Ross Brawn: It was a very difficult scenario for us at the beginning of the race. It was not really wet enough for the wet tyres, so we knew we were going to have to make a pit stop pretty quickly. Then our tyres took a little while to get the heat into them so that the drivers could get going. I think that really lost us any opportunity to win the race. We are very good in the dry, very good in the wet, but it is just in between that we are not quite as good. However, if you take the season as a whole, the Bridgestone tyres have been fantastic. I think Rubens did a great job, especially considering how far back he was after the first round of pit stops. He got past Ralf, Alonso and Sato. We did as much as we could in the pit stops and the car was quick today.

Sam Michael (Technical Director WilliamsF1): What a fantastic way to finish the season, with a superb drive from Juan Pablo! He didn’t put a foot wrong, the pit crew and the engineers got everything right as well. With tricky conditions at the start of the race fuel loads were critical. Ralf also did a good job. Unfortunately he lost some time in the pits, but regardless he didn’t give up and overtook a couple of cars during the race. Michelin’s intermediate tyre performed well at the start of the race. It’s been a hard season for us and this is a great reward for all the people who worked hard in the Grove and Munich factories and at the circuit to turn the FW26 around. Finally, all the best to Juan Pablo and Ralf for the future.

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): This was a great relief for the team after a long and tough season. I am proud of our team’s recovery from a difficult situation and we have now come back to former strengths. My compliments to both the drivers who gave everything at their last race for the team. Juan’s race was just perfect. This progress is of great importance for our technicians as it is exactly the right motivation for the development of the new car and engine. The tenth victory feels as good as the first one. We are back

Ron Dennis: "An exciting race to end the 2004 season. Due to the changing weather conditions we were not able to gain full advantage of our strategy. It's been a tough season but it shows the depth and strength of the entire team that we were able turn things around and challenge for victories. We now look forward to 2005 where we want to start the season in a strong position with Kimi and Juan Pablo. David has done a tremendous job for the team in the past nine years and all his hard work and efforts are appreciated by everybody, and we wish him all the best."

Norbert Haug: "Kimi drove a great race particularly considering his fuel load in the early stages. He was faster in the end, but there was no possibility to overtake. An exciting race with top performances by Juan Pablo and Kimi in tricky conditions. Unfortunately we couldn't deploy our strategy due to the weather conditions at the start of the race. It's good to see that we have been able to fight back after a difficult start to the season and reach the performance level required to challenge for race wins. I want to thank David for his 150 Grands Prix with us in which he achieved 51 podium finishes."

Flavio Briatore, Managing Director: "This is a good result: Fernando's fourth place confirms our third position in the constructors' championship and also allows him to take fourth in the drivers' standings. Jacques also did a solid job and I don't think his final position reflects his true pace. We are pleased to finish the season having met our objectives, which were to be in the top three at the end of the year, and Fernando's tenacity during the race reflects the commitment with which the entire team has worked right up to the final race."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: "It was a pleasure to see the season end with such an exciting race. The tyre choice at the start was extremely difficult and much more so than usual in those kinds of conditions, because the circuit seemed very slippery indeed. However, we got it right and that helped our race. Fernando's excursion on the opening lap hindered him but he drove exceptionally to take the lead in very tricky conditions. He was slowed by severe graining during his second stint so we decided not to change his front tyres at the second stop. Unfortunately, he lost grip in the final part of the race but his defence of fourth place was masterful. As for Jacques, his speed increased throughout the race and his final stint was extremely competitive. It has been a pleasure to work with him and we wish him well at Sauber."

Taku's three-point score brings BAR's season tally to 119, which is 14 points ahead of its closest rival Renault. Although the team had been hoping for another top three result to round off an exceptional year, BAR's podium tally still stands at an impressive 11, comprising of four 2nd places and seven 3rd places.

