Formula 1
Belgian GP: Jordan race notes
A characteristically excitement-filled and action-packed Belgian Grand Prix was eventful for Jordan Ford but unfortunately not for the right reasons. Giorgio Pantano made a good start which moved him up the field by several places but he could not ...
Published: Aug 30, 2004, 2:10 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
A characteristically excitement-filled and action-packed Belgian Grand Prix was eventful for Jordan Ford but unfortunately not for the right reasons. Giorgio Pantano made a good start which moved him up the field by several places but he could not avoid Bruni's Minardi as it careered sideways across the track after an incident at the infamous Eau Rouge and the resulting accident brought Pantano's race to a very premature end.
Nick Heidfeld finished an arduous race in 11th position after struggling with pace and five visits to the pits, including two unscheduled stops with mechanical problems.
Nick Heidfeld:
"My start was good but then there were a lot of things going on at the first corner and I was pushed to the outside, lost my front wing, and came in to change that and check the rest of the car. I had lost part of the barge boards on the right side but I guess there was no time to change them. After that I felt the balance of the car was very poor, with huge understeer and a lot of `bottoming'. That's why I nearly went off once at Eau Rouge. We tried to compensate for the understeer with some wing changes, but I think the damage to the aero parts was just too much."
"The team called me in the lap after my first stop for another tyre and fuel stop, I'm not really sure why yet. On top of that I got more problems with the engine cutting out. So although I was scheduled to drive to the end I pitted again and switched off the engine for a very long stop while the team changed a part to fix the engine cut-outs and that worked out. Although at that stage there were only 4 or 5 more laps to go."
Giorgio Pantano:
"I came out of the start and first corner quite well, but something was happening with a few other cars. As I arrived at the top of Eau Rouge, I saw Sato's car going off so I slowed down but then a Minardi appeared from the back and spun in front of me - there was nowhere for me to go. It was a bit scary! It's disappointing because I had a good start and with the number of people that retired I had the chance of doing a really good race today."
James Robinson, Head of race and test engineering:
"Once again Spa gave us a great race; it's unfortunate that we were not in the frame. The accidents and subsequent damage we suffered with both cars meant we were spectators to the day."
Nick Heidfeld: 11th
Chassis: EJ14/03
Giorgio Panatano: DNF
Chassis: EJ14/02
-jordan-
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Belgian GP: Renault race notes
Next article Belgian GP: Minardi race notes
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Nick Heidfeld
Which modern Formula 1 driver raced for the most teams?
Formula 1
Formula 1
Which modern Formula 1 driver raced for the most teams?
New all-electric Formula G series to begin in 2024 with radical format
General
General
New all-electric Formula G series to begin in 2024 with radical format
The brief F1 pairing that brought “fun” to Sauber
Formula 1
Formula 1
The brief F1 pairing that brought “fun” to Sauber
More from
Minardi
Alpine may be F1’s best ‘worst team’ of all time
Formula 1
Formula 1
Alpine may be F1’s best ‘worst team’ of all time
Alonso showed championship credentials in first F1 race - ex-Minardi boss
Formula 1
Formula 1
Saudi Arabian GP
Alonso showed championship credentials in first F1 race - ex-Minardi boss
Top 10 Minardi F1 drivers ranked: Alonso, Webber, Badoer and more
Formula 1
Formula 1
Top 10 Minardi F1 drivers ranked: Alonso, Webber, Badoer and more
Latest news
No factory Honda bikes in Australian GP as Luca Marini withdraws due to virus
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Australian GP
9 min
No factory Honda bikes in Australian GP as Luca Marini withdraws due to virus
"We're just a step behind" - what McLaren is trying to solve with its final 2026 upgrades
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
1 h
"We're just a step behind" - what McLaren is trying to solve with its final 2026 upgrades
Sammy Smith earns first NASCAR Truck win in wild Talladega finish
NASCAR Truck
NSTR NASCAR Truck
Talladega
1 h
Sammy Smith earns first NASCAR Truck win in wild Talladega finish
F1 United States GP: Charles Leclerc completes perfect Friday by topping FP2
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
1 h
F1 United States GP: Charles Leclerc completes perfect Friday by topping FP2
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe