Brazilian Grand Prix - Formula 1

Sunday Quotes - Drivers [2003-6-April]

Kimi Raikkonen:
"What a race. I think, with some of the bad luck I have experienced in the past, it was time that I was lucky. The team did a great job and deserved to win. Today's result is great for me and the team, but it's too early to think about the championship."
“When the race started for real, it was still difficult to see where you were going because of all the spray.“
“I stayed out when the safety car came out again, whilst the majority of the field came in for their pit-stops. When I rejoined, I was able to overtake a couple of cars to take second but, as the circuit started to get drier, my rain tyres were not working as well, which allowed Giancarlo to close in. He overtook me when I went wide. I was coming into the pits for my final stop when the race was red flagged.”

Giancarlo Fisichella:
“I have had a fantastic day. Obviously, I am disappointed not to get the chance to do one more lap so that I could have finished first, but being second is really good for me and the team.”
“I thought I had won the race - and I still think I am the winner - but rules are rules. I would never have thought I would finish in second today, so I am pleased. I want to say thanks to the team – it's an important result for us and it's positive for the future.”
“I'm pleased Fernando is okay.”

David Coulthard:
"A day of mixed emotions, but I'm pleased for the team, as we did get some important points. I'm obviously a little disappointed as I felt I was having a good race and was in control.“
“It was the right decision to start behind the safety car as you could see from the many accidents once the race was on. I'm happy with my performance today as I was leading most of the race under the most difficult conditions you can imagine."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen:
"Just before the start, we changed our strategy and decided to use the T-car because it was set up fully for wet conditions. At the end of the day, it turned out to be the right decision. It was not easy to run with a full tank and I had a lot of aquaplaning, which made me spin once. But we finished fifth and scored four points, so I am very happy about this result."

Jacques Villeneuve:
"It was a very difficult race - the track was tough to drive but, if you took care of yourself, then it wasn't too bad. here wasn't that much water really - it's down to the drivers to be less crazy in those conditions and there was some crazy driving out there. Some drivers were overtaking under the yellow flags - halfway through the race I saw Alonso overtake under the flags. I think it's that kind of driving that leads to big accidents.”
“We saw the same thing in the pit-stops, with drivers chopping across the field on the exit then having to lift halfway down the straight to stop them going off onto the grass. It's that sort of thing that creates the danger, not just the conditions themselves.”
“I'm pleased with sixth place today. It's very difficult for the guys in these conditions but they did a great job. I'm happy that we were able to bring the team three more points today."

Mark Webber:
"I don't think races come any tougher than that. We went into the race with a good strategy and, even though many observers thought we were running a light fuel strategy because of our excellent third place qualifying position, I think we proved many people wrong today by showing otherwise. The pace and balance of the Jaguar R4 has been very good all weekend and, even though the race conditions were far from ideal, the car proved very competitive out there today.”
“There was a far amount of surface water lying all around the track, but the kink after turn two was by far the most dangerous and caught many drivers out, including my team-mate Antonio.”
“After my first pit-stop, I came out behind the BMW Williams of Juan-Pablo Montoya, who was holding me up quite a lot, and it was quite difficult to find an opportunity to overtake him. Nonetheless, I kept pushing and, after my second pit-stop, I was fuelled right up to the top and aiming for the end of the race when we would have leap-frogged quite a few runners. Unfortunately, however, that didn't happen.”
“At this stage, I am not 100 per cent sure what caused by accident on the final left-hander. Given the unforgiving nature of this circuit combined with the very heavy fuel load I was carrying, I suspect the tyres were struggling with grip – something I'm sure everyone had to contend with today. The accident was pretty big by any standards but, thankfully, I'm okay.”
“I want to thank all the Jaguar crew for putting in a sterling effort this weekend and in the process, we've earned ourselves two championship points. We've also shown some phenomenal potential this weekend and there are a lot of positives to take away and exploit over the remaining thirteen races."

Jarno Trulli:
"Honestly, we had a very tough race. At the beginning, I was fighting to keep the car on the track: the circuit was so wet that it was hard to see anything. I had my second pit-stop just before the race was stopped, which meant I lost several positions and finished in eighth place.”
“I'm very sorry for Fernando - however, I know that he is alright and I hope he will recover quickly."

Ralf Schumacher:
"The most important thing for me is that Fernando Alonso wasn¹t seriously injured. The timing of the red flag was really bad luck for me and, if the accident hadn¹t happened I assume that I would have been on the podium as many cars in front of me still had to stop for fuel. All in all, my car was reasonably good under these difficult conditions, even though I must admit it was really a hard job to keep it on the track."

Cristiano da Matta:
"When we had full wet weather conditions, we were in reasonable shape and our pit-stop strategy got me as high as fourth when the safety car was deployed for the second time. When the track started to dry out, things got much worse and I picked up really bad oversteer. We have to look into the problem. We thought it was to do with the tyre pressures, but the car was slow on high and low tyre pressures in the drying conditions. Not the result I wanted today in front of my fans, but we are now heading into the European season, where I hope we can get good results."

