Formula 1
Australian GP: McLaren race notes
Team McLaren Mercedes driver David Coulthard finished today's opening race of the 2004 season in eighth place. Team mate Kimi Raikkonen retired on lap 10 at turn three with an engine failure caused by a loss of water pressure, the reason of which is ...
Published: Mar 8, 2004, 12:40 PM
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Team McLaren Mercedes driver David Coulthard finished today's opening race of the 2004 season in eighth place. Team mate Kimi Raikkonen retired on lap 10 at turn three with an engine failure caused by a loss of water pressure, the reason of which is still unknown. David completed his two pitstops on laps 14 (11.7 seconds) and 36 (10.7 seconds).
David Coulthard:
"It has really been an unsatisfying weekend for us and the one point we achieved today is a very small consolation. I made a good start and gained a few places but eighth was all we could do. We are not where we want to be, but we will work very hard on getting there and hopefully should be able to improve for the Malaysian Grand Prix in a few weeks."
Kimi Raikkonen:
"I'm very disappointed with our performance this weekend, but hopefully we can do better in the next race. I stalled at the start and lost a few places but managed to regain most of them during the first couple of corners. The car felt good, but unfortunately it didn't last very long, and I retired with an engine failure -- definitely not the best way to start the season."
Ron Dennis:
"To say it was a difficult weekend for the team would be somewhat of an understatement. Our poor performance was amplified by the low ambient temperatures which certainly didn't favour any of the Michelin runners. We believe we have an understanding of the areas which need to be improved and only a careful analysis and a team driven recovery plan will resolve our problems."
Norbert Haug:
"Our target has been to go for wins from the very first race, and we didn't achieve this today. Our technical package has to be improved and everybody in the team knows what is required. In two weeks in Malaysia we all want to see an upwards trend. Kimi's engine failure will be investigated and we will tell the media the result afterwards."
David Coulthard: MP4-19 03
Kimi Raikkonen: MP4-19 04
T-car (David): MP4-19 01
Spare: MP4-19 02
-mclaren-
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