Q: Michael, it looked like a copybook race today, from the pole, a difficult qualifying session earlier today and then start to finish.
Michael Schumacher: Yeah. We honestly sort of pre-decided the race at qualifying because it was pretty clear that we would have a pretty strong race pace but qualifying was the doubt, in particular because it was damp conditions and we can have problems in these conditions. As we got pole position there, I was pretty confident that, if the start went well, I could do it. But I had Ralf in my mirrors for quite a while and the gap wasn’t increasing as I was sort of expecting because they seemed to find a really good race pace too. But luckily he pitted earlier and then, it was sort of clear how the race would go.

Q; There was quite a variety of strategies, probably because qualifying and the race was on the same day. Was that a concern before the race, what everyone else was up to?
MS: Certainly, yes. It wasn’t clear who would be how heavy because we had no indication from practice so we had to be flat-out in the beginning part of the race until the pit stops had been done and then we could judge who was on what strategy.

Q: And a trouble-free, incident-free race, except I think there was a Jordan stationary in the middle of the track on one of the laps you came past.
MS: Yeah, but there was enough space, there was a yellow flag indication and I slowed sufficiently to make sure I could handle the situation and then it was straightforward.

Q: Ralf, your first proper podium of the year, good to see you back, and a trouble-free race and not too much traffic around you either, once Michael got away.
Ralf Schumacher: Well, I mean, the start went okay and I was actually surprised I was able to follow Michael, we pitted a bit earlier but still, it was quite good. Then I had a lot of traffic. I came back in the middle of a pack, at the back of a pack basically, and I was a bit concerned. But it all worked out in the end, the car worked pretty well, the team did a great job in all the pit stops, they all went trouble-free and quick, and it was the right strategy for us, so I think it was a good weekend for us.

Q: What was it like following Michael in those early stages? Michael said he was a bit concerned how you were able to hang onto him. Did you feel you could match his pace?
RS: Well, in the beginning sort of. He was still pulling away but, as he said, not as much as he might have expected. But I pitted four laps early so you would expect some difference anyway.

Q: Jenson, an interesting race for you too, you held off Taku for the first six laps. We didn’t actually see what happened there – did you let him past or did he squeeze past on the lighter fuel load?
Jenson Button: He was probably slowing me down actually because I was really struggling with rear grip on the first five or six laps, big oversteer on pretty much every corner I came to until the graining started. So he came past through the quick left-hander, Dunlop, and there was no use trying to fight him at all or anything because I knew I was on a different strategy.

Q: As it turned out your two-stop beat his three-stop.
JB: Yeah, the strategies were very, very similar in race time but I went for the two-stop because it worked for me very well at the last race and I am used to driving the car when it is pretty heavy. It worked pretty well but compared to these two we were quite a way off today.

Q: Where do you think the difference was with Ralf today? Do you think it was in that early stage?
JB: In the first stint, definitely, I mean, he pulled out a huge gap in that first stint. Ralf stopped, I think, six laps before me, but even so his pace was just, erm, the difference was huge.

Q: Michael, a unique day today, qualifying and racing on the same day. What is your verdict of how it went?
MS: Yeah, I think that this day goes down to history in Formula One. I am pretty sure some people will think whether we should continue to do it that way. I have to say it was exciting but I prefer the old style!

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Michael, well done. It’s been a race or two since you were on the top step. What is it like to be back to your winning ways?
MS: Yeah. It is obviously nice, for other reasons, particularly that it is Bridgestone’s home Grand Prix and we wished to do well for them and we did. We did very superb in being basically fastest all weekend and finally get the win and it is the way to pay back something to our partners.

Q: It really was a dominant performance, you were up to 24 seconds ahead of Ralf at one time.
MS: Yeah, it didn’t look like it in the beginning stages but then he pitted so much earlier and it was pretty clear which way it would go.