Imola 2000: Team Race Reviews

[ Arrows | Benetton | BAR | Ferrari | Jaguar | Jordan | McLaren | Minardi | Prost | Sauber | Williams | Bridgestone ]


Arrows [start]

The San Marino Grand Prix was not good for Orange Arrows as Pedro de la Rosa retired on lap 50 and Jos Verstappen, after two unscheduled pit stops - one to check a vibration after 11 laps and another for a ten second stop and go - finished 14th.

Jos Verstappen
"I made a very good start and I think I overtook five people. Then the car was running fine until on lap 11 something happened with the right front wheel. I had to pit to make sure everything was fine. I changed tyres and then everything felt all right. During the rest of the race I was able to do consistent laps and the car ran without any further problems. It is a shame but now we are off to the next race."

Pedro de la Rosa
"There is very little to say. It was not a great race as very early on, after about seven laps, I was having problems down shifting, losing a lot of time on braking and downshifting - the gears just didn't come in. I just tried to keep pushing with the problem, and then ten laps from the end it felt as if something broke at the back of the car coming into Piratella and I went off. On the laps I didn't have a problem I could follow Fisichella in front of me, but it kept coming back and costing me a lot of time."


Benetton [start]

The San Marino Grand Prix was a difficult race for the Mild Seven Benetton Playlife team.

Alexander Wurz, who started in 11th position on the grid, finished the race 9th overall. Meanwhile Giancarlo Fisichella, who had started back in 19th place after a tough qualifying session, finished 11th.

Pat Symonds, the team's Technical Director, said: "It was obviously a very difficult race for us. We have suffered from a lack of performance all weekend and tried to take a very conservative strategy to make up for this. There was a high finishing rate and the strategy didn't really pay off. Obviously there is a lot of work to be done before Silverstone, but we have some new developments for the car there which we hope will improve the situation."

The drivers themselves had similar views of the race. Alex Wurz said: "I had a bad start and we had chosen a one-stop strategy which was probably the wrong choice. So the car was really hard to drive, especially over the bumps, and I had no chance to make up any positions."

He continued, "it was a tough race because of this and it is very frustrating not to have scored any points, but it is the first time I have ever finished a race in Imola so this is a small consolation." Giancarlo Fisichella was less happy with his result. "As I was starting from 19th position, we opted for one stop in the hope of making up some positions but the car was really hard to drive and I struggled for the whole race and wasn't able to overtake."

"Naturally I am hugely disappointed with the weekend especially as it is my home race," he added.

The team's Managing Director Flavio Briatore said: "We didn't manage to have a competitive car for either of the drivers for this race and we also made a mistake in the choice of tyres on Fisichella's car. So this was a race to forget and we must now just look ahead to Silverstone."

The Mild Seven Benetton Playlife team will next be on track this Tuesday when they take part in the four-day, multi-team pre-British Grand Prix test, ahead of the next round of the FIA Formula 1 Championship at Silverstone.


British American Racing [start]

BAR Honda underlined its position as a front-running team at Imola this afternoon, Jacques Villeneuve claiming world championship points for the second time this season as the team celebrated another two-car finish in the San Marino Grand Prix. With five finishes out of a possible six, and a 50% record of points-scoring, BAR Honda now boasts the best reliability record in the paddock along with Ferrari.

Jacques Villeneuve, celebrating his 29th birthday today, made a wonderful start from ninth position on the grid. Before he had reached the first corner, the former world champion had accounted for four of the drivers ahead of him and had to brake to avoid a collision with the Ferrari of Rubens Barrichello.

Settling into fifth position, Jacques was soon under intense pressure from the Jordan Mugen Honda of Jarno Trulli, but the Canadian was able to keep the local boy at bay. Slick work by the BAR Honda crew allowed him to maintain the advantage after the first round of pit stops. By lap 44, Jacques was still fifth, but the pressure now came from Ralf Schumacher's BMW-Williams. After the Honda had pitted for the second time, the BMW-Williams pulled off to the side of the track, allowing Jacques a relatively clear run to the flag to collect two more points and move into sixth place in the drivers' standings.

Ricardo Zonta started 14th, but was able to pass Diniz and de la Rosa on the opening lap. By lap 11 Ricardo was up to tenth place before pitting on lap 29. Four laps later the Brazilian reported a loss of power over the radio, but the telemetry indicated no problems in either engine or gearbox. Suspected damage to the exhaust was responsible, allowing the Brazilian to continue for the remainder of the race, finally crossing the line in 13th place - a fine result for a driver who had never even visited the circuit before this weekend.

