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Giancarlo
Fisichella (Renault/Michelin) scored a dominant victory in the opening race
of the Formula One season in Melbourne, Australia. After the sport's first
aggregated qualifying sessions, the Italian lined up on pole position and
immediately pulled 1.4 seconds clear of fellow front-row starter Jarno
Trulli (Toyota/Michelin).
Thereafter he controlled the pace at will. He briefly lost the lead during
the traditional shuffle that follows scheduled pit stops, but the result was
never in doubt. Although Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari) closed to within six
seconds of the leader in the race's closing stages, Fisichella responded by
upping his pace to underline that he had plenty in reserve. Michelin
motorsport director Pierre Dupasquier said: "We finished 2004 with a
flourish - and it is very satisfying to begin the new season in similar
fashion."
After a bright start, Trulli faded as the race wore on - particularly during
his second stint, when his chassis had an imbalance - and he had to settle
for ninth. As he slipped down the order, a phalanx of Michelin runners moved
up. Fernando Alonso drove a blistering race from 14th on the grid. After
finding a way past Jacques Villeneuve's Sauber, which had trapped him in
10th place during the early stages, Alonso set a string of stunning laps -
including a 1m 25.683s, the fastest of the race - to haul himself into third
place and give Renault an early eight-point cushion in the world
championship for constructors. "I said before the race that the new rules
would force the drivers to demonstrate new skills, and it was pleasing to
see both of them demonstrate a deep understanding of their requirements so
quickly. We must also thank Michelin: we couldn't have asked for better
tyres for today's race." said Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
- Mild Seven RenaultF1 Team.
Michelin-shod Formula One newcomer Red Bull Racing had an encouraging debut.
David Coulthard made a terrific start from row three of the grid to hold an
early third place, but he lost time after colliding with a lapped car and
eventually had to settle for fourth. "A podium finish was achievable," he
said. "That would have been a dream start for Red Bull. I was starting to
dream for a while - but I still can't complain."
His team-mate Christian Klien finished seventh, behind Michelin runners Mark
Webber (BMW WilliamsF1 Team) and Juan Pablo Montoya (Team McLaren Mercedes).
Michelin drivers took all but one of the top eight places. Kimi Rdikkvnen
(Team McLaren Mercedes) started from the pits after stalling on the grid and
causing the original start to be aborted, but he fought back to take the
final point. "The positive outcomes of the opening race are the very good
performance from our Michelin tyres and that we had the pace to win and as a
result are looking forward to Malaysia and the rest of the season." said Ron
Dennis, Team Principal, West McLaren Mercedes. |
