"The way
this weekend has gone shows that the next few races will be very
closely contested as the opposition is doing all it can to catch
up. On a personal note, I can only feel pride for the way the team
has worked, demonstrating yet again that it has a great will to
win. It is a fantastic group of people!"
Michael
Schumacher:
"The strategy and the precision of the team in the
pit stops were fantastic today. Before the start, I was not so optimistic,
but it became clear that our Bridgestone tyres were very good at
the end of their stints, which was not the case with the opposition,
so I was able to close the gap before the stops. Then, after the
second stop, we decided to switch to a four stop strategy. There
was not much discussion once the team told me I would not be threatened
from behind. I had nothing to lose and it was a case of no risk
no fun!"
"I only
accepted I could win five laps before my final pit stop when the
team told me I had enough of a gap to keep the lead. We might have
won on a normal three stop, but this would have involved passing
cars on the track. Based on last year, I had expected to struggle
more here, but this season is proving to be really outstanding.
However, the opposition is getting closer which does not surprise
us and I expect another tough fight at Silverstone.'
Rubens
Barrichello:
"From tenth to third - I am very happy and I had a
lot of fun today. The car was very fast and the Bridgestone tyres
were fantastic, especially at the end of each stint. I had a great
race and the other drivers were very fair on the track. It was a
shame that I paid the penalty for my pre-qualifying problem, without
which I could have had an even better race. I gave it all I had."
"As for
Trulli, although I had better corner speed in Turn 3, it was difficult
to follow him through the chicane and then he had better traction.
But then, on the final lap, he slowed a bit too much at Turn 13
and so I was able to get alongside at 15. It was risky, but I thought
it was worth the risk, even if I was a bit careful not to damage
the car as it would have been a shame to get from tenth to fourth
and then not finish. So, I was trying 85% and when I saw I had a
chance, I added another 20% making it 105% in total!"
Ross
Brawn:
"Our drivers had an exceptional race. Before the race
we had already planned to go for either three of four stops and
when we saw the way things were going, we opted to switch to four
pit stops for Michael, taking into consideration the great performance
of the Bridgestone tyres. I have to give credit to Luca Baldisserri,
who came up with the idea this weekend and I just supported him
on that."
"Rubens
did a great job to go from tenth to third. He made the most of every
opportunity that came his way and his move on Trulli was simply
brilliant. A few laps before the end of the race, I told him it
would really suit him to be on the podium today and he should give
it his best. We were able to breathe a sigh of relief when we saw
that Michael had built up a big enough advantage over Alonso. When
you have a quicker car it is worth trying an aggressive strategy.
Otherwise we risked getting stuck behind the Renault driver."