Sato, BAR (5th, +0.599s):
“I enjoyed the lap and I’m very happy to be starting 4th tomorrow. I was very pleased with the car balance this morning when we were very consistent through the longer runs during free practice. We have a strong package now after making some changes since yesterday and I hope tomorrow we can repeat the success that we had here last year. Traditionally we always have a good race in Monza so I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Jarno Trulli, Toyota (6th, +0.762s):
"I was not expecting to be so quick or to be able to put together a lap time like that. You have to be very precise with your braking here, so to get it right in qualifying when you only have one lap is very difficult. But the car behaved well and the lap was clean, smooth and just aggressive enough. We have a good strategy for the race, so I am confident we can convert this into a good result. It is always special to be at home with so many supporters, and I have always been competitive here but I have not had much luck, so I hope to turn that around tomorrow."

Michael Schumacher, Ferrari (7th, +0.843s):
“Considering I had to make my run early in the session, which is definitely a disadvantage, I am quite happy with my lap time, which owes a lot to the work we did here last week. Although we should not really use our performance in Turkey as a reference point, this is an improvement. We have worked well and, if you leave out one team, who are just too dominant, we are in the frame. Tomorrow, our realistic target is to fight for points. Although it would be wonderful to end up on the podium in front of all our home fans, I feel that is a bit too optimistic.”

Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari (8th, +1.084s):
“I think that today’s performance shows that we have done a good job of improving the car since yesterday. But I drove a good lap which started very well, until I had a bit too much graining on the front tyres, which caused the car to understeer and I lost time in the two Lesmo corners. Considering the problems we have encountered so far, I think I can be relatively pleased with today’s result and I am happy with my last good qualifying lap for Ferrari at Monza.”

Giancarlo Fisichella, Renault (9th, +1.190s):
“I am very disappointed after that lap. I locked up under braking for the first chicane, and lost at least half a second in that corner and on the straight afterwards. Without that, I think I could have certainly been in the top five, so obviously I am quite a long way from the potential this afternoon. But I am still positive for tomorrow - we will see how much fuel the other cars have for their first stint, and I think our strategy will help me to climb some more positions.”

Ralf Schumacher, Toyota (10th, +1.388s):
"That was a pretty good lap from me, particularly because I had some trouble finalising my set-up this morning. We made a set-up change in the break before qualifying and that was a help. I didn't feel totally comfortable over the kerbs but it was a clean lap and I had no particular problems. Our grid position certainly leaves us in good shape to chase another strong points finish tomorrow."

David Coulthard, Red Bull (11th, +1.426s):
“No big events during that lap; the balance of the car was good, but it was capable of going quicker. I wasn’t entirely happy with my performance in qualifying and think it’s fair to say that Christian wasn’t either. I wasn’t really able to feel the car enough on the warm up lap, it felt a bit numb, so I couldn’t tell how hard to push. As a result, I was a bit too conservative going into the first chicane and lost a couple of tenths by braking too early. It’s frustrating when that happens, as once you’ve taken the decision, it’s difficult to make up the time after. Nonetheless, I think we’ve got good experience of the car on this track and it’s certainly possible for the team to score some points.”

Jacques Villeneuve, Sauber (12th, +1.478s):
“We are only two positions off our ideal position, which would have been
10th, so it was not too bad for me today. The lap was quite good.”

Christian Klien, Red Bull (13th, +1.654s):
“I don’t think that was such great lap. I suffered with understeer in two different places, including the last corner. It meant I had to back off and lost some time. I think it could have been better, as overall feeling of the car is good, but a few small mistakes make all the difference.”

Mark Webber, Williams (14th, +1.682s):
“The car seems to be reasonable so far this weekend. Last week in the test here we showed some positive steps in performance in relation to the outright pace. Clearly the people working back at the factory have done a good job in the wind tunnel with such a low downforce package which you need in Monza and also BMW is pushing hard for this race. Having to start as second qualifier didn’t help, but I am happy with my lap anyway. The race in Monza is usually hard on the tyres and the cars are sliding a lot around the corners, but it’s the same for everyone and it should be an interesting race tomorrow.”

