Chilton penalised for race-ending clash for Marussia

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F1 Grand Prix, GP Canada, Circuit Gilles Villeneuveca

After the joy of the Team’s first points finish in Monaco two weekends ago came the disappointment of Montreal, where the Marussia F1 Team’s Canadian Grand Prix came to an end on the opening lap when both drivers crashed out. The stewards later decided that Max Chilton was to blame for their clash, resulting in a 3-place grid penalty for him at the Austrian GP.

Max Chilton, #4, MR03-02, DNF (Accident, Lap 1): “A disappointing end to a really promising weekend. The incident between myself and Jules obviously ended not only our own races but also the Team’s, so it’s sad for all the guys after making such progress again. I had a good start, pulled away from the cars behind into Turn 1, queued into Turn 2, then we had a coming together into Turn 3. The resulting accident was very unfortunate for us both and after a race to remember in Monaco, perhaps a race to forget here in Canada, but the one thing we’ll keep hold of is how well the car is developing, so my thanks to all the Team.”

Jules Bianchi, #17, MR03-01, DNF (Accident, Lap 1): “I got a great start, kept everyone who was behind me behind and then obviously Max and I were racing each other through Turns 2 and 3. I braked into Turn 3 and there was an impact, after which I ended up in the wall with a badly damaged car. I am disappointed for the whole Team because once again we had a strong weekend and it was a race that held so much promise for us, both in terms of the car we had and also how the race ultimately panned out today. Now we have to move on and give the Team a better reward from Austria.”

John Booth, Team Principal: “A very tough day for the Team but one we will move on from very quickly. The accident at Turns 3 and 4 ruined both drivers’ races and, more significantly, the Team result. This can often be a race where opportunity can present itself, so it was key that we had both drivers running and taking part. The story of the wider race today was indeed one of attrition, but in the end the results have not affected our standings in the Constructors Championship and for that we can at least be grateful and happy to leave Montreal still holding P9 in those standings. Next week will be a very busy time for the Team back at base, where we’ll regroup and sort through the damage sustained. The race team are also looking at a very busy end to the week this evening. We’re a strong unit so I’m sure we will all pull together and focus on what we need to do for Austria in two weeks’ time.”

Claudio Albertini, Head of Customer Teams Power Unit Operations, Scuderia Ferrari: "A difficult weekend for the team, which ended in the worst way with both cars out of the race after a few turns. Since the beginning of the weekend we had a number of problems that made the job much more complicated than the norm and this put pressure on all Ferrari and Marussia guys, who have worked regardless with great commitment and team spirit, a sign that the collaboration is ever closer. What happened on the first lap is obviously sad because we hoped to further demonstrate here that the progress seen in the last races was concrete. This is Formula 1; in two weeks you switch from a historic achievement to disappointment. Now we just need to think only of the next event in Austria, where we pick up on the progress interrupted unexpectedly here in Canada."