| FORMULA ONE RACING |
October 28, 2002
Source: Yahoo Sports
LONDON - Ferrari's world champion Michael Schumacher has warned his Formula One rivals not to expect rule changes to slow him down in grand prix qualifying next season.
"I especially find the change to the qualifying format rather positive because I can set a fast lap time straight away," Schumacher's spokeswoman Sabine Kehm quoted the five-times champion as saying on Tuesday.
Qualifying will take place over two days, with each driver given a single flying lap on their own in each hour-long session, officials announced on Monday.
Friday's times will not count towards the grid but will dictate the starting order for Saturday's decisive session, with the fastest running last.
The German, resting at home after setting a string of records and dominating the 2002 season with 11 wins in 17 races, expressed approval of the rule changes announced by the governing FIA's Formula One commission on Monday.
He said that the changes, which included awarding points to the top eight race finishers rather than just the first six and also halving the gap between first and second place, were "globally okay."
Italian Giancarlo Fisichella, who drives for Jordan, also supported the qualifying changes as did compatriot Jarno Trulli at Renault.
"I experienced something similar when I drove for Alfa Romeo in international Touring Cars," said Fisichella of the one lap shoot-out. "It's a worthwhile idea."
Fisichella told the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper that he also welcomed the changes in scoring.
"If, as happened this year, the three leading teams don't have any problems then we must fight for seventh place and it's right that whoever finishes there should be rewarded," said the Roman.
Trulli, who serves with Schumacher as one of three driver representatives to the governing FIA, said he had hoped more laps would be allowed in Friday's session but agreed it would improve the show for spectators.
"It's also right to reduce the gap between first and second," he said. "Four points was too much."
However former grand prix regular Mark Blundell raised doubts about the merits of the new system, having experienced it in CART in the 1990s.
"Single car qualifying is a good, guaranteed spectacle for the paying public and it sure sets your pulse racing when you go out at the banked Fontana speedway in California for example to do your single lap in front of 100,000 people," he told Britain's Guardian newspaper.
"But I'm not sure this is the way to go for Formula One. It takes away the technique of having to pick your chances in traffic and it will be a really bum deal for a driver if the weather changes during the session."
Schumacher regretted the decision by teams to axe the Belgian Grand Prix from the calendar as a result of local legislation banning tobacco advertising.
"I find it naturally sad that Spa is no longer on the calendar because the track is associated with many fond memories," said Schumacher who made his debut at the Ardennes track in 1991 and has won there six times in all.
While his brother Ralf at Williams has said he will not miss Spa, Fisichella and Trulli disagreed.
"It's a real shame to have lost it because it was one of the most beautiful circuits," Trulli told the Gazzetta.
F1 steps away from radical reform
October 28, 2002
Source: Yahoo Sports
LONDON - Formula One officials have announced two more drivers will get points in every grand prix and a shake-up in qualifying among changes designed to spice up the sport next season after a year of Ferrari domination.
Team orders, when a driver is instructed to let a team mate past, will be prohibited from 2003.
The International Automobile Federation's (FIA) Formula One Commission considered several proposals, including a weight handicapping system for dominant drivers, on Monday but stepped away from radical reforms.
"The ballast (issue) was thrown out," said FIA chief Max Mosley. "People thought it was better to find a solution without putting people under pressure.
"We all felt we would like to see Schumacher or whoever trying to win the championship as best he could without extra difficulty. We hope the new qualifying system will shake it up."
The axing of the Belgian Grand Prix in a row over tobacco advertising was confirmed, but the race might be re-introduced in 2004.
The top eight drivers will be awarded points in grands prix next season compared with six at present. There will be two qualifying sessions compared to the current one, with one qualifying lap for each car and cars to run one at a time.
Team orders have triggered controversy for many seasons. World champion Michael Schumacher benefited this year when Ferrari team mate Rubens Barrichello let him past to win the Austrian race in May.
"It'll be surprising if we don't see close racing next season but close racing depends on the leading teams all doing a good job not just one and they are determined to do that," said FIA president Max Mosley.
"Next season is going to be interesting," said Ferrari team boss Jean Todt.
Falling television audiences after a season of Ferrari domination -- they won 15 of 17 races, Michael Schumacher won the world championship and his team mate Rubens Barrichello was runner-up -- caused much soul-searching within the sport.
"It's the best compromise that could be achieved because we didn't change Formula One for added weight," said former world champion Niki Lauda, now Jaguar's team boss.
"The team orders are gone which is the most important thing."
At present there is one hour of qualifying on a Saturday at grands prix. Fans complain that drivers do not drive flat out on the Friday and many cars stay in the pits for much of the Saturday qualifying with little excitement on the track.
Next season there will be qualifying on Friday and Saturday, with the fastest driver on Friday racing last on Saturday.
Formula One has agreed to phase out all sponsorship by tobacco companies in 2006 in line with a global embargo favoured by the World Health Organisation.
Belgium has not followed the example of several European countries which have offered a special dispensation from domestic legislation limiting tobacco advertising to motor racing until 2006.
"Other countries adapted and Belgium did not," Lauda said.
"Some countries allow tobacco and this is the problem (for Belgium). The decision was that we need tobacco because in the world economy today we need to keep every sponsor and not frighten them away.
"It's very important to have advertising on cars - this is the principle of Formula 1, you need any sponsor."
Five Formula One teams including world champions Ferrari have tobacco sponsorship. Spa has hosted 36 Belgian Grands Prix.
Mosley said the race could be re-introduced in 2004 if Belgium introduced an exemption from legislation.
In a last-gasp rescue attempt, two Belgian senators said they planned to introduce a bill to the upper house of parliament this week aimed at postponing the date when the country's anti-tobacco law comes into effect.