Felipe Massa, Sauber (15th, +2.182s):
“Starting in the first three in qualifying is definitely not great! When my turn came the track was still quite slippery. But looking at our strategy the lap was actually pretty good and we know that our car is going to be better in race trim, so the situation is a lot better than it appears to be.”

Antonio Pizzonia, Williams (16th, +2.413s):
“I was still sleeping when the telephone rang this morning at 8:30 and they told me to rush to the track. I have been away from the car for nearly three months and the last time I drove an F1 car it was fitted with a V8 engine, which makes a big difference. Obviously it was a bit tricky to get used to the car so quickly, but I am happy to have the opportunity to race for the team again. Knowing that I was going to be the first car out for qualifying, today we concentrated more on race set up but I am happy with my qualifying lap, considering the situation. There is a lot more to come from me and hopefully I can do a good job tomorrow.”

Tiago Monteiro, Jordan (17th, +3.788s):
“I am quite satisfied with my lap in qualifying today. The new car felt ok, however Monza is not the easiest track to gain a greater benefit but we had more stability in the entry of the corners. We are looking forward to tracks with more downforce where we will be able to use the advantage we have with the new package. Here the track is tricky for everyone as the low downforce set-up naturally makes the car a bit unstable. I am happy with the new car and we know there is still much more to come.”

Robert Doornbos, Minardi (18th, +4.026s):
"It's been a strong weekend so far for the Minardi team, and also for me. We have been able to find a good set-up for the car, and I have been able to be quick in every practice session. I was a little bit apprehensive about qualifying, as we had a technical problem in Turkey and I was a bit too enthusiastic in Hungary, but we had a good, clean lap today. It's nice to see that we can really fight with the Jordans, and I hope it continues this way for me tomorrow."

Narain Karthikeyan, Jordan (19th, +4.981s):
“My lap was ok considering the accident I had this morning when I spun the car under braking, trying to get heat into a new set of tyres. I am still feeling a bit sore. The mechanics worked really hard to fix the car and they did a great job. However, in qualifying, the car was a bit unstable so we decided to take it a bit easier. Nevertheless, I am pretty confident for tomorrow’s race.”

Christijan Albers, Minardi (20th, +6.086s):
"It was a shame about qualifying today, but it can happen when you are driving on the limit - sometimes you go over it. I'm sorry for the boys, as well, since they worked hard on the car. Anyway, tomorrow's a new day, and you score points for the race, not qualifying, so we'll see what we can do."

Top 5 in each sector
SECTOR 1
1 10 Juan Pablo Montoya 26.107
2 5 Fernando Alonso 26.121
3 9 Kimi Räikkönen 26.161
4 2 Rubens Barrichello 26.311
5 4 Takuma Sato 26.373

SECTOR 2
1 9 Kimi Räikkönen 27.543
2 3 Jenson Button 27.639
3 10 Juan Pablo Montoya 27.792
4 16 Jarno Trulli 27.819
5 5 Fernando Alonso 27.836

SECTOR 3
1 10 Juan Pablo Montoya 27.155
2 9 Kimi Räikkönen 27.174
3 4 Takuma Sato 27.229
4 1 Michael Schumacher 27.304
5 3 Jenson Button 27.322

[SFDMALEX]

Man Mercedes is just giving the victory away to Alonso,,,,,just giving it away.....

[bmagni]

i trust the merc to have a new engine and work its way up, it has been done...

[jenkF1]

They are going to have to do something about the tyre regs. I got a bit worried for Juan on his last lap! No ones going to change there tyre if its dangerous with 3 laps left unless its totally coming off the rims. Especially when Michelins grippy tyres seem to have sidewalls made of jelly.

I've finally accepted the Ferrari era is well and truly over :(

[5vz-fe]

^Just one season and u believe their era is over?? u are not a big fan, are u.

I feel bad for Kimi tho, he could have won the race if he didn't have an engine failure, Mclaren really screwed him up. (for the entire season)

[RAMMIUS]

Bridgestone announced that for the next races , are bringing new versions of the Potenza , so maybe , maybe Ferrari will win a race or two this year.

Or we should pray for rain for the few remaining races . :P

[5vz-fe]

^Talk about dry spell, when's the last race?? :? :?