Jacques Villeneuve - Position: 5th
"I knew we could fight for points in the race as the car was pretty good yesterday. I made a really great start. The clutch bit straight away and I got no wheel spin. I passed the guys in front really easily and then I had to brake hard to avoid a collision with Barrichello and Coulthard. My first pit stop was great work by the team, keeping me ahead on the track. We have shown today that we can be the best of the rest behind the Ferraris and the McLarens. Our biggest competition this year I feel is going to come from Ralf Schumacher. We have some new engine developments to come before Silverstone, along with some new aerodynamic revisions, so I am really looking forward to the next race."

Ricardo Zonta - Position: 13th
"I had a good start and then made up a couple of places on the first lap. The car was working well and I was able to hold position quite easily. Then just after the first stop I felt a sudden loss of power. The team told me it was probably a broken exhaust and so I kept going. I was having to brake very early for the corners to try to keep the other cars behind me. It was difficult, but at least we made it home."

Takefumi Hosaka - Managing Director, Honda R&D
"We really appreciate Jacques' performance today. His start was fabulous and then during the race he did an excellent job, not only because the car was difficult under braking but also because of the pain in his back. Early indications of Ricardo's problem suggest that it was something to do with the exhaust, but we cannot be sure until we can look more closely at the car, but he managed very well to bring the car home."

"Of course we are very pleased that both cars completed the race and we can now progress the engine development programme. We will be testing this week at Silverstone to confirm the new specification engine for the British Grand Prix."

Craig Pollock - Managing Director, British American Racing
"This was another excellent result for the team and will undoubtedly give everyone a boost going into the British Grand Prix. We are ravenous for points and you can be sure we will be going to Silverstone looking to fight for more."


Ferrari [start]

A third consecutive win for Michael Schumacher and Ferrari. This is the team's fourth win at Imola, the second in a row and the 128th victory in the World Championship.

Jean Todt
"It was a very tough race. Therefore we are very happy to have got both cars to the finish. For the first time this season we have had a proper race from the first corner to the last. We knew that overtaking would be very difficult here and unfortunately we lost a place with Rubens in the pits. He also had a problem with his belts, which caused him some pain. After the first stop, we knew the second one would be decisive. When we saw Hakkinen come in on lap 44, we thought we could get ahead. We tried and it worked. After three races, we are in an encouraging position in the championship. Today's race has shown it will be a long hard road, but that is an incentive to work even harder. The drivers did a great job, as did the whole team. Now we can look ahead calmly to the next round."

Michael Schumacher
"That was an exciting race and I hope the tifosi are happy with the result! I made a very bad start with massive wheelspin. But I managed to keep my second position. Our strategy remained as planned. We did not know what Mika would do and we had to guess. The four laps before the second pit stop was the decisive moment when I pushed very hard. Maybe we did not have the best tyre choice for today's conditions. I had a worrying moment when I tried to lap Diniz. He tried to be nice and let me pass, but it was the wrong place and I very nearly hit him. Apart from that, the race was good fun. It was like Qualifying from start to finish. We have a good lead in the championship, but we have seen it will be a tight fight and we must continue pushing."

Rubens Barrichello
"I am happy for the team, but I am equally disappointed with my own performance. The set up was not ideal and it was hard work. We tried to change yesterday's settings, but it did not help much. I was a bit unlucky at the second pit stop, when Coulthard passed me. He was quicker than me, but I could have kept him behind me as it is virtually impossible to pass here. I had a problem with the lower part of my belts and I could not maintain a good pace as my legs were moving around too much. All weekend, I was not on the pace as I was in Australia and Brazil and now I have to work out why. Fourth place is not good enough."


Jaguar [start]

The San Marino GP at Imola marked a turning point for Jaguar Racing as the team recorded its first finish of the season. Seventh and 10th might not be the kind of results that grab the headlines, but in a race of relative little attrition at the front, the result marked a good base on which to build.

"It's another step, getting two cars home," said Jaguar Cars MD Jonathan Browning. "Now we have to get a few points in the bag."

The whole Jaguar Racing team can draw a lot of satisfaction from a day that saw Eddie battling with close rivals Jordan.

