Wilson 'very disappointed' at DNF
Justin Wilson's first grand prix for Jaguar Racing ended in disappointment when he was forced to retire after he sustained damage to his car following a first corner accident with Jacques Villeneuve and Ralph Firman before suffering transmission failure
Wilson has been the subject of enormous hype in the British national press since replacing Antonio Pizzonia in the Jaguar squad and hit the headlines again on Saturday having set the seventh fastest time in Friday qualifying - faster than both the Ferraris.
Saturday's qualifying brought the Englishman back to earth when he failed to make the most of his Michelin tyres and qualified 16th, more than a second adrift of his team-mate Mark Webber.
"I lost a fair bit of time in the last sector but that's where my inexperience with Jaguar and Michelin (tyres) comes in," he said. "While I am not making any excuses, the fact is that I have never driven the car in anger until this weekend and consequently my knowledge of the Michelin tyre performance is limited."
Wilson was hoping the race would be better but alas the accident between Kimi Raikkonen, Rubens Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher triggered a chain reaction down the field that he simply couldn't avoid, and although Jaguar repaired his front suspension he was forced to call it a day after nine laps when what he really needed more than anything was race laps in the car.
"I am very disappointed indeed," said Wilson. "The charge towards the first corner was very strange in that I came into the corner and literally everyone in front of me braked early because of the accident. I then saw Villeneuve cutting in front of me and he hit my front left. As I took action to avoid him, Ralph Firman hit me from behind.
"The team did an amazing job of fixing the car and getting me back out but a transmission problem forced my retirement. It's been quite a weekend for me all in all, I walk away having learned an awful, albeit with so much more to learn.
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