25/05/2008
NEWS STORY
Race Stewards at Monaco have decided that no further action is needed following the incident which saw Kimi Raikkonen crash into Adrian Sutil, thereby depriving the German, and his team, of the best GP results of their careers.
On the sixty-eighth lap of the race, Raikkonen lost control of his Ferrari when exiting the tunnel, the Finn (on super-soft tyres) appearing to hit a damp patch. Race fans looked in frustration as the red car careers into the back of the hapless German, who looked destined to finish fourth.
After the race, Raikkonen apologised for the incident, saying: ""I said I am sorry for him and his team because probably they are not going to be often in the position to score a fourth position. Plus it was in Monaco," said the Finn. "So it was harder for him than for me, but it was a racing incident and I could not go anywhere. There wasn't much space and I could not slow down.
"I just locked the rear brakes on the bump and you cannot really slow the car after that. There was nowhere to go, and not enough space to try and avoid him. Basically I just think my brakes were a bit too cold and I locked the rear. I nearly lost the car but unfortunately I hit him, and it is sad for them.
"So, I feel sorry for him, but I could not do anything. I tried to slow down but there was nowhere to go and nowhere to slow down, and I lost fifth place. It was just a racing incident."
At 18:36 (local time), the Race Stewards issued the following statement:
"The Stewards, having received a report from the Race Director which stated that an incident involving Car no 1 and car no 20 resulted in the latter leaving the track, subsequently asked the competitors representatives and the drivers to see them.
The Stewards after hearing the explanation of both the Competitors representatives and the drivers decided that the incident requires no further action"
While the incident cost Raikkonen any hope of a points finish, most public sympathy went to Sutil, who, in the opinion of many, was the 'man of the race'.