Bridgestone Sunday press release - 15th August 17:47pm GMT

Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello put on one of the most dominant displays of the season this afternoon, taking the chequered flag in first and second place for the seventh time this year to give the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro team their sixth consecutive Constructors’ Championship title. The Bridgestone Potenza equipped pair were able to pull out a significant lead with Michael Schumacher not only setting the fastest time of the day with a 1m19.071 on lap 29 but he had lapped all but four cars by the time he crossed the finishing line. The reigning champion continues to lead the Drivers’ points standings with a total of 120 points ahead of his Brazilian teammate in second with 82 points. Sauber Petronas’ Giancarlo Fisichella also finished in the points today after a strong and consistent drive to consolidate his tenth place in the Drivers’ standings. Unfortunately for his teammate Felipe Massa, a mechanical problem meant a retirement. For Jordan Ford it was a mixed day after Giorgio Pantano pulled off late in the race but Nick Heidfeld took a 12th place finish. And continuing their run of reliability, Minardi Cosworth brought home both their drivers, Gianmaria Bruni and Hungary’s Zsolt Baumgartner.

Hiroshi Yasukawa – Director – Bridgestone Motorsport
“I would like to congratulate the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro team on their wonderful achievement here today. This was their sixth consecutive Constructors’ Championship since using Bridgestone tyres and their fourteenth title since 1958. I would also like to thank our own technical departments both in the UK and Japan, and our factory staff, who have done an excellent job.”

Hisao Suganuma – Technical Manager – Bridgestone Motorsport
“Today’s one-two finish for Michael [Schumacher] and Rubens [Barrichello] was a great way to secure the Constructors’ Championship for Ferrari. And I’m delighted that Bridgestone’s tyre performance played a part in that achievement. But looking more specifically at today’s results, it was a significant day for Bridgestone. We have worked hard all year to translate last year’s Hungarian GP data into a formula for producing the best tyres this year and this afternoon’s results with Michael, Rubens and Giancarlo [Fisichella] finishing in first, second and eighth was a reflection of that. But we still have another five races to go and there are points to be won for all our teams and drivers so we
intend to keep up the momentum. Our development won’t stop.”

Ross Brawn – Technical Director – Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
“To get a result like that is fantastic. I just kept remembering last year when the drivers struggled so this was a great tribute to all our partners. We had a problem with the fuel rig, which we need to investigate, but the guys handled it well. Apart from that, today’s race was perfect. The car was very quick and the Bridgestone tyres fantastic. The turnaround compared to a year ago has been a real pleasure.”