Monaco GP Minardi race notes

GASTÓN MAZZACANE
Chassis 04
"I am deeply disappointed because today I think I have lost a race that could offer me a very good opportunity, perhaps the best of my career so far. The car felt pretty good and despite a minor gearbox concern I was keeping a good pace, the same as Bar and the Benetton of Wurz. I was pushing very hard but I braked too late and I crashed at the S.te Dévote corner."

MARC GENÉ
Chassis 01
"It has been a tough weekend. This morning my car was more competitive in race trim than when it was in qualifying set-up. As far as the race is concerned, on the first lap Pedro's (de la Rosa) car spun out and blocked the passage. We all were forced to stop and I switched the engine off because the air temperature was too hot; being in neutral, I was not able to start the engine again once the marshals cleared off the track. I went back to the pit in order to start the race from there on board the spare car which luckily had a good set up. Unfortunately, I found a problem in the gears selection and on lap 22 the gearbox broke definitively. It is really a shame because the car was quick during the race. In fact I was running in 1.24”3’ which was the same time as Trulli’s who was leading the second position. Looking forward to the next competition I know that there is a lot of work still to be done, especially with regard to the qualifying session where we still lag behind."

GIAN CARLO MINARDI
"A troubled weekend is finished, with many problems experienced over the last three days. It is a pity that Gastón's mistake and the gearbox failure on Marc's car, the causes of which will be soon investigated, prevented us to achieve a race where the M02 was showing really competitive."