Q: Giancarlo, when you last won a race, you were not able to celebrate the moment. This one, for you, must be very different?
Giancarlo Fisichella: Yes it is a great day for me. It has been a fantastic race, honestly. I was quite conservative. I never pushed to the limit, only at the end when Rubens was catching me and I drove a little bit faster and I drove a quick lap time. The car was great, very good balance, the tyres stayed consistent from the beginning to the end. We are in really good shape and it is the best start of my career. To win the first race of the season is great and I am really, really happy. I like to say thank you to the mechanics and all of the Renault team.
Q: You mentioned tyres and, obviously, there are new regulations this season. What, for you, were the last 25 laps like today?
GF: Honestly, because for the first part of the race I was a bit conservative on the tyres. At the end the car was really, really good. In fact, in the last five or four laps I did my quickest laps of the race. It was good. Easy from the beginning to the end and I am happy because Fernando finished third, which is a great result for the team.
Q: Absolutely. We heard you on the radio just before the first stop and you said something about the steering, but it was not clear. What was that?
GF: There was a little bit of understeering but it is better to have a bit of understeer than oversteer during the race so I told my engineer don’t touch anything I am happy to carry on like that.
Q: Rubens, a fantastic drive from you from midfield right up there with long fuel stops like Fernando, and a lot of pressure at the end, but a great drive to second place…
Rubens Barrichello: I enjoyed every second and it shows that Ferrari have no crisis. We are here and we are going to fight. We know the teams have made a step up but I want to say congratulations to the team that put a good car together. It is our old car and the new car is going to come and give us even more pleasure. I am happy for the team. It has been a fantastic race and the tyres held up very well. I am proud of Bridgestone as well.
Q: And a very busy race for you, too, in terms of traffic?
RB: Yes, absolutely. There are new guys out there and sometimes you have give time for them to learn the habits of Formula One. And sometimes they were in the middle and you cannot say much. It is really just the first race and apart from that it was okay.
Q: Fernando, 13th on the grid, held up for 17 laps really by Villeneuve. We saw some bodywork come off your car at one moment, you set fastest lap and you got up to third place and you nearly caught Rubens on the line… a sensational day that underlined the supremacy of Renault…
Fernando Alonso: Yes it has been a good weekend. I have always been in the top three, even in the wet conditions on Saturday and for sure my 13th place on the grid was not my real position for the potential of the car this weekend. So I knew I should go through the slow people very quickly and then I followed Jacques for 17 laps with a very good fight, but I lost nearly 25 seconds to the podium finish. But anyway I was confident to recover this time and thanks to the team and the balance of the car and for the pit-stops that were fantastic again, from the guys, and also thanks to Michelin who did a good job and developed this type of tyre with this consistency throughout the race. It’s something that is really fun for the drivers and you can push at any lap of the race and set the fastest lap at the end.
Q: And was the car affected in any way by going off the road when you did?
FA: Ah no! Well, I was two or three times in the grass because I knew it was an important part of the race, those laps behind Jacques. I was really pushing very hard with maximum fuel load. It was difficult to drive but the car was quicker on each lap and I enjoyed the whole race.
Q: Giancarlo, these are obviously very early days, but this was a dominant victory. How do you feel about 2005 and your prospects?
GF: I am really confident for the rest of the season. I know we are just at the first race, but already we have fantastic potential and I felt that from the first time I drove the car in January. It was quick from the first few laps and it was easy to drive. So now we only need to work on it and to carry on with the development and try to win again.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Giancarlo, well done. You have finally got on the top step of the rostrum after a race and I am sure you enjoyed it?
GF: Yes, and it was about time I did. It was nice to have the possibility to celebrate my victory from the right position on the podium! It was great. It has been a fantastic race. It was not easier than I expected. I was quite conservative until the last five or six laps when Rubens was catching me and I drove faster and I did a reasonably good lap time and the car was really good, really consistent, from the beginning to the end. It was great and I am now looking forward to the rest of the season. I know it is just the first race and it is early to say we are there, but we have a very good potential.
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