Kimi is still the fastest......by far
Ferraris are on dismal 12,13


2005 Italian Grand Prix


Pos No Driver Team Lap Time Of Day Average Speed Time

1 9 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 51 15:15:42 255.874 1:21.504
2 10 Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren-Mercedes 15 14:24:22 254.861 1:21.828
3 5 Fernando Alonso Renault 16 14:25:47 253.874 1:22.146
4 6 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 16 14:26:08 252.519 1:22.587
5 16 Jarno Trulli Toyota 19 14:30:16 251.775 1:22.831
6 8 Antonio Pizzonia Williams-BMW 21 14:33:21 251.656 1:22.870
7 7 Mark Webber Williams-BMW 40 15:01:03 251.459 1:22.935
8 17 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 19 14:30:23 251.032 1:23.076
9 3 Jenson Button BAR-Honda 16 14:26:05 250.776 1:23.161
10 4 Takuma Sato BAR-Honda 14 14:23:20 250.234 1:23.341
11 12 Felipe Massa Sauber-Petronas 18 14:29:08 250.162 1:23.365
12 2 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 13 14:21:57 249.859 1:23.466
13 1 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 5 14:10:48 249.507 1:23.584
14 15 Christian Klien Red Bull Racing 17 14:27:46 249.360 1:23.633
15 14 David Coulthard Red Bull Racing 18 14:29:42 248.665 1:23.867
16 11 Jacques Villeneuve Sauber-Petronas 13 14:22:05 248.591 1:23.892
17 18 Tiago Monteiro Jordan-Toyota 9 14:16:39 245.900 1:24.810
18 21 Christijan Albers Minardi-Cosworth 33 14:52:38 245.448 1:24.966
19 19 Narain Karthikeyan Jordan-Toyota 17 14:29:26 244.929 1:25.146
20 20 Robert Doornbos Minardi-Cosworth 31 14:49:01 244.794 1:25.193

[nthfinity]

i guess it was expected, but still im suprised by barichellos final ride with Ferrari... and whats with the goofy stickers on thier car? is this the visual end of tobacco sponsorship showing?

all in all, i disagree a bit with dani- i dont think the final lap was exciting... but it definately was suspensful.

if that had happened 2 laps, or even 1 lap before, the outcome could've been very different.


and nothing new from Ferrari except they arent getting any points. its like they have both given up since the team has... honestly, i would like to see M. Shumacher maintain 3rd... JP will take that place if Ferrari continues out of the points :(

[RAMMIUS]

Last 4 races

Belgium Spa 11th September
Brazil @ Interlagos 25th September
Japan @ Suzuka 9 October
China @ Shanghai Int Circuit 16 October

[sameerrao]

Raikkonen was awesome today. Shame about the tire delamination or else it would have been a certain podium I believe. His qualifying was amazing considering how much fuel he had onboard. The Speed TV commentators were mentioning that he was probably carrying 45kg more fuel in the car than Michael, a penalty of 1.85 secs/lap. Despite this weight penalty, he still qualified 1 second faster than Michael. :shock: If there was no engine failire, he would have run away with the win.

Pizzonia did a great job coming from the back to win considering he last drove the V10 Williams three months back. Too bad they didnt show a single second of TV coverage of his drive.

Webber just cannot seem to get a clean race. Every race he has to hit someone or have the car start slow on him and pay the penalty for it. He needs to realize that it is one thing to qualify very well but it takes a certain amount of patience to get the points.

So Schumacher has been elimated from the title contention to no one's surprise. Ferrari has also been eliminated from the constructor's title as well this race.

We saw a fiesty Barrichello today - he would have finished ahead of Schumi if wasnt for an extra stop to change the left rear tire.

Trulli did pretty well in the race today compared to his usual fade to the rear as the race progresses.

Alonso had another clean, easy race to strong podium finish. The Renaults were only a little slower than the McLarens from a race perspective - I was expecting a bigger gap given the stupendous qualifying pace.

