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2005 GERMAN F1 GRAND PRIX  

2005 F1 GP: R12 of 19, 2005 German GP, July 24, Hockenheim

• HOME GP FOR SCHUMACHERS & HEIDFELD
• M SCHUMACHER: "Myself and everyone at Ferrari struggle to understand why we are so slow. If we managed to understand it, the problem would be solved, but in F1 there's never just one reason.
• R SCHUMACHER: "Hockenheim is my home Grand Prix so I would love to pick up another good result after my points in the last two races."
• HEIDFELD: "I find the unique atmosphere in Hockenheim very special, it feels a bit like the atmosphere you find in a football stadium. The track is ok, but I must say I preferred the old layout as it was unlike any other venue"

CIRCUIT:

• Hockenheim Location:
• Half way between Frankfurt and Stuttgart
• Major upgrade in 2002:
• Circuit resurfaced and shortened from 6.82 km to 4.574 km with rapid sweepers and hairpins. The long tree lined straight is gone. The new layout gives better viewing by spectators. 67 lap race.
• Old circuit: high speed circuit with 2 long straights, 3 chicanes; 45 lap race
• Current Hockenheim Circuit:
• Downforce - medium; Full throttle - about 60%; Surface - smooth
• Hockenheim History:
• 1932 - circuit opened for motorcycle racing
• 1966 - Motordrom opened
• 1970 - first Formula 1 race; just 1 race then German GP moved to Nurburgring
• 1977 - Formula 1 returned to Hockenheim
• 2002 - major upgrade
• Hockenheim Winners:
• 2004 winner: M Schumacher/Ferrari Bridgestone
• 2003 winner: Juan Montoya, Williams BMW
• 2002 winner: M Schumacher/Ferrari Bridgestone
• 2001 winner: R Schumacher/Williams BMW Michelin
• 2000 winner: Barichello/Ferrari Bridgestone
• 1999 winner: Irvine/Ferrari Bridgestone
• lap record: 1m 45.747 G Berger, Benetton, 199

• LAST YEAR RESULT
• 1 Michael Schumacher, Ferrari 66 laps
• 2 Jenson Button, BAR Honda +8.3s
• 3 Fernando Alonso, Renault +16.3s
• 4 David Coulthard, McLaren-Mercedes +19.2s
• 5 Juan Pablo Montoya, Williams-BMW +23
• 6 Mark Webber, Jaguar +41s
• 2004 pole: Michael Schumacher, Ferrari 1m 15.066s

RACE RESULT

SUN, JULY 24, 2005

• 1 Fernando Alonso (SPA) Renault, 70 laps
  "The car felt really good and competitive, but it was not enough to follow Kimi in the first 20 laps. McLaren were dominant, but the races are 70 laps not 30, and we finish. I thought at the time that second place was good enough .... The McLaren was so dominant all weekend and we have to improve our car in the coming races if we want to beat them. But we saw in the race we were a little but closer to them "
  BRIATORE (RENAULT): "We are creating an incredible champion in Fernando ... He has followed me from the beginning and now it is paying off and he is making his mark."
• 2 Juan Montoya (FIN) McLaren-Mercedes +22.5
  "It's frustrating because we should have won the race but I made a mistake in qualifying. I didn't apologise yesterday but I want to apologise now. I came up to second so it's not so bad."
• 3 Jenson Button (UK) BAR-Honda +24.2
• 4 Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA) Renault +50.5
• 5 Michael Schumacher (GER) Ferrari +51.6
• 6 Ralf Schumacher (GER) Toyota +52.242
• 7 David Coulthard (UK) Red Bull-Cosworth +52.7
• 8 Felipe Massa (BRA) Sauber-Petronas +56.57
  9 Christian Klien (AUT) Red Bull-Cosworth 1:09.818
  10 Rubens Barrichello (BRA) Ferrari 1 lap
  11 Nick Heidfeld (GER) Williams-BMW 1 lap
  12 Takuma Sato (JAP) BAR-Honda 1 lap
  13 Christijan Albers (NED) Minardi-Cosworth 2 laps
  14 Jarno Trulli (ITA) Toyota 3 laps
  15 Jacques Villeneuve (CAN) Sauber-Petronas 3 laps
  16 Narain Karthikeyan (IND) Jordan-Toyota 3 laps
  17 Tiago Monteiro (POR) Jordan-Toyota 3 laps
  18 Robert Doornbos (NED) Minardi-Cosworth 4 laps
• DNF: Raikkonen, Webber

