By Phil Giles
September 12 2004

Giorgio span out with 20 laps to go, but Nick Heidfeld again drove a solid race to bring the EJ14 home in 14th position (although from the TV Coverage you would have thought that Ferrari were the only team competing).

Giorgio span at the Italian circuits Parabolica corner just after completing his second pit stop of the day.  Nick had to start from the pit lane in his original race car which the team fixed overnight.

Eddie was quick to praise the efforts of eventual race winners Ferrari and to congratulate another ex-Jordan driver Rubens Barrichello on his first win of 2004.

“I am relatively happy with what we achieved, as I think we managed to get the maximum from our resources." said Nick.  "Early on I had problems overtaking the Minardi because he seemed to have better top speed than me but once I got past, my pace was good. Then Felipe tried to overtake me and ran into the back of my car which did a little damage but thankfully it had no big influence on the balance. We converted to a one-stop strategy which worked out, although it wasn’t easy with a heavy fuel load and having to really look after the tyres. While I would always be happier with a better position, I think we did everything we possibly could have so I’m satisfied with our efforts.”

Giorgio said:  “I don’t know exactly what happened but at Parabolica very soon after my second pit stop, I think perhaps I found some water or something on the track and the car just suddenly spun. I saw Nick running wide there as well, just ahead of me. Once I had spun there was nothing I could do and it was quite a big crash. I’m really disappointed and it’s a shame to retire from my home Grand Prix like this.”

“It was an exciting race which is good for the sport’s fans." said Eddie.  "Well done Rubens for winning his first race this season and to Michael on having secured his seventh drivers’ championship at the last race. Looking at Ferrari’s strategy here and the problems they encountered at the beginning, at lap five you wouldn’t have thought they would finish in the top three. But they showed their brilliance yet again and went on to take a 1-2 victory - both drivers and the whole Ferrari team have all Jordan’s congratulations. As for us, we put a huge effort into this weekend, for very little return and in very difficult circumstances so I want to thank everyone in the team for their commitment and hard work. We’ve no points to show for it but that has no reflection on the ability and dedication that everyone contributes.”

“Congratulations to Rubens for his fantastic recovery and drive to a memorable win." said James Robinson.  "At Jordan we have a busy week to focus on with Timo testing at Silverstone on 14 September and the team preparing and packing up our cars and equipment for the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix, which we are very excited about.”