Transcript of Sunday's press conference
By Greig Murray
July 7 2002
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1. Michael Schumacher - Ferrari
2. Rubens Barrichello - Ferrari
3. Juan Pablo Montoya - Williams
Q: Michael, you looked like you really enjoyed that win - and so did the crowd.
Michael Schumacher: Yes, they haven't had many occasions to enjoy victories with me in my
time at Silverstone. Obviously they do enjoy the few we had.
Q: Obviously a great car and a great drive, but also a very good tyre today.
MS: Yes, it's the package. We know we have a very good car, we know we have very good
tyres, especially for the race, and we have worked for that very hard together with
Bridgestone and the team. But I think today it was purely down to when to put on what
tyres. I have to say thanks to Ross, he did a great job today because I wasn't sure. We
had this drizzling rain and sure, on the lap that we came in there was a lot of water but
it could well have stopped immediately and then we should have stayed out on slicks. I
wasn't sure what sort of decision I should take and I was glad Ross took the decision for
me and he took the right one.
Q: How much were conditions changing lap by lap?
MS: Quite a lot. It was almost dry and then it started raining again. It was very tricky
even then because the intermediates were sort of worn down and they were almost slicks and
then it started raining again and it was very tricky at certain moments.
Q: Rubens, one of your most remarkable races. You went from 21st to second in 19 laps.
Talk us through it.
Rubens Barrichello: Yes, it was quite busy. It's been a fantastic race in terms of a
result because I couldn't wish for more. I selected first gear on the formation lap and
the engine turned itself off. It was a shame because I thought of Barcelona again, not
having the ability to start. But when the car got going, as Michael said, we have a
package and the tyres and everything so it seemed quite good. So I was coming quite
quickly. On the intermediates, I think I pushed a little bit too hard on them and they
were completely gone and I had a spin but I kept the engine running so I had quite a busy
afternoon.
Q: And a nice scrap with Juan at the end.
RB: It's good, because it's quite fair. We can fight forever. It's been quite good. We
enjoyed it.
Q: Juan, it was all going so well while it was dry but once it rained, did you feel that
there was nothing you could do?
Juan Pablo Montoiya: As soon as it started drizzling, it looked like actually a slick tyre
was better in the damp conditions and I was a bit quicker than Michael. As soon as it
dried he would catch me again. He was a lot quicker at the time, you can see on the lap
times, he was about two seconds quicker, his fastest lap, than mine. From then on, I
really couldn't do anything. I came out of the pits with an eight second lead and it took
him two laps. I was pushing really hard trying to do something but it was impossible.
Q: Did you have a slight problem towards the end?
JPM: No, not really. Right before we pitted my tyres seemed to hold out better than the
Bridgestones. I think Michelin have done a lot of development on them and at least they
are a bit more competitive. Rubens slipped through. I started to catch him a bit and as we
went into Bridge, I looked at the other fast corners and thought he was going to lift a
bit, and he left it wide open. I came out of the corner and I was ahead of him. It was
pretty good. But then the tyres seemed to go off. I think it's a lot better than before,
it's a big step forward but I think we still have to do quite a lot of work.
Q: Is your confidence sky-high going to Magny-Cours?
MS: Yes, naturally with the car we have, the package that we have we are feeling
comfortable but then Magny-Cours is a very particular circuit where tyres, as we have
seen, can play the opposite effect and what we have seen so far is more like a Canadian
Grand Prix. Things will be a bit more tight, especially if we have very hot conditions,
which we should expect there. So I'm looking forward to a very tight race where still we
have the opportunity and chance to win it, but wait and see. First we have to do it.
Q: Michael, you seemed quite anxious at the start, why were you so worried?
MS: No. We were just discussing a couple of little issues I noticed during the outing and
I checked with my engineers whether any fine-tuning was necessary and that's it. These
discussions are obviously serious. I just dislike it when cameramen stay very close with
their microphones and try to listen to what we say. It's not fair.
Q: You seemed so delighted at the end, almost as if this was one of the best wins ever.
MS: Yes, I am, because it is a very special race today for the circumstances, the
conditions and so on. Number 60, and as you've mentioned a couple of times Silverstone
hasn't seen so many victories for me and in terms of the championship, it's obviously
ideal to finish again like that.
Q: Were you expecting it to rain?
MS: No, none of us were expecting it to rain. It was pretty unpredictable here.
Q: You had a problem with the balance of the car yesterday. Were you happier with it
today?
MS: The car was handling good and well. In terms of real competition, I don't know. I
probably should say that we were obviously faster than Juan, but I couldn't find a way by
at the time. We sort of struggled whenever it got a bit wet because he seemed to have a
little bit more of a problem whenever the circuit was dry, the tyres were starting to
give, but they seemed to come back when it was getting wet. Whenever it started drizzling,
with our dry tyres, I really got in trouble and he was able to pull away. So there was
never a consistent moment to really find out how competitive, how good the balance
actually was. In the end, it was just bringing it home.
Q: Your intermediates seemed to be fantastic in all kinds of conditions...
MS: Yeah, but that's something we have worked very hard on. We knew, we saw that already
on Friday. We were about a good second faster than many others, so it wasn't a surprise
honestly.
Q: Rubens, what sort of frame of mind were you in when you were sitting at the back of the
grid?
