Austrian GP Sauber race notes

Kimi Raikkonen and Nick Heidfeld finished fourth and ninth respectively for Team RED BULL SAUBER PETRONAS in today's Austrian Grand Prix earning the Team 12 Points in the Constructors' World Championship.

Nick Heidfeld:
I did a manual start to lay some rubber on the formation lap, but at the proper start launch control just didn't work. After that I wasn't really in the race because I was a lap behind. I got stuck behind Irvine, then I had to let Villeneuve through. Then I had a very long pit stop when I had some clutch trouble; fortunately the team deliberately dropped the car off the jack and I managed to get away again. It was really hard to keep my motivation, but you never know what will happen and you have to keep pushing hard.

Kimi Raikkonen:
It's been a long wait since Melbourne, so I'm very happy not just to score another three points, but to take Sauber's overall total beyond 100. I had a very good race, though maybe there was some luck at the start. The car was good all the way through and I could keep pushing hard. People are making a lot of fuss because I have the same points now as Mika Hakkinen, but what matters to me is that as a team we had another great result today.

Peter Sauber:
Yet more points confirm our continuing competitive form. It was a great race for Kimi Raikkonen. He was fast and consistent all the way through and it was never a problem for him to keep Panis behind. I am really happy that he could score three points in such a competitive race, only his sixth in F1.

It was very bad for Nick Heidfeld when he could not capitalise on his excellent grid position. His launch control did not function at the start, but we are still investigating why. When he finally got going he too drove a fast and strong race, and I hope that Monaco rewards him for his persistence. Congratulations to the whole team for two fast and reliable cars.