TOYOTA RACE REPORT:

• Panasonic Toyota Racing secured three more points at today's action-packed German Grand Prix after Ralf Schumacher took a hard-earned 6th place. Under overcast skies, Ralf started 12th and drove well all day, benefiting from a good strategy to climb through the field. But it was a dramatic day for Jarno Trulli, who had to pit to replace a damaged front left tyre after a first lap collision. Jarno rejoined at the back and battled his way up before a late drive-through penalty for a blue flag infringement. A final, unplanned pitstop to refill his engine's pneumatic fluid led to his eventual retirement on the last lap. This result, in front of an audience that included German hip hop band Die Fantastische Vier, consolidates Toyota's 4th place in the constructors' championship with a total of 57 points.
• A VERY GOOD DREI (Race Classification: 6th)
  Ralf Schumacher started with a heavy fuel load and pushed hard all day to take his third straight points finish at today's German Grand Prix. He moves up to 8th place in the drivers' championship on 26 points. "That was an exciting race for the public and a good one for me as well. I said yesterday that we could have a good race today and so it proved. I didn't make the best of starts and I found myself crowded out, but it is always like that in Hockenheim. From then on our strategy was excellent, including a long stint before the first pit stop. We could even have ended up one or two positions higher. Unfortunately when I came out of the pits after my first stop the tyres took a couple of laps to get my lap times back while I was struggling for grip. But three points is another good result. The team did a great job and we have to be happy with this result."
• TRULLI MAMMOTH TASK (Race Classification: 14th)
  Jarno Trulli endured a dramatic German Grand Prix, pitting on the first lap after picking up a puncture. Later he earned a drive-through penalty before retiring after a problem with his engine's pneumatic pressure. "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."
• HOCKEN ROLL
  Ralf's three points consolidate Panasonic Toyota Racing's grip on 4th place in the constructors' championship.
• Tsutomu Tomita - Team Principal: "That was a good race from Ralf, and we have to be encouraged by today. But given the race pace we had today we really could have hoped for more. Ralf's long first stint paid off and got him into a very good position. Unfortunately he lost a couple of places after his first stop, which we were able to get back at the end. Jarno's race was ruined in the first couple of corners when he got pushed off by a Williams, picked up a puncture on his front left tyre and had to pit. He drove a strong race until he picked up a drive-through penalty. That was unfortunate because he was trying to overtake Heidfeld, which obviously distracted him. Then we had a pneumatic problem on his engine, and he came in to refill it before we finally had to stop the car. It was a shame not to be able to come away with even more but we have to be very encouraged by the pace we showed here today."

