| It would
be another race that the BMW WilliamsF1 team would come away with very
little to show. Both Ralf and Juan Pablo would be forced out of the race,
with different reasons behind each drivers exit from the race. Ralf would be
involved in a major accident coming onto the main straight that would see
him taken to hospital for checkups while Juan Pablo would be blacked flagged
for using the spare car, when his race car failed on the grid just prior to
the formation lap, in a fashion that was not inside the regulations. Another
race that is best forgotten by the team.
Prior
to the start of the race Juan Pablo Montoya would have problems with his car
forcing him to run back to his pit to get into his spare car. The race would
see Rubens Barrichello leading from Michael Schumacher and going into the
first corner there would be contact between Klein, Massa, Pantano, and the
Minardi of Bruni. Alonso was to make a brilliant start forcing his way past
Sato into the first corner to be in third place. With several damaged cars
on the track the safety car was brought out. Toyota's Cristiano da Matta
would pull into the pits. Da Matta was hit by Klein and this was what caused
the accident. He would be slow out on the track and would return to his pit.
JPM was running in fourteenth. The safety car period would end and Michael
would use the slip stream of his team mate to pass Rubens into the first
corner taking first place. Alonso was trying to catch the Ferrari's ahead of
him. Kimi Raikkonen was up to fifth position while Montoya was fighting with
Heidfeld for twelfth. There was a question mark over when Michael passed
Rubens.
Barrichello had set the fastest lap, a 1m:10.399. Button was trying to pass
Raikkonen in fifth. For Alonso his race would end in spectacular fashion as
his right rear tyre would fail going down the main straight into the first
corner. His car would slew sideways down the track. Fernando was able to get
out of his car. But we would have another major accident on the main
straight, this time it was Ralf who would lose control of his car and slam
into the wall rear end first.
Bt the impact was huge and
Ralf would appear to have been knocked out and there was no movement from
the cockpit. Ralf was lucky not to have been hit by cars following as he
spun down the straight. The safety marshals would take their time getting to
his car but eventually the medical car would get to his wrecked FW26. The
safety car would be back out again.
There
was carbon fibre everywhere on the main straight. Ralf was to move up his
visor before the medical car got to him. When the safety marshals were
present Ralf did try to get out of the car but was unable to do so. Dr. Sid
Watkins was present making sure that all the necessary precautions were
taken before they removed him from his car. Ralf would eventually be put
into an ambulance and taken away from the scene of the accident. Of those
cars still running Sato, Button, Webber and JPM had not stoped. The marshals
would spend a considerable amount of time cleaning the track of debris.
Ralf would be sent to
Indianapolis Methodist Hospital for him to be checked. On initial
examination at the circuit Ralf did have bruising to his back but was OK.
So with fifteen laps run Michael would lead from Takuma Sato, Jenson Button,
Mark Webber, Juan Pablo, Kimi Raikkonen, Rubens Barrichello, Jarno Trulli,
Oliver Panis, Nick Heidfeld, Giancarlo Fisichella, David Coulthard,
Cristiano da Matta and Zsolt Baumgartner. Webber would finally pit while da
Matta would stop out on the circuit.
The would go green on lap nineteen with Sato close behind Michael. Neither
BAR or JPM had yet to pit. Sato would close in on Michael to be only .5
seconds behind the Ferrari. Button would pit and make a mistake coming into
his pit box nearly hit his mechanics. He would stop for 6.7 seconds. Sato
would follow next lap. Both drivers would lose a considerable amount of time
having stopped not under the safety car.
Sato would pass Coulthard going into turn one, moving into ninth. Button
would retire in his pit. The BAR team must have know of a problem with his
car. It was to be a gearbox problem. JPM was up in second with Raikkonen was
in third. Sato would pass Fisichella for eighth while Kimi was to pit,
stopping for 7.0 seconds. Sato would pass Jordan's Nick Heidfeld for sixth.
Barrichello was in third, Trulli fourth, and Panis fifth. Sato was ten
seconds further behind the Toyota.
Kimi would pit again with the team trying to sort out a problem with his
car. On lap thirty five JPM would finally pit, stopping for 7.9 seconds.
Rubens would be back in second while JPM returned back in sixth position. So
the order was Michael leading Rubens with Trulli in third, Panis in fourth,
Sato fifth, Montoya sixth, Heidfeld seventh, and Fisichella eighth.
Sato
was right behind Panis and he would eventually pass the Toyota for fourth
position. It was announced that JPM was under investigation for an incident.
Michael would pit on lap forty two returning in third position. Trulli was
in second. Rubens was just 6.3 seconds ahead of Michael. Heidfeld would
retire out on the circuit. Sato would pit with twenty eight laps left of the
race. Trulli would stop from second position. Oliver Panis would stop from
third coming out behind the BAR of Sato. Coulthard would pit.
Fisichella would suffer a punctured left rear tyre, seeing him take to the
grass. He would limp back to the pits. Rubens would pit, 7.9 seconds,
returning in second position very close behind Michael. What would we see
from the Ferrari pair as the race comes to a close. Webber would pit from
seventh. Unfortunately JPM would have to pit again and with seventeen laps
left to run he would dive into the pit lane. But it would be finally
announced that he was to receive the black flag, seeing his race come to an
end.
Once again we would have both cars out of the race. JPM was black flagged
because of his use of the T car. What a joke as it took the stewards an hour
and a half to finally make the call that they would black flag JPM. Trulli
in third was under pressure from Sato, while Mark Webber would retire with
an engine failure. Trulli would go off the track seeing Sato move into third
as a result of Sato and Trulli getting together coming into the first
corner. It looked like both drivers got caught up by a McLaren going into
the corner.
With ten laps left to run the Ferrari's at the front appeared to have given
up their fight for the lead. With Fisichella slowing in eighth we would have
the sight of Minardi's Zolt Baumgartner passing the Sauber for the single
point. So it would be another Ferrari one-two with Sato in third. |