Albers Says Not to Blame for Start Clash

Albers had made fairly good progress on the opening lap when he got caught up in a traffic jam at Turn 10 and ran into the back of Coulthard. And although the pair exchanged words after the race, Albers was adamant the clash was not his fault.  

"I made a good start, just like Malaysia, but maybe even a little faster," explained the Dutchman, who eventually recovered to finish 13th in the final outing for the PS04B. "But then, in turn 10, I was behind Barrichello, and made an attempt at getting by him, but then we came up to Coulthard, whom Rubens was passing on the inside. 

"Unfortunately, David and I made contact under braking.  In my view, it was just a racing incident, but I lost the nose of my car and had to pit at the end of the lap to have it replaced. 

"It was a shame, because we were in front of the Jordans and quite a few other cars, but on the positive side, it's pleasing to know the speed was there."

Minardi teammate Patrick Friesacher had tagged onto the back of the Jordans in the opening stages of the race but eventually dropped back to finish 12th.

"In the beginning, it was quite good, and I could stay with the Jordans without really pushing, but then in the middle of the race, we began to lose grip at the rear of the car, and the combination of that and traffic meant we began to lose time," he said.

"Before that, though, the car was really good.  I'm quite happy with our effort today, and that we finished what will probably be the very last race for this car."