Mahindra Racing finish 11th at the tough Mugello Circuit - Move to third spot in constructor rankings

German rider Marcel Schrötter earned five points with an 11th place finish for the Mahindra Racing team in the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello. Team-mate Danny Webb was forced to abandon the race near half distance with severe pain in his right shoulder. The 20-year-old Brit had fractured the shoulder in a morning warm-up crash.

Schrötter made a strong recovery after falling from his 13th place grid spot to 20th at the end of the first lap. For the next few laps Schrötter made good progress, slicing his way through the field. Then the young German began struggling with numbness in his throttle hand from an earlier injury. Halfway in he’d matched his qualifying position, which he’d improve on by passing his final two riders three laps from the end of the 20-lap race.By earning five points, the Mahindra Racing team took over third place in the Constructors’ championship.

Mufaddal Choonia Team Principal:I’m very, very happy and very proud with the way Marcel raced today. Gaining two positions from where he started on the grid is really commendable at Mugello, which is one of the toughest circuits in the world. I feel bad for Danny that he couldn’t complete the race, but I salute him. He was brave enough to take to the circuit and I’m sure this will add to his confidence in the future. I’m also delighted at now being number three in the manufacturers ranking, having overtaken KTM. So it just shows we’re improving with every race.

Marcel Schrötter: 11th Position (five points) In the beginning it was very, very hard because I lost some places at the start. Then I started to overtake and after the first lap I was 20th. The whole race was very difficult with my hand, which was going to sleep with the numbness making it very difficult for braking and for opening the throttle. Because of this I just tried to calm down, relax and fight for the last laps. Everything considered, I think eleventh is a good position today. Once again we scored good points, and that’s our target for this season.

Danny Webb: (DNF)We tried to race and we made a good lap time at the beginning and after that I couldn’t feel anything, I couldn’t brake because of my right shoulder. So now I’m missing the test here on Tuesday and flying directly home tonight to go to my specialist and get some treatment so I can come back strong for Sachsenring.