"Rubens
pulled out a slight lead before having to come into the pits to
fit dry weather tyres on lap 5, as the track was drying very quickly.
We knew we had a faster package than the others in terms of car,
engine and Bridgestone tyres, but overtaking still proved difficult.
Therefore we decided to go for broke, getting Rubens to do an extra
pit stop. Both drivers strung together some exceptional series of
lap times."
"The key
moment came when Rubens went back out on track after his final stop
as the Brazilian managed to hang onto the lead, while Michael pulled
a brilliant passing move on Button at the end of the main straight.
This is a rewarding one-two and is the fruit not only of all the
good work of the team, but also the extraordinary support of our
partners, especially Bridgestone and Shell who play a fundamental
role in our success."
"I am proud
of our team, our drivers and our entire company. Today, I am particularly
pleased for Rubens as this win is the icing on the cake: a stupendous
win in a great season. Winning this way in front of our fans and
our staff is really a very emotional moment.'
Rubens
Barrichello:
"I have had a few wins, but this is the first time
I win twice at the same race and it is just as magic as the last
time at Monza. Some people say F1 is boring but there was nothing
boring about today's race. It is an unbelievable feeling. This has
been the best season ever and all that was missing for me was a
win."
"It came
because we have a fantastic team and I say a very big thank you
to all of them and all our tifosi. Thanks to them, I loved every
moment of this weekend. When it is your day, it is your day!"
"It was
a difficult decision regarding tyres at the start, but I was worried
I might be caught up in an accident with people spinning so I felt
it was better to fit the rain tyres and push as hard as possible
and try and escape the pack. I had actually chosen a set-up that
slightly favoured the wet."
"Maybe
if I had come in to change to slicks one lap earlier, my middle
stint would have been easier. Then when Michael and Pizzonia passed
me I thought all was lost. But when my fuel load came down I was
just pushing all the time and it was a good call from the team to
change the strategy. I said to myself, 'just push the throttle and
go'."
"Then I
saw I was P4 and I could see the other three cars ahead so I knew
I had a chance. I could not believe it when the team told me I was
P1 and said something rude in Portuguese!"
Michael
Schumacher:
"It was an interesting race with interesting battles.
I never thought I could go from almost last to second. At the first
chicane I could not stop the car in time and then at the second
chicane, I got into a nice four wheel slide but Jenson was outside
me, we touched and it spun me round. It was very frustrating waiting
for the cars to go past before I could start again. But the car
worked fantastically well."
"As for
my tyre choice at the start, I knew that really there was no right
choice, so when I saw that Rubens had gone for rain I decided to
go the other way, so that at least one Ferrari got it right. But
with this result, it seems that both decisions were good. Rubens
deserves this win as he drove a great race after a fantastic qualifying."
Ross
Brawn:
"We knew that if we have an Achilles Heel, it is our
performance on a damp track. With hindsight, it is difficult to
say whether Michael or Rubens made the best choice. In any case,
after a few laps, things were looking very bad and we thought at
that time that the best we could hope for was a points finish or
maybe a podium. But when we saw our performance level, first with
Michael, as at that point, Rubens had a lot of fuel on board, we
decided to change Rubens' strategy as he was in a better position."
"Rubens
drove a fantastic race, as did Michael in fact. Once again, the
Bridgestone tyres were exceptional. It is hard to find the words
to describe finishing first and second after those opening five
laps and with no outside intervention such as an appearance from
the safety car. It is really fantastic!"
Luca
di Montezemolo:
"So many times over the years, I have found myself
saying this was the best race. Today's was incredible. The drivers
were amazing and I am particularly pleased for Barrichello. The
team was amazing, and so were the cars and the tyres. After the
first few laps, I could never have imagined that we would have finished
first and second. It shows how difficult it is to win in Formula
1."