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  August 18, Race Results |
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Formula One World Championship Round 13
Round 13 : Hungary (Hungaroring)
Jordan Honda Driver
Scores Another Point
Fisichella races to sixth place in Hungarian Grand Prix |
DHL Jordan Honda's
Giancarlo Fisichella scored another point by finishing in sixth place in
today's Hungarian Grand Prix, while team-mate Takuma Sato finished 10th.
Lucky Strike B·A·R Honda's Olivier Panis crossed the line in 12th position,
and Jacques Villeneuve was forced out of the action on lap 20 due to a gearbox
problem.
Jordan Honda's Giancarlo Fisichella made up one place at the start, overtaking
the Williams of Juan Pablo Montoya and moving into fourth position. The
Italian put in consistently quick laps and remained in fourth place until
he came into the pits on lap 29 for his first of two scheduled stops. He
rejoined the action in 10th position behind Nick Heidfeld (Sauber). By the
end of lap 35 the Jordan Honda driver was back in fourth place behind Ralf
Schumacher (Williams), as Jenson Button (Renault) spun out of the race and
the first round of pit stops was completed. On lap 51 Fisichella came in
for his second pit stop and rejoined in ninth place behind Heidfeld. Seven
laps later, however he had gained three places and was up into sixth position,
having been overtaken by the McLarens of David Coulthard and Kimi Raikkonen
as the second round of pit stops unfolded. The Italian continued to fight
hard for the remainder of the race, and went on to score another valuable
point for himself and the team as he crossed the line in sixth place.
His Jordan Honda team-mate Takuma Sato held station off the grid in 14th
position, and by lap 24 had made up three places to 11th, due to Villeneuve's
retirement, Montoya's pit stop and Eddie Irvine parking his Jaguar. Sato
came in for his first pit stop on lap 30, rejoining the action in 11th.
Three laps later Olivier Panis pitted, moving Sato up into 10th place, before
the Japanese driver stopped for a second time on lap 50, ultimately rejoining
in 12th place behind Panis. Following the final round of pit stops, the
Jordan Honda driver was up into 10th position, where he remained for the
next 21 laps and crossed the line, having started from 14th on the grid.
B·A·R Honda's Olivier Panis had a disastrous start, losing seven places
and running in 19th position behind several slower cars, but the nature
of the circuit prevented him from doing anything about it until the first
round of pit stops. By lap 33, as the first round of pit stops was completed,
Panis had moved up into 12th position, and he gained another place on lap
50 when Sato pitted. Six laps later the Frenchman came into the pits for
his second stop, rejoining and eventually finishing the race in 12th position.
His B·A·R Honda team-mate Jacques Villeneuve made up one spot off the grid
and by the end of the first lap was lying in 12th position behind Coulthard.
The Canadian pushed hard but his challenge was short-lived as he was forced
to pull over with a gearbox problem on lap 20.
In sunny conditions at the Hungaroring and temperatures reaching 31 degrees,
Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello took the chequered flag ahead of team-mate
Michael Schumacher and the Williams of Ralf Schumacher. The McLaren pairing
of Kimi Raikkonen and David Coulthard finished fourth and fifth while Jordan
Honda's Giancarlo Fisichella completed the point scoring positions.
Shuhei Nakamoto -- Race and Test Team Manager, Honda Racing Development
"A great drive from Giancarlo -- he's been going well all weekend. Takuma
also put in a good effort to finish 10th having started from 14th on the
grid. It was a shame Olivier lost a few places at the start, but he too
put in a solid performance this afternoon. The results are encouraging and
we're happy that we didn't have any engine problems. We'll be continuing
the fight for more points at the Belgian Grand Prix."
Giancarlo Fisichella Position: 6th
"I am pleased. I was quite confident today that we might score more points
and possibly finish even higher than this, but unfortunately the McLarens
were quicker and we lost a couple of positions. The hot conditions don't
suit us so well and during the lapping stages, I was held up behind a Toyota
and that lost me some time. Nevertheless, sixth is a great result and I'm
really looking forward to the next race as it's at one of my favourite circuits."
Takuma Sato Position: 10th
"It was a good race for me, even though I wasn't able to score any points.
It was always going be difficult to do that, starting from 14th, and there
was not much retirement with the frontrunners, so it was a strong race for
us to get two cars in the top ten. The start was really exciting with three
cars side by side into the first corner! Our pace is improving, so as long
as we can deliver a strong qualifying performance at the next race, we stand
a good chance of reaching our targets."
Olivier Panis Position: 12th
"Unfortunately, the start didn't work as I expected and I lost a few places.
When I reached the first corner, the car in front of me braked heavily which
forced me to do the same and I ended up on the dirty part of the track.
Because of this, it was impossible for me to stop the other cars passing
me and I got stuck behind slower cars. Due to the nature of this circuit,
I had to wait for the first pitstops to get clear laps, but then my lap
times were very quick and, in fact, I managed to post the 6th fastest lap
of the race. After my second stop, the car was running OK but then, close
to the end of the race, the team asked me to slow down because they were
worried about an oil pressure problem and that's why Montoya pulled away
from me. We're going to work very hard this week in order to solve the different
problems we have encountered and generally make sure we are ready for Spa."
Jacques Villeneuve Position: DNF
"I got a good start and was running 12th on what would have been the right
strategy. It was a typically hard race because of the heat and the nature
of the Hungaroring circuit but I just kept pushing until, at the end of
the pit straight, the car just seized with a transmission problem. It was
too bad because the car was going much better in the race than it had been
on Friday and Saturday. It's a disappointing end to a difficult weekend
so I guess we just have to put it behind us and move on to the next one.
Spa is one of my favourite races and one where we expect to do better than
we have here in Hungary."
Round 14 of the FIA Formula One World Championship is the Belgian Grand
Prix on Sunday 1 September.
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Formula One World Championship Round 13
Round 13 : Hungary (Hungaroring)
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| 1 |
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R.BARRICHELLO (Ferrari) |
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| 2 |
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M.SCHUMACHER (Ferrari) |
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| 3 |
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R.SCHUMACHER (Williams) |
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| 4 |
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K.Raikkonen (McLaren) |
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| 5 |
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D.COULTHARD (McLaren) |
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| 6 |
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G.FISICHELLA (Jordan Honda) |
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| 7 |
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F.MASSA (Sauber) |
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| 8 |
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J.TRULLI (Renault) |
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| 9 |
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N.HEIDFELD (Sauber) |
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| 10 |
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T.SATO (Jordan Honda) |
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| 12 |
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O.PANIS (B·A·R Honda) |
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| DNF |
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J.VILLENEUVE (B·A·R Honda) |
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G.FISICHELLA (Jordan Honda)
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