May 29, 2005

McLaren Mercedes driver Kimi Räikkönen retired from the lead on the last lap of the European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. He had led 48 of the 59 race laps at the point he retired. As he braked going into the first corner after the pits, the right front suspension broke due to vibrations caused by a flat-spotted front tyre. Fernando Alonso (Renault) won the race. Juan Pablo Montoya finished seventh. Team McLaren Mercedes is still second in the Constructors' World Championship table after seven of the 19 rounds with 53 points behind Renault who have 76 points. Kimi retains his second place in the drivers' ranking with 27 points behind Alonso on 59 points.

The start: Starting from second position on the grid, Kimi out-accelerated pole sitter Nick Heidfeld (Williams BMW) to take an immediate lead into the first corner. Juan Pablo had qualified in fifth position and was up to third as he entered the Mercedes Arena section. As he steered into the corner he was hit by Mark Webber (Williams BMW) and pushed into the run-off area. Juan Pablo was therefore 13th at the end of the opening lap.

The race: Kimi came into the pits for his first refuelling stop from the lead of the race at the end of lap 18(9.1sec). He resumed the race in third position. On lap 24 Kimi was back in the lead of the race again. During an overtaking manoeuvre he locked his right front wheel, resulting in a flat-spot which caused vibrations. On lap 43 Kimi came in for a second refuelling stop (6.7sec) and resumed holding second position for the next four laps. Twelve laps before the chequered flag he took the lead again but his advantage over Alonso gradually diminished as Kimi eased up to conserve his tyre. As a result of the vibrations caused by the flat-spot, his right front suspension broke at the beginning of the last lap. Kimi went off the track and retired. Juan Pablo made his first refuelling stop (9.2sec) while holding ninth position. At the end of the first round of stops he was in eighth place and roughly one second behind Michael Schumacher's Ferrari. At the start of the 40th the Colombian tried to attack Schumacher but did not manage to complete the overtaking move. Juan Pablo came in for his second stop on lap 45(7.8sec) and came home seventh after 59 laps.

Kimi Räikkönen : "I am really frustrated to retire from the race in the lead on the very last lap having dominated throughout. I had a well balanced car until a flatspot on my right front tyre caused terrible vibrations which eventually led to the suspension failure. We lost valuable ten points in the championship, however we will do our very best to try to win races in the remainder of the season as we have a very competitive package. This is not just a sad result for me but for the entire team that has worked so hard."

Juan Pablo Montoya : "I am disappointed with the outcome of the race which was very tough for me. I had a good start and turned into the first corner in third place when I was hit by Mark Webber and went off. I resumed in 13th position and had to make my way up through the field. It is a pity not to have finished higher up as I had a quick car all weekend. We now have to look ahead and I will do my best to achieve a good result at the Canadian Grand Prix."

Ron Dennis, Team Principal : "Perhaps understandably the whole team has a strong sense of disappointment, heightened by the fact that Kimi's retirement took place on the last lap. Kimi flatspotted his right front tyre passing Jacques Villeneuve and from that moment on the front suspension was subject to extremely high levels of vibration. Kimi was able to cope with the inevitable blurred vision for over 15 laps and the team discussed with him his tyre condition. We jointly decided to go for the win and no member of the team including Kimi regrets this decision. The resulting suspension failure was understandable in the circumstances. Juan Pablo's race was looking good after a strong start putting him third at the first corner. Mark Webber got the braking wrong into the first corner and hit Juan Pablo who was able to race to seventh place even with a badly damaged floor."

Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport : "Kimi drove a tremendous race and deserved to win. His retirement from the lead four kilometres from the finish was caused by a flat spotted tyre and strong vibrations resulting in a suspension failure. This is a very disappointing end to the race which had been dominated by Kimi. Juan Pablo's chances for a good result were over at the first corner after the start whilst being in third place when Mark Webber pushed him off the track and damaged his car. However we will continue to work hard to conserve and increase our speed of the last four races."