Their original bid to protect Belgium's grand prix failed in July when Green and Christian Democrat senators rejected a bill that would have lifted the ban on cigarette advertising for Spa's annual race.
"The aim (of the bill) is simply to postpone the application of the law until September 30, 2003," French-speaking Liberal Senator Philippe Monfils said in a statement, citing the economic benefits of the race for the Spa region.
"If this bill was approved, next year's grand prix would be saved, giving us the time to examine a definitive solution," Monfils said.
Formula One Commission Decision
The FIA Formula One Commission met in London today (October 28th, 2002) and decided on the following regulation changes:
Qualifying
- There will be two qualifying sessions - Friday and Saturday, both 13.00 - 14.00;
- qualifying to be one (only) flying lap for each car, cars to run one at a time;
- running order on Friday to follow Championship (previous year at first race), with
Championship leader going out first, 2nd in Championship running second, and so on;
- running order on Saturday will be determined by the Friday times (which do not
count for the grid), so that the fastest on Friday runs last on Saturday, the second
fastest second last, and so on.
Practice schedule
This will remain Friday: 11.00 to 12.00 and Saturday: 09.00 to 09.45 and 10.15 to 11.00 (with qualifying from 13.00 to 14.00 both days, as above).
Testing
Provided that by 15 December, at least three teams undertake to the FIA not to run more than 10 car-days of private testing between 1 March and 1 November, the teams which have given this undertaking will be able to test at each Event from 09.00 to 11.00 on Friday and may use their spare car and their test driver during this period.
World Championship points
From 2003 points will be awarded down to 8th place on the scale 10:8:6:5:4:3:2:1 (previously to 6th place on the scale 10:6:4:3:2:1).
Team orders
Team orders which interfere with the race result are prohibited.
The 2003 Belgian Grand Prix
In the absence of unanimous agreement by the teams to run at the 2003 Belgian Grand Prix without tobacco advertising, this event has been removed from the World Championship calendar.
Tyres Each team will be allowed to use two different dry tyres at each Event, (previously each tyre company could supply only the same two dry tyres to each of its teams). Teams will continue to be limited to 10 sets of dry tyres per Event. Only one type of wet tyre to be used per Event.
Ecclestone to sign Shanghai F1 deal on Monday
October 19, 2002
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone will sign a deal on Monday to hold a Grand Prix in Shanghai from 2004 to 2010, an official with the company building the new China circuit said. "Ecclestone will arrive on Sunday and the deal will be signed on Monday," the official, who declined to be named, said without elaborating.
Shanghai, China's richest city and bustling financial hub, has begun work on a 5.45-km (3.39 mile) race track and hopes to host a Grand Prix event in 2004 once it is complete.
The Chinese company said in July it had an agreement in principle with the Formula One administration to stage races in the city during that six-year period.
China hopes the two billion yuan ($241.7 million) circuit -- designed by German racetrack engineer Hermann Tilke, who was also responsible for a new track in Malaysia, the sport's latest newcomer -- will attract more attention to the high-speed sport.
City officials also hope a Shanghai Grand Prix would join a series of high-profile events the country has been named to host. Shanghai held an Asia-Pacific summit last year and Beijing will host the 2008 Olympics as well as this year's ATP Tennis Masters.
The Shanghai circuit, designed to look like the Chinese character 'shang', meaning 'to rise', is scheduled for completion in March 2004. It will hold 200,000 spectators and also include a theme park.
At present, the Formula One season comprises 17 grand prix, 11 of them in Europe. Malaysia was the most recent addition in 1999 and a new circuit outside Moscow is scheduled to be completed in 2003.
Arrows reach out-of-court settlement
October 15, 2002
LONDON - Arrows have reached an out-of-court settlement with Britain's Inland Revenue to avoid a return to London's High Court, the team have said.
The case, involving the Arrows Autosport company, one of several run by Arrows Formula One team principal Tom Walkinshaw, was due to be heard on Wednesday.
But a team spokeswoman confirmed that the matter has now been settled.
The troubled team's future, however, is still under threat three months after financial problems became public knowledge at this year's British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July, when engine suppliers Cosworth demanded payment before the race.
Arrows did not compete in six of the last seven races of the season, which finished with the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday, citing force majeure as they had been advised to do nothing that could jeopardise a sale of the team.
They were last present at the Belgian Grand Prix in August, when they left the circuit after just one day under instructions from their lawyers.
Arrows said in a statement at the time that they were in the process of selling the team to an American investor.
A source close to the team said on Monday there was still hope and added: "The employees are at home waiting for their instructions and there are a large number of people working hard to sort things out."
Arrows appeared in court in Leeds last month to face a winding up order from several of their creditors, including German driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who left the team in August.
That case, different to the one which was due to take place on Wednesday, was adjourned and moved to London. The team spokeswoman could not confirm when it will next be heard.
Minardi engine suppliers Asiatech bid farewell
October 13
SUZUKA, Japan - Minardi's enigmatic engine suppliers Asiatech has announced its Formula One farewell. The publicity-shy company entered the sport in 2000 by supplying engines free to Arrows after taking over Peugeot's Formula One staff and facilities following the French carmaker's decision to quit.
Minardi also had a free supply this year.
Backed principally by Japanese businessman Hideo Morita, Asiatech had talked of building a chassis of their own and linking up with a manufacturer.
But a statement issued at Suzuka said that "problems with its previously firmly guaranteed funding have prevented it from moving on to this second phase of the programme.
"It has been a tremendous source of satisfaction, as well as challenge, to compete in Formula One," the statement added.
"Our relationship with the Minardi team has been excellent and we wish them all the best for next season."
