24 April: San Marino Grand Prix - Race Report - McLaren Mercedes
West McLaren Mercedes driver Alex Wurz finished today's 62-lap San Marino Grand Prix in fourth place. Team mate Kimi Raikkonen
retired from first place on lap eight as a result of a CV joint failure in the driveshaft. Alex was on a two stop strategy, stopping
on lap 25 (9.148 seconds) and lap 47 (7.547 seconds). Kimi is ninth in the 2005 Drivers' World Championship with seven points,
whilst Alex is 13th with five. Juan Pablo Montoya and Pedro de la Rosa are eighth and 14th respectively. West McLaren Mercedes is
third in the Constructors' Championship with 24 points.
Kimi Raikkonen "Unfortunately my race was cut short as
a result of a failure in the left driveshaft. Obviously I am disappointed as I had a great start and was really building on my lead.
At least we know that the car has the pace in both qualifying as well as the race, and with some improvements due for Spain in two
weeks I am looking forward to a good race there."
Alex Wurz "I am really happy with my result today. I
drove a tactical race, particularly right before the first pitstop, when I needed to close the gap between Mark Webber and Takuma
Sato. I managed to gain an advantage once they pitted and as a result came out ahead of them. I could have been faster; however
early on in the race I was stuck in traffic, so could not close the gap to Jenson Button. I am pleased that the team gave me this
opportunity and I did my best to justify their commitment to me. A shame for Kimi, he would have deserved a top result this
weekend."
Ron Dennis "Of course we are very disappointed with the outcome of the race. Kimi was doing a
fantastic job and had already pulled out a healthy lead over Fernando Alonso until a CV joint failed in the driveshaft. Alex's
fourth place was well deserved and again reflected the professional approach he has taken to the weekend as a whole. Apologies again
to Kimi"
Norbert Haug "It's a pity that Kimi retired in the lead with a driveshaft failure, sorry Kimi. He
did everything right starting from pole position and pulling away from the field after a perfect start. We had the right strategy,
which would have given Kimi even more of an advantage. This is our first failure to lead to retirement this year, and the team will
sort that out. Alex did a good job and was among the fastest of the Michelin runners. We will stay focused and work hard to further
improve."
West McLaren Mercedes driver Kimi Raikkonen will start this afternoon's Grand Prix of San Marino
from Pole Position whilst Alex will be starting in seventh following today's second qualifying. Kimi and Alex set times of 1:22.994
min and 1:24.057. Kimi's aggregate time is 2:42.880 whilst Alex's is 2:44.689. This is Kimi's fourth career pole position and the
37th for the West McLaren Mercedes team.
Kimi Raikkonen "I am happy with the result, however we are still only
half way there and we have to see how we do in the race. The car has felt really good all weekend. Our strategy should be strong and
I believe we can continue to be on the pace this afternoon."
Alex Wurz "I am happy with the lap as again I
felt it was mistake free. The conditions were continuously improving throughout the session, and when I was on the circuit it was
still a little slippery. We will have to see how the other teams' strategies will unfold in the race. I believe we have a strong
package for the race, and I am aiming to gain more positions when I finally get the chance to race this afternoon."
Ron
Dennis "Well disciplined and polished performances from both Kimi and Alex have given us every opportunity to achieve a
good result in this afternoon's race, which would be a fitting reward for the very hard work of the entire team."
Norbert
Haug "A great achievement from Kimi and the entire team. Kimi got faster and faster from sector to sector. A solid job
from Alex being on the fourth row. I think both our cars are on a good strategy."