[sameerrao]

Source: www.Formula1.com

Race results:

Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 10 Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren-Mercedes 53 1:14:28.659 1 10
2 5 Fernando Alonso Renault 53 +2.4 secs 2 8
3 6 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 53 +17.9 secs 8 6
4 9 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 53 +22.7 secs 11 5
5 16 Jarno Trulli Toyota 53 +33.7 secs 5 4
6 17 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 53 +43.9 secs 9 3
7 8 Antonio Pizzonia Williams-BMW 53 +44.6 secs 16 2
8 3 Jenson Button BAR-Honda 53 +63.6 secs 3 1
9 12 Felipe Massa Sauber-Petronas 53 +75.4 secs 15
10 1 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 53 +96.0 secs 6
11 11 Jacques Villeneuve Sauber-Petronas 52 +1 Lap 12
12 2 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 52 +1 Lap 7
13 15 Christian Klien Red Bull Racing 52 +1 Lap 13
14 7 Mark Webber Williams-BMW 52 +1 Lap 14
15 14 David Coulthard Red Bull Racing 52 +1 Lap 10
16 4 Takuma Sato BAR-Honda 52 +1 Lap 4
17 18 Tiago Monteiro Jordan-Toyota 51 +2 Laps 17
18 20 Robert Doornbos Minardi-Cosworth 51 +2 Laps 18
19 21 Christijan Albers Minardi-Cosworth 51 +2 Laps 20
20 19 Narain Karthikeyan Jordan-Toyota 50 +3 Laps 19
Fastest Lap: Kimi Räikkönen 1:21.504

Driver comments:
Juan Pablo Montoya, McLaren (1st):
”It is great to win here in Monza especially after such an exciting race. I had a good clean start getting off the line and down to the first corner without any problems. I pushed really hard in the opening stages to build a gap between me and Fernando Alonso but after a couple of laps I really started to suffer from understeer and the car became very difficult to drive. Towards the end I had a severe problem with my left rear tyre. This left me with very little grip in the closing stages, and I just couldn’t go on pushing, but it was enough to get me to the line in first place. I want to thank all in the team for their fantastic support and I am looking forward to the next race at Spa.”

Fernando Alonso, Renault (2nd):
“I am really happy with second place here this weekend. In these final races of the season, our strategy has been to make sure we get on the podium, so this is the perfect result for me. The fact that we both finished in front of Kimi (Raikkonen) makes it even better. The car was nearly perfect all through the race - I had some oversteer on the first stint, but after that we didn't touch anything at all on the settings. The team was keeping me informed about the gap to Kimi all the way through the race, so I knew how his race was developing as well, and then they told me Juan (Montoya) had problems with his tyres. I really pushed hard in the final laps, and we turned the engine revs back up to try and catch him, but there were not enough laps left. But we did the job we needed to today, so I am very pleased.”

Giancarlo Fisichella, Renault (3rd):
“This is a great day for me - to be on the podium at my home race in Monza, and to see the crowd cheering during the ceremony, was such a special feeling. The balance of the R25 was fantastic today, but the grip levels were quite bad and that meant it was a really hard race. But from eighth on the grid, I think we had a perfect strategy and it is great to finish on the podium after starting so far back. The race was what I expected really - we knew that BAR and Ferrari would stop earlier than us on the first stint, and the only concern was with Trulli. Luckily, he stopped one lap earlier than me and in that space, I really pushed and got past him. I think that was the moment that got me third place this afternoon. It is a great result for the team as well to have both of us on the podium, and the next track should suit our car well - plus Spa is a great circuit for me too. This afternoon showed we are still competitive, and attacking all the way to the last race.”

Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren (4th):
“This was a very disappointing day for me which could have ended much better. Due to an engine change I had to start from 11th, and then a tyre problem caused an additional stop which prevented me from benefiting from our one stop strategy. I had one spin when I hit the curbs in the last stage of the race, but that didn’t influence the outcome too much. I pushed very hard throughout and the speed of the car, even with a heavy fuel load, was excellent. So it is a pity that the result does not reflect our performance. Even though my World Championship chances are not looking so good I will continue to fight.”

