Brazilian Grand Prix - Formula 1

Friday Press Conference [2003-4-April]

Drivers: Fernando Alonso (Renault), David Coulthard (McLaren), Juan Pablo Montoya (Williams) and Michael Schumacher (Ferrari).

Q: First of all gentlemen, a quick question about driver aids, and the decision to put back the ban on items such as launch control, traction control, etc, to the end of the year. What are your feelings about that?
Michael Schumacher: Great.

Q: You weren't looking forward to the ban anyway were you?
Michael Schumacher: Yeah.

Q: David…
David Coulthard: Ultimately, it is the same for everyone whatever the rules are. We did actually test without the driver aids and were pleasantly surprised by the performance of the car and the engine so we weren't too… as concerned as maybe before. I think, as Michael said before, there are, from a driving point of view, there are some genuine safety issues with having the driver aids help you with, and I understand that the purists think it is not good for the drivers to get assistance when you are behind the wheel, but the reality is that it makes you push harder in other areas. You know your entry into the corners, the way you carry the speed through the apex. I think you can be faster and more effective than in the past. So it just moves the way in which you drive, so with or without them you will have the same guys in the same cars at the front, you would maybe just see a few more incidents.
Juan Pablo Montoya: I don't mind. If they take them off, they take them off. I think it is a good thing to take them off over the winter because you get more time to work with the car and everything.

Q: Your not worried whether you have them or not?
Juan Pablo Montoya: Not really no. They've done it for how many years without it.
Fernando Alonso: For me, it doesn't really matter as well. I think as far as all the drivers have the same conditions and it doesn't matter whether it happens after Silverstone or at the end of the year. But I think it is easy for the teams… leave the cars with electronics and for traction control and all those things and now to change mid-season it is maybe a little difficult for the teams because all the parts were all completely new…. I think it is a good change.

Q: Now, this morning, when it was very wet, there was a bit of a movement amongst the drivers not to go ahead with qualifying and to… I don't know what you were going to replace it with. Juan Pablo can just give us… bring us up to date. What actually happened? There were rumours you had a petition, that all but one driver signed, that all the drivers signed, that some drivers…. can you just bring us up to date with what happened?
Juan Pablo Montoya: Everybody thought it was too wet at the beginning. I think we were a bit concerned with the tyres we had that it was going to be recklessly dangerous but, you know, it dried enough to run. I don't know who signed and who didn't to be honest, you better ask those two guys.

Q: David, can you tell me how many signatures you had?
David Coulthard: I'd prefer not to because it was something in confidence between the drivers, so I don't really think that is fair to say other than to clarify… it was really just to assist Charlie [Whiting] and those who make the decision as to the real conditions from the drivers' point of view because, obviously, he has to rely on driver comments and also the safety car comments, which is not quite the same as driving an ordinary car. But, ultimately, it wasn't an issue and, you know ,if the same situation arises in the future, I think it is responsible of us to give the same advice to him and allow him to make the decision.

Q: Was he quite sympathetic to your viewpoint?
David Coulthard: There wasn't a position to make a decision because, at the time of qualifying, it was quite clear it was safe to run. The only way you can judge that is if we're all standing there saying ‘we don't want to go out on the track' and he was saying ‘yes'. As that situation didn't arise really, there is no point to discuss it anymore.

Q: But, Michael, I'm sure you don't want to get to that position again, so what can be done to avert that situation in the future?
Michael Schumacher: Maybe have a second rain tyre.

Q: And are the team principals sympathetic to that viewpoint?
Michael Schumacher: I hope so…. From our side, yes. I guess, after the experience, whoever maybe voted to have only one tyre maybe sees the complication of it and has a different opinion now.

Q: You went out fairly early in the session. What were the conditions like in fact at the start of the session?
Michael Schumacher: I think they were varying a little bit. I'm not sure whether I'm right to say I maybe had the worst rain around but there were drier and a little bit worse periods. It was still acceptable to run, I mean it was far better than what we saw this morning at the end of the session for example.

Q: You had a spin during the session, what was all that about? Just finding the limit?
Michael Schumacher: No not too much, it was just aquaplaning – off you go.

Q: So there was quite a lot of water about...
Michael Schumacher: I think there were two issues. First of all, there was water, probably enough to make me spin, and also the commercial break [for television advertisements after every fifth car in qualifying] where we didn't [have] a car in front of me to put a dry line. So everything was completely wet which made it an extra bit difficult.

Q: Fernando, your team-mate seemed be at the forefront of this, he didn't want to go out if it continued to rain. What were your feelings?
Fernando Alonso: For me, at the beginning, I started to think about…. we had quite a wet track at that moment, because I went off this morning in the test session and also in the free practice. So the conditions were quite bad, but it was better to wait until 14.00 because the conditions changed a lot. In the end it was dry enough to do qualifying and we did it without problems, so it was okay.

Q: Juan Pablo, the circuit has been partially resurfaced. Was the resurfaced part very slippery and have they eliminated the bumps?
Juan Pablo Montoya: The bumps… you can't really tell too much about the bumps in the wet. For us, it was more slippery and, you know, I went off braking on the new surface. It's the same for everyone isn't it?

Q: David, on a different subject altogether, the new car is coming fairly soon. How badly do you need it? It doesn't look as though you need it at the moment, two victories.
David Coulthard: You answered the question for us. I think we can't be too disappointed with the start of the season but, of course, you hope and believe the new car is going to be quicker and you always take pace. It will be ready when it is ready and it is getting near to that time now.

Q: Michael, what about the new Ferrari? There were rumours there was going to one at Imola or both at Imola. Do you know what the situation is?
Michael Schumacher: I guess we will try to have two ready - or even three...

Q: How badly do you need that car?
Michael Schumacher: Having a new car, you would love to run it because, knowing it is faster, you would love to have it. But I think we still have a car, the 2002 car, which is still able to win races. Fast in Australia, probably not in Malaysia, but we will see.

Q: Fernando, since Malaysia, I understand that your situation in Spain has changed quite a lot. Is that the case?
Fernando Alonso: Yeah, a little bit. The pole position and podium finish is the first time for a Spanish driver and, you know, in Spain we are a little bit crazy when we have a good opportunity. Yeah, there were big repercussions after the race in Spain, and I hope to keep this level to be a top eight, top nine driver all the year and to do a good season.

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