QUALIFYING

GRID, JULY 23, 2005

• 1 Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) McLaren-Mercedes 1m 14.320 (vs 2004 pole 1m 15.066s)
  "I am happy to be on pole which is the position that the team deserves after all the hard work. Surprisingly the car wasn't handling as well as in free practice this morning. My qualifying performance wasn't perfect as I had a short moment when I slid a little too much at the second to last corner due to oversteer. Anyway it's good to start from pole position, but I expect a tough race tomorrow. Unfortunately Juan Pablo has to start from the back following his off. Obviously I would have liked him to start from the front row to make it the optimum result for the team today, but that is motor racing."
• 2 Jenson Button (UK) BAR-Honda 1:14.759 +0.439s
  "I'm obviously delighted to be on the front row again - for the second race in a row. The team have done a fantastic job to make sure we took a step forward here after Silverstone and Honda have made good progress with the engine. It was a good lap for me today, although we did have a little too much front end on the car which meant I had a few moments, especially coming into the stadium. We have made progress since Silverstone but not quite enough to challenge the front runners yet, I don't think. We will be closer though and happy with that because it provides us with momentum to keep moving forward throughout the year. This is actually the first time I've started inside the top twelve here so it is nice to be on the front row and hopefully we can take advantage of that in the race tomorrow."
• 3 Fernando Alonso (SPA) Renault 1:14.904
  "I am pretty pleased to be third this afternoon in fact I could have been on the front row but it is actually quite good to be starting from the clean side of the track. I lost three or four tenths through the first corners: it was windier than this morning, and the first corner is very quick and I was a bit unsettled. Then, I didn't have the confidence to attack the braking zone at the next corner. I knew I was down after the first sector, and really pushed after that to make up some time, which I managed to do. We know that qualifying speed is our weak point at the moment, but the R25 is much quicker in race trim. I hope to make up a place at the start, and I am sure we have the right strategy. I want at least a podium -- and perhaps we will be able to fight for the win."
• 4 Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA) Renault 1:14.927
  "The conditions were a bit more difficult this afternoon because the wind had increased, which makes the car harder to predict and mistakes are easier to make. That meant I didn't do such an aggressive lap as I could have done in other circumstances. Having said that, the higher track temperatures definitely improved the handling of the car. Overall, this is a good result because we have chosen a good strategy for tomorrow, which should allow us to fight for the podium at the very least."
• 5 Michael Schumacher (GER) Ferrari 1:15.006 (vs 2004 pole 1m 15.066s)
• 6 Mark Webber (AUS) Williams-BMW 1:15.070
  "My lap wasn't too bad, even if I had to go out a bit early on in the session. We are doing ok here and we are definitely better than our performances in Silverstone and Magny Cours. This track is much less sensitive and our car responds better. We have a good strategy and we need to do the best we can for tomorrow's race. We'll see what the weather is going to be like tomorrow, of course if it rains it will be tricky, especially due to the poor visibility but this is a challenging part of our job. It usually provides a mixed result and it's a bit of a lottery, good for the fans!"
• 7 Nick Heidfeld (GER) Williams-BMW 1:15.403
  "It looks like our car has improved and this is encouraging. My lap was all right, only in the last sector I suffered a bit of understeer and probably lost some time there. From this starting position it's realistic to aim to collect some points in the race tomorrow. Early to say, but from this qualifying it looks like our situation is improving."
• 8 Takuma Sato (JAP) BAR-Honda 1:15.501
• 9 Jarno Trulli (ITA) Toyota
  "I had a slight problem with the brakes so I didn't have the confidence to push as hard as I would have liked. But I'm reasonably comfortable with where we are on the grid given that we've struggled for pace so far this weekend. It's hard to say how we can fare in the race but maybe some of the other cars will be on different strategies to us. We haven't had the best of times in the last two races so hopefully we can turn it around tomorrow and score some more points. We'll certainly be pushing very hard."
• 10 Christian Klien (AUT) Red Bull
• 11 David Coulthard (GB) Red Bull
  12 Ralf Schumacher (GER) Toyota
  13 Felipe Massa (BRA) Sauber-Petronas
  14 Jacques Villeneuve (CAN) Sauber-Petronas
  15 Rubens Barrichello (BRA) Ferrari
  16 Christijan Albers (NED) Minardi-Cosworth
  17 Robert Doornbos (NED) Minardi-Cosworth *** F1 DEBUT ***
  18 Tiago Monteiro (POR) Jordan-Toyota
  19 Juan Pablo Montoya (COL) McLaren-Mercedes ** CRASHED **
  "I just lost it. But I think we can get a podium easily here .... Why do I want to nail second if I can be first? ... I can rescue the points but I'm not interested in the points - I just want to win races. Am I here to finish second or am I here to try to win races and win championships? I think I'm here to win races and championships. I made a mistake trying but that what's we're here for and if they're looking for somebody to be second then they need to look for a different driver. I think they hired me because they want me to win."
  20 Narain Karthikeyan (IND) Jordan-Toyota