Minardi's own future is uncertain after a season that has already seen Prost, Peugeot's former partners, go to the wall and Arrows seemingly destined to follow them.
Minardi boss Paul Stoddart, who has a Cosworth engine supply lined up but not yet announced, warned on Saturday that he might quit Formula One if four other teams pursued legal action to recover money paid to the team earlier in the year.
Grand Prix of Japan Final Results
P. No Driver Team - Engine Tyres Time Ave / Stops 1. 1 M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari B 1h26'59"698 212.645 Km/h 2 2. 2 BARRICHELLO Ferrari B + 0'00"506 212.624 Km/h 2 3. 4 RAIKKONEN McLaren Mercedes M + 0'23"292 211.700 Km/h 2 4. 6 MONTOYA Williams BMW M + 0'36"275 211.177 Km/h 2 5. 10 SATO Jordan Honda B + 1'22"694 209.328 Km/h 2 6. 15 BUTTON Renault M 1 lap(s) 2 7. 7 HEIDFELD Sauber Petronas B 1 lap(s) 2 8. 24 SALO Toyota M 1 lap(s) 2 9. 16 IRVINE Jaguar Cosworth M 1 lap(s) 2 10. 23 WEBBER Minardi Asiatech M 2 lap(s) 2 11. 5 R.SCHUMACHER Williams BMW M 5 lap(s) 2 12. 17 DE LA ROSA Jaguar Cosworth M 14 lap(s) 2 13. 9 FISICHELLA Jordan Honda B 16 lap(s) 2 14. 14 TRULLI Renault M 21 lap(s) 1 15. 11 VILLENEUVE BAR Honda B 26 lap(s) 1 16. 22 YOONG Minardi Asiatech M 39 lap(s) 0 17. 12 PANIS BAR Honda B 45 lap(s) 3 18. 3 COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes M 46 lap(s) 1 19. 8 MASSA Sauber Petronas B 50 lap(s) 0
October 13
SUZUKA, Japan - World champion Michael Schumacher has led a Ferrari one-two in the Japanese Grand Prix to wrap up a record-breaking season for the dominant team in Formula One.
Already the first driver to win 10 races in one year, the five times champion took his final tally to 11 as Ferrari equalled McLaren's 1988 record of 15 in a season.
The German's 64th career win, one of many records in his collection, was an untroubled passage from pole to podium ahead of Brazilian team mate Rubens Barrichello.
Ferrari, accused of turning the sport into "Formula Yawn" in a crushing year accompanied by dwindling television viewing figures, secured their fourth successive constructors' title in August.
"I'd rather be criticised for being dominant than being too slow," said Schumacher after celebrating with his mechanics and team members.
"It's hard to find words to describe this season, but the results speak for themselves."
Barrichello crossed the line 0.506 behind Schumacher, anchoring Ferrari's fifth successive one-two and ninth of the season, ahead of McLaren's young Finn Kimi Raikkonen and the Williams of Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya.
Takuma Sato, the only Japanese driver in the race, received a winner's ovation from a delirious home crowd after he finished fifth in a Jordan for the first points of his grand prix career.
Briton Jenson Button was sixth in his last race for Renault before joining British American Racing.
Sato's fine result rescued a race low on thrills, his obvious delight and the roars from the 155,000 strong crowd leaving no doubt who was their man of the moment.
It also allowed Honda-powered Jordan to finish sixth in the final standings, leapfrogging ahead of Jaguar and BAR with nine points.
He was the first Japanese driver to score points in Formula One since Shinji Nakano for Prost in 1997.
"Today I think has been a special day in a few ways," said Schumacher. "We have achieved what we have achieved plus the Japanese fans have basically had two wins -- Ferrari winning the grand prix and Sato taking his first points in his home grand prix.
"So I guess they had a good grand prix and got very excited."
Team boss Eddie Jordan, for whom the extra two points represented a significant sum of extra revenue, embraced Sato afterwards and enthused about the rookie who has had a difficult debut this year.
"He drove a perfect race and showed the talent I've been telling everyone about," he said.
Schumacher's win completed an extraordinary year on the podium for the champion, who secured his record-equalling title in France in July with six races to spare and ends with an unprecedented final tally of 144 points.
"A dream finale to a dream season. We could not ask for more," said Ferrari sporting director Jean Todt.
The champion made a great start from pole and never looked back as the Ferraris sped away from their rivals, lapping all but three cars by the finish and giving tyremaker Bridgestone a perfect 100th grand prix present.
McLaren's David Coulthard ran third before retiring with a throttle problem on the seventh lap while Schumacher's brother Ralf pulled over an engine failure four laps from the end while in third place on his 100th start.
Barrichello, a winner four times this season, never challenged Schumacher for the lead and was overall runner-up with 77 points. Montoya clinched third place with 50.
"It's been a good season and the only regret I have is that I could not get any race victories," said Montoya, who did manage to match Schumacher's seven poles.
Schumacher has now finished on the podium in 19 successive races, scoring points in his last 22, both records in Formula One.
He has not retired from a race since July 2001 and Sunday's win completed a hat-trick in Japan after his wins in 2000 and 2001.
There was disappointment for Toyota's British driver Allan McNish, who was ruled out before the start on medical grounds after a big crash in Saturday's qualifying.
Finland's Mika Salo, McNish's team mate, completed his last race before retirement in eighth place.
"It wasn't the most exciting of races, to be honest," said Salo. "All in all, the race was nothing special."
2002 Japanese Grand Prix
POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE - 13 OCTOBER 2002 1. Michael SCHUMACHER (FERRARI), 1h26m59.698s 2. Rubens BARRICHELLO (FERRARI), 1h27m00.205s (+ 0.506s) 3. Kimi RAIKKONEN (McLAREN), 1h27m22.990s (+ 23.292s)
TV UNILATERALS
Q: Michael, you have increased your record to 11 wins in a season and 144 points and the records keep tumbling in. It has been an incredible year for you hasn't it?