"It's a shame that we didn't get any points, but to get two cars home is a big improvement," said race director Andy Miller. "This is a boost that everyone needs throughout the factory, not just the race team. We're out there to compete for points, and not just worry about finishing races."

After qualifying seventh, Eddie found himself bogged down at the start as he struggled with a clutch with which he is not yet comfortable. He was passed by Jacques Villeneuve and Jarno Trulli, but managed to hang to eighth by passing Ralf Schumacher. He moved up to seventh when Heinz-Harald Frentzen retired in the opening few laps.

Eddie spent the first part of the race stuck on Trulli's tail, but on lap 24 he experienced a misfire and the car suddenly slowed. Ralf and Mika Salo both snuck by before Eddie responded to an urgent message from the pits and flicked a switch on the dashboard. That cured the problem - although the pitlane rev limiter briefly came on - and for the rest of the race the car ran perfectly. But in terms of track position, the damage had been done: he lost a potential points finish. The later retirements of Ralf and Trulli allowed Eddie back up to an eventual seventh.

"The car was not bad, a lot better than Brazil," said Eddie. "It was a very positive race for us. Trulli was holding me up the whole race - it was nice that a Jordan was holding us up! As soon as he pulled over I was able to go a second a lap quicker.

"Unfortunately, I had a bad start due to a clutch problem, and in this business the start is everything. That certainly cost me some points. But I'm very encouraged. Today was the most fun I've had in a racing car for a long time!"

From 17th on the grid Johnny also made a bad start, and dropped two places. He then spent virtually the whole race between the Benettons of Alexander Wurz and Giancarlo Fisichella, who like Johnny ran a very long first stint followed by a late single stop. Retirements helped Johnny to rise into the top 10, and he remained ahead of Fisichella, who was runner-up in the last race in Brazil. Johnny admitted that his choice of the harder of the two tyre compounds had compromised his whole weekend.

"The start wasn't particularly good," said Johnny. We have a bit of an unreliability problem with the starts, and from what I hear Eddie had the same problem, so we need to look at that. I wasn't too concerned about it, just annoyed that I'd lost a couple of places. I got those back but I got stuck behind Alex Wurz. The good thing is that we both finished, we both got to the end of the race. Now we have time to push ahead and test new developments."

Jaguar Racing chairman Neil Ressler was delighted with the progress the team has made in recent weeks: "It's a big relief to have both cars finish and run so strongly in the race. It confirms that we have made significant progress with reliability. The only way to give evidence that we have made that step forward is on the race track, and we certainly did that today."

The team now heads for Silverstone, where Eddie and Johnny will have a car apiece for a major four-day test.

"Our test driver Luciano (Burti) will be available if we need him for anything," said race director Andy Miller. "But because of the lack of running we've done in testing with the two race drivers, we think it's important that they both get four days to try and sort things out for their home GP."


Jordan [start]

Despite showing competitive form over the weekend, the Benson and Hedges Jordan team had a disappointing race in San Marino. Both drivers were forced to retire with gearbox problems - Frentzen after five laps and Trulli when he was lying seventh with only three laps to go.

Jarno Trulli - 15th: retired with gearbox problems
"It seems I don't have any luck in Imola since I have never finished a race here! I had made a good start and moved up to sixth place and the race went without any incidents until right near the end when I lost fifth gear. There are still plenty more races to go where we can be strong."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen - DNF: retired with gear box problems
"Today wasn't' a good day for us. After only four laps I had a gear-shift selection problem and couldn't shift down from sixth gear so I had no choice but to come into the pits. It is too early to say what caused the problem and we will have to look at the information to find out exactly what happened as it is too easy to jump to conclusions."

Eddie Jordan
"After the good boost we had in Brazil, today was particularly disappointing. We wanted to come to Europe and win more points, but it did not work out that way for us, despite really strong performances from Heinz and Jarno for most of the weekend. We now have some thinking to do and hope to come back stronger for the British Grand Prix which will be Jordan's 150th race."

The Benson and Hedges Jordan team will test in Silverstone next week from Tuesday 11th to Friday 14th. Driver schedules to be confirmed depending on the birth of Heinz and Tanja's baby.


McLaren [start]

The West McLaren Mercedes team claimed their first points of the 2000 season when Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard finished second and third respectively in the Warsteiner San Marino Grand Prix at Imola. Today's result put the West McLaren Mercedes team second in the Constructors' Championship.

