2006 FRENCH GRAND PRIX MAGNY COURS
A double retirement in the French Grand Prix this afternoon
completed a disappointing weekend for the Honda Racing F1
Team in Magny Cours. After a reasonable start to the race
with both Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button making up a
position off the start, the afternoon ultimately ended in
retirement for both drivers.
A suspected engine problem brought Rubens' race to an early
conclusion on lap 18. Team-mate Jenson moved up through the
field to 11th, running well in free air and gaining two positions
in his second and third stints, before a sudden loss of power
led to his retirement on lap 61.
JENSON BUTTON
"With the package that we had this weekend, we were doing
a decent job today and were definitely going better in the
race than in qualifying. I was up to 11th and catching up
with Scott Speed in front of me and I think we could have
got him. I felt a loss of power as I came onto the back straight
and as I was changing up through the gears, the power just
went. We'll have to see the data later to find out exactly
what the problem was. It's really frustrating because although
we were struggling in the first stint, we were much better
in the second and third stints after the pit stops. The car
is feeling reasonable and the balance is there, it's just
a lack of overall speed. That comes from engine power and
downforce, and that's what we're lacking at the moment, along
with reliability. It's massively frustrating, not just for
me, but the whole team who have worked so hard this weekend."
RUBENS BARRICHELLO
"It's difficult to know at the moment what the problem
was but it looks like the engine because there was a lot of
smoke and I lost all the power. We were hoping for a better
pace in the race but the whole weekend has just not gone as
planned which is very sad. I believe in this team and we will
react to this. I am very concentrated and motivated, and I
really believe that we will turn the corner. We have to keep
our feet on the ground, keep our motivation high and keep
working at it."
GIL DE FERRAN
Sporting Director
"This was a difficult weekend for us. Rubens had a failure
early in the race, as did Jenson in the later stages, something
we obviously will investigate and address. Jenson fought hard
all day from his low grid position, maintaining an impressive
rhythm throughout, with good strategy calls and clean fast
stops gaining a couple of positions. Despite these positives,
we come out of France disappointed on one hand, but on the
other, we are even more determined to turn things around."
RACE STATS
Drivers Car No. Chassis Race Result
Rubens Barrichello 11 RA106-01 DNF - Lap 18
Jenson Button 12 RA106-05 DNF - Lap 61
Weather Hot and sunny
Temperatures Air: 33-36°C Track: 47-56°C
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