Michael SCHUMACHER:
Yes it has to be said, that is true. I don't think it is necessary to say more than that the result speak for themselves and it is fantastic -- and what has been most fantastic is that we have not been for one race. We have finished all the races and not only that, but all on the podium and that shows the quality of job the mechanics have done. It is unbelievable what they have achieved. Today has been exceptional in two ways because we have what we have done and the Japanese fans have two winners -- with me winning the Grand Prix and Sato taking his first points in his home Grand Prix so I guess the fans had a good grand prix and they were very excited.Q: Suzuka is a circuit where you always go well, but today you opened up a gap of 2.3 seconds after a scalding start and it was job done wasn't it?
MS: Well that's the major part, yes. Yes, if you get a good start, and you get a gap, and you can plan your race, you can put everything in order to have the pit-stops at the right time. That was the only plan, honestly, because once you are out in front it is difficult to be overtaken. I have been all weekend very fast and I was not surprised that we could pull out the gap to the others, in all honesty, and the only thing you can say is 'be happy and look forward to a nice winter time and be relaxed and strong and ready for next year'.
Q: Rubens, you also made a good start and kept those McLarens behind you and then ran a clean race and you and Michael are now the most successful partnership in Formula One.
Rubens BARRICHELLO: Yes, of course, I am very happy about that for myself and for Ferrari and being part of such a family, with such a car, it is incredible. I had a good start, but the car bottomed out too much in the first few laps and I struggled a bit. I had to be careful and Michael opened up quite a big gap to begin with and it was difficult to cope with that in a way, but as we have had such a great season, and I have two wins from the last three races, it is just a great achievement for me.
Q: This was Bridgestone's 100th Grand Prix and victory on their home circuit must have been pretty special for them today?
RB: It is, yes, and we have been together these past three or four days and it has been a wonderful season for them. They work very hard for us and we for them and it has paid off. It's a strong relationship and it is going to be even stronger next year so we are happy for them and they are happy too. To win like this for them is fantastic.
Q: Kimi, did you change your race plan after losing fourth place at the start?
Kimi RAIKKONEN: Maybe yes a little bit because I was stuck behind him (Ralf) before the pit stop and I was a bit quicker, but he ran longer than me and I was able to pull away.
Q: What happened at the end when you seemed to have some problems and then sped up again just before Ralf pulled out from third place?
KR: Yes, we had some problem and I don't know what it was and I had to slow down on the back straight and then when I came into the chicane and slowed down everything was normal again. Ralf then had some kind of problem with the engine or something and I was a bit lucky. But if I am lucky once a year then it is not a bad thing.
Q: How much holiday are you going to allow yourself Michael?
MS: From our point of view, it is a little bit easier because we have done our job and we can relax until the engineers come back with a new car. We are normally back testing in January and maybe we will have some reasons to go and use the three-week opportunity to go testing in November-December and we will find out if it is necessary. As said before, I'd also like to compliment Bridgestone for a superb tyre for a very special result. It was their 70th win in 100 Grands Prix and together with us and it is a superb achievement by them and I am very happy for them on their home ground. Another word I would like to say to Ross who hasn't been able to be with us this weekend. It is the first race he has missed in all his time (with us) and I think he is disappointed not to share this moment with us, but we know that you think about us and we think about you and we hope you get well soon and we look forward to seeing you in good health.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Michael, are there times that you don't really believe this year has happened?
MS: No. I don't believe it's anything to do with luck. It's hard work. Our guys do get the car as reliable as they can, and what I do in the car on the other side, so I don't think really it's because of luck. In a way, it is unbelievable that it can happen. None of us would ever have expected that we would be so successful. But that's the way it is, we celebrate it, we know it will basically be impossible to repeat because I'm more than confident that unfortunately our opponents will get stronger so the situation will get tighter naturally.
Q: Does that worry you, or is that just a further challenge?
MS: It is a challenge, in all honesty, because I still feel that with what we have and what we are going to have we will still be able to fight for wins and still be a runner in the championship. Whether we win it or not is another matter, obviously, but as long as that's the case, I don't think it's really necessary to be as dominant as we are. As long as we can win races, then that's fine too.
Q: They always say that winning is like a drug, you just want more of it. When you haven't got any more of it...
MS: Well, yes, that's true. That's why I still believe that we will be able to do so, maybe not so consistently any more.
Q: What about today? The car seemed absolutely perfect.
MS: Yeah, no problem whatsoever. Bridgestone brought a fantastic tyre here which lasted and kept together very well. It was spot on. No, it has been a superb weekend. All through the weekend with the exception of the second free session on Friday it has been straightforward.
Q: Were you ever worried about the Michelin runners today with the warmer temperatures?
MS: Put it this way, it is a new tyre and we haven't been able to do a long run in these conditions so it is always an unknown. You come to a new circuit, you don't have the 100 per cent experience but we were confident it would be OK.
Q: And how was 'virtual' Ross today?
MS: Well, we know he's around and watching us. He's like Big Brother and being informed of everything. I think it has been a great job by the guys who have stepped into his shoes. It's not an easy position to fill as successfully as he has been and things we have celebrated together, but as there was no real complication today, it gave some comfort to the guys.
Q: Did he talk at all in the race, or at the end of the race?
MS: No, he didn't come on the radio. That's a bit difficult to organise. In Europe it's a bit easier but here it's a bit more difficult.
Q: Michael, just give us an idea of what happens over the next couple of weeks, now? I believe you're in Misano next week; are you still doing the final World Kart race?
