Drivers (Chassis) Villeneuve (C24-04) 11th Massa (C24-02) 9th Spare car (C24-03)
Team
SAUBER PETRONAS drivers Felipe Massa and Jacques Villeneuve finished ninth and 11th respectively in today's Monaco Grand Prix in
Monte Carlo.
Jacques Villeneuve: "Our strategy today was very good, and to begin with my plan was to save the
tyres as I had plenty of fuel on board. But then I got really messed up with the incident at Mirabeau on lap 25. Felipe was able to
get through a gap and make his pit stop, but I got badly held up and there was no point in refuelling then because I was on a long
run strategy, so really I got nothing out of the situation. "Towards the end I caught up with Felipe again and I could see
that his rear tyres were finished, whereas my car felt pretty much as good as it had been all through the race. I was told to reduce
the gap to the guys in front of me because a lot of us were closing up in the fight for points, and I tried something that
unfortunately didn't work."
Felipe Massa: "I made a very good start and in the incident at Mirabeau
between Coulthard and Schumacher I was just able to find a way through a small gap. The team called me in to refuel as the Safety
Car came out and that was a brilliant plan. After that I was running strongly behind Heidfeld and was able to make a second stop
later on, on lap 50, without losing much time. Unfortunately my tyres were losing grip and Montoya passed me, and then there was the
incident with Jacques at Ste Devote. I think it was wrong from his side, but now I am just focusing on the next race."
Peter
Sauber (Team Principal): "We had a perfect strategy for the race today and some very good work by the pit crew brought
us up to a very strong position after the first incident that brought out the Safety Car. However, the incident caused by Jacques
cost us five valuable championship points that would have enabled us to close the gap on our direct competitor, Red Bull. What
happened today is the most depressing thing that a team can experience."
Drivers (Chassis) Villeneuve (C24-04) 9th Massa
(C24-02) 11th Spare car (C24-03)
Team SAUBER PETRONAS drivers Jacques Villeneuve and Felipe Massa will start today's Monaco
Grand Prix from ninth and 11th positions respectively after this morning's final qualifying session in which they were 11th and 10th
fastest.
Jacques Villeneuve: "It was a pretty good session. I had hoped to be up behind David Coulthard because
we make good starts, and it's a pity to lose a place to Michael, but the car was neutral in its behaviour so I'm reasonably happy.
We always run stronger in the race than in qualifying and we have a good strategy, so let's see what happens."
Felipe
Massa: "The track improved a lot during the session, and when I was out it was still very slippery. Like yesterday, it
would have been easy to make a mistake but I had a good lap. I'm just going to go for it this afternoon, but I know it will be
tough. Above all here, in this situation, the most important thing is to be there at the finish."
