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| Hungarian
GP 12th-15th August 2004 - Ferrari Sunday Press Release |
Length:
4.381km
Number of Laps: 70
(306.663 Km)
Best Lap: JP. Montoya
- 1'22"095 (2003, Williams)
Record Pole: F. Alonso
- 1'21"688 (2003, Renault)
2003 Pole: F. Alonso
(1'21."688)
2003 Podium: F. Alonso
- K. Raikkonen - JP. Montoya
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Jean
Todt:
'Today we have written another extraordinary page in this
company’s history book: six consecutive Constructors’
titles and the certainty that one of our drivers will take the Drivers’
title for a fifth consecutive time are dream results. The unknown
factors before the race were the start and reliability and it all
went well. We knew we had a very competitive car and exceptional Bridgestone
tyres in terms of their performance over a long distance and the way
the race turned out confirmed that. The drivers were fantastic and
as usual the team did a great job. Our technical partners, first and
foremost Bridgestone and Shell, played a key role in helping us to
achieve our objectives, as did our commercial partners, such as Philip
Morris, Vodafone, AMD and Olympus, not forgetting all our other suppliers.
A special thanks to our major shareholder, the Fiat Group which has
always given us real support through its Research Centre. Now, we
are looking forward to being back in Maranello tomorrow, to celebrate
with president Montezemolo and the entire Gestione Sportiva.'
Michael
Schumacher:
'The title means more than winning 12 races in a season
and the fact this is the sixth in a row means more than the fact
it is the 14th for the team. The way we achieved it is outstanding;
we were so dominant, so perfect. To win in style here compared to
last year shows why we have won the title so early. The whole team
is great and deserves this result. The work we did with Bridgestone
and Shell, for example in the Jerez test, paid off in Hockenheim
and even more so here. This win might have looked easy from the
outside, but I was flat out most of the race until after the final
pit stop. In the early stages Rubens was pushing hard and anything
could happen. The car was superb at this track. Everything is going
so well and there is a great atmosphere in the team. Even after
a great start to the season, everyone keeps pushing and that is
great for motivation. I plan to continue enjoying winning as long
as it lasts. It is true that I could win the championship at Spa
or if not at Monza. Both have special significance for me, but I
will try and win it where I can, because mathematically Rubens still
has a chance.'
Rubens
Barrichello:
'This title is a phenomenal achievement and I feel fantastic
about being part of it. Together with Michael, we have put each
other under pressure on the track to drive each other forward and
the team always responds to this. It is our reliability which particularly
impresses me: we just never stop. As for the race, I had a good
start and I think last night’s rain helped make my side of
the track less dirty. I was able to follow Michael, although it
was difficult to know when he was going to brake, while I was trying
to defend my own position as well as try to pass him. After that,
I was running at my own pace and I think there was one part of the
race when I might have been a bit quicker than Michael. But while
my first, second and fourth sets of tyres were perfect, I had a
slight problem with my third which cost me a bit of time. I had
made a different tyre choice to Michael and I was pleased with their
performance except for that third set. As for the Drivers’
championship, I know Michael has a very big lead, but as long as
there is a mathematical possibility I will keep pushing.'
Ross
Brawn:
'It has been a fantastic year for us so far. Taking the
title with a nice one-two, having suffered so much on this track
last year makes me very proud of our guys, who are able to help
one another by sticking to the same aims and objectives. Our strength
comes from the stability of our group and from the support of our
partners: this is what makes the difference and will do so again
next year, when we face another challenge with new technical regulations.
As for the race, all I can say is that the Bridgestone tyres performed
exceptionally well. At Rubens’ first pit stop there was a
problem with the refuelling rig, which we will now look into. As
a precaution, the team changed the couplings, but we did not inform
the drivers as we knew we would have time to fix the problem without
any consequences.'
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