Mika Hakkinen
'I'm happy to score points, but I should have won the race. Just before my first pit stop I hit a piece of debris on the circuit which damaged the front floor of my car and made it hard to drive for the rest of the race. Also just before my second pit stop my engine cut out on the main straight and I lost time to Schumacher which meant he was able to take the lead following his second pit stop.'

David Coulthard
'I was squeezed a bit by Schumacher at the start and Barrichello managed to get by. He was pretty slow but still difficult to pass. I opted not to take a risk and wait and see if our strategy was right. My car got stuck in first gear in my first stop but I soon caught Barrichello again. At my second pit stop the crew did a fantastic job allowing me to take third place in the pits. I have been quick throughout the weekend and believe that if I had not been held up by Barrichello I could have given Schumacher a hard time.'

Ron Dennis
'We are delighted that both cars finished and Mika and David did an excellent job. Mika suffered two problems, the first of which was a damaged floor caused by debris on the circuit sustained early in the race putting his car out of aerodynamic balance. The second problem was an yet to be analysed electronic fault, which triggered an engine reset which cost him three seconds a few laps prior to his second stop. These two problems coupled to a late stop from Schumacher lost us the lead. David's race was frustrated by a somewhat over zealous blocking manoeuvre by Schumacher at the start, which dropped him behind Barrichello who was clearly struggling. A great second stop by the mechanics moved David to third. His subsequent speed was an indication of what his true potential was. At the end of the day of course this wasn't the result we wanted, but there are 14 more Grands Prix and it's clear that we still have the potential to win. We are certainly looking forward to Silverstone.'

Norbert Haug
'A very close race, which was motor racing at its very best, and we have scored ten points. Mika drove a fantastic race, but unfortunately an electrical problem cost him three seconds just before his second pitstop. David's and the mechanics' performances were superb. At the second pit stop David got past Rubens Barrichello and showed which lap times he was able to do.'


Minardi [start]

Gaston Mazzecane
"I had a competitive car which did not give me any mechanical problems at all over the weekend. In the race I managed to keep up a steady and relatively quick pace and stayed close to cars considered to be quicker than mine. Unfortunately, on the first few laps, when I was behind Fisichella, I had a spin and thought I had damaged something on the car; so it was vital for me to push as hard as I could while at the same time trying to complete the race. I now have to turn my thoughts to testing, during which we will further develop the M02 and I will try to make further progress in this direction with the Team."

Marc Gene
"I hope that my full quota of bad luck for the year has now been used up over this weekend. In the warm-up we showed we have a good machine. If I had had my car yesterday, my qualifying result would have been different. I was feeling very positive about the race and I knew I had to make a good start. Which I did. I was very close to Wurz and believe that I would have been able to get past him. Unfortunately, I had the misfortune to find Button in front of me right when his engine blew going into a fast bend. My car went over the oil and spun off. It's a shame it ended this way because the car was performing really well today."

Gabriele Rumi
"Marc Gene was putting up an excellent fight after a good start. Unluckily, Button's engine blew right in front of him, causing him to spin off the track. His race ended there when he was keeping up agood pace. Gaston also had a problem due to a sudden slowdown by Fisichella and he went into a spin to avoid hitting him. This had a negative impact on a race in which he too was up there with most of the group. The potential is there, even on a circuit where horsepower is important, and we can only hope that things go better in the future; In fact, I hope this is the last time that I have to say I hope things improve in the future."


Prost [start]

Jean Alesi
"I did not have a good start, as I had to jump on the brakes because of a Benetton which was blocking ahead of me. It is very difficult to overtake here at Imola, especially when you are in 15th position on the grid. I was on a two-stop strategy, the first one for very early in the race. My car was handling fine, just like in this morning's warm-up. My pit-stop went very well but unfortunately, soon after, I had to slow down because I felt my throttle was not responding. I had a failure in the hydraulic system which forced me out of the race. It's very frustrating because this was an important race for us considering our difficult start to the season. I am very sorry for the team who have made so much effort. Only by continuing to work together will we overcome all of this."

Nick Heidfeld
"The team has been very unfortunate during the whole weekend. However we had managed to find a good set-up this morning during the warm-up, which made me feel confident for the race. On the grid, my engine stalled and the team tried to help me during the last seconds before the formation lap, unfortunately, we went overtime and that is why I got a 10 second stop and go penalty. Then from the 6th lap on, the team saw that the hydraulic pressure was going down and I finally had to retire. It is really a pity because the car was going quite well in terms of lap times even though I had to start a lot further back, maybe 50 seconds behind the field. I hope we will make some progress during the next tests and get more competitive."

