Austrian GP: Arrows race notes

The 2002 Austrian Grand Prix delivered a race filled with drama and controversy. The incident-packed race saw Jordan's Takuma Sato and Sauber's Nick Heidfeld involved in a big accident, and engine failures galore. The final result, a Schumacher victory, provided the controversy, articulated by jeers from the crowd at the A1-Ring.

The OrangeArrows team had a tough race. After a promising warm-up session this morning the team was looking forward to a good afternoon. Unfortunately both drivers fell foul of the notoriously tight first corner at the A1-Ring and both Heinz and Enrique's races were effectively over.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen

"My race was spoiled at the very beginning. I got a push from behind from my team-mate into the first corner which didn't hurt me too much but then at the next corner Villeneuve pushed me off. After that it was purely a case of playing catch-up and I was struggling with oversteer throughout the race. I'm glad to hear that Taku is okay. I didn't see the accident but I could tell by the aftermath that it was a big one."

Enrique Bernoldi

"I had a good start but ran out of room at the first corner and touched the car in front which I think was my team-mate. The track was pretty slippery at the start and, with such a tight corner and so many cars, I had nowhere to go. It's unfortunate as I could have had a great race today."

Mike Coughlan, Technical Director, OrangeArrows

"Both drivers had good starts but unfortunately Enrique knocked into Heinz at the first corner. This damaged the diffuser on Heinz's car and resulted in ultimate retirement for Enrique with a broken wishbone. Heinz was then pushed off my Villeneuve at the second corner and we didn't stand a chance after that. We're going to go home and lick our wounds and look forward to a better weekend in Monaco."

Weather: Dry and warm. Maximum ambient temperature 21C.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen
Position: 11th
Chassis No: A23-01

Enrique Bernoldi
Position: DNF
Chassis No: A23-03

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