Gamble Fails to Work for Webber
Australian Mark Webber failed to shine at the Spanish Grand Prix after a promising performance in qualifying saw him start the race from second place
The Williams team took a gamble in qualifying, opting to give Webber a lighter car and choosing a three-stop strategy instead of the common two-stopper.
The team, however, changed their strategy during the race, but Webber could only manage to come home in a disappointing sixth place.
"The start was tricky because I was on the dirty side of the track and I lost one position there," Webber said. "I didn't want to risk too much with Ralf Schumacher at the first corner to protect my position. Then I was stuck for a while behind Ralf and Alonso, which was a shame, because I was lighter than them.
"We decided to change strategy and go for two stops instead of three but the fuel load was quite hard on the tyres then, causing quite a bit of deterioration and consequent vibrations in the car. At the end of the day we collected some useful points."
Williams completed a disappointing race, with Nick Heidfeld finishing in 10th position after having started from the back of the grid due to an engine change on Saturday.
"I had a reasonable start but the Minardi in front of me stalled on the grid and I had to avoid it. That was very close and it cost me a bit of time," said Heidfeld.
"Then I managed to overtake a couple of cars, which was good but after that I was stuck behind Villeneuve who unfortunately pitted later than me, so I had to push very hard after my pit-stop with a lot of fuel on board. Later I was again stuck behind other cars.
"Anyway, there's not much more you can expect starting from so far back."
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