SAT PRAC #2, JULY 23, 2005

• 1 Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren-Mercedes 1m 14.128 (vs 2004 pole 1m 15.066s)
• 2 Juan Pablo Montoya
• 3 Fernando Alonso
• 4 Giancarlo Fisichella
• 5 Jenson Button
• 6 Mark Webber

FRI PRAC #2, JULY 22, 2005

• 1 *Alex Wurz, McLaren-Mercedes 1m 13.973 (vs 2004 pole 1m 15.066s)
• 2 Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren-Mercedes +0.63s
  "We spent today working on our race set-up. The car was quick almost immediately which is always a good sign, and we could spend some more time on our Michelin tyre programme. I'm looking forward to the rest of the weekend where I hope that the weather will stay dry and sunny. The aim is to win the race and after today's sessions I'm certain that we have a very strong package which will allow us to do that."
• 3 Fernando Alonso, Renault +1.5
• 4 Juan Pablo Montoya +1.7
• 5 *Ricardo Zonta +2.1
• 6 Giancarlo Fisichella
• 7 Felipe Massa
• 8 *Vitantonio Liuzzi
• 9 Jarno Trulli
• 10 Michael Schumacher
  "I think we did a reasonable job today, getting through much of our programme in the morning session, in case we had to deal with a wet track in the afternoon, when we ended up using old tyres. The car was handling well, but as expected we lack performance. At this stage of the weekend, I would still hope we can manage to finish on the podium, but it will be tough."
• 11 R Schumacher 12 Klien 13 Button 14 Webber 15 Heidfeld 16 Barrichello 17 Villeneuve 18 Sato 19 Karthikeyan 20 Albers 21 Doornbos 22 Monteiro 23 Kiesa
• *reserve driver

2005 RACE PREVIEW: GERMAN GP

BAR - BRIDGESTONE - FERRARI - McLAREN - RENAULT - SAUBER - TOYOTA - WILLIAMS

BAR-HONDA PREVIEW:

• Jenson Button: "The German Grand Prix last year was one of the best races of my career. To finish in second place having started from thirteenth was amazing. I have great memories from this race. There are some good overtaking opportunities which created an exciting race last year. I think that we will face the same challenges that we experienced at the British GP, but having completed two days testing in Jerez where the car felt good, I'm looking forward to the race and hope to be more competitive and have both cars finish strongly in the points."
• Takuma Sato: "Hockenheim is a great circuit - the long straight with late braking provides good overtaking opportunities. We completed a good test in Jerez this week and we have made a positive step forward with a small aero upgrade, so the car is performing well. The German Grand Prix is always exciting and I believe that we can have another strong race and carry over the momentum from the British GP to Hockenheim next week."
• Gil de Ferran, Sporting director: "We have now come from two consecutive races where we have shown that we are certainly competitive. Between the two races we have again been testing in Jerez in an attempt to further improve the performance of our car. Hopefully, some of those upgrades will have a positive impact at the forthcoming German Grand Prix. It is also worth mentioning that the team has had a welcome break this weekend after a very busy phase of our calendar and everyone is recharged and looking forward to the German Grand Prix, a long- established and extremely popular event with everyone."

BRIDGESTONE PREVIEW:

• Hiroshi Yasukawa, Director of Motorsport:
• Hisao Suganuma, Technical Manager:

FERRARI PREVIEW:

• M SCHUMACHER: "I don't feel like promising big things to my fans. I'm not thinking about victory at all. I'll do my best to get on the podium at least, although I must admit I feel fairly pessimistic ... It would be an illusion to think that things could change here at Hockenheim. Myself and everyone at Ferrari struggle to understand why we are so slow. If we managed to understand it, the problem would be solved, but in F1 there's never just one reason. It's a combination of the various elements of the package that don't work and we are constantly doing nothing, without being able to find an answer."

