Sunday: Maldonado does the job for Williams, it’s not enough
The results are mixed or even poor for the English team Williams today. Pastor Maldonado did the job and brought his car home in 14th place, while Rubens Barrichello retired from the German Grand Prix on lap 16. The Brazilian had a good start, gaining three positions to hold 11th place. However, an oil leak forced him to retire... Maldonado executed his two-stop strategy but lost one position compared to his qualifying.
Pastor Maldonado – 14th:
«It was a really tough race today. We were competitive, especially in the second stint with my soft tires, but as soon as we put on the hard tires, we lost time. In these conditions, I lost several positions. We tried our best, but it wasn’t the day…»
Rubens Barrichello – Retirement:
« We were doing quite well after a good start. We were on a two-stop strategy but the team called me on the radio to tell me we had an oil leak. I wanted to continue but the team explained to me that it was impossible, they made the right decision. »
It was very slippery on track today, especially at the start, but the main problem on track was the weather conditions, very, very cold. It was difficult to get the tires up to temperature.
Sam Michael – Technical Director:
Unfortunately, Rubens Barrichello had to return to the pits quickly due to an oil leak. We are still investigating the exact cause. As for Pastor Maldonado, he was called to the pit quite early, which helped him gain a position. In the second stint, the tires quickly deteriorated. We then tried to put on the hard tires early, which didn’t improve the situation… Our risks did not pay off.
