Monaco: Jenson in the post race press conference

By Phil Huff (23/05/2004)
May 23 2004

Jenson's getting used to this. Another race, another podium, another post-race press conference. Here's the transcript of what Jenson had to say.

Q: Jenson, what a race from your point of view.

Yeah. Off the line I didn’t get a very good start and I lost out to Alonso, and then it was really tough. The traffic was so tough, the back markers, but in the last stint, when I was behind Jarno, I know that you can’t overtake here, but I had to give everything I possibly could and maybe push him into a mistake. I know he wasn’t pushing 100 per cent but you’ve got to try. I had the possibility of hitting the guardrail, but I want to win so much, so I was pushing as hard as I possibly could.

Q: We saw a lot of incidents in this race; one of the major ones of course was Michael Schumacher hitting the guardrail in the tunnel. Did you see any of that?

No, because I had already had my pit stop, so I was seven or eight cars back but it was very strange. It’s slippery in the tunnel anyway. We normally go through there at 160 mph and you have so much downforce that you don’t have a problem with the slippery asphalt, but when you’re going that slowly it is very very slippery.

Q: Both you and Jarno had two stops; did the amount of safety car time affect your strategy?

When Alonso hit the barriers in the tunnel, obviously we pitted immediately and I think it was the correct thing to do so. I think if Michael had stayed on circuit I think we would have been ahead when he had made his stop. The team did a fantastic strategy but we couldn’t catch this man.

Q: Jenson, it looked as though you were trying so hard, particularly on the last lap. I think you had a couple of moments on the last lap, didn’t you?

I did, yeah, and I also had a backmarker on the last lap which didn’t help, but you’ve got to push as hard as you possibly can and I was giving 100 percent. Every lap was a qually lap because I wanted to try and catch Jarno to see if I could put him under pressure. It didn’t work, because he was obviously driving very well, he was taking it a little bit easier but you’ve got to try.

Q: Was it very frustrating when Michael overtook you on the pit stops?

It was very frustrating, because I was really struggling with traffic. I was sat behind Da Matta for three and a half laps which was just... I’ve never seen anything like it, I really haven’t. They took a lap to get their blue flags out but he had blue flags for two and a half laps. So no, I’ll be having a word with him afterwards because it’s just not on. It was pathetic.

Q: He was penalised later on anyway...

Oh did he? Good.

Q: Takuma obviously had his big problem; was that conveyed to you? Did you have to take any action?

No, I didn’t ease up at all throughout the race and everything was running smoothly, I didn’t have any problems. The team didn’t actually tell me what actually happened with the car. There was no reason to, really, except to be careful, obviously, where he broke down.

Q: What about the start, how was that?

Terrible. I didn’t feel I could have done anything else. I thought I had made a pretty good start, and then I saw Alonso fly by me and Taku was right behind me, so it was pretty hectic at the first corner but I came out third which wasn’t too bad, and then it was just to try and stay with the two Renaults which I was doing pretty well until I pitted on lap nineteen and they carried on for another four or something.

Q: Jenson, you have been Jarno’s team-mate. Can you tell us something about him from your point of view, perhaps give us some indication of his devotion to his job?

I don’t normally comment on drivers too much but yeah, Jarno was a good team-mate and he was also very quick here. I remember pushing as hard as I could here two years ago and being a few tenths off him, which is difficult really, I didn’t know where the time was. But no, he is quick here and I think he is very devoted. He does a lot of training – that’s what I’ve heard in the press! And obviously he has now proved he is a race winner.

Q: How important is it for Formula One as a sport not just to see a different winner but to have such an exciting race?

It is obviously good for the sport. This is a race that a lot of people watch and it has got to really help the sport to have a different winner. I didn’t know the race was that exciting because I didn’t really see that many people on the same lap as me but, yeah, if the race is exciting then that’s good again. On a circuit that you can’t overtake on, if you can have an exciting race then I think we have all got to look forward to the Nurburgring.

Q: Jenson, as one of the most consistent performers of the year so far, how do you assess your own performance compared to last year?

Oh, I think I have come a long way. Not driving, so much, but putting in a lot more time really with the team. We are a very close team and that has improved over the last year and a half. We are a team on the up, we are still a young team, learning all the time, but I think we are doing pretty well at the moment. Our strategies seem to be working very well and the whole team are performing as they should do. It is just time really, we need more time to be able to improve and get close to the Ferraris, I think. When we go to the Nurburgring they are going to be very strong.

Q: How close do you feel to the win? Can you smell it?

Well, I was pretty close, you know. (Turns to Trulli) I could smell your gearbox actually - it stank through the race! But yeah, I crossed the line and I was happy to be second but you are second and there is one person who finished in front. I wanted a win, but I can take away second and I will be pretty happy and have a good night tonight. And roll on the next race. You know, it’s great to have two second places under my belt and two thirds. The championship is pretty strong for me. It’s very good.

Q: Jenson, do you think you can have a chance to win at the Nurburgring? Is it a track that might be good for your car?

I think our cars work pretty well everywhere and we should have a chance. But the Renaults are going to be really strong and we need to work out why do we lose, or why do I lose, off the line? Why I am not getting a good start? Maybe it’s my reactions, but I don’t think it is. Because if I qualify on pole, for example, I won’t be leading in the race at the first corner, but I am sure we can sort that problem out.

Q: Jenson, what happened today between Montoya and Schumacher recalled a lot what happened to you under the safety car in Italy in 2000. Is Schumacher unpredictable under the safety car or is it a matter of concentration or what?

It’s always difficult behind the safety car. Here it’s worse, as we have mentioned, especially in the tunnel because when you are going through there very fast at 160mph you have got a lot of downforce, but when you are going slow there is no grip there because there is no circuit temperature. But I think it was just unlucky in Monza and it was just an experience more than anything else.

Q: Jenson, is it correct that during the safety car for drivers to push and brake, push and brake, when drivers at the back cannot predict the behaviour?

Well, obviously, you can’t brake suddenly, I don’t think, and then speed off again. I don’t think Michael did do that, but you do need to warm your brakes up a bit as well, so there is a fine line between what looks like brake testing and what is just warming your brakes up.