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2005 SPANISH F1 GRAND PRIX

2005 F1 GP: R5 of 19, 2005 Spanish GP, May 8, Barcelona

ROUND 5 OF 19: ALONSO'S HOME GP

RACE RESULT: 18 cars - no BARs

• 1 Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren-Mercedes , 66 laps
  "I'm very happy for myself and for all the people who have been putting lots of effort into the car ... This team has done very well. Everyone has been working perfectly so hopefully we can start winning more"
• 2 Fernando Alonso Renault +27.6s
  "Second place here at home is like a victory for me. Eight points in the pocket again is a fantastic result for me and the team"
• 3 Jarno Trulli, Toyota +45s
  "This was one of the best races of my career because I really had to fight for the whole of the race to keep ahead of Ralf. Ralf was very quick and probably today he deserved a podium as well as me. But I had a different strategy because my set-up meant that I was quicker with more fuel and a bit slower with less fuel in the car. It meant I had to push really hard throughout, even through the pitstops. I had a problem with the fuel rig at my first stop but in the end everything worked fine so it was a great feeling to finish on the podium again. "
• 4 Ralf Schumacher , Toyota +46s
  "That was a long, hard race. It's great to score so many points again and in general the race went well. I gained a place at the start and kept pushing throughout the afternoon. Unfortunately I lost ground on Jarno in the first pitstops and from then on I had to push him all the way. It was a busy race but I had no real problems with the car or tyres, so I'm happy with the way it went. It's great for the team that we have brought home 11 points between us today."
• 5 Giancarlo Fisichella , Renault +57s
• 6 Mark Webber, Williams-BMW
  "The start was tricky because I was on the dirty side of the track and I lost one position there. I didn't want to risk too much with Ralf Schumacher at the first corner to protect my position. Then I was stuck for a while behind Ralf and Alonso, which was a shame, because I was lighter than them. We decided to change strategy and go for two stops instead of three but the fuel load was quite hard on the tyres then, causing quite a bit of deterioration and consequent vibrations in the car. At the end of the day we collected some useful points."
• 7 Juan Pablo Montoya , McLaren-Mercedes
• 8 David Coulthard, Red Bull-Cosworth
• 9 Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari
• 10 Nick Heidfeld, Williams-BMW
• 11 Massa 12 Monteiro 13 Karthikeyan

RETIREMENT: M Schumacher, Villeneuve, Albers, Friesacher, Liuzzi

• M SCHUMACHER (puncture & suspension)
  "I think a third place would have been a realistic target seeing how the race was going. So it was very disappointing that I had those two problems. Already on the lap before, I felt the car becoming unbalanced, then suddenly the tyre pressure was gone. Then, after the rear tyre was changed, the same thing happened again. It is strange that both were on the same side and the other tyres were fine. We have a lot of work to do across the entire package, before Monaco."
  R BRAWN (FERRARI): "At the end, this was a very disappointing result. And it was all the more frustrating as I think we were in a strong position with Michael at one stage of the race. I do not think he could have won, but a podium finish would have been possible. We had two consecutive problems with the left side tyres, so now we need to find out exactly what happened."

McLAREN (R DENNIS, CEO): "We're delighted with the win, but we're even more delighted with the nature of the win. We were extremely dominant. We're here to win and that's what we've done. I think we're going to keep this momentum going - we've got a very, very good racing car. I'm very confident that the additional improvements we've got in the pipeline will keep us ahead"

CIRCUIT:

• Circuit de Catalunya
• Location - BARCELONA, SPAIN
• 2.94 miles / 4.73 km
• Race: 65 laps; total distance 190.9 miles / 307.4 km
• WINNERS:
• 2004 M Schumacher, Ferrari
• 2003 M Schumacher, Ferrari
• 2002 M Schumacher, Ferrari
• 2001 R Schumacher, Williams
• 2000 M Hakkinen, McLaren
• 1999 M Hakkinen, McLaren

• ALONSO: "I am very proud of what we have built in Spain, because it is not a traditional Formula 1 country. I think we have found passionate fans, and built up a strong culture for the sport and things are improving every day, with more and more people getting interested. The atmosphere is fantastic, like a big party, and I think the fans will be asking for another victory. But they understand that sometimes this is possible, and sometimes not. I will be doing my best, and the car feels good at the moment, so I think we can be in the podium. After that, perhaps we can fight for the win, but we do not know yet. All I can do is push to my maximum."
• BAR banned for next 2 GPs (Spanish GP & Monaco GP) - BAR HAS DECIDED NOT TO APPEAL
  BUTTON: "our chance of winning the championship is pretty much gone ... To come back from that is pretty much impossible, especially with Renault being so strong in the first few races and Ferrari are going to be strong for the rest of the year."
• MONTOYA BACK

