Length: 5.417 km
Number of Laps: 57 (308.769 Km)
Best Lap: M. Schumacher - 1'30''252 (2004, Ferrari)
Record Pole: M. Schumacher - 1'30''139 (2004, Ferrari)
2005 Pole: F. Alonso - 1'32''054 (Renault)
2005 Podium: F. Alonso - J. Trulli - K. Raikkonen

Q: Brilliant second stint from you, a lot of fuel in the car, a long run there and Fernando behind you the whole way.
MS: Yeah. Obviously he was a bit quicker in certain moments. Then I seemed to be able to just open up a little bit and got traffic, close to my pit stop, but nevertheless, you shouldn’t complain. It just goes around one or the other way and it was a good race at the end of the day. I feel a bit sorry for Felipe that he couldn’t take the result of his race but there are many races to go for him.

Q: And how was that phase for you, following Fernando?
MS: You know what it is in Formula One, sitting behind a car, you need to be a lot quicker. When you have equal cars, it’s almost impossible to pass. Once there was a moment with a backmarker, I got a bit closer, I was having a look whether there was an opportunity but then finally it wasn’t close enough to seriously try.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Michael, the end of the pit stop was the crucial point, wasn’t it?
MS: Yep. Probably the pictures show how close I was. I was on the outside, I tried, but there was no opportunity.

Q: And obviously later on as well.
MS: Yeah, once you’re behind, you have to wait for a mistake or a bad situation with a backmarker. It didn’t really occur, so I just sat and waited and watched.

Q: But you’re really happy with what was obviously a very close second place.
MS: Yeah, you know in 19 or 18 races, however many it’s going to be, all points are very important and if you lose or gain two points it’s not really so important at this stage. It would have liked to win but then there is only so much you can do for it and this time it was Fernando. As you see, we have four very competitive teams on the grid and it’s a long year.

Q: Did the opening laps go as planned?
MS: Basically, yes, it worked out well.

Q: No more or less than the time you would have hoped to have made up?
MS: No, actually, I was quite happy to see a gap opening up and if you consider that we lost a lap of fuel returned in qualifying due to being just a bit above 110 percent anyway, so it shows where we are and how good we probably can be for the rest of the year.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Livio Oricchio - O Estado de Sao Paulo) Michael, your team tested here for several days so you got used to the circuit and the Bridgestones as well. Is this the real power of Ferrari or is it down to the test?
MS: I guess at the start of the weekend you have advantage. Normally, by the end, people know what they have to do, and I don’t know if I should say it but there is something still left over for another (race). Who knows, but it certainly did help our preparation.

Q: (Anthony Rowlinson - Autosport) Michael, do Renault have a car advantage over you or is it down to tyres? Can you analyse where they are quicker?
MS: I think, if you look at it in real terms, we’re very close, so I’m not sure if anybody has the advantage over anybody. Probably, if you analyse, Kimi has done a very fast race, so we’ll have to wait and see. It really is important where you start at the beginning of the season and where you finish. Development is a key factor and we’ll see who has the better base on that.

Q: (Jerome Bourret - L’Equipe) Michael, do you think you can challenge Fernando when we get back to Europe and have colder temperatures?
MS: I hope so. There’s no reason not to believe that after this race.

Q: (Mark Fogarty, Australian Auto Action) – Michael, is it more interesting to be fighting the new generation?
MS: I don’t feel like the old generation to be honest.
Q: In motor racing terms, you are.
MS: It’s true, it says so in my passport, but it makes no difference to me I think
Q: Is the challenge more interesting though? You couldn’t do it last year but now you can.
MS: Did you listen to what I said before? Same question, same answer.