Today's Selected Quotes - Canadian GP

Saturday June 12th, 1999

McLaren

Mika Hakkinen, todayMika Hakkinen: "It was a fantastic race, I really enjoyed it and I am really pleased to have changed my luck at this particular circuit. I felt very comfortable with the car and I was able to match Michael's pace and at the same time look after my car. Then to my surprise I saw him go off and I just concentrated on maintaining the right pace to win the race."

David Coulthard: "I had a little bit too much wheel spin at the start but I got away and was able to re-pass Fisichella reasonably easily. Later in the race I managed to get half a car's length ahead of Eddie going into one of the corners and I was a bit surprised when he went around the outside and turned into me, then we touched as I didn't have anywhere to go. I guess in reality it was really a fifty-fifty situation. After that I came in for a quick wheel check but I must have bent the suspension a bit as I was crabbing down the straight. My race was then somewhat hampered when I misread the flashing blue/green lights at the exit to the pit lane and suffered the relevant ten second penalty."

Ron Dennis: "A race of mixed fortunes which ultimately saw Mika come out with a well earned victory. A well executed but controlled strategy clearly put the right amount of pressure on our competition. Having taken the lead we were able to dictate the pace and focus on conserving the car. David's race was full on incidents some of which were the result of the miscommunications stemming from high levels of radio interference which unfortunately we have previously experienced on race days in Canada. Next year we must be better prepared."

Benetton

Irvine and Fisichella, todayGiancarlo Fisichella: "I am so pleased with this result today. Canada is just a fantastic place for me, and maybe a lucky place too as this is my third podium here in three years. My target was to score some points so second position on the podium is just perfect. The strategy was faultless, just at the beginning I had a really heavy fuel load and quite a lot of understeer. When I lost my second position because of Panis and Badoer I was really upset as they were one lap behind and wouldn?t let me overtake. Then when Frentzen went off I was back in second, although I think I could have caught him anyway. It is a great result for the team today."

Rocco Benetton: "I am ecstatic! The team did a fantastic job and really deserve this result. The whole weekend was organised very well, particularly the mechanics reaction to the pit stop which was called very late when the safety car went out just as we entered our fuel window. We made some quite significant modifications to the car which have shown good results since Friday. Both drivers made a good start, then it was just really bad luck for Alexander that his driveshaft broke as he was set for a strong race. It is a great shame that he wasn?t able to show his true worth today as he could have earned some well-deserved points. I think we have had a lot of bad luck this season that we haven?t deserved and this weekend it has turned, at least in part, with the second place for Giancarlo."

Ferrari

Jean Todt: "This was a shame because we could have got all the potential out of our car on this track. I think our total package was probably the best. Michael lost control of his car, which can happen to even the best of drivers. Unfortunately it happened here. The race was incident packed. Eddie deserved second place, but he lost several places after a coming together with Coulthard. Luckily the car was not damaged and he proceeded to have a great climb through the field all the way to the podium. We are not demoralised and we are already thinking about being perfectly prepared for Magny Cours and the next race. The team did a good job. We have lost the lead in the Drivers Championship and are now second and third. However we still lead the Constructors and our aim is to regain the lead in the Drivers."

Eddie Irvine: "I am happy with third after such an exciting race. I started slowly to look after the brakes and when I pushed, then the safety car came out. Coulthard managed to get a run at me because a backmarker put dirt on the track and I had to slow. We were side by side, he clipped my back wheel and I spun. Then the fun began! Herbert was quick on the straight and as we came to the corner, I braked on the limit and had to cut across the grass. There were other exciting moments, like when we were three abreast going into the first corner. My car was perfect - the best racing car I have ever driven."

Michael Schumacher: "I lost control of the car at the last chicane, because I went off the racing line and got on the dirt and ended up in the wall. This was clearly my mistake. I apologise to the team, who again did a great job this weekend. It was a shame because the car was working perfectly. I usually make one mistake a year. I hope that this incident was the last for the season."

Ralf Schumacher, todayWilliams

Ralf Schumacher: "At the start I was lucky not to be involved in the big accident just at the beginning of the chicane. Afterwards I had quite a good race and I felt that the car was ok. Starting from 13th place on the grid I think that, at the end, a fourth place is remarkable for me and for the Winfield WilliamsF1 team. We scored another three points and this is very important. Next race will be Magny Cours, where we will have three days of testing - and hard work - from Wednesday to Friday. We look forward to finding the right set up for the next race."

Alex Zanardi: "Once more bad luck for me. I had problems with my brakes which eventually caused a diversion into a gravel trap. At the same time my gearbox ceded to function. A very disappointing day for me and the Team."

Patrick Head, technical director: "Obviously we have struggled again to get some small points. Once more only one car has finished the race and basically not that competitively, so we now have a lot of work to do and we must start making a difference to our performance in the next few races. Ralf drove a great race and made the best job of his equipment. Alex had some balance problems with his brakes that eventually ended up with him being in the gravel trap at the end so it is another non-finish for him."

Stewart

Johnny Herbert: "I'm delighted to finish my first Grand Prix of the year and to come away with two points is a bonus. It's been quite a weekend for the whole team - with the announcement that Ford has acquired the team and Jackie's 60th birthday. I'm really pleased for my crew. They did another great job but this time they have been rewarded. I kept Eddie at bay for a few laps, but when we came to the chicane I thought he was too far back to make a passing move. When he went down the inside, he was going in too quickly to make the chicane. I had to steer away to avoid him and we both went through the grass. It was a good battle while it lasted. I was able to keep a gap between us in the slower corners on braking, so it's a shame I couldn't hold him off."

