"Here, possibly more than at any track, chosing
the right strategy is important, given that prior to qualifying,
we must establish how much fuel to carry for Saturday afternoon
and Sunday. We are confident that we have done a good job on a very
unusual track. Both drivers did very well on a fascinating and demanding
circuit. Both Michael and Rubens appear to have arrived here in
great form."
Michael
Schumacher:
"I am happy with my time this afternoon, because the
track was quite slippery as I was only the second car to run. Right
since the start of the morning session, my car has been very well
balanced, which obviously helped me do a good time. It is always
difficult to predict what can happen here in Monaco, but we can
be confident for the rest of the weekend, as the car is working
well and we have identified our tyre choice early, so now and on
Saturday morning, we can concentrate on establishing the right fuel
strategy for final qualifying and the race."
Rubens
Barrichello:
"I am pretty satisfied with this result. This morning,
at the start of free practice, the car was not perfect, but then
we made some changes and the situation improved considerably. It
was important to get near the top today in order to be among the
last to run in Saturday's qualifying."
Ross
Brawn:
"It was a good session, but the track conditions changed
a lot throughout qualifying; not so good at the start, then gradually
improving, before getting worse once the oil was put down. The car
worked well and so did the tyres, which has allowed us to identify
quickly our tyre choice for the rest of the weekend and both our
drivers are satisfied with it. So, I think we will be competitive.
Now we will have to concentrate on finding the right strategy for
the race."