MS: No, unfortunately some events have been organised in between since then so I won't be able to do this, so I think it's Misano, then a couple of events which are not really public events that I have to do, and that's it.
Q: Misano, the big celebration!
MS: Misano is going to be another big celebration, yes, but one tonight first.
Q: Rubens, well done today as well. What about Michael's start and that first lap?
RB: I had a good jump but I lost out a little bit to Michael but then when I went into the first few corners my car was really bottoming a little bit too much, and I didn't want to spin on the first few laps, so I saw him going away and then I was taking care of the tyres as well. I was putting the fight off to a little bit later, but it wasn't the case as much as it was in the US. He had a little quicker pace over the laps, and he pulled out the gap slowly more and more so when the pit stops started it was difficult to be in that one or two second lead area. It was five to six seconds, and then after the first pit stop, the tyres were doing alright but I had to come in a little bit earlier because the balance wasn't so great, so the fight was really like that. There was no way I could have gone in first place today.
Q: Was the balance the only problem today?
RB: Yeah, the car felt good all the way through, in comparison to our competitors. We may have gone a little wrong on the set-up for the race. The guess was a little different than the way the final version came about, but the car was still very competitive, the tyres were doing a fantastic job. It was just a case of when I saw that I couldn't get Michael, to keep up the pace, keep up the concentration and try to be as fast as I could.
Q: Kimi, when you had that problem on lap 48, you must have really been worrying, given the bad luck you've this year.
KR: Yes, it was a little bit funny when your car suddenly slows down and you don't really know what's going on, but luckily it recovered automatically. Just when I slowed down in the chicane, everything went normal and it was OK.
Q: Were you beginning to think 'oh no, not again?'
KR: Maybe a little bit. I don't really know what was the problem, and it was good that it fixed itself.
Q: After David had had his problem, did they come on the radio and give you different limits?
KR: No, no, I don't even know what happened to David, just that he slowed down, that's all.
Q: Any other problems during the race?
KR: No, not really. I didn't get the best start and Ralf got in front of me and then before the first pit stop I was a bit quicker than him but then he ran longer before his pit stop and pulled away a little bit more. Then I had a moment at the exit of a corner and ran a little bit wide but that was all.
Q: At the start, it seemed that you caught up David and then had to back off, which let Ralf come around you?
KR: Yeah, a little bit, but Ralf had already come up alongside me and then I went inside, but had to back off because David was there and then Ralf came around the outside.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: Question to Michael, some people criticised you because you were so dominant. Did you think that was a fair?
MS: In all honesty, I would rather be criticised for being dominant than being too slow. Sometimes you have to take some criticism.
Q: Last year you told us you didn't think you had had a dominant season; would you accept that you had this year?
MS: Maybe. Yes.
Q: How long are you going to carry on doing this? You've got just about every record; do you get tired of this at all?
MS: No, because - I can only repeat myself - it's not the driving that is my motivation, it's simply the love of the sport that is the drive for what I'm doing and I'm still hungry for more.
Q: Michael, when you retire, who has the best chance to be the next number one?
MS: You know I don't know when the next young generation is coming, who it will be, because it will be quite a while that I will be around.
Q: Michael, why do you think you have fewer poles than last year?
MS: I think last year we had a specific car which worked fantastically well in qualifying. Sometimes it was a little bit more difficult in the race. This year maybe we orientated a little bit more for the race. In the end, that's a little bit more important.
Q: Are Ferrari going to run this car at the start of next year?
MS: No, the plan is to have a new car for the first race next year. Honestly, if we don't achieve this, if we feel that we're not reliable and we're not ready, then we have a good machine that we could start the season with, but that's not the plan.
Q: Michael, how are important have the tyres been in this dominant season?
MS: They are very important and you have seen races - like in Australia - where we have been flying ahead of everyone and then we came to Malaysia and it was almost the other way around, only because of the tyres. Nothing else was changed physically and that shows how important tyres are.
Q: Are you going on vacation; in which country would you like to go?
MS: Maybe Japan. I don't know yet. Put it this way, I don't want to discuss my plans for the winter.
2002 Japanese Grand Prix
13-10-2002
RACE FACTS AND INCIDENTS
Before the start of the race Allan McNish is told that he will not be allowed to start because of worries about the bruises on his knees following his huge qualifying accident on Saturday. Jacques Villeneuve switches to the BAR spare car. Giancarlo Fisichella has an engine problem during the recognition laps and has to go to the spare Jordan, which is set-up for Takuma Sato and has a less powerful engine than his race car.
* Lap 1: At the start of the race the frontrunners all get away well and the order as they go into the first corner is Michael Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello, David Coulthard, Ralf Schumacher, who gets ahead of Kimi Raikkonen, Juan Pablo Montoya, Takuma Sato and Jarno Trulli, the Italian up from 11th on the grid. He is followed by Jenson Button. The big losers are Fisichella who drops from eighth on the grid to 11th and Villeneuve who falls from ninth to 14th after an off in the course of the lap. At the end of the first lap Schumacher is 2.2 seconds ahead of Barrichello.
* Lap 2: Villeneuve overtakes Felipe Massa to move up to 13th place.
* Lap 4: At the front Michael Schumacher increases his lead to 3.5 seconds. Barrichello's lead over Coulthard is 3.1 seconds. Massa gets too close to Villeneuve and loses downforce and goes off at the Degner Curve. The Sauber then bounces over the gravel and Massa is unable to avoid going into the barriers. He is out.
* Lap 5: Panis runs into a problem and drops to the back of the field. He pits with an electrical problem. He later rejoins but retires after another pit stop.