David Richards, Team Principal: "Today we can celebrate BAR's fantastic season and securing second place in the Championship. In itself the race was rather disappointing, but we came here with the primary goal of containing any threat from Renault, and we achieved it. At the start of the year we set ourselves the objective of challenging the top three teams, and I think that now we have earned our place alongside the established elite. Jenson, Taku and Anthony have performed brilliantly all year, and 3rd and 8th in the Drivers' Championship is just reward. Our achievement is the result of incredible hard work and dedication from so many people all around the world, and I would like to thank them for all their efforts. We are still a young team and learning all the time, and with our experienced partners at Honda and Michelin, and the support of BAT, we are firmly set on our path to the top."

Geoffrey Willis, Technical Director: "Today's result was not quite the finish we wanted for the season but after a rather nerve-wracking race we were happy to keep our championship position. It was a very close decision on the grid whether to put one or both cars on to dry tyres but we correctly started both cars on wet tyres. Jenson had a problem immediately before the lights changed when there was a fire in the engine area and then the problem caused the engine to overheat. Despite passing two cars on his first lap to 3rd place by the end of the lap, his race was about to end. Although the temperatures stabilised quickly the damage was done and he had to retire on lap four. With one car out it was very important for Takuma to finish in the points and after the early stop to switch to dry tyres he drove a solid race. The last pitstop went very well allowing him out into 5th place. This left him battling hard to pass Alonso for many laps until a small error dropped him a place to finish 6th, nevertheless guaranteeing our 2nd place in the championship. The team has earned this 2nd place by being consistently competitive at every race this year. The performance of the car this year reflects the skill, determination and commitment of everyone at BAR, Honda and Michelin. We now look forward to working with our partners over the winter period to prepare for the even harder challenge of the new season."

Shuhei Nakamoto, Engineering Director, Honda Racing Development: "2nd in the World Championship is a fantastic result for all of us at BAR Honda. On the race team we have the chance of experiencing all the action live and have enjoyed celebrating the many podiums we have taken this season, but today I want to thank everyone at Tochigi, HRD and of course BAR for all their efforts - our success at the track is only possible because of their hard work. It was a good drive by Taku today to secure the final championship points we needed but unfortunately we let Jenson down with an engine failure. Overall we will take motivation from our World Championship result and try to push our rivals even harder next year."

Peter Sauber (Team Principal): "Today was definitely not our sort of weather, but nevertheless we led a lap of the race and scored another point, as Felipe put the final full stop to the story of his strong season. I was very pleased for him to have such a good performance in front of his home crowd and to score that point, while Giancarlo shone yet again and showed his consistency and speed after his initial delay. I thank him for all that he has brought to our team this year, and we are sad as we bid him a fond farewell.

"Finally, my thanks to the entire team, both at Hinwil and here in Interlagos, for their efforts in generating the speed and essential reliability of the SAUBER PETRONAS C23 which made it possible to score 34 points and to be one of the top three most reliable teams in a great year."

Dr Mark Gillan - Head of Vehicle Performance: This weekend has been a good reliable and productive weekend for us at Jaguar Racing, highlighted by Mark and Christian qualifying successfully at what is one of the most challenging tracks on the Formula One calendar. Mark's start was encouraging although his race was cut short after an unsuccessful attempt to overtake his team-mate Christian. Mark's car was damaged to the extent that he was forced to retire. Christian made a good start and by lap 4 was in seventh position. He drove a strong and determined race in difficult conditions and brought the car home in fourteenth position. The mechanics and engineers have prepared for this race with the same focus that they showed for Melbourne. The R5 has over the course of this year developed into a reliable, well-balanced and competitive car that has allowed us to compete with the best at some of the toughest tracks in the world. I am extremely proud of the level of improvement and overall performance evolution of Jaguar over the last couple of years – due to a combination of determination, professionalism and technical expertise. I would like to thank Cosworth Racing, Pi Research, our partners and in particular Michelin, whose help and advice has been fundamental to the success of the team.

