Brazilian Grand Prix - Formula 1

Saturday Press Conference [2003-5-April]

Drivers: Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari), David Coulthard (McLaren) and Mark Webber (Jaguar)

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Q: Rubens, great lap, great scenes there on your slow down lap as well…
Rubens Barrichello: It feels fantastic, even though I haven't done anything yet. I've had a tough time here. It is nice to put the car on pole and really nice to see the public coming and looking here to get some more. I was really looking at the public as well because it is a fantastic feeling, but you know I'm in a very good position for tomorrow's race.

Q: You were slightly down on David in the first sector there, were you slightly worried?
Rubens Barrichello: I was a little bit worried on the first corner and locked up a little bit on two because of a bump, but I felt we only have a tenth so I have to go on….you have to reset your mind all the time because if you are doing good you keep on doing good and if your doing bad you have to turn it into a good laugh. At that moment there was a lot of energy going through and I had a good run today.

Q: How much information do you have about the laps in the cockpit? Do you know how near you are to pole?
Rubens Barrichello: To be honest I don't look at my split times. I like to be on my own and push the car as I could. It was really a good moment.

Q: It's been a difficult start to the season for Ferrari. Can you tell us what the atmosphere has been like in the team over the last two or three weeks?
Rubens Barrichello: I think that people think we are struggling and in a tough moment. I think the new rules are good for us; we haven't finished that well….but for sure we could have won a race. But for me the season has started better than last year so I cannot complain and I am keeping my head down and trying to do my work.

Q: David, tell us about that lap?
David Coulthard: It's probably the tidiest of the first few grands prix so far. We had a bit of a difficult warm-up session so we changed the car back to as we ran in the morning practice and with regards to fuel I'm glad we came back to that configuration. It never quite feels like the old qualifying session because you are finding out where the track is as far as in that single lap but it was not a bad lap and it will be interesting to find out who has got what fuel tomorrow.

Q: No question the McLaren-Mercedes is a very quick car now. The new car is coming, how do you feel about the future? There must be a reason to want to stay with this car.
David Coulthard: I think everyone in the team knows…feels very positive from the winter testing, the results we managed to get…we are enjoying such a good start to the season and hopefully we will find pace and reliability quickly in the new car and get that on track.

Q: Interlagos is left-handed, what sort of preparations do you do for that with you neck?
David Coulthard: It certainly works your neck a lot more than any other circuit. You are really tested, it is one of the more challenging tracks and you have to try to feel….that you don't have problems.

Q: Mark Webber, great performance. How much of that is taking advantage of what happened yesterday and perhaps coming up with set-up that looked good? How much of it is genuine strategy?
Mark Webber: It has nothing to do with what happened yesterday. I think everyone had similar fuel loads on a Friday, but I think the two guys next to me may have more fuel for tomorrow's race. But I think we are very, very competitive here I believe. We've been reasonably quick in all the tests that we've done and the hard work we've done. It is going to be a long race for us but it could be good. Malaysia was a very hard race for us, with a lot of mysteries and a lot of snags, a lot coming at us which we didn't have in testing which is hard on the boys and hard on the factory. This is a nice little reward. We know in ourselves that we are making clear progress and it has been a good day for us.

Q: How much information did you have during that lap?
Mark Webber: Well I had…the best lap I did yesterday was about a 14.1. I was up on that by a fair chunk up until the last sector and I knew it was going to be a 14.0 or a high 13 so its going to put us in competitive shape. I'm really happy for the guys and for me to be up there for the first time, I'm really looking forward to it.

Q: Did you begin to feel, with the fuel load you have chosen, you were going to be right up there?
Mark Webber: No not really. We did a 14.4 with the fuel I was carrying in the warm-up and we thought that is going to be reasonable competitive load. There we have it, it was a good lap.

Q: Was it the perfect lap?
Mark Webber: Like David said, out of the three races that was my best lap. We're starting from a good spot. We had a bit of understeer in the last corner, but it a very difficult corner to control your aggression and not get in too much on the entry.

Q: Can I switch to David or Rubens. How much fuel do you think the Jaguars are running today?
David Coulthard: We'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out. As Mark said I expect him to pit before I do and hopefully I'm one of the later ones to pit.

Q: Rubens, you've had a bit of trouble with the HANS device, but I gather you owe a bit of gratitude to the work David Coulthard and Alexander Wurz have done on the development of the HANS device…
Rubens Barrichello: Well, it is true. The works on that system….I don't know how accurate we have in terms of having the same system, but I am fairly comfortable now. Like David said it is going to be effective because you have the HANS on top. I'm happy with the system now and it shouldn't be a problem.

Q: Rubens it started in 1973 and. at ten year intervals, a Brazilian has won their home grand prix. How do you feel about tomorrow?
Rubens Barrichello: A bit too much pressure. As I've said before and during the weekend I've turned to…Formula One has turned me into a person who doesn't believe much in the sense of the past. You've got to believe in the real things. I have a competitive car, I think I've chosen the right strategy for tomorrow, we will know that tomorrow, and I am confident that we can do well tomorrow and I hope I am going to be there fighting.

Q: Because of the passion of the crowd here in Brazil, does that actually hinder you in your home grand prix?
Rubens Barrichello: It used to be. It was a tough, tough feeling all of the time but now it is just like football, you feel at home.

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