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The 2005 French Grand Prix, which marks the mid-point of the
current Formula One season, did not turn out to be an
auspicious event for the Minardi F1 Team. Drivers Patrick Friesacher and
Christijan Albers both retired close to the halfway
point of the race, Friesacher after 34 laps, when his left
rear tyre deflated at the Adelaide corner, and Albers four
laps later, when his car’s left rear tyre suffered the same
fate, pitching him into a spin on the approach to the
Estoril hairpin. Fortunately, the Dutch driver suffered
nothing more than a grazed hand in the ensuing impact with
the barriers. Subsequent investigation revealed that both
incidents were due to tyre valve caps not being refitted
during the previous pit stops.
PATRICK FRIESACHER (Best
lap: 1 min 20.959 secs; Position: DNF)
“The car was really nervous at the
beginning of the race, and I couldn’t keep up the same speed
as Christijan and the Jordans, even though I was pushing as
hard as I could. I just couldn’t drive the car the way I
normally would, but then the tyre deflated after my second
pit stop, and that was it. We’ll be looking for some better
luck at Silverstone.”
CHRISTIJAN ALBERS (Best
lap: 1 min 21.077 secs; Position: DNF)
“I was pleased with my start, as I
overtook Patrick and Tiago Monteiro, and after that, I was
able to pull away from my team mate, despite being on a
different fuel strategy, and to stay ahead of Monteiro, even
though he was pushing all the time.
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Minardi F1 Team - 2005
French Grand Prix |
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Minardi F1 Team - 2005
French Grand Prix |
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"Unfortunately, I was
losing a lot of time with oversteer at Turn 3, and the lap
before I came into the pits, Monteiro was able to overtake
me. Up to that point, and before the tyre problem, I had
been pleased with my race pace, as I believe Jordan was also
on a three-stopper today, and my lap times were almost the
same as Karthikeyan’s. All we can do now is focus on
Silverstone and aim for a better result there.”
PAUL STODDART, Team Principal,
Minardi Cosworth
“It’s disappointing that both cars
retired today as the result of the valve caps not being
refitted to the left rear tyres after the drivers’ second
pit stops. In co-operation with our tyre partner,
Bridgestone, we will be investigating the issue further, to
understand why it happened and to ensure there is no repeat
of the problem.
"It’s a pity for both drivers, and in
particular, for Christijan, who was having a good race with
the Jordans before his retirement.”
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