28/07/2002

German Grand Prix - Race Round-Up

The first Grand Prix on the revised new Hockenheim circuit saw a lot of mechanical retirements but Mika Salo came through it all to record a 9th place finish for Panasonic Toyota Racing.

Allan McNish and Salo started the race from 17th and 19th on the grid after a tough qualifying session yesterday where higher temperatures and the new track surface caused trouble with car set-up even in the most experienced of teams.

Both McNish and Salo made goods starts the Scot coming around 15th at the end of the opening lap. Unfortunately though his race was over just after one-third distance as his TF102 chassis ground to a halt immediately after his first pit stop.

"Leaving the pits after the stop the car just did not accelerate properly " McNish explained. "I tried to get the car back to the pits but I got stuck at the end of the straight ? it was a hydraulics problem. We were just beginning to go well right with a big group of cars before the stop so that made it doubly frustrating."

Salo drove a typically solid race holding off challenges from both Giancarlo Fisichella and the recovering Kimi Raikkonen in the closing stages before both retired.

"I didn't get such a good start and the car didn't feel very good in the first stint " the Finn said. "I had a lot of oversteer and so we dropped the front wing on my first stop and from then on the car was competitive. When you start 19th it is never going to be an easy afternoon and getting a result is difficult but simply finishing the race was a positive outcome for us after the recent reliability problems that we have had."

The race produced yet more success for Michael Schumacher and Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro the German scoring his 62nd Grand Prix win after leading from start to finish. Surprisingly it was the first time that the five times champion has won at Hockenheim for Ferrari.

Ralf Schumacher held second position for much of the race but a late unscheduled pit stop allowed BMW Williams F1 team mate Juan Pablo Montoya through into second. Schumacher Junior finally took third ahead of Rubens Barrichello in the second Ferrari. These were the only drivers to finish on the lead lap while David Coulthard was fifth for West McLaren Mercedes and Nick Heidfeld scored a point for Sauber Petronas.

There is now a three-week break in the F1 programme before the season resumes in Hungary mid August. Predictably the esilly season' rumours about driver transfers are all around at this stage of the season and after gossip surrounding the Panasonic Toyota Racing line-up president Ove Andersson said: "There is absolutely no truth in reports claiming that Allan McNish will not complete this season." Mr Andersson reiterated that no decision on the team driver selection regarding 2003 has yet been made.