April 23 , 2006

Juan Pablo Montoya retires from fourth place

Team McLaren Mercedes drivers Juan Pablo Montoya and Kimi Räikkönen finished the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola in third and fifth positions respectively. After 62 laps, Juan Pablo came home 15.8sec behind race winner Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) while the gap to Kimi Raikkonen was 17.5sec. Team McLaren Mercedes remains second in the Constructors' Championship with 33 points behind Renault on 51 points. In the drivers' rankings Kimi is holding third place on 18 points and Juan Pablo is fifth on 15 points. Fernando Alonso, who finished second in his Renault, leads the rankings with 36 points.

The start: Juan Pablo started from seventh position on the grid, Kimi from eighth. At the completion of the opening lap they were holding seventh and tenth position respectively as the safety car was deployed following an accident to Christijan Albers (MF1 Racing).

The race : At the beginning of the third lap the safety car was withdrawn and the race resumed. By the fifth lap Kimi was in ninth position and on lap 14 the first round of refuelling stops began. Kimi pitted for the first time on lap 22 from fifth position (8.6sec) and resumed in ninth place. Juan Pablo came in for his first planned stop one lap later from third place (7.7sec) and regained the circuit in fifth position, around one second behind Felipe Massa's Ferrari.

During the second round of refuelling stops, Juan Pablo was leading the race on lap 43 and Kimi was holding fourth place. One lap later Juan Pablo came in for his second stop (7.5sec) and came back into the race fourth behind Kimi and ahead of Massa. On lap 47 Kimi pitted for the second time (6.6sec) and dropped back from third to fifth after he resumed the race. By this time Juan Pablo was third and retained this position to the chequered flag at the end of lap 62. Kimi was less than one second behind Massa at the finish and although he set some faster lap times than his rival, he was unable to overtake and finished fifth.

Comments

Juan Pablo Montoya: "I'm pleased with today's race and that we managed to get a podium position and some important Championship points. I made a good start off the line but was squeezed by traffic going into the first chicane and had to lift in order to avoid an incident. I then got stuck in traffic which cost me some time. I think it was clear as the race progressed that we had qualified on quite a heavy fuel load, but we were really able to take advantage of our strategy during the race. The guys did a great job in the pit stops which helped, but once I was in clear air the leaders were already about 13 seconds ahead, and it was too late for me. The focus was then just to bring the car back and get third place and some points. Everybody has been working hard for the past couple of weeks, and I think we have definitely made some progress with our package, I can't wait for the rest of the season and hopefully winning some races soon."

Kimi Räikkönen: "I was not entirely happy with my car today and wasn't able to really go for it. My start was not very good and I lost a couple of positions, and then traffic hampered my progress during the first half of the race. After the second stop the car improved quite a bit and became easier to drive and I could start pushing again. However I got stuck behind Felipe Massa and to overtake here at Imola is virtually impossible as we could see in the race today. We can leave Imola with some points which is important and I now look forward to the next race in Germany."

Team Principal Ron Dennis: "Juan Pablo had a relatively uneventful race. He made a good start but lost of some the advantage when he was squeezed coming into the first corner. However his strategy unfolded well and a fully deserved third place. Kimi's race was badly influenced by a rare mistake in qualifying which cost him some grid positions and was further compounded by him not making a particularly good start. However he drove in a disciplined manner to pick up valuable points for himself and the team. We could have raced a little harder but suffered badly from traffic. Everybody is now looking forward to the Silverstone test next week and the European Grand Prix – both of which should see us move further forward in our competitiveness and World Championship objectives."

Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: "A difficult race after an unsatisfactory qualifying during which Juan Pablo and Kimi improved to third and fifth respectively starting from seventh and eighth. Once they were out of traffic, which hampered the progress of both drivers during the first half of the race, they showed that the pace was there. Again we demonstrated reliability in the race. We will continue to improve our performance and are looking forward to the first of Mercedes' two home Grands Prix at the Nürburgring in two weeks time."