11/06/2005
NEWS STORY
Jean Todt: This qualifying session left us with mixed emotions. On the one hand there is the satisfaction of seeing a Ferrari, Michael's, on the front row of the grid for the second time this season. On the other hand, there is disappointment that Rubens was unable to do a qualifying lap because of a gearbox problem. It was the second failure of this component today, after Michael suffered a failure at the end of the morning session. Now we have to analyse what happened to see if they both had the same fault or if they were two different problems. Overnight, we worked to improve our situation and we succeeded. Bridgestone also deserve credit for this. Obviously we are happy with Michael's result, after seeing this morning that our cars were capable of performing well. Of course there is the unknown factor of how much fuel the other cars had on board, but we believe we have a good package for the race. Starting from the back of the grid, Rubens has a difficult afternoon in prospect, but he has shown at other times this year that he is capable of making the best of this type of situation.
Michael Schumacher: I am not so surprised to be on the front row, because after yesterday, we understood our problems and had a much better car this morning. In a way, it was lucky I had my gearbox problem then and not when it mattered. Given how many miles we have done in testing the gearbox, at the moment, I don't understand why we had this problem. Everyone in the team has made a huge effort to get this improvement. As for the race, I am feeling much more confident than at any other moment this season and depending on how the race develops, the long straights mean there are opportunities for overtaking. I do not expect there will be any problems with the track surface tomorrow.
Rubens Barrichello: All I can say is that I am very disappointed. My car had a gearbox problem towards the end of my “out” lap and I had to come back to the pits. It's a real shame, because I think I could have done well this afternoon. Now, I can expect to have to fight my way up the order in the race. It will be very tough, but as always, I will give it my all.
Ross Brawn: This was quite a surprise in terms of our overall performance, because we were able to repeat the pace we showed this morning, while our opposition seemed to suffer a bit. Having said that, Michael did not even get a particularly clean lap. From where he is on the grid, he should be able to have a good race. What happened to Rubens was frustrating, because looking at other people's performance this afternoon, he would also have been in a very strong position.