* Lap 7: After five fastest laps in seven laps, Schumacher's lead is up to 4.1 seconds. Coulthard slows and comes into the pits to retire. This promotes Ralf Schumacher to third, Raikkonen to fourth, Montoya to fifth and Sato into sixth.
* Lap 9: Yoong has a spin in the Spoon Curve and falls behind his team mate Mark Webber.
* Lap 15: Trulli is the first runner to pit, dropping from seventh place to 14th. At the back of the field Yoong spins off and retires.
* Lap 16: Button stops and drops from seventh to 14th, mirroring Trulli.
* Lap 18: Schumacher's lead over Barrichello is up to seven seconds while Rubens is 17 seconds ahead of Ralf Schumacher. Mika Salo, in the single Toyota, pits and falls back from ninth place to 14th.
* Lap 19: The pit stops continue as seventh-placed Nick Heidfeld and ninth-placed Villeneuve both pit.
* Lap 20: Michael Schumacher is the first of the frontrunners to stop. Barrichello takes the lead. Also stopping is seventh-placed Fisichella.
* Lap 21: Barrichello stops and falls behind both Ralf Schumacher and Raikkonen. Sato also pits and Eddie Irvine moves to sixth. Pedro de la Rosa also pits.
* Lap 22: Raikkonen and Irvine both pit for the first time. At the tail of the field Webber also pits.
* Lap 24: Ralf Schumacher pits and so the Ferraris go back to first and second places with Montoya third. Ralf Schumacher is fourth with Raikkonen and Trulli completing the top six.
* Lap 25: Montoya is the last man to pit. He drops from third to fifth and the order stabilises with the only major change from the first stint being that both Jordans have dropped places: Sato falling back from sixth to eighth and Fisichella dropping from 10th to 11th behind Salo.
* Lap 28: Villeneuve, who is running 12th, retires with a blown engine.
* Lap 32: The second pit stops begin with Button stopping.
* Lap 33: Trulli pulls off with a mechanical failure and so Sato moves back to sixth position with Heidfeld seventh, Salo eighth and Fisichella ninth. The top 10 is completed by Button, but he is a lap behind.
* Lap 38: As Michael Schumacher comes in for his second stop, Fisichella goes out with a blown engine.
* Lap 40: De la Rosa retires with a mechanical problem.
* Lap 41: Montoya is the last man to pit for the second time and the order is set again. Michael Schumacher leads Barrichello by 10 seconds, Ralf Schumacher is third with Raikkonen fourth, Montoya fifth and Sato sixth. Button is seventh. A lap down are Heidfeld, Salo and Irvine. Webber is the only other runner a further lap behind.
* Lap 49: Ralf Schumacher pulls off with a mechanical problem in the Degner Curve. Raikkonen moves to third, Montoya to fourth, Sato to fifth and Button to sixth. This moves Jordan up to sixth in the Constructors' Championship ahead of BAR and Jaguar Racing.
* Lap 53: Michael Schumacher wins his 11th victory of the year and Barrichello makes it a ninth 1-2 finish for Ferrari. The crowd however celebrates Sato's first points of his F1 career.
GP Japan Friday Free practice
P. No Driver Team - Engine Tyres Time Ave / Laps 1. 4 RAIKKONEN McLaren Mercedes M 1'34"232 222.383 Km/h 34 2. 3 COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes M 1'34"730 + 0'00"498 29 3. 2 BARRICHELLO Ferrari B 1'35"402 + 0'01"170 34 4. 6 MONTOYA Williams BMW M 1'35"742 + 0'01"510 38 5. 5 R.SCHUMACHER Williams BMW M 1'35"995 + 0'01"763 44 6. 1 M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari B 1'36"109 + 0'01"877 19 7. 16 IRVINE Jaguar Cosworth M 1'36"190 + 0'01"958 25 8. 17 DE LA ROSA Jaguar Cosworth M 1'36"490 + 0'02"258 37 9. 14 TRULLI Renault M 1'36"529 + 0'02"297 37 10. 9 FISICHELLA Jordan Honda B 1'36"744 + 0'02"512 37 11. 24 SALO Toyota M 1'36"893 + 0'02"661 43 12. 15 BUTTON Renault M 1'37"014 + 0'02"782 37 13. 10 SATO Jordan Honda B 1'37"196 + 0'02"964 45 14. 25 MCNISH Toyota M 1'37"384 + 0'03"152 43 15. 8 MASSA Sauber Petronas B 1'37"492 + 0'03"260 31 16. 7 HEIDFELD Sauber Petronas B 1'37"781 + 0'03"549 39 17. 12 PANIS BAR Honda B 1'37"927 + 0'03"695 23 18. 23 WEBBER Minardi Asiatech M 1'37"997 + 0'03"765 33 19. 11 VILLENEUVE BAR Honda B 1'38"138 + 0'03"906 11 20. 22 YOONG Minardi Asiatech M 1'39"142 + 0'04"910 30
Formula one chiefs call for change
Source: Yahoo Sports
October 7, 2002
LONDON - Formula One chiefs Max Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone have drawn up a radical action plan, including potentially handicapping Michael Schumacher and Ferrari, to ensure the sport's survival. The Times newspaper has reported that Formula One teams would receive secret dossiers on Monday morning outlining the most far-reaching reform package in more than half a century of grand prix racing.
"We are at a crossroads, there is no doubt about that," International Automobile Federation (FIA) president Mosley told The Times.
"We have to improve the show and reduce the costs if teams and, eventually, the sport are going to survive as we know it now. There is widespread agreement that we need to do something."
The proposals include handicapping by adding a kg of weight to a car for every point once a driver had passed a set number of points ahead of the rest of the field.
Each kg would slow a car down by around three-hundredths of a second.