Rubens Barrichello:
“I am very disappointed. All I can say is that I did my very best.”
“The beginning of the race, when the track was at its wettest, was difficult, as the car had a relatively low downforce set-up. I concentrated on staying calm, waiting for the right moment to attack. Once in the lead, I immediately pulled out a gap, but then I was forced to stop with a fuel feed problem. It was very frustrating as I was sure I could win. I am very disappointed not to have taken victory here in front of my fans.”
“This double retirement does not mean [Ferrari] are in a crisis. We have been competitive in all three races so far and so I am confident for the rest of the season.”

Jenson Button:
"Everyone can say ‘what if‘? I was running fifth, ahead of Raikkonen, when I went off and we were fuelled to the finish so, if I hadn't made that mistake, who knows? But then, I guess there are a lot of other people who can say the same thing.”
“The car was working well, the tyres were good and we had the right strategy. On that corner, the water runs off the banking on to the circuit, so we were bound to get caught out there. I just caught the standing water a little too much. I tried to save it, but that just sent me into the tyre wall. I went in quite heavily and my back is aching a little bit but, as we saw, it could have been much worse. It's disappointing, but that's the way it goes.”

Jos Verstappen:
"The track conditions in today's race were very, very difficult and, of course, I'm extremely disappointed not to have finished today, especially when we don't have so many opportunities to score points. This was definitely a race where there was an excellent possibility.”
“When Raikkonen passed me in Turn One, I was running behind him in the spray with virtually no vision. The car just spun very quickly two corners later, in Turn Three. I feel extremely sorry for Paul and the whole team, but that's life and that's racing."

Michael Schumacher:
“I am disappointed for myself and for what happened to Rubens. We both had the possibility of winning today. It's a shame my run of race finishes has come to an end. This is my first non-finish since Hockenheim in 2001.”
“The weather conditions were difficult, but acceptable, today. As for my accident, I was aquaplaning and, in that situation, you are just a passenger in the car.”
“In terms of the championship, obviously it would have been better for us if Fisichella had won this race, especially as Giancarlo drove a good race anyway. But the gap to the championship leader is not so big, given there are still 13 races, so there is no need to be concerned about it."

Juan Montoya:
"My car was really good initially, when there was a lot of water on the track, and I passed several cars. Then the track started to dry and I lost a bit of pace so, when I pitted, I had a tyre pressure change, which didn't improve the balance too much. After about 20 laps, the track was fairly dry almost everywhere, apart from turn three, where there was still too much water and I lost the car. Everyone who went off there had the same problem that I had, they were sliding too much because of aquaplaning."

Antonio Pizzonia:
"A good day for Jaguar Racing, but it could have been better had I stayed in the race and earned some points too. The team made exactly the right call by starting me from the pit-lane and, as we anticipated, many drivers fell off today - albeit me too!”
“The long kink leading from turn two into turn three was laden with water and there was literally nothing I could do at that speed. The car hit the stream flowing across the track and, after that, I was little more than a passenger. As I was spinning off, I could see Montoya's BMW Williams sitting the space I was about to occupy in the safety barrier but, even though I hit him quite hard, we were both okay.”
“A shame really, given how good the car felt on the wet Michelins and combined with the thorough strategy work the team had undertaken, it's disappointing to walk away from my home race with no points. The good news, however, is that Jaguar Racing is on the championship score sheet and we have a lot to be pleased about after the performance of the car this weekend."

Olivier Panis:
“With the race starting under the safety car due to the wet conditions, we took advantage of this to refuel the car and we had a good strategy. Unfortunately, it was a bit difficult to drive the car with a full tank. I had some lack of grip but it would not have been so hard to continue.”
“I felt a big impact from the rear of my car and I didn't really understand what had happened until Ralph Firman spoke with me and explained he had hit me. Obviously, I am disappointed with the outcome, but the team has worked really hard all weekend, so I want to thank them and it is important for us not to give up.”
“I am also very sorry for Fernando after his crash - I hope he is okay."

Ralph Firman:
“I had another suspension failure. It's a shame and, of course, I'm extremely disappointed. Fisi did a really good job finishing second and getting the team some points.”

Justin Wilson:
"I'm gutted. I was just caught out by the rivers running down the grass and across the track in Turn Three. They never seemed to be in the same place on two consecutive laps. On the lap I spun, I had got through the first river, but then aquaplaned off on the second one. It's a huge disappointment, because we were definitely on for a strong finish today."

Nick Heidfeld:
"I made a good start and was able to overtake Jenson Button, but then the engineers radioed me that we had an oil problem and, because of this, the engine cut out. I pulled off the racing line just to make sure I didn't put any oil down."
"I hope that Fernando is well after his big accident at the end of the race."

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