Q: Rubens, a great drive, a great day, under pressure the whole way.
Rubens Barrichello: Yeah, but it's been good. I mean, we knew at the beginning there was a bit of graining on the fronts but the tyres did a superb job. They were holding on fantastically well and so I was able to keep under pressure but closer to the pit stop to push, push, push and I was able to open a decent gap and just maintain the first place.

Q: There was a lot of pressure from Kimi in the early stages of the race, too.
RB: No, it was very hard. I had a very good start and I was amazed by the grip on the first lap. I actually underestimated it a little bit, I could have pushed a little bit harder because the grip was there so I was feeling good the whole way through and it was really, really nice. Towards the end, because I had an eight second gap, I didn't push too much and actually the graining on the front stayed there for a longer time so I was having a tougher time actually towards the end of the race.

Q: And quite difficult to pace it right to the end and get it perfect to the chequered flag.
RB: Especially because I had two cars to lap. I mean, the first time I went to lap Villeneuve he didn't see me so I lost like a second. After that I thought maybe he was concentrating on the car in front so I might have a problem but then he was okay and he let me by.

Q: Jenson, we now know you had more fuel than anybody else in qualifying, so it was a great qualifying lap and a fantastic race. That middle stint, with so much fuel on board for you…
Jenson Button: It was a very tough race. When you know the other guys out there are doing a three-stop and you are doing two it does make it fairly difficult mentally because you have got so much weight on board and it was pretty tough. Especially the last stint when Rubens was putting in some good laps, being able to push was almost impossible because with that much weight you get a lot of understeer and it was pretty tough.

Q: In the closing stages of the race you were catching him very impressively. Were you thinking there in the end, 'yeah, we can do it here'?
JB: I didn't really know if he was just backing off or if he was just slow at that time. I was just concentrating on the queue behind. Trying to close the gap was very difficult because suddenly he would put in some very quick laps then towards the end I was able to pick up the pace a little bit. But it was a good race for us and I was very happy to get second. But, you know, the starts have been a bit of a problem lately for us and to lose two places off the start, almost three places, was disastrous for us really and it is something we need to work. But if we have that we will be a lot closer to challenging for our first win.

Q: Was that a function in any way of carrying more fuel at the start?
JB: I don't really think so. I don't think it makes a huge difference in a way but it is something we have to work on and we know that. Hopefully we can sort that problem out by Japan and we will be rocketing off the line and be up with these guys.

Q: Kimi, a very close race in the opening stages there and a very short middle stint you had there in your fuel strategy.
Kimi Raikkonen: Yeah, the car was pretty good all the way though the race but we did a little risk because I was always stuck behind Rubens and tried in the middle to drive past him but it didn't pay off and actually we lost the second place from that. But we are here to try to win the races and not to finish second so I am not too disappointed really right now. I was quite happy with the car all the way through but with the last set of tyres at the beginning I was struggling but in the end they came good again.

Q: What was it like following Rubens in that first stage of the race on this circuit? What is your impression of this circuit? Could you have tried to overtake him or would it have been very risky?
KR: I did all I could but I wasn't able to get close enough. It's pretty okay to follow other people but the problem is if you don't get close enough you cannot even try and I was just a little bit too far away. I didn't have the speed on the back straight, so I was not able even to try to overtake.

Q: Well, Rubens, fantastic scenes here in China at their first ever Grand Prix. Talk a little bit about that and your feelings on the podium and, of course, the upcoming Brazilian Grand Prix from your point of view.
RB: Well, it's been a season where I have been playing catch up, really, to Michael. He started on a higher level and for some reason I wasn't able to catch him. Right now I am just going through a good phase and here in China since the beginning of the week I have been setting good times and the set-up was quite good. I have to thank the whole team. And in the race it was dealing with a little bit of the small problems that I had with the front tyres and then pushing when the car was good and the car was good for 80 percent of the time so that is pretty impressive.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Rubens, this winning could become a habit, although after the soaking you gave the Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo I would be a little bit worried.
RB: I actually thought the president, I was probably the only man in his life that got him wet. I feel pretty happy about that too! (Laughs)