QUALIFYING: 18 cars - no BARs

GRID, AGGREGATE TIMES, MAY 8, 2005

• 1 Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren-Mercedes
  "I'm pleased to be on pole position but there is still a race to go. Today's lap was pretty good and my aggregate time would have been even better if I hadn't made the mistake in yesterday's qualifying. Our package is obviously working well and if everything comes together I think we are in with a chance of winning the race."
• 2 Mark Webber, Williams-BMW
  "It was a very good session for us this morning, which has put me in a good position for the race. We've been working on our starts and we're hopeful that it will come together well. I am planning to have a clean race running at my own pace from the front, this time. Clearly Renault and McLaren are still very strong but we hope we can collect some solid points today."
• 3 Fernando Alonso Renault
• 4 Ralf Schumacher , Toyota
• 5 Jarno Trulli, Toyota
• 6 Giancarlo Fisichella , Renault
• 7 Juan Pablo Montoya , McLaren-Mercedes
• 8 Michael Schumacher , Ferrari
  "This morning the car felt rather nervous, so it was difficult to do a good time and I will therefore start from the fourth row of the grid. We know that in race set-up the car is very good and so we will try and make the most of this situation, which is definitely not the best."
• 9 David Coulthard, Red Bull-Cosworth
• 10 Felipe Massa , Sauber-Petronas
• 11 Liuzzi 12 Villeneuve 13 Karthikeyan 14 Albers 15 Friesacher
• ENGINE CHANGE PENALTY: 16 Barrichello 17 Heidfeld 18 Monteiro

SAT, MAY 7, 2005

• 1 Jarno Trulli, Toyota 1m 14.795s (vs 2004 pole 1m 15.022)
  "I'm delighted to be on provisional pole, and especially so because this is the first time Panasonic Toyota Racing has managed the feat. My lap was nice and clear but I must say I'm surprised to have taken such a perfect result. I was struggling to find grip this morning, but in the end things went much better in qualifying. I have no doubt that the race will be hard tomorrow as the front of the grid is so tight, but we will do our very best to convert this result into pole position tomorrow morning. Then I will give everything I have in the race."
• 2 Fernando Alonso Renault +0.016s
  "There was a little more grip out there than I had expected, so I am encouraged because the car has the potential to be faster. But it has felt good all weekend, and I think we are set up well for tomorrow in second qualifying and the race, when I will be able to attack even more."
• 3 Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren-Mercedes +0.024s
• 4 Ralf Schumacher , Toyota
  "I'm happy with my lap, which was good and clear. Perhaps I was a bit too cautious in the windy final sector, but to finish so close to the front is great news. I ended up only 75 thousandths of a second off pole, so I can't complain!"
• 5 Nick Heidfeld, Williams-BMW ** will lose 20 places for changing engine twice **
  "I am happy with my lap today, although I didn't push flat out knowing that I will have to start my race from the back. With regards to the set- up of my car, it was much better in qualifying compared to this morning's free practice sessions."
• 6 Mark Webber, Williams-BMW
• 7 Michael Schumacher , Ferrari
• 8 Giancarlo Fisichella , Renault
• 9 Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari
• 10 David Coulthard, Red Bull-Cosworth
• 11 Massa 12 Montoya 13 Liuzzi 14 Villeneuve 15 Karthikeyan 16 Monteiro 17 Albers 18 Friesacher

M SCHUMACHER, 7TH, SAT QUAL: "It was a reasonable performance in this qualifying session. I was looking strong in the first sector, but then lost about four tenths in the last two. If we look at my pace this morning, it is obvious we have made up some ground this afternoon, closing the gap to the others.Whatever happens in final qualifying, this is not the ideal position on the grid. So we will have to rely on our race performance. I am much happier with that and I think we are much more competitive in race trim. It is fair to say, we are still struggling with our single lap performance."

FRI, MAY 6, 2005

• PRACTICE 2
• 1 Pedro de la Rosa , McLaren-Mercedes 1m 15.062s (vs 2004 pole 1m 15.022)
• 2 Ricardo Zonta, Toyota
• 3 Nick Heidfeld, Williams-BMW
• 4 Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren-Mercedes
• 5 Jarno Trulli, Toyota
• 6 David Coulthard, Red Bull-Cosworth
• 7 Fisichella 8 R Schumacher 9 Alonso 10 Montoya
• PRACTICE 1
• 1 Pedro de la Rosa , McLaren-Mercedes 1m 15.675s
• 2 Christian Klien, Red Bull-Cosworth
• 3 Nick Heidfeld, Williams-BMW
• 4 Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
• 5 Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren-Mercedes
• 6 David Coulthard, Red Bull-Cosworth
• 7 Zonta 8 Liuzzi 9 R Schumacher 10 Montoya

2005 RACE PREVIEW:

BAR STATEMENT REGARDING 2 GP BAN:
Nick Fry (BAR Honda CEO): "BAR Honda are appalled at the decision of the FIA International Court of Appeal and assert that the judgement is contrary to all of the evidence heard yesterday. The team proved that they complied with the current regulations and the FIA now acknowledge that the regulations are unclear. We repeat that at no time did we run underweight at the San Marino Grand Prix and this was also unchallenged by the FIA. While the court rejected the FIA's original accusations of fraud and deception, BAR Honda say that this penalty is wholly and grossly disproportionate. The team are advised by their legal counsel that the judgement is plainly wrong based on the evidence presented and are currently examining their options. Our objective is to race this weekend. We need to get some judgement from a court very soon, probably tomorrow morning. We need to get a fair hearing and to clear our name. Our integrity is being challenged. The penalty implies we are guilty and we are not. We have to do what is right." BAR HAS DECIDED NOT TO APPEAL

• FERRARI
• RENAULT
• TOYOTA
• BAR-HONDA
• SAUBER
• WILLIAMS-BMW
• BRIDGESTONE

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