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+--- Thread: Sato lambasted (/Thread-Sato-lambasted)
Sato lambasted - mcamp999 - 12-09-2005
September 12, 2005
By David Tremayne
Spa-Francorchamps - Juan Pablo Montoya and Michael Schumacher don't have much in common but after title challengers Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso finished first and second in the Belgian GP each lambasted the driver who had ruined their race.
Montoya had greater cause to feel aggrieved. The Colombian had done everything he could to assist Raikkonen's title campaign, subtly surrendering the lead to the Finn after 32 laps without anyone being able to level accusations of team orders at McLaren-Mercedes.
Second place would have put McLaren ahead of Renault in the Constructors' championship and helped Raikkonen to take four points off Alonso but, on the 41st lap, Montoya and Williams-BMW driver Antonio Pizzonia - who had just changed to dry-weather tyres – collided
Second place would have put McLaren ahead of Renault in the Constructors' championship
.
Ironically, almost everyone else who had gone that route at various stages of a tricky race had found themselves going backwards - sometimes literally. Now, when at last dry tyres were the thing to have, Pizzonia mistakenly thought Montoya had waved him through.
"It's always tough to retire from a race but it's even harder when it's caused by matters out of your team's control," Montoya said. "My disappointment is even greater because, as a team, we were doing a great job."
Michael Schumacher was taken out in the hairpin on lap 14 when the hapless Takuma Sato went into the back of his Ferrari.
"We have often experienced hara-kiri reactions from him in the past and this was another," Schumacher growled
'We have often experienced hari-kari reactions from him in the past and this was another' - Schumacher
. "We have talked to him about it in the past. I don't know what sort of therapy might help him."
Schumacher remonstrated with the Japanese driver after climbing from his broken Ferrari and said later, when asked how long it might take for his ire to abate: "No idea."
Raikkonen, however, was as happy as he ever gets. "I claimed the lead after the second stop as I could stay out longer than Juan Pablo and that was it. However, there are mixed emotions as we should have had a one-two today."
At Renault there were mixed emotions, too. Alonso was happy with another strong finish:
"It was a hard race for everybody, with really difficult conditions, but we knew we had a competitive car and that we didn't need to take any big risks," he said.
"Sometimes these races can bring some big surprises, so I am pleased to have come away with a normal result, exactly what I needed. I didn't make any mistakes - then I saw Montoya's accident and it was nice to have some more help from McLaren."
However, his team mate Giancarlo Fisichella influenced the race significantly by crashing on lap 11, which brought out the safety car after. That triggered a mass pit stop. McLaren cleverly radioed Raikkonen to slow right down to delay everybody and give them time to service Montoya so both could stop on the same lap.
By the time Raikkonen arrived in the pits, followed by everyone else, Montoya had long gone.
Third place was a surprise for Jenson Button, who had lost time after trying dry-weather tyres on lap 11 and then having to re-pit to revert to intermediates.
"The first stint wasn't easy and I had such bad oversteer I barely had to turn into the corners" he admitted, but his move passing Jacques Villeneuve round the outside at the Pouhon corner on lap 25 lap was one of the day's highlights. - The Independent, London