Michael, after last year, I guess this feels like a very different day. Also, putting aside last year, the first Ferrari one-two since Monza 2004.
Michael Schumacher: I didn't know it was that long ago but we definitely performed extremely well all weekend long. We prepared ourselves very hard for these two overseas races. We knew we had a very good car in our hands. In Canada, for whatever reason, it just didn't work out. Here, everything was just spot on and to have Felipe alongside is just a dream result and in a way, looking at the championship, and knowing Fernando finished fifth, it gives a big step towards the championship. Yeah, it's just a great day. In many ways, a great weekend having Germany winning the (soccer) game and getting into the semi-finals. With me winning the race, it can't be a better weekend in a way.

And in the early stages of the race, you had a chance to study the driving style of your teammate as well.
MS: Absolutely. He did a great run, no mistakes, nothing, very clean, very good, very tough to keep on. Obviously in the slipstream you can't really stay that close and it was very hard, pushed extremely hard on the out lap and luckily our new tyres gave us the edge and made me go forward. But a great result in many ways, for the whole team, and again, as far as the championship is concerned, we are just very delighted.

Felipe, congratulations to you; a career-best finish in second place and a great start there.
Felipe Massa: Yeah, it was definitely a great race for me. I started really good. I was really really concentrating on the lights. I had a very very quick reaction time this time. I made a good start. I managed to pass Michael by the end of the straight and just try to push to make a good gap between us and the Renault, and I was just concentrating also on their lap time, just to push even harder to make the gap and then to steady the race. In the second part, Michael was just a little bit too quick in the out lap after the pits and he managed to pass me, but I think it was a great result for us. Looking at the championship situation, I think this has come at the right time so now we need to be strong in every race, to fight with them. But I'm really happy, it's my best result and hopefully we can carry on with this pace until the end of the year.

Giancarlo, congratulations to you; first Michelin runner, obviously. What was it like for you today?
Giancarlo Fisichella: Well, it wasn't an easy race, especially at the beginning. I lost a position at the end of the pit straight but I was much quicker than Fernando and then I was able to overtake him and maintain my pace. Unfortunately, the two guys here next to me were far away and the pace was just a bit stronger than my pace. I did my best. Third is the best result we can do today so I think we have to be satisfied with that.

And it was quite a close race with you and Jarno Trulli, Jarno on a one-stop strategy.
GF: Yeah, Jarno started from the pit lane and from last position was close to overtaking me so that was maybe the reason. The Bridgestone tyres were a little bit quicker, but anyway, third is good and I'm looking forwards to the next race.

Michael, we turn now to the European season; how do you see things going in the next month or so?
MS: Oh, we can only hope to keep some of the edge we had this weekend and transform it into the European season. There's still a long way to go – eight races – so there's eighty points still to count. If I'm right, I'm 20 points behind now. It is a lot, in a way, but it's not impossible at all, especially you can see how something can come in between, Felipe being very strong and yeah, I think we can do it.

Press Conference

Michael, you always enjoy podiums, but you seem to enjoy this one in particular.
MS: Yeah, I did. I definitely did. Many reasons for it. A while ago, been out there, important moment, Germany winning on Friday, yesterday pole, today victory, five important points in the championship, many reasons.

The crowd seems to enjoy you being up there as well. There seems to be a passion about Ferrari, a passion about Indianapolis, they sort of match one another.
MS: Yeah, I'm not surprised about that. Ferrari creating passion is no wonder. It's beautiful, and in a way we have to be thankful to our fans coming here after last year, still believing in us and supporting us the way they did this weekend. I'm just very happy that we have been able to achieve what we did achieve. I hope it was still interesting enough. I don't know what happened behind me, but I saw loads of action after the start in the first two corners. Even myself, I was involved a little bit, and then we had a first great, Felipe and myself, pushing each other. From then on, we obviously decided the race pace.

Let's go back to the start because the people on the right-hand side aren't meant to make very fast starts here, are they?
MS: In the past, it was a disadvantage to stay on the right side, you're absolutely right. But taking off from the grid to the parade lap didn't look very well, I have to say. Something didn't function properly in a way. The clutch was slipping too much the way I was operating it. I tried to do a better job but just couldn't. Felipe had a good reaction time on top, plus did a good start. Everything worked out. I was lucky to sort of know, not lose a place. I was expecting actually one of those Renaults next to me right away but it only happened at braking into the first corner.

It was very close with the Renault, wasn't it?
MS: Yeah, there wasn't much room between Fernando and myself, but it was a nice battle, fair and square.