12/09/2004

Grand Prix of Italy - Race Round-Up

Ricardo Zonta (Car 16 Chassis TF104/10B)
Session Classification:11th +1m22.531s (from race winner)
Grid:11th
"The start was good. I just took care not to make contact with anyone because I was not sure how slippery the track would be after all the rain that we had during the morning. It was difficult to increase the temperature of the tyres at the beginning when the track was still damp. Every time I was behind another car I lost downforce and the tyre did not perform. Throughout the whole race I suffered from low grip levels and I simply had to try and retain my position. I am not pleased to finish in 11th position after all the effort we have put in this weekend."

Olivier Panis (Car 17 Chassis TF104/09B)
Session Classification:DNF +53 laps (from race winner)
Grid:13th
"I am extremely disappointed with the outcome of today's race. I think the team made a good strategic decision to start on slick tyres despite the damp track conditions. I gained a place into the first corner and I was racing closely with Pizzonia at the second chicane with the field very tight. I picked up a bit of understeer and ran into the back of his car which broke my front wing. I then ended up in the gravel and my race was over. It is a real shame after what has been a difficult weekend for me."

Tsutomu Tomita - Team Principal
"That was a disappointing race for the team. We had problems on the opening lap when Olivier retired after making contact with Antonio Pizzonia's BMW-Williams. Ricardo made a good start up to tenth place but seemed to struggle thereafter complaining of poor grip levels. We made the decision to start on dry tyres which was the correct choice in the improving track conditions and it is difficult to understand why we fell back when everyone else was able to set competitive times right from the start. We lost a lot of time in the first stint but the lap times then improved during the last two stints of the race. We now need to analyse why we were not quick enough from the beginning. We have a test in Silverstone next week which is a high-speed circuit and one that will be beneficial to prepare our TF104B race car for the three remaining races of the season in China Japan and Brazil."