June 13 , 2004

The Team McLareen Mercedes drivers Kimi Räikkönen and David Coulthard finished the Canadian Grand Prix at Montreal in seventh and ninth positions. Kimi came into the pits on two additional and unscheduled occasions, the first time because of a drive-through penalty incurred for crossing the white line at the pit exit and the second when he had to change his steering wheel due to an electrical problem. David had been pushed into a spin at the second corner after the start, falling back to 16th. Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) took victory in the 70-lap race.

MP4-19 05: David
MP4-19 04: Kimi

The start: Kimi started from eighth on the grid and improved by two positions immediately after the start to complete the first lap in sixth place. David, who was ninth in qualifying, found himself pushed into a spin at the second corner after the start. He resumed 16th.

The race: On lap six Kimi was overtaken by Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari). The Finn came in for his first scheduled stop in seventh place on lap 12 (7.8sec) and resumed in ninth position. As he exited the pit lane he crossed the white line and came in again on lap 19 for his drive-through penalty which relegated him to tenth place. On lap 30 Kimi pitted from seventh place (7.2sec) and went back into the race ninth. The Finn came in for his third stop on lap 45 (10.7sec) and this time he also had to change the steering wheel due to an electrical problem. At the end of lap 61 Kimi came in for a fifth time, from sixth place, when he had to have the steering wheel changed again. He lost a position to eventually finish seventh.

David pitted on lap 11 for the first time while running 12th (8.3sec) and resumed 16th. The Scot came in again on lap 32 from 11th place. By lap 46 David had improved to ninth and on lap 52 he overtook Cristiano da Matta (Toyota) to take eighth. On the following lap he came in for his third stop (7.9sec) and got back into the race in ninth position which he held to the chequered flag.

Kimi Räikkönen: "It was a difficult race, but I'm pleased to score some points. I was given a drive through penalty as I touched the white line at the pit lane exit, which overall wouldn't have cost me a position. However then an electrical problem developed, which meant we had to change the steering wheel during my third pit stop. It did happen again, so I went on the radio to the team saying I was coming into the pits, so they could change the steering wheel. This additional stop did cost us sixth place, but with five visits to the pits seventh is OK. At least we are going in the right direction, and it was just unlucky we had that problem."

David Coulthard: "My actual start was good, but Turn Two is always difficult here and one of the Jaguars went into the back of my car and spun me around. This put me pretty much at the back of the field and I had a couple of lively laps where I gained a few positions. However, with a three-stop-strategy running at the back you will always struggle. It's a shame that I didn't really get a chance to run in clean air as I think we could have achieved a better result."

Ron Dennis, Team Principal: "Both our cars finished the race today, which is a step in the right direction. Kimi's car had an electrical fault, which was short-circuiting some of the steering wheel's electrical functions. This necessitated two changes; one which took place during Kimi's third scheduled stop and the other requiring an unscheduled stop. David's race was spoilt in the multi-car accident at the second corner, which effectively relegated him to the back from where he steadily drove through to ninth place."

Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: "Kimi and David did a good job. Kimi came into the pits two times more than originally planned because of a drive through penalty and a stop to change the steering wheel. This prevented him from finishing sixth. David put in a solid performance after he had been pushed into a spin after the start dropping to 16th and eventually finishing ninth."