RB: S***! Seriously, at that time, you have to be calm, be very calm, because you know
that you have the car and you have every way of getting past people and at that moment you
just wait and you want to get some points. But obviously I saw the car working well and I
kept my attitude together. I was lucky not to crash with people, because the difference in
terms of speed with some of our competitors is great, so it was difficult to keep the
temper and say hold on and do it at the right time. But obviously everything worked fine.
The tyres were working fantastically. It was just that spin, because I think I pushed a
little bit too hard obviously, because I was catching up Michael, I thought I should give
it a go to the last moment. Obviously the rear tyres on the intermediates...I was in
difficulty and when I touched the kerb they spun me around.
Q: Then you had that battle with Juan Pablo.
RB: It seems that they had a little bit more speed than us when the track was not wet but
when there were some wet patches and they were on slicks, so I came out of Club, I had
already lost a lot of time to him, but I wasn't expecting him to really go for it because
Bridge was still damp. But when I saw him, I was more surprised than anything. I tried to
get a run on him at the exit but I couldn't. Then, when everything settled down after
three or four laps and the track was a little more dry, then the performance was there and
I just had to go for it.
Q: And he gave you enough space, did he?
RB: Well, I think we respect each other quite a lot. We have fun outside, we have fun
inside, so it's quite good.
Q: Juan Pablo, I don't suppose you enjoyed it, going back to third.
JPM: I was really, being realistic, look at the warm-up, look at the race times, they are
nearly two seconds quicker than me. I don't know. I haven't even looked, but it is
probably around two seconds, their fastest lap compared with mine. So not a great deal you
can do, you have got to try to defend yourself as hard as you can and in the dry we were
doing quite well at the beginning but as soon as it rained we changed tyres and they just
went. The tyre wear seemed to hold on really well in the dry, but we still had a second,
one or two seconds on Rubens right before the pit stop. So we tried to get ahead of him
and I did push as hard as I could, got ahead of him, but then I came out of the pits and
the first few laps it was good, then their tyres seemed to hold on a lot more than ours
and, better traction, he just drove by.
Q: And obviously you were losing about a second a lap to him in the closing stages.
JPM: At the end, after we passed Ralf, he was already pulling probably half a second and I
said there is nothing you can do really. So I decided to call the team to just back off
the shifting to save the engine a bit for the end and we just short shifted all the way to
the end. They told me Ralf was trying to catch Fisichella I think it was and I told them,
you know, to let him by so that is why I backed off on the straight.
Q: Were you on wets or intermediates?
JPM: Wets, I think.
Q: Do you think intermediates, in retrospect, would have been a better idea?
JPM: No. I don't think so. I think the tyre we picked was the best tyre we could put on
the car. It is the best tyre we have found at the moment in any of the conditions and it
is getting better, but it is not there yet.
Q: Is there a certain amount of relief because you have got some points?
JPM: Yeah, it's good l got on the podium again. Yesterday's qualifying was a bit of a
surprise for everybody including myself, I didn't really mind actually, but, you know, I
couldn't hope for anything more.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: Michael, had you planned to have a two-stop strategy in the dry?
MS: Yes
Q: Rubens, was the problem before the formation lap a similar one to the one in Barcelona?
RB: I don't think so. In actual fact I still don't know because I asked Ross but the car
has to come back for them to collect all the data so I couldn't see what actually
happened, but it is definitely not the same as Barcelona.
Q: Juan Pablo, you only stopped twice and Ferrari stopped three times. Were you on a one
stop and they were on a two stop or did it just work out that way because of the
conditions?
JPM: I think it worked out really well because when Ralf came in they had a problem with
the rig and they told me I was about to pit and we were both probably going to put on the
same tyres and we were discussing what tyre to put on and we had a problem with the rig
and then suddenly it started drizzling and I said just stayed out and then it drizzled and
went dry, and it was quite good fun.
Q: Ferrari made all the choices at the right time and so did you. But the other Michelin
drivers were struggling with their choice of tyres in the changing weather conditions. Did
you get that impression?
JPM: If you look at the top six the only guy on Michelins is myself. The next Michelin is
Ralf, and that is P8. It is not easy, you know. The team has done a big step forward this
weekend with the new aero package and to finish 15 seconds behind it is not that bad now.
We have made a big step forward, I think we still need to be there to get a bit more in
every single way. I think we have got a really good engine, the chassis works well but we
need a little bit more downforce. I think the biggest issue at the moment is the tyres.
Q: Michael, has it crossed your mind you can win the championship at the next round?
MS: Can I? I don't know. I haven't calculated my points yet.
Q: You are 54 ahead and if you win the next one you will be 64 ahead with six races to go.
MS: That's possible. If I am now 54 ahead and I win...
Q: But it hasn't crossed your mind. You are not thinking about the championship...
JPM: He doesn't really have to think about it. He's got it in his pocket already.
MS: Thank you. Wait and see.
Q: Have you given no thought to the fact that yours, possibly, could be the fastest
championship in history?
MS: If it happens, fine. But it matters much more to have the fifth championship and to
have maybe another victory.
Q: Michael, you seem to have a lot of friends out there in the stands. Do you ever get
that impression in England, that you have this huge following here?
MS: We are pretty much aware of this. Ferrari in particular, together with me obviously,
driving, we have always had a lot of reception here in England. It is nice to be here and
to do well for them because I haven't had a lot of Ferrari victories (here) in the recent
years.
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