March 6, 2004

David Coulthard Eighth
Kimi Räikkönen retired with engine failure

Team McLaren Mercedes driver David Coulthard finished eighth in the Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne, the first round of the 2004 Formula 1 World Championship. His team-mate Kimi Räikkönen dropped out early on lap ten of the 58-lap race with an engine failure caused by a loss of water pressure. The race was won by Michael Schumacher's Ferrari. Melbourne was the first race to be run under the new regulations requiring one engine per driver for the entire weekend.

MP4-19 03: David MP4-19 04: Kimi

The start:

David started from 12th place and finished the first lap in tenth. Kimi, who had qualified tenth, lost three places at the start but quickly regained two places and completed the first lap in 11th position.

The race:

Kimi's race was prematurely ended at the beginning of lap ten with an engine failure, the cause of which was a loss of water pressure. The precise reason for this has yet to be investigated. The first routine refuelling stops started on lap eight. David, who was on a two-stop strategy, came in on lap 14 for the first time in 11.7sec and resumed in ninth place. The drivers ahead of him had all planned three stops.

Between laps 24 and 30 those drivers pitted for their second round of stops whilst David came in for the second time on lap 36, being stationary for 10.7sec. He remained eighth when he returned to the track. He finished the 58 lap race distance in this position.

Comments:

David Coulthard: "It has really been an unsatisfying weekend for us and the one point we achieved today is a very small consolation. I made a good start and gained a few places but eighth was all we could do. We are not where we want to be, but we will work very hard on getting there and hopefully should be able to improve for the Malaysian Grand Prix in a few weeks."

Kimi Räikkönen: "I'm very disappointed with our performance this weekend, but hopefully we can do better in the next race. I stalled at the start and lost a few places but managed to regain most of them during the first couple of corners. The car felt good, but unfortunately it didn't last very long, and I retired with an engine failure - definitely not the best way to start the season." West McLaren Mercedes Team Principal Ron Dennis: "To say it was a difficult weekend for the team would be somewhat of an understatement. Our poor performance was amplified by the low ambient temperatures which certainly didn't favour any of the Michelin runners. We believe we have an understanding of the areas which need to be improved and only a careful analysis and a team driven recovery plan will resolve our problems."

Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: "Our target has been to go for wins from the very first race, and we didn't achieve this today. Our technical package has to be improved and everybody in the team knows what is required. In two weeks in Malaysia we all want to see an upwards trend. Kimi's engine failure will be investigated and we will tell the media the result afterwards."