Rubens Barrichello:"I was braking hard to avoid Coulthard coming into turn one when I was hit by Trulli in the Prost. It was a pretty big impact - it even took a piece out of my helmet. I think it was a dangerous move at that specific part of the circuit. Because of the accident the car was completely out of shape. There was a big problem with the steering column because the car was pulling to the left. I tried to carry on but the car was undriveable. The way things turned out I could have been in the points again. Montreal has always been good to me but not this time."

Describe Eddie Irvine's overtaking manoeuvre to take fifth from you towards the end of the race? "I kept him at bay for a few laps but when we came to the chicane I thought he was too far back to make a passing move. When he went down the inside he was going in too quickly to make the chicane. I had to steer away to avoid him and we both went through the grass. It was a good battle while it lasted. I was able to keep a gap between us in the slower corners on braking but its a shame I couldn't hold him off."

Gary Anderson, Technical Director: "A bit of over aggressive driving at the start by another driver cost us chances of a good finish for Rubens. We are pleased for Johnny, he drove a really hard race and was pushing when he needed to at the end. The safety car probably did us a few favours in the race but the two points are well deserved."

Neil Ressler, Vice-President, Research & Vehicle Technology, Ford: "We are extremely pleased with Johnny's first race finish for the Stewart-Ford team - and for him to score two points makes it even more special. The engines performed faultlessly throughout the weekend and Johnny's performance today illustrated that all the work put in to improve reliability is paying off."

Suaber

Pedro Diniz: "I made a great start and was tenth at the end of the first lap. Things went pretty well up until the safety car came out for the second time, but then I lost two places, to Ralf and Johnny on the restart. I lost out when I tried to take advantage as Ralt went into the gravel momentarily. That was a real shame, but after starting 18th, finishing sixth isn?t so bad, especially after the weekend got off to a difficult start on Friday morning."

Minardi

Marc Gene: "I'm very happy because after the problems encountered in the warm-up, I started my race without feeling confident in my car. I was testing brand new brakes for the very first time and at the beginning I was cautious in order to get the rythm without taking too many risks. After fifteen laps I felt more comfortable and I pushed hard. I even managed to improve my lap time in comparison with those clocked up in the qualifying session. My car's behaviour was good. Panis was catching me up but I maintained my position on board an extremely reliable car. The team did an excellent job today. It has been my best race in this Championship, so far!"

Luca Badoer: "I'm really disappointed further to the race direction's decision to penalize me. I was doing a good race: a battle with Prost and Williams for fourty laps is very positive for our Team. I don't agree with this decision which is a misleading error. My car was excellent as it was in today's warm-up and during the race I managed to keep a nicer rythm than other cars. From this point of view it has been a pretty good race."

Prost

Olivier Panis: "I rediscovered in the race the car of this morning's warm-up, a well-balanced car. I made a good start, but in the middle of the melee just behind the Williams, the anti-stall came on because the revs were so low and it was not until after the first corner that everything was normal. So, I was behind everyone and it was very difficult to overtake because I did not have enough traction and I lacked grip. We now have a lot to do. It is frustrating because the team is working so hard to improve in all these areas. But I still have the satisfaction of finishing the race in difficult circumstances."

Jarno Trulli: "I took the decision not to make an aggressive start because the exit from the first corner is very important. Unfortunately; Frentzen who made a bad start, hit the brakes unexpectedly in front of me on my line and to avoid him I was obliged to brake hard myself and I spun off. I completely lost control of my car. I am truly sorry to have hit the other cars who were there. We were not even fighting. At the end of the race, I went with my team manager to see the race director to clarify the situation with the help of the TV images and they confirmed I was not responsible for the accident."

Alain Prost: "We lost our best chance in the opening corner with both cars. After that, we realised we had a difficult race at the back of the field. Olivier had a hard time to overtake, but nevertheless we finished the race proving the car's reliability. We will work on new developments this week in testing at Mqgny-Cours in order to prepare the best we can for the next Grand Prix."

Jordan

Eddie Jordan: "Canada used to be lucky for us, but not today. Heinz's accident was nasty. What happened today is an enormous shame, because Heinz and the team did a fantastic job. It is a bitter pill to swallow. The most important thing is to make sure Heinz is not hurt and to get him back to the fantastic form he has been showing us all season."

BAR

Ricardo Zonta, todayJacques Villeneuve: "It was my mistake - I was simply going a little bit too fast. There was a lot dirt down on the track at that point, it was easy to make a mistake and I lost control. I was pretty annoyed because (Pedro)Diniz (Sauber) overtook me under the yellow flag while the safety car was out and I was pushing hard to catch him. It's a pity because the car was much more competitive in the race than it had been in qualifying, and it didn't get to the finish because of its driver."

Ricardo Zonta: "I don't know what happened - if it was the tyres or if I made a mistake. The safety car was out and I wasn't pushing or anything like that. The car got sideways and I hit the wall - that was that. I'm obviously very disappointed, and the only consolation is that three World Champions went off today at the same place - Hill Schumacher and Jacques - so I was in good company. It's not much consolation though."

Craig Pollock, Managing Director: "I was very hopeful at the start that both Jacques and Ricardo could get a good result today, but it was not to be. Both team and drivers have learned a lot from this weekend. We can take some positive things away with us, and we have to be philosophical - it's motor racing."


Previous  |  News Index  |  Next   ]