Formula One sources said the report was fundamentally correct although the FIA said it would be inappropriate to comment on the contents of the dossier.
The weight suggestion drew immediate approval from team boss Eddie Jordan. "I think it is an excellent, proven, guaranteed way of levelling out the field," he told BBC radio.
"One of the reasons that Bernie Ecclestone has headlined the weight penalty is that it is very easy to put in place and manage and have regulations controlling it.
"The teams would never agree to it en masse and so he has to be quite tough and draconian and put in something that he firmly believes will put F1 back to the footing it had."
Ferrari's Schumacher, now a five times champion, won this year's title in record time with six races to spare and has a points lead of 63 points going into the final round of the season in Japan this weekend.
Qualifying would be spread over two days with half-hour sessions on the Friday and Saturday instead of one hour on the Saturday.
Aerodynamics would be set at the start of the season for up to eight races, with one change then allowed to last until the end of the year.
Testing would be cut back to save costs and teams may be limited to one engine per eight races, encouraging reliability and also saving money to help struggling smaller teams.
Mosley, who has been pushing for reform for some time to bring costs down and make the sport more lively at a time when Ferrari have been utterly dominant, said Formula One had to make key decisions.
"There is no doubt that handicapping runs counter to the traditions of Formula One but sometimes you find yourself in a position where you can keep your traditions but no-one cares because they are not watching," he told The Times.
"That is when you have to weigh tradition against change and what it can bring you and the sport."
The paper said Mosley and Ecclestone, who controls the commercial side of the sport, were "prepared for a dogfight" when the package was discussed with teams at a meeting of the FIA's Formula One commission on October 28.
But, with global television viewing figures falling as Ferrari and Schumacher keep on winning, they will warn the teams they have little choice.
"We have radical ideas to make the spectacle more exciting and save costs on a massive scale," said Mosley.
"The problem is that costs have gone up while income has gone down and now television companies will want to pay less because audiences are falling.
"We need to put that right before any more teams go out of business. It is that urgent and that important."
The last four races have been run with just 10 teams as Arrows struggle to survive. The French Prost team went out of business before the start of the season.
Ferrari have won 14 of this year's 16 races.
FORMULA ONE UPDATE
Friday 4 October 2002
COMING EVENT : JAPANESE GRAND PRIX – SUZUKA – 11- 13 OCTOBER 2002
CHARACTER OF EVENT
The Suzuka circuit was originally constructed in 1962 and employed as a test track by Honda for many years as well as staging a large number of minor league race meetings. In 1976 Japan hosted its first World Championship Grand Prix at the Mount Fuji circuit, repeating this fixture in 1977 before the race was dropped from the calendar for a period of ten years. It resurfaced at Suzuka in 1987, by which the circuit near Nagoya had been extensively updated to conform with contemporary safety requirements.
The circuit layout is distinctive and unusual in that it doubles back on itself in a 'figure of eight' configuration. It is also slightly longer than a typical contemporary Grand Prix circuit which means that competing drivers have to concentrate on conserving tyre performance for maximum grip, particularly during qualifying.
Japan's motor racing heritage has been shaped only recently, within the time span of Suzuka's existence. In the early days, the track was used for motorcycle testing as well as evaluating Honda's first 1.5 litre Grand Prix car which made its F1 debut in the 1964 German Grand Prix.
SPECIAL FACTS
The best placed Japanese driver in his home Grand Prix was Aguri Suzuki who took his Lola-Lamborghini to third place in the 1990 race.
The first Japanese driver to race regularly in F1 was Satoru Nakajima who partnered Ayrton Senna in the Lotus-Honda team from the start of 1987.
NEWS FROM THE TEAM
SCUDERIA FERRARI MARLBORO: TEST DRIVERS AT WORK (1st - 205 points)
The team's regular race drivers are on holiday, so the two test drivers have been hard at work this week. Luca Badoer was in Mugello from Tuesday to Thursday and will be at Fiorano today (Friday) and tomorrow. Meanwhile Luciano Burti has been running for three days in an F2001 at Jerez concentrating on tyre evaluation. When testing resumes, Ferrari is planning to run at Jerez, Barcelona and Mugello, with the emphasis on tyres. Ferrari will use the same cars in Japan as at Indianapolis; 222 for Michael, 223 for Barrichello and 219 as the spare. The spare monocoque (224) which was used in Indianapolis, will revert to its original role. Ferrari is hoping to win in Suzuka as a thank-you to its tyre supplier Bridgestone.
BMW WILLIAMSF1 TEAM: TESTING IN SPAIN (2nd - 89 points)
The BMW Williams squad began a four day test at Barcelona on Wednesday in predominantly dry conditions, but with the occasional drizzle.
Marc Gene finished the first day third fastest on 1m18.797s with Antonio Pizzonia next up on 1m18.803s. Gene concentrated on putting more miles on the new type P83 BMW engine while Pizzonia focused on "general set-up for systems and components." On Thursday Pizzonia headed the times on 1m16.960s while Gene did a 1m 17.789s. Speaking about the new engine, Dr Mario Theissen commented; "We are well ahead in our schedule compared with last year."
WEST McLAREN MERCEDES: DEVELOPMENT WORK (3rd - 61 points)
Alexander Wurz and David Coulthard were at Barcelona on Wednesday, assessing chassis modifications on the interim McLaren-Mercedes MP4/17B development car. Wurz posted fastest time on 1m16.352s with Coulthard second on 1m18.453s. Setup work and tyre development for Suzuka was also tackled. On Thursday the two McLarens were second and third fastest on the day, Wurz managing a 1m17.129s and Coulthard a 1m17.143s.
