Q: What does the grid look like from your point of view? Are you surprised by the way the grid is shaping up?
MS: No, not really, honestly. I guess that’s what you should have expected with the exception of the McLarens. I expected them to be a little faster but maybe they’re running on a different strategy – we’ll find out tomorrow. But in general you have to expect the BARs to be quick and the Renaults to be quick.

Q: Rubens, it looked like a great qualifying lap there. Talk us through it - the pole was there perhaps for the taking?
Rubens BARRICHELLO: It was altogether a good lap. It’s a little bit disappointing not to have the pole because this morning although the track was different from when Michael was out, it was a really good lap this morning but everything was running quite smoothly. We knew that we were going to be very much together so it was going to be one side, but I think he did a fantastic job just to really do a perfect lap. I missed out a little bit towards the end of the lap, but even so I’m happy. The lap wasn’t too bad.

Q: P2, on the dirty side of the grid…
RB: Yeah, that’s one of the worst P2s of the year, because it’s really dirty on that side but I think Ferrari has been doing a fantastic job with the start and I have to be very optimistic for tomorrow’s race.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Michael, you mentioned just now how you had tested for this circuit at Jerez, where it’s very hot. This is probably the coolest day we have had at the Hungarian Grand Prix for ages so what sort of a difference has that made to you guys?
MS: I guess it does make a difference but I am not sure in which way because usually we have not struggled towards the lower temperatures, it’s just difficult at the other temperatures. But I think we have seen at Hockenheim and recent races before that we have improved in general. But anyway, Bridgestone have given a big push, and Shell, obviously, and in this respect we just picked up the performance and look good now.

Q: Has the new Bridgestone tyre made a big difference here do you think?
MS: Well, it’s obviously not possible to quantify it as we don’t run them back-to-back, but from what we know from testing it has given us an advantage.

Q: Were you worried when you saw Rubens’ pre-qualifying time? It was pretty staggering.
MS: Yeah, it was a fantastic lap but at the same time I sort of know that the circuit can become different between the first and sort of last cars and in this respect I wasn’t too worried as we were always sort of close together from what I saw in the morning and it was just getting the lap right and putting it to the point.

Q: I’ve noticed over the last couple of days you seem to have been a bit slower in the final sector. What do you feel is your problem there, if you do feel there is a problem?
MS: It’s funny because before everybody said to me that was my strong sector! No, I don’t think I am really struggling in the last sector.

Q: So, the lap, you were obviously very happy with it.
MS: It was, yeah, it was good.

Q: Do you feel it could have been better?
MS: You always have that feeling as a race driver.

Q: Rubens, tell us about that pre-qualifying lap because it was absolutely staggering.
RB: It was really, really, really good and I was quite happy, but like Michael said the performance difference was due on a big part to the fact we had different times when we went to the track so I had a better track there. But it was really good, it was one of my best laps out here and I think it was excellent. It was just nice. Obviously, the car went a little bit more understeer than we felt it was going to be so it was going to go either way with me and Michael. He’s quite strong on that lap and I feel I lost a little bit on sector two with that understeer, otherwise we could have been even closer.

Q: Now, we can see quite a bump in the final sector. How does that affect the drivers in the final corner here?
RB: Well, the final corner is one that you can make or lose a lot of time, so to be honest with you it’s not a good bump because if you tend to go a little bit deep into the corner and take the bump wrong you’ve lost everything and if you go on the safe side but you take the bump anyway it is going to hurt you. So you have to be a little bit lucky to be on the good side of that bump because it’s a huge one.

Q: Is it going to affect the race itself, do you feel?
RB: It could affect it in the way that, if somebody in front of you makes a mistake on the bump and you take it right you could overtake. So in that respect it’s not too bad. I hope I am not the guy in front!

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Andrew Frankl - Forza) Michael, with Fernando on the clean side behind you, bearing in mind the launch control on the Renaults, are you at all concerned about the first corner and possible fireworks?
MS: I wasn’t aware they are using launch control but anyway, I am not really concerned.

Q: (Andrea CREMONESI – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Michael, tomorrow you and Rubens can finalise the first goal of the season - achieving the world championship for Ferrari. What does it mean? Do you think it will be a different race, more focussed on no mistakes?
MS: I think we are going to do our race as much as we can do it and I don’t think it’s, in a way, a secret that it will be very unlikely to take that title away from us and this way it is just an open race where we enjoy ourselves and go flat out.