Jarno Trulli, Toyota (5th):
"Today was a fantastic race for me. I pushed right to the limit from the beginning to the end. The car balance wasn't too bad, but we struggled a bit with traction. I lost a couple of places early on when we weren't as quick down the straights as other lighter cars. But our car was as reliable as it has been all season. I didn't expect to be able to come home in 5th place so it was definitely a positive day. It's great for the team, too, and our total of seven points means we are now bearing down on Ferrari in the constructors' championship. We'll be really pushing to catch them."

Ralf Schumacher, Toyota (6th):
"That was another good result for us, and it's great to have taken 5th and 6th between us. It was quite a difficult race for me. I had trouble with grip so it was very slippery throughout the race. I was sliding a lot and I had both understeer and oversteer during the afternoon. It was especially hard on a heavy fuel load. Towards the end of the stints I could go at a decent pace. But the team again did a great job with the strategy and in the pitstops. So that basically moved me forward. Now maybe we have a chance to catch up with Ferrari."

Antonio Pizzonia, Williams (7th):
“I am very pleased with this result on one side but I am also slightly disappointed on the other because I think that I could have done even better if I had been at my top form, as I haven’t tested recently and I am out of practice. Considering the whole situation, we scored two valuable points and my car was strong today.”

Jenson Button, BAR (8th):
"Apart from qualifying we have struggled the whole weekend here. We have found this a difficult circuit and it has been tough getting to grips with the low downforce configuration. We had problems with the fuel rig which also meant that I had to stop four laps early and that cost me on the final result. Hopefully when we return to the higher downforce circuits of the next four races we will be able to get back on the pace."

Felipe Massa, Sauber (9th):
"I made a great start and was able to avoid the incident in the first corner. After that the pace was reasonable but the car was difficult to drive. It felt pretty nervous. But to start 15th and finish ninth is the best you can hope for on a day when nobody retired, though it is frustrating to miss out on the last point. At least I have a good qualifying start position for Spa, my favourite circuit."

Michael Schumacher, Ferrari (10th):
“Clearly, our race did not go well and we were much too slow. We are nowhere near where we want to be but we have to live with it. You could say we were a bit better than in Turkey, but that is still not good enough. Running ninth, I was prepared to take some risks to get a point, but I risked a bit too much and went off the track, which lost me a place. There is no point in getting angry about our situation, we must simply try and improve, maybe in time for Spa, although that is unlikely, but possibly before the end of the season. The championship was obviously lost a while ago, but we have had a lot of good years before this one. There is no need to give up because this is all part of competition. I feel sorry for the tifosi and thank them for their support, even though we were not able to deliver them a good result.”

Jacques Villeneuve, Sauber (11th):
"The start went very well, and I was able to keep Kimi behind me quite easily in the early stages. When we were fighting again later on I was blue flagged even though we were battling for position, so I had to let him by. I guess the marshals were getting a bit over-excited. Overall it wasn't bad. We had an aggressive strategy but we really needed a few positions higher in qualifying to make that work. The car was oversteering, but I don't mind that."

Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari (12th):
“We had to adopt quite a risky strategy this afternoon, as we knew we were not really quick enough. So we were fighting to get into the points, but were unable to do it. Unfortunately the car was running with very light downforce and when you got close to a car in front it was therefore very difficult to overtake. I had a good start and the momentum took me up to fifth place and I think I could have finished eighth which is the best we could have hoped for today. But unfortunately a puncture on my left rear meant that even this was out of reach.”

Christian Klien, Red Bull (13th):
“The race was not so good. I was late releasing the clutch and lost some time then, at the first corner, I was perhaps overcautious, as I didn’t want to damage the front wing. After that, the car was difficult to drive, there was some over-steer and towards the end of the race, the rear tyres began to blister. We took some front flap off during the pit stop to help them, but it was still not easy to put the car exactly where I wanted it. As soon as I pushed, the tyres began to overheat and things were not so good.”

Mark Webber, Williams (14th):
“I had a really good start and when I was going through turn one I was telling myself. Take it easy, take it easy!. but then I think someone moved on David Coulthard and he slowed rapidly in front of me and I damaged my front wing. I had to come into the pits to change it and after that it was basically all about recovering from nowhere. It’s a shame for the team, as everyone did a fantastic job this weekend and we deserved to have both cars in the points today.”

