25.07.2004 "The last 20 laps were really hard, particularly through the stadium section, and I’ve got blisters on my hands to prove it!" Minardi GERMAN GRAND PRIX reporT

Minardi today experienced a satisfying German Grand Prix, drivers Zsolt Baumgartner and Gianmaria Bruni both taking the chequered flag after very consistent performances in the 66-lap race.

The only real moment of concern came when Bruni arrived at the pits for the first of his three scheduled stops with damage to the barge boards on the left side of the car.

These were removed by the mechanics, although the work necessitated extra time in the pits. Once he had rejoined the race, however, Bruni pressed on in determined fashion, 17th place being his eventual reward for what had been a gritty drive.

Baumgartner had a less eventful German Grand Prix, and after slipping by his team mate on the opening lap, ran three commendably consistent stints to finish 16th.   

ZSOLT BAUMGARTNER  Best lap: 1 min 18.760 secs  Position: 16th

“I had a normal start, but then managed to get by Gimmi on the first lap and pull away a little bit. The balance was pretty consistent during each of the stints and there were no technical problems with the car. 

"The last 20 laps were really hard, though, particularly through the stadium section, and I’ve got blisters on my hands to prove it!

"Overall, though, I’m happy to be going into the Hungarian Grand Prix in three weeks having achieved a positive result here. I’m really hoping for a good race at my home Grand Prix for all the Hungarian fans I know will be there.”

GIANMARIA BRUNI  Best lap: 1 min 18.372 secs  Position: 17th

“I made a good start, but the engine was a little over-full with oil for the first seven or eight laps. It cleaned up after that, and as my lap times in the second two stints show, I was able to get down quite easily to the low 1 minute 19 second bracket.

"I had a problem with one of the bargeboards on my car and the guys worked on it when I came in for my first pit stop. 

"Unfortunately, that cost me about a minute, and it was at that point I lost any real chance of challenging my team mate today. 

"Once I was back on the track, though, I pushed as hard as I could and was able to reduce the gap to Zsolt by 20 seconds, so all in all, I think I did the best possible in the circumstances today.”  

PAUL STODDART, Team Principal

“It was a good race from the Minardi viewpoint, and both drivers can take a lot of credit for their performances here today. 

"Zsolt was very consistent in his early race stints and handled the traffic well. Gimmi had a barge board problem that had to be rectified at the first stop, but his pace in the next two stints was good, especially considering he set his fastest lap times with only the main barge board on the right side of the car still in place.

"Despite finishing P16 and P17 today, I think Zsolt and Gimmi drove good, consistent races. It was an excellent team effort this afternoon.”

Chassis allocation: Bruni (No 20) PS04B/02, Baumgartner (No 21) PS04B/01, Spare car (Baumgartner) PS04B/03