Alain Prost
"We have to continue working on our reliability before we can hope to obtain any results. It will be high on our priorities at next week's test."

Corrado Provera
"As long as our two cars were in the race, Jean Alesi for 26 laps and Nick Heidfeld for 24, the lap times confirmed the progress made in terms of overall performance. Once again, however, our reliability let us down today and unfortunately we have to wait to gain the rewards of all the hard work done by the Prost Peugeot team."


Sauber [start]

In their 78th and 84th GPs respectively, Mika Salo and Pedro Diniz endorsed the speed and reliability of the RED BULL SAUBER C19s with sixth and eighth places in the San Marino GP.

Pedro Diniz
"The start was not great for me. Ironically I lost some time in the first chicane when Mika got a little sideways and squeezed me a bit, but it was just a typical race incident. After that the car felt good, and I'm happy that I did a good race. The only other problem was when I slightly overshot my pit during my second stop. My laptimes were very competitive - I just needed slightly better fortune."

Mika Salo "I'm really happy to score a point, after the problems I had during qualifying. Today the car felt fine, with good traction and no understeer. I made a mega start, and was absolutely flat out all the way. The trouble is that Jacques Villeneuve is an experienced driver who doesn't make mistakes, so there was no way to pass him even though I was quicker. But I'm happy that Team RED BULL SAUBER PETRONAS is at the same level we had in Melbourne, and I'm really looking forward to the Silverstone test this week."

Peter Sauber (Team Principal)
"I'm very happy, not only with the point we scored today but especially with the performance of the car and both drivers. The only cars that lapped faster than ours were the Ferraris and the McLarens, so we have confirmed the promise that we showed in Australia."

"Congratulations again to the team for an excellent job the whole weekend, and for reacting so positively to all the pressure we had during the first two races. It's a great start to our European season."


Williams [start]

For the first time this season neither of the BMW WilliamsF1 Team cars saw the chequered flag. Jenson Button had an early end to his race, going into the gravel because of an engine failure on the 5th lap when lying 16th. Ralf Schumacher had to stop due to a fuel pick up problem on lap 46, when he was in fifth position.

Ralf Schumacher
"Unfortunately, right after the start I had to slow down to avoid a crash and I lost four places and dropped to ninth. After that the Williams BMW was running very well and I moved up to fifth position. When Jacques Villeneuve went in for his pit stop I could push a bit more, but unfortunately I experienced some problems with the fuel pressure. That's the reason why I couldn't finish the race for the first time this year."

Jenson Button
"It's a shame that I couldn't finish the race today. The start wasn't too bad even if starting 18th is quite difficult to get a real result. On lap five I went into the second chicane and the rear wheels just locked because of an engine problem so I finished off track into the gravel. This morning's warm up went well, we had found a good set up for the car and we had a good race strategy but unfortunately I wasn't able to complete it. Now I can't wait to next week's testing in Silverstone and to race there on the following weekend."

Patrick Head (Technical Director WilliamsF1)
"Obviously a disappointing race. Ralf really got boxed in at the start so he lost four places from his grid position. He was going very well and with a couple of people dropping back and some pit stops we were in the points. We were also quite optimistic about being able to get ahead of Villeneuve at the second stop. But then it looks like we had a fuel pump or a fuel pick up problem because we lost fuel pressure and the car came to a halt. It's difficult to make much meaningful comment about Jenson's race as he went out so early on."

Dr Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director)
After a brilliant start of the season we've now experienced our first double retirement. Jenson's car clearly suffered an engine failure and Ralf had some problems with the fuel pick up. We have to analyse both cases, now. In spite of these disappointments, our weekend was quite encouraging as both cars here in Imola were reasonably close to the pace. Best of all, Ralf was well within the points zone. In the race he even recorded the fourth quickest lap time. Before the British Grand Prix we have a lot of work to do. No doubt: we will focus on improving our reliability.

The BMW WilliamsF1 Team will be testing in Silverstone from Tuesday 11th until Friday 14th April. Both of the team's race drivers will be on duty.


Bridgestone [start]

Not present at this time

San Marino Grand Prix Weekend