David Pitchforth - Managing Director, Jaguar Racing: Today marks the end of Jaguar Racing in Formula One. Since taking over responsibility for the team in late 2002 as Managing Director I have seen this team grow from strength to strength and during this time I have had the pleasure of working with talented, focused and incredibly motivated people. As a team we have worked together to make Jaguar Racing one of the most efficient and effective teams in terms of bang per buck in Formula One today. That could only ever have been achieved with the support of the people that work in the team, our sister companies – Cosworth Racing and Pi Research, our partners and suppliers and of course our dedicated and unwavering sponsors. I am proud of what we have all achieved in such a short period of time and I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank the team and drivers, Mark, Christian and Bjorn for their steadfast support, untiring good humour and for really making Jaguar Racing the amazing team that it is today.

Tony Purnell - CEO of the Premier Performance Division (Jaguar Racing, Cosworth Racing and Pi Research): The remarkable spirit of Jaguar Racing has been highlighted this weekend by the number of compliments I have received from other teams, media and sponsors praising the unswerving motivation and good humour that the team has portrayed over the last few races. I am honestly inspired by the attitude of this team that has rallied round to split the Ferraris on the grid in Malaysia, fight the BMW-Williams in Hockenheim and beat the McLarens in Bahrain. The men and women of Jaguar Racing have achieved more in the last two years than we thought possible and they give every other team on the grid a run for their money when it comes to commitment and loyalty. Cosworth Racing and Pi Research have contributed to this success every step of the way and we owe them a great thanks. Our tyre partner Michelin has become a close ally over these two years and our progress was not achieved without their tremendous skill and advice. My final thanks goes to our sponsors without whom none of what we have achieved would have been possible. We have here today a team that epitomises what Formula should be about, team-spirit, hard-work and pure grit determination, surely a winning combination. I would also like to say that on behalf of Jaguar the last five seasons of the sport have been more than valuable to the brand. Jaguar has a magnificent motorsport heritage and one that deserves to live on as there is no doubt that racing and winning are and should be synonymous with Jaguar.

Mike Gascoyne – Technical Director Chassis: "Special thanks must go to all team members for their excellent performance all season. It is much harder in the difficult times when the expected results don't come, but every one has done a tremendous job. We must now look forward to next year, when I am sure we can take the step forward that everyone at Toyota wants and has worked hard for."

Paul Stoddart, Team Principal, Minardi Cosworth: It's a great way to finish the weekend with a positive two-car finish, and my thanks go to the whole team, who have worked tirelessly, along with Gimmi, Zsolt and our test driver, Bas Leinders, to achieve the impossible. Let's hope next year Minardi can find improved performance and continue as Formula One's fourth oldest team. The sport has had some difficult times this year, and for Minardi, its saddest moment undoubtedly came with the loss of Sporting Director, John Walton, in July. The positive moves in the F1 paddock this weekend involving all the Team Principals, however, give rise to the hope that we will all be able to enjoy a better, more competitive sport in the future.

Hisao Suganuma – Technical Manager – Bridgestone Motorsport: We were confronted with tricky conditions at the start of today's race and although the Bridgestone tyres coped with the changeable conditions, we weren't able to fully capitalise on our strengths. We haven't finished with a win but a result like this is always constructive as it gives us a clearer picture of what we need to improve when we are assessing our future development. I am delighted for Rubens. He has been on form all weekend and he did well to convert his pole position to a podium finish, his first in Brazil. Michael had a difficult race, starting from the back of the grid, but like Rubens, had a fantastic drive to finish in seventh. I was also very pleased for the Sauber drivers. They were putting in good lap times and were keeping up with the front runners, which was pleasing to see from a tyre point of view. Felipe's point was a good way to finish the season. This year Bridgestone has achieved excellent results and although it would have been nice to finish with a win this only serves to motivate us for 2005. 2004 has been a historical year and we have enjoyed working with all four of our teams. Now we look ahead and concentrate on our 2005 development programme, making sure we continue to provide the best tyres in Formula One.

Ross Brawn – Technical Director – Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro: We had a very difficult scenario at the beginning of the race. It wasn't properly wet for our wet tyres so we knew we would have to make a pitstop pretty quickly. Then our dry tyres took a little while to get the heat into them and get going, making it difficult to win the race. But if it's fully wet or totally dry then the Bridgestone tyres are fantastic. It's just that little period in between that is difficult and we have to live with that – occasionally it gives our opponents an opportunity. But overall, it is fair to say that the Bridgestone tyres have been fantastic this year. Rubens did a great job today considering where he was after the first round of pitstops. He got past Ralf, Alonso and Sato and we did as much as we could in the pitstops.

