28/08/2004
NEWS STORY
Jean Todt: The changing weather conditions undoubtedly affected the outcome of qualifying. We were worried that it might rain harder towards the end and unfortunately, it did. Therefore, it was impossible for us to do better, as the rain prevented us from getting the most out of our package, with the Bridgestone tyres excellent once again. Having said that, we cannot complain. It is expected to be dry for tomorrow's race and I believe we will be competitive. We will be contesting Ferrari's seven hundredth grand prix, having already taken the Constructors' title for a sixth consecutive time and sure of securing a fifth consecutive Drivers' crown. Tomorrow, Michael has an opportunity to extend his record for World Title wins, to add to all the other records he holds. Everything is in place for us to be happy and satisfied and above all as usual, we are motivated and determined.
Michael Schumacher: The weather conditions meant the session was something of a lottery, as we had not expected that final splash of rain. I can be happy with being on the front row in second place given the conditions when I made my run. As for my lap, I struggled a bit at the top of the hill, going sideways into Turn 5. I think I lost the majority of the time at the last chicane as I did not have enough traction on the way out, but I have no complaints. We face a big challenge tomorrow as we know that the Renaults start very well, but we have also made some very good starts and so I think we can be competitive in the race.
Rubens Barrichello: Everything went quite well, except that there was a bit more rain when the last group of five cars went out. The last corner caught me out, even though I was feeling the tyres were losing a bit of their performance so I was being careful. I had oversteer and went into a slide, so I suppose to be in the top six having made a mistake is not too bad. A bit of a frustrating day, but I'm still optimistic for tomorrow. I don't mind if it is wet or dry tomorrow, as the conditions are the same for everyone, although my car is set up more for the dry than for the wet as we are expecting drier conditions tomorrow.
Ross Brawn: Given the conditions, the fact we were still fighting for pole is a good result. I don't think being second on the grid tomorrow is such a problem as a racing line will not have formed on the track by the time the race starts. We have a good dry set-up and our indications are that we will have a dry race tomorrow. It's a shame Rubens had a little problem at the end of his lap, as it means he now has more work to do. In fact, we advised Michael to be cautious after seeing Raikkonen and Rubens nearly come off the track and so he rightly took it quite easy in the last sector. I think we will be in a strong position tomorrow as we did not compromise today and ran with a dry set-up.