Formula One news

Zonta: Everyone was having tyre problems

Ricardo Zonta didn't have a lot of luck last Grand Prix weekend. After team mate Ralf Schumacher crashed on Friday the Toyota team asked the Brazilian to replace Ralf for the rest of the weekend. But Zonta wasn't going to make his race return. Problems with Michelin tyres meant he, and the other Michelin teams did not start the race. 

"I had a problem on Friday already when I almost crashed into the wall," Zonta told F1Racing.net. "That same day I saw Ralf crash into the wall and we knew right away that I probably had to replace him. It's really sad that we couldn't race, especially because I could finally do a race again. On the other hand, I didn't want it to be my last race either…"

Michelin's tyre problem was most apparent at Toyota. Zonta nearly hit the wall in Friday's first practice, while in second practice Ralf crashed hard into the wall. According to Zonta this is just a coincidence because all Michelin runners had problems with the tyres. "Maybe they don't speak about it, but everyone had these problems. I know that De la Rosa and Villeneuve had these problems. But Red Bull and the other teams knew things weren't right too."

The next Grand Prix will be in France. Zonta won't be steering Toyota's third car. Olivier Panis will take over the wheel during his home Grand Prix weekend. "It's no problem to me," said Zonta. "It's a great opportunity for Olivier. After the French Grand Prix I can race again, but this one I will have to watch on TV."

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