Sauber take two top ten spots in France
Swiss motor racing team Sauber have continued their strong performance this season with both their two drivers finishing in the top ten of Sunday's French Grand Prix.
Nick Heidfeld from Germany finished the course at Magny-Cours in sixth spot, while team mate, Kimi Raikkonen from Finland was right behind him in seventh place.
Heidfeld’s strong performance under a blazing sun in central France lifted him one spot in the drivers’ rankings to sixth position overall. The German also gained a point and he now holds nine championship points overall.
For the first time in four races, Heidfeld managed to complete the course, breaking a string of bad luck in Monaco, Canada and Germany.
Heidfeld seemed satisfied with his performance and with the chance it gave the team to pick up more points.
“It feels good to finish in the points for the first time in four races,” he said, “really good.”
“The car was definitely better in the race than it was last week, so we have made some valuable progress,” he added.
Kimi Raikkonen now stands ninth in the overall Formula One world championship classification. He is level with the Canadian driver, Jacques Villeneuve, with seven points.
Peter Sauber’s team gained one more point to hold 16 points in the constructors’ overall standings. Half-way through the season, Sauber is just two points short of matching their greatest ever tally – the 18 points won during the 1995 season.
Peter Sauber himself was pleased with the progress his team have been making this season.
“To finish both cars in today’s conditions was a fine job,” he said, “and we achieved our goal which was to safeguard our fourth place in the World Championship for Constructors.”
Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher celebrated the 50th win of his Formula One career and made his younger brother Ralf settle for second best.
Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, in the other Ferrari, was third ahead of Briton David Coulthard in a McLaren.
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