23.05.2004 Michael Schumacher's winning run ends abruptly as he hits the wall during an incident while behind the safety car: Ferrari Monaco GRAND PRIX RACE REPORT

Michael Schumacher's five race winning run ends abruptly as he hits the wall during an incident with Juan Pablo Montoya while running behind the safety car, although Rubens Barrichello provides some consolation with a distant third place despite car problems.

Jean Todt: 'A disappointing weekend. We were expecting a different result, but our numbers did not come up on the Monaco roulette table.

'When Michael was in the hunt for the lead, he was hit by Montoya when the race was being run behind the safety car. It was a real shame that his race had to end this way. All race long, Rubens did not have a good feeling from the car and his third place is some small consolation at the end of the weekend.

'Having won the first five races of the year with Michael, Ferrari would like to congratulate Jarno and the two teams which have beaten us this time. They both did an excellent job. Now there are only a few days until the European Grand Prix, where we will try and return to our winning ways.'

Michael Schumacher: 'Firstly I must congratulate Jarno. He did a fantastic job and I am very happy for him as I work closely with him in the GPDA and we meet on the football pitch.

'Today, I don’t think I could have really challenged him, but nevertheless when the accident with Montoya happened I was leading the race. So the situation is that the race leader was knocked out of the race after being hit by a back marker. I am sure there was no deliberate intention on his part and I accept the Steward’s decision.

'I was accelerating and braking just as we do when we go to the grid and in the standard way when running behind the Safety Car. The tunnel was not even the first place I had done it as I had used the same procedure earlier in the lap. A bit of smoke off the wheels is quite normal in these situations as you try to get heat into the front tyres and the brakes.

'After not the most successful weekend for us, I am really looking forward to next weekend when we will already be at the Nurburgring for one of my home races.'

Rubens Barrichello: 'I think I was very lucky to finish today and third place was my birthday present from God. At the start, Sato came past me even before I moved off the line. Then, quite early in the race, in Casino Square, the car hit the ground very hard, I was locking the wheels and it felt as though I had a puncture. I told the team on the radio, but they said that if I could, I should stay out and see if the situation improved on my next set of tyres.

'But after my second pit stop, which I did not make when the Safety Car was out as I had a lot of fuel on board, the car was still hitting the ground and was not turning well. It felt like something was broken in the rear suspension and while the SC was on track I even drove slowly near the pit wall in case the team could see anything. I’m not even sweating after this race, because all I could do was drive slowly to carry the car home. I did not see Michael’s incident in the tunnel.'

Ross Brawn: 'Neither of our two cars achieved their expected performance level today. Rubens was not happy with the balance of his car and was struggling with it all race long. Michael was making progress after a difficult initial phase, but was not as quick as we had hoped.

'Unfortunately, when the accident happened, he was in the lead and had a good chance to fight for the win. We decided to leave both drivers out on track during the safety car period as they had a lot of fuel on board. Michael could have put in some quick laps with a clear track ahead of him, building up a big enough lead to stay ahead of the others.

'The Stewards have ruled that the collision between Michael and Montoya was a racing incident and we respect their decision. What I can say is that our driver was going through the normal procedure prior to a re-start and this was definitely not a nice way to end the race. All in all, this was certainly not our weekend.'

Rubens Barrichello: 3rd +1.15.766 77 laps chassis 235, Michael Schumacher R lap 46 45 laps chassis 236, Temperatures: air 25 °C, track 36/39 °C