David Coulthard, Red Bull (15th):
“I must say, I’m very disappointed. As a team, we felt we had a chance to pick up some points here, but we’ve come away with nothing and a bad qualifying slot for the next race. At the start, I made it around Turn one okay, but in Turn two where all the cars concertina up, I touched the back of Fisichella’s car and broke my front wing. I then had to make a pit stop, which lengthened my race strategy. I was battling with (Mark) Webber for the remainder of the race, and the team managed to get me in front of him during his pit stop. However, I was having difficulty balance-wise and he was able to pass me again later on. I’ve just looked at my car in parc fermé and the barge-board, the little deflector behind the front wheel, seems to be jammed at 45 degrees and stuck in the suspension, whereas it should be sitting in line with the chassis. That must have happened in the first-lap incident and was probably what was affecting the car’s aerodynamics and balance.”

Takuma Sato, BAR (16th):
"It was a disappointing race and a sad result for us. The start was quite exciting for me. I defended my position into turn one, but I was already side by side with Trulli and at the end of lap one I overtook him again and gained a position which was an exciting moment. During the first stint everything looked fine but when I came to my first pitstop we had some trouble with refuelling and so when I went back out again after the second stop the car became difficult to handle as it was very heavy and I lost a lot of grip. It's a shame as the weekend up to this point had been good for us, but we have to look forward to next weekend in Spa."

Tiago Monteiro, Jordan (17th):
“We finished another race which is good for the reliability of the new car but I am really disappointed as this was a really tough race right from the start. I lost some part of my bodywork so the balance of the car was affected and then the tyres got worse and worse. This was a big surprise to us as we were quite happy with them at the test last week and at the beginning of this weekend. I do not understand how the tyres could act like this. I am not happy with this race at all as the car was very difficult to drive at such a high speed circuit.”

Robert Doornbos, Minardi (18th):
“Today marked my fourth Grand Prix for Minardi. The weekend was going well and we were expecting to have a good battle with the Jordans. Monteiro appeared to have a slightly better car in the opening part of the race, but I had a good start and was able to maintain position ahead of my team mate and Karthikeyan. I was even able to pass one of the Williams briefly, so the first lap was very exciting, as usual, and I really enjoyed that. As the race developed, though, it became clear the pace wasn’t quite there, so I just focused on the lap times and talking to my engineer on the radio. Anyway, we have been competitive all weekend, even if not quite to the level we would have liked in the race, and now look forward to Spa and another opportunity to fight the Jordans.”

Christijan Albers, Minardi (19th):
“We did a good job between qualifying and the race, and I was happy with the work we did. I think we had a competitive car and could have finished in front of the Jordans, as we could have done yesterday in qualifying, but sometimes you also need some luck. I stopped four times in the race - once for a new nose, one for a drive-through penalty, and two normal pit stops - so I think I have seen enough of the pit lane this weekend. Anyway, we’ll now put this race behind us and look forward to the next one, in Spa. I want to say a special thank you to the mechanics and engineers, because they did a really good job with the car, and that was reflected in our lap times this afternoon.”

Narain Karthikeyan, Jordan (20th):
“I made a good start but unfortunately Albers stupidly hit me in the rear at the first corner, which punctured my left rear tyre. It is really a pity as he has already done this to Tiago in the past. This is a long lap here so it took me a long time to come back to the pits to change tyre. Because I damaged my tyres in my accident yesterday, I had to use a very old set and therefore I knew this was the end of my race. However, I am still happy that I managed to finish the race and I hope we will have a better result at Spa with the new car.”

[5vz-fe]

lol...a pass is a pass...........someone shut that crying baby up please. :mrgreen:

[kksh]

I agree with Ronin005's support for Ferrari and his questions about Alonso's fans. I've been a fan of McLaren since way back. When they were dominating, losing, all the time. I've supported every driver that drove for Mclaren. Where were all those alonso fans when he was being beaten by Trulli last year before Trulli got the boot?

And about alonso's whining about the pass. Yeah a pass is a pass.

Kimi's performance was just extraordinary. Maybe they should build stronger engines with less performance and just let kimi use his skills to get the wins. He can still win comfortably with a car that's half a sec slower.