Williams rues brake mistake

It was a very costly 'mistake' that saw Williams disqualified from the Canadian Grand Prix, losing Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya their second and fifth places respectively. The brake ducts on the cars did not comply with regulations and the stewards decision was to delete Williams' results.

"The front brake ducts of Ralf and Juan Pablo's car were not in accordance with the regulations," said Williams technical director Sam Michael. "It was a mistake and it was unintentional."

"There was no performance gain and no gain for brake cooling because the inlet area was not bigger. However the duct is not in compliance with the technical regulations, therefore the team accepts the FIA decision."

Schumacher was, understandably, dismayed after fighting a hard race to claim his first podium finish of the season. "I first heard that the result was under investigation and there were a few minutes of anxiety before it became official," he said. "Oh my God, what have I done to deserve this, I thought."

"It's cold comfort that Frank Williams rang me to say good job and that he was sorry. Breaking a rule is breaking a rule and I have to accept it even if it's a real pity because it spoils the positive vibe around this race for the team."

Montoya was as philosophical as ever: "Unfortunately there was a mistake," he shrugged. "It happened and there is nothing we can do about it. We will keep working and we hope to make up for it at Indy next week."

Toyota suffered the same fate, the cars of Olivier Panis and Cristiano da Matta also showing brake irregularities when examined. The team intended to present an appeal against the disqualification but didn't meet the FIA deadline.