Spain: Double DNF for SAUBER PETRONAS

By Jamie Makin
May 8 2005

After both drivers qualified in solid midfield spots looking set to challenge for points, bad luck befell Jacques Villeneuve and Felipe Massa forcing both to retire early from today's Spanish Grand Prix.

His teammate Massa had been running in the top eight for a good portion of the day's race but a cracked rim ended his day with just a few laps remaining. "I think I drove a good race, but the pace was just too strong for us today," Massa said. "Everybody who finished in front of us was quicker. As for the problem at the end, I felt the left rear tyre deflate as I came through the last corner, so that was it. We discovered afterwards that the wheel rim had cracked, which let the air leak out."

Villeneuve gained a position on the start but could not advance further due to engine problems. On lap 52 he was forced to retire. "Quite early on my engine began losing water and as it steadily got hotter I began losing power," Villeneuve explained. "The biggest problem was that I started with a lot of fuel intending to run longer, but just as I got to the point where my fuel load had gone down and I should have been able to start lapping quickly I got stuck in traffic, so we were unable to maximise our strategy. In the end the engine failed because of the water loss."

Team owner, Peter Sauber was clearly disappointed in his team's difficulties. "After our strong showing in Imola we are obviously disappointed as we were expecting more here. But we look forward to the next race."

The team will test from 11 to 13 May at the Paul Ricard Circuit before heading to Monaco for the most glamorous race of the season.