The weather added a degree of uncertainty to the outcome. Light pre-race drizzle persuaded all but three drivers - Michelin runners Fernando Alonso (Renault), David Coulthard (Team McLaren Mercedes) and Jacques Villeneuve (Renault) - to start on intermediate tyres. Home favourite Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari) led away from pole initially, but Räikkönen passed him on the opening lap.

Barrichello regained the lead at the start of lap four, but it was clear by then that the track was starting to dry. Having slipped towards the tail of the field during the first two laps, Alonso was the quickest driver on the track by lap five and the leaders soon peeled into the pits for a tyre change. Once the order settled down, Alonso - running out of kilter with the rest in terms of strategy - led Montoya (who passed Räikkönen shortly after the two had exited the pits almost side by side), Räikkönen, Ralf Schumacher (BMW WilliamsF1 Team/Michelin), Takuma Sato (BAR-Honda/Michelin), Barrichello, Villeneuve and Coulthard.

Montoya swept into the lead when Alonso stopped on lap 18 - and thereafter he only had to worry about Räikkönen. The Colombian retained his lead after the pair had made their final scheduled stops - but only just. The Finn put the leader under constant pressure during the closing stages, but Montoya held on to win by just 1.0s. "It feels incredible," Montoya said. "The very first laps were difficult because I lost some positions at the start before the tyres got up to temperature, but then I seemed to have more grip than the others. There was real pressure from Kimi and I made one mistake, which made me think, 'Whooah! Be careful'. But after that everything ran smoothly. I have had four great seasons with Williams and this is a great way to finish. I'd like to thank everybody."

The first two finished well clear of the opposition. Barrichello recovered to finish third, after gaining two places at his final scheduled stop, ahead of a tightly-knit group comprising Alonso, Ralf Schumacher (BMW WilliamsF1 Team/Michelin), Takuma Sato (BAR-Honda/Michelin) and world champion Michael Schumacher, who started his Ferrari 18th. He picked up a 10-position grid penalty for switching to his spare car after an accident in Saturday morning's free practice session - and also survived an early-race spin.

Sato's team-mate Jenson Button ran with the leading group initially, but was forced to pull off with an engine problem on lap four. Of the remaining Michelin runners, Jacques Villeneuve (Renault) finished 10th ahead of David Coulthard (McLaren Mercedes, 11th), Jarno Trulli (Toyota, 16th), Ricardo Zonta (Toyota, 13th) and Christian Klien (Jaguar, 14th).

Klien survived a clash with team-mate Mark Webber at the start of the 24th lap: the Australian attempted to pass at the first turn and the two cars collided. Webber subsequently retired with a damaged nose section.

Pierre Dupasquier, Michelin motorsport director: "There are worse ways than this to end a season! I would like to compliment everybody at Williams and McLaren for the way they have finished the campaign - and also Juan Pablo Montoya and Kimi Räikkönen, for the manner in which they conducted themselves in a no-holds-barred battle. It underlines what we have said throughout the season: we provide competitive tyres for all our partner teams, although circumstances have occasionally combined to deny us the results of which we are capable."

"There were some other interesting aspects to today's race, too. In the opening stages, Kimi Räikkönen easily passed Rubens Barrichello when the track was at its wettest, which proved the competitiveness of our intermediates. And Fernando Alonso's spirited performance on dry tyres in wet conditions is also worthy of mention. He lost more time than I thought he would initially, because parts of the track were damper than we had anticipated, but once he took the lead he drove brilliantly to hold onto it."

"We also saw, once again, how Michelin's dry tyres offer our partners a significant advantage when conditions are slippery. This was a fantastic result - but we won't be taking our foot off the throttle as we prepare for the winter break. We are already looking ahead to 2005. Roll on Melbourne…"