McLAREN-MERCEDES PREVIEW:

• Norbert Haug, (Mercedes-Benz Motorsport): "Following the British Grand Prix we completed extensive tests at Jerez and further optimised chassis and engine. We had an engine failure; however, two engines ran without problems for 1200 and 1400 kilometres respectively. We are all working hard for the cars' speed and reliability to provide Kimi and Juan Pablo with conditions for best possible results. Understandably, the most frequently asked question for us is, if Kimi will be able to reduce the gap behind Fernando Alonso or to pass him. The answer is: we don't know, but we will fight for it as hard as we can. Kimi and the team scored more points since our first win of the year at Barcelona than the opposition, which is positive, although unfortunately we missed opportunities for victories and 1-2 wins."
• RAIKKONEN: "The battle for the Championship is still on and I am determined to get a good result and work on closing the gap at the 2005 Mobil 1 German Grand Prix. The MP4-20 has a good speed and we need to make the most of it this weekend. Hockenheim is a high downforce track, but you do need to compromise set-up to have a fast top speed. This is very important for the main place where you can pass, along the long straight from turn two down to the wide hairpin at three. This also means we need good braking stability. As with Silverstone it is always great to race in front of our home fans, as the atmosphere at the Mercedes-Benz grandstand is always really enthusiastic, hopefully we will put on a good show for them this year! I will give it my all to please the many Mercedes employees and fans."
• MONTOYA: "Following my debut win with Team McLaren Mercedes at Silverstone, I am really looking forward to racing again this weekend in Germany, the home Grand Prix for Mercedes-Benz. I enjoy racing at Hockenheim, I have performed well here and won in the past and I am aiming for a strong result like at Silverstone. Traction is vital at Hockenheim, as the circuit is formed of slow and medium fast corners and you need to get good exits to have the speed in between. As a result there are also heavy braking zones, and this combined with the high temperatures we usually get in Germany, means you will see cars running with larger than normal brake ducts."

RENAULT RACE PREVIEW:

• FISICHELLA: "It is a very tough circuit for the tyres -- you need a lot of traction out of the slow corners, and with the high temperatures, it puts a lot of load on the tyres. Also, we run with much more downforce than on the old circuit, and the grip levels on the new asphalt are higher, so it is very important to make the right tyre choice to keep good performance all the way through the race ... I think it looks very promising for us -- we had a new engine spec in Silverstone, that we will be improving through the summer, and there are new developments on the car at every race, with parts coming for Germany as well. McLaren made a good step forward earlier in the season, but I think it is very close between us both now -- maybe they are quicker, but not by much. Certainly we have a very good chance to fight for the win at every race we go to, so that will be my aim, to score a lot of points for the team, to keep Renault ahead in the Constructors' Championship. And, of course, to win some more races! I am certain I will have the chance to do that before the end of the year"
• ALOSO: "it is now very different to how it used to be, and not quite the high speed circuit it was. But even so, we use quite a big part of the old track and there are some long straights, so it is still pretty fast. The other good thing is that it is one of the circuits in the championship where it is easier to overtake, because we have some long straights leading into slow corners that mean we can have a good fight. The set up is not easy to find, because you have to get a compromise between good top speed in the quick sections, and grip and high downforce levels in the slower parts ... The race is held in the middle of July, which means that conditions are very hot, particularly on the asphalt. In the last two years, we had some problems with the rear tyres because of high temperatures and the traction demands in the corners, so it is something we need to analyse very carefully with Michelin to get the right balance between performance and durability. But the test team were working in Jerez last week in hot conditions, and they have done a fantastic job so far this year. I am sure we can be very competitive, just like we were earlier in the year in the hot races at Bahrain and Malaysia."

