Mark Webber claimed 12th place at the Austrian GP after being handed a
drive-through penalty, when the team mistakenly believed he was racing
several of the drivers behind him following the withdrawal of the Safety
Car at the end of lap 36.
Alex Yoong, who climbed as high as 12th at one point, also performed
solidly until an engine-related problem forced him to retire on lap 42.
Both drivers were on one-stop strategies for fuel and tyres, and the
deployment of the Safety Car on lap 28 for the serious accident
involving Nick Heidfeld and Takuma Sato allowed Webber and Yoong to pit
early in their respective pit stop 'windows' and take on sufficient fuel
to complete the race.
"It was really a frustrating race today. First of all, at the
start, we had a problem getting the car off the line. I had to go to
first (gear) again and pull away normally, so I was last away by
miles," said Webber in a press release.
"After that, everything was going well until the first Safety
Car deployment. I had been up with (Eddie) Irvine and a group of cars in
front, but when the Safety Car came out, I was behind Barrichello, and
there was some confusion about our track position. After the second
Safety Car incident, we thought we were fighting (Mika) Salo for
position, but it wasn't the case.
"That's why I got a penalty. All told, a frustrating race,
because I felt I drove well. In any event, we now look forward to
Monaco."
"We ran on the softer option tyre today, but didn't really have
a chance to scrub them in as much as we would have liked. We had a lot
of understeer for the first three laps and then oversteer as the run
progressed," Yoong added.
"On the positive side, the car was running reliably until we had
the engine problem, and I think we could have finished in a reasonably
good position. It is always disappointing not to finish a race, but I'm
now looking forward to Monaco."
Team principal Paul Stoddart stated: "In an action-packed
Austrian Grand Prix, KL Minardi Asiatech experienced a day of mixed
fortunes. Our first thoughts are for the wellbeing of Nick Heidfeld and
Takuma Sato, and thankfully, we hear at this time that both of them are
okay.
"The ensuing confusion played perfectly into Mark's one-stop
strategy and the team genuinely believed he was fighting for a top-10
position. This appears, however, not to have been the case, as Mark
received a drive-through penalty.
"We really feel for him, as he drove a fantastic race and fully
deserved a better result today. Alex also drove a very solid race until
his car stopped due to a mechanical failure. We now look forward to the
Monaco Grand Prix, in two weeks' time."
