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| Bahrain
Grand Prix 1st-4th April 2004 - Saturday Ferrari Press Release |
Length:
5.417 km
Number of Laps: 57
(308.769 Km)
Best Lap: N/A
Record Pole: N/A
2003 Pole: N/A
2003 Podium: N/A
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Jean
Todt:
'It was a great qualifying session, with our drivers ensuring
that the first ever Bahrain Grand Prix will have an all-red front
row. It was a very closely contested session, right up to the very
end. Michael and Rubens put on a great show and all the team did an
excellent job in what, despite the excellent facilities, are still
very difficult conditions. However, now we still have to tackle the
hardest part of the weekend. For tomorrow’s race, the heat will
be a key factor, making life tough for drivers, cars, engines and
chassis. As is always the case therefore, reliability will be the
crucial ingredient, along with a the drivers’ ability to tackle
a race run in very difficult conditions.'
Michael
Schumacher:
'Of course, I am happy to be on pole for the first race
here, but I cannot say I got a perfect lap. I was right on the limit
and sometimes over it. I think that this is because the track is
technically demanding and difficult, which I think everyone is happy
about, because we are not supposed to be here for an easy life!
I think the technical nature of the track, combined with the high
track temperatures and the fact that it is very slippery off the
racing line, will mean that tomorrow’s race will be very difficult.
I hope it is a good show for all the fans coming to see their first
grand prix.'
Rubens
Barrichello:
'I would describe my qualifying lap as a reasonable one,
not a very good one. During pre-qualifying I was not so happy with
my brakes. But in the qualifying, they were much better and I think
that as I had not expected them to be so good, I was a bit too conservative
in the way I tackled my lap. I was out on track a bit earlier in
the running order for qualifying and so there was a slight difference
in track temperature with those who ran last. But I do not think
this made a significant difference to my lap time. Now, I am happy
with my brakes and with the balance of the car, so I feel confident
I have a good package for the race.'
Ross
Brawn:
'I am a bit surprised by our result. We adopted a very
conservative approach to this weekend, in view of the rule demanding
we use just one engine for the duration of the grand prix weekend.
On top of that was the added unknown of the sand, which made us
even more cautious in terms of the way we used the engines. When
evaluating this result, we have to consider we don’t know
what strategies our closest rivals have adopted. So far, the Bridgestone
tyres have worked pretty well, but given this is a brand new track
and that it has already changed a lot since the start of the weekend,
we must bear in mind that we have no data which would allow us to
make predictions about the race. But it is the same for everyone
and will probably make the race even more interesting.'
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