SAUBER RACE PREVIEW:

TOYOTA RACE PREVIEW:

• Jarno Trulli (Car 16): ""When they changed the layout of the Hockenheim circuit in 2002, they completely changed the nature of racing there. The old layout was all about low downforce and high speed, whereas we now have a medium downforce track. It is impossible to compare the two tracks because they are poles apart. But I have always enjoyed racing at Hockenheim, ever since I raced in German Formula 3, and that hasn't changed with the new circuit. It is another technical circuit. There are lots of slower corners but you need to work on set-up to get the most out of them while not losing out through the quicker sections. There is only one real passing point, at the end of the long straight, so you need to have good straightline speed in the race to make sure you don't lose out in the race. After missing out on the points at Silverstone, rest assured I will do everything for a better result."
• Ralf Schumacher (Car 17): "Hockenheim is my home Grand Prix so I would love to pick up another good result after my points in the last two races. I'm a fan of the revised track they introduced three years ago, so I'm looking forward to another race there. Losing the long straights of the old circuit is not a problem as the new layout is more interesting for both the drivers and the fans, who can now follow more of the action. There's a good passing opportunity before the hairpin and the corners in the infield don't narrow at the exit, they remain open, so you can maintain your rhythm and drive fluently. Tyre choice is critical at Hockenheim, but I spent three days at Jerez last week looking at tyres for the hot conditions we are likely to face. That was a good test so we head to the German Grand Prix hopeful of another good result."

WILLIAMS-BMW RACE PREVIEW:

• Nick Heidfeld: "I am, of course, looking forward to racing at Hockenheim as it is one of two home races for me. At the moment, we are not looking strong in terms of speed, which has been clear in the last two races. I am confident though that we will improve our situation after testing in Jerez so I will be able to put on a good show in front of the home fans. I find the unique atmosphere in Hockenheim very special, it feels a bit like the atmosphere you find in a football stadium. The track is ok, but I must say I preferred the old layout as it was unlike any other venue. Because you were forced to find a compromise between the long straights in the wood and the low downforce section in the infield section, it was a great challenge for the drivers. However, the new circuit is clearly better for the fans and for our safety."
• Mark Webber: "Obviously all races are important to us but, because of our partnership with BMW, it is important to get a strong result in their home country. I didn't take part in this week's test at Jerez because it was important to give the burn on my hip more time to recover before Hockenheim. However, I know everyone in the team has been working really hard to understand our lack of pace in the last two races so I hope we'll see a big step towards regaining the genuine pace of the FW27 this weekend. The Hockenheim circuit has good opportunities for overtaking and normally produces a good race. There's always a great atmosphere among the German fans and, as a driver, you always get a tremendous buzz coming into the stadium section and seeing the packed grandstands. It's quite a special feeling."
• Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1): "After the British Grand Prix, we've been working hard at the factory, in the wind tunnel, and at the test in Jerez to understand and improve the performance of the FW27. Nick, Antonio and Nico all contributed as we worked through many mechanical and aerodynamic set-ups. Jerez marked the final test before the summer testing ban and we have made some progress. WilliamsF1 is a winning team, as history confirms, and we look forward to competing at a higher level as soon as possible. Hockenheim is an interesting circuit, with mainly slow and medium speed corners, leading towards a softer set-up as the requirement for high speed stability is reduced. It is also quite hard on tyres, with many traction events, so the tyre companies are usually wary of blistering and make adjustments to the compound accordingly. Hockenheim has a great overtaking section and it would be nice to see some action there during the Grand Prix. Strategy will either be a two or a three stop on Sunday."
• Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): "After the two disappointing races in France and Britain, we can not expect a miracle for the German Grand Prix. We are running flat out on the development work, in the wind tunnel at Grove as well as on the track in Jerez, in order to find out the reasons for the uncompetitive lap times so we can fix the problem as soon as possible. BMW is supporting this programme every way we can. Together we want to find our way back to form for the rest of the season."
• "Both BMW P84/5 engines which Mark and Nick will race in Hockenheim are those which we raced at Silverstone. Although the long forest straights of Hockenheim were removed from the layout in 2002, the circuit remains a challenging one for the engines. In 2004, the full throttle percentage per lap was 62 percent, while the longest full throttle section was 1,047m. One also needs to take into account that we may have hot weather in Hockenheim."
• "For the BMW engineers, the week after the British Grand Prix was a special one because we tested an early configuration of the 2006 V8 engine for the first time. Antonio Pizzonia was on duty for the maiden roll-out in a modified FW27 chassis in Jerez. Overall, the test was positive and we are on schedule with the development."

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