Retirement for Doornbos in Hungary

In a race which was dominated by Kimi Raikkonen, Robert Doornbos was forced to retire in lap 28 after suffering from a hydraulic problem. Until that moment, Minardi's 23-year old debutant drove an excellent race in which he, among others, got the better of his teammate Christijan Albers.

Robert Doornbos.

Photo by xpb.cc.

Just like the previous Grand Prix in Germany, the start at the Hungaroring didn't pass off quietly. As Christian Klien, Rubens Barrichello, Ralf Schumacher, Fernando Alonso and David Coulthard all were involved in first lap accidents, Doornbos saw the chance to move up to P15, close behind his teammate Christijan Albers.

Because the pace of both Barrichello and Alonso was quicker than Doornbos and Albers, both Minardi drivers fell back two places just before they make their first pitstop.

Doornbos' strategy (to start with a heavier fuel load) seemed to work out just fine as the Rotterdam born driver was able to overtake his teammate during their pitstops. From that moment on, Doornbos was catching up with Narain Karthikeyean lap-by-lap, and at the same time built up a gap to his teammate. Minardi's new recruit's advance unfortunately halted in lap 28 as the Dutchman was forced to retire due to a hydraulic problem.

Robert Doornbos:

"It's a pity we were not able to finish the race. My race pace was good, and so was our strategy and tyre choice. While chasing the Jordan of Karthikeyan, I suddenly lost the hydraulics, through which I had to retire from the race. But no hard feelings as Formula One is a mechanical sport in which these things sometimes happen."

"For now, I look forward to the 'Monaco on the Maas'event in my hometown Rotterdam next Sunday. I'm planning to make it a great show in my Minardi, so I hope all Dutch F1 fans will be there to enjoy it!"

-www.robertdoornbos.com-