Jaguar rookie Klien, however, was exuberant with his only slightly stronger result, stating, "To have finished my first Grand Prix race in 11th position is fantastic. I was frustrated at first to be starting in 19th position, however, it actually allowed me to work my way up a few places and build my confidence."
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| A bad start to the season for last year's runner-up Kimi Räikkönen, stalling at the starting line and later spinning off the track. (Photo: Planet-F1) |
Home-track favorite Mark Webber, who looked positioned to steal some points from top teams early in the race, eventually sidelined his Jaguar with a technical problem. Always positive he said, "Of course I am disappointed not to have finished today at my home race but these things happen and you have to take the rough times with the smooth. The boys did an excellent job in preparing the car for me and it was clear that we were competitive out there as I settled into 8th position and kept on Montoya's tail."
On that note, last year's McLaren-Mercedes championship runner-up Kimi Räikkönen who, after stalling at the start - the result of a new ruling disallowing automatic launch control - was the first to retire when he spun unceremoniously off the track after his car's water pump failed. Needless to say the Ice-Man cracked and he left the track without even speaking to reporters - hardly the result he was looking for to begin a charge on the 2004 championship. He did return, however, to sign autographs and say a few words.