Malaysian GP: McLaren race notes

MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX

West McLaren Mercedes drivers David Coulthard and Kimi Raikkonen were unable to finish today's Malaysian Grand Prix after both were forced into retirement with engine failures. David retired at the end of lap 15, whilst Kimi's race ended at the end of lap 24. Kimi's currently fourth in the Drivers' World Championship whilst David is still to score points. The West McLaren Mercedes team is third in the Constructors' World Championship.

DAVID COULTHARD

"I'm disappointed with today's result because I believe both Kimi and myself could have secured a couple of good finishes. All of a sudden the engine went onto nine cylinders. I didn't know exactly what caused the problem but the team decided it was safer to retire. It's been a difficult weekend, really. However we have to stay focused and I know we have a package which is capable of winning races, but we just need a bit of reliability."

KIMI RAIKKONEN

"It's a shame to end a race like this as I had a car, which was capable of finishing in a top position. My start was good despite the heavy fuel load as we were planning a one-stop strategy, which would have been perfect. I was lying in second place when all of sudden my engine let go at the last corner and that was it."

RON DENNIS Team Principal

"A disappointing outcome to a race that I believe would have seen our strategy delivering podium finishes. Our Michelin tyres worked well today, and we are already looking forward to the challenges of Interlagos."

NORBERT HAUG Mercedes Motorsport director

"Two engine failures in this Grand Prix is a very bad outcome for us. We certainly need to do a much better job next time. We will now analyse in detail what caused the engines to fail to ensure that these problems don't occur again."

David Coulthard Chassis 02
Kimi Raikkonen Chassis 03
T-car (Kimi) Chassis 01

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