MILD SEVEN RENAULT F1 TEAM: GAVIN AT SILVERSTONE (4th - 22 points)
Oliver Gavin was recruited to test for the Renault squad at Silverstone this week, the British driver carrying out work on general long-term future developments. These included electronics systems, damper development and suspension modifications. During Thursday he also carried out a tyre evaluation programme for Suzuka on behalf of Michelin.Commented technical director Mike Gascoyne; "In spire of several engine problems during the week, Oliver did a very good job, driving consistently and collecting useful information for the last race of the season and beyond. I think he thoroughly enjoyed his test."
SAUBER PETRONAS:THREE DAYS AT MUGELLO (5th - 11 points)
The Sauber-Petronas squad started a three day test at Mugello on Tuesday with Felipe Massa reacquainting himself with the C21 in preparation for Suzuka after missing the United States Grand Prix. Massa covered 72 laps for a best time of 1m25.310s, concentrating on aerodynamic development work. On Wednesday, after a late night for the engineers working on an improved set-up, Massa improved to 1m23.775s after 78 laps, the quickest Sauber time ever recorded at Mugello. On Thursday Heidfeld took over to validate the results from the previous day and managed a 1m24.629s. "The car was stable and well balanced and ran without any problems all day," said Heidfeld. "I am looking forward to Japan next week."
JAGUAR RACING: TESTING AT LOMMEL (6th - 8 points)
The Jaguar F1 team confined itself to aerodynamic straight-line testing at Ford's Lommel test centre in Belgium this week with James Courtenay behind the wheel of an R3. The purpose of the test was to generate aerodynamic data in order to help finalise the design of next year's R4 challenger.
LUCKY STRIKE BAR HONDA: THREE DAYS IN BARCELONA (7th - 7 points)
The BAR team was at Barcelona this week with the main objective of putting more mileage on the latest evolution of the Honda V10 engine in preparation for the Japanese Grand Prix, plus tyre testing, an aerodynamic assessment and a software evaluation.
Anthony Davidson completed 74 laps on the first day with a 1m19.718s fastest lap, while on Wednesday Ryo Fukuda drove the car, making his debut at the Spanish circuit. Davidson completed the three day programme on Thursday despite a small mechanical problem causing him to spin into a barrier later in the day. "We have covered plenty of laps, said Davidson, and both the car and engine proved reliable. A mechanical glitch caused me to spin off and hit the barrier, but I'm fine. I now have a weekend to relax before flying to Japan."
DHL JORDAN HONDA: SATO AT SILVERSTONE (8th - 7 points)
Takuma Sato began a two day Jordan test at Silverstone on Wednesday, the Japanese driver's EJ-12 running reliably all day in cool and overcast conditions and much work was carried out on Suzuka set-up. His best was a 1m22.50s.
KL MINARDI ASIATECH: LOOKING TO THE FUTURE (9th - 2 points)
For the first time in 286 Grands Prix, Giancarlo Minardi did not attend the United States Grand Prix. Instead, he went to Misano to watch a Formule Renault race, looking for young talent. He is also working on a project with a new sponsor while the factory is working flat-out on the 2003 car.
PANASONIC TOYOTA RACING: MORE TESTS FOR INTERIM CAR (10th - 2 points)
While the race team was flying back from the USA, Stephane Sarrazin and Ryan Briscoe started a three day test at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya on Tuesday. Briscoe completed data acquisition programmes on a standard TF102, posting a best time of 1m22.008s, while Sarrazin drove the revised TF102B fitted with the new 2003 Toyota engine and seven-speed transmission, posting a 1m20.784s. On Wednesday Briscoe managed a 1m20.224s while Sarrazin encountered a few problems and only did 20 laps for a 1m20.840s best. On Thursday Sarrazin managed a 1m18.43s. "I am extremely happy with the progress we made today," he said. Briscoe did a 1m18.71s best working on aerodynamic developments and tyre choice for the Japanese Grand Prix.
ORANGE ARROWS (11th - 2 points)
No further news about the team's future plans currently available.
Suspense hovers over Irvine in F1 driver market
Source: Yahoo Sports
October 1, 2002
LONDON - Eddie Irvine, Jaguar and Toyota can still offer suspense and uncertainty in a Formula One championship drained of life by Ferrari and Michael Schumacher.
Several teams left the weekend's U.S. Grand Prix with question marks hanging over their 2003 lineups and the answers may be provided before the season's final race in Japan on October 13.
The future of Irvine, 37 next month and the oldest driver in Formula One, remains a major topic of conversation along with speculation about who will be partnering Frenchman Olivier Panis at Toyota.
The Northern Irishman has for months provoked a guessing game about his plans, but time is now pressing and Jaguar boss Niki Lauda said in Indianapolis last week that a decision would have to be made soon.
Irvine told Britain's Sun newspaper at the weekend he had three options: "At the moment, there are two teams that I could drive for next season, while the other option is retirement.
"I've said all along that unless I can drive for a team that's going to be competitive, I'll find something else to do with my life," said the former Ferrari driver.
Eddie Jordan, whose team is seen as being one of Irvine's options, enlivened the guessing game with a cryptic contribution of his own.
The Irish entrepreneur said he had had "a few chats" with Irvine but nothing more.
Asked whether that meant it looked like a case of either staying at Jaguar or retiring for Irvine, Jordan replied. "That's not what I said.
"Or Jaguar's not an option or Jordan's not an option," he told Reuters. "We play the game. You said to me he has three options. I said I disagree with you, he has two."
Australian Mark Webber, currently with Minardi, is strongly tipped to replace Irvine at Jaguar but other candidates have entered the frame.
There has also been speculation that Pedro de la Rosa's job at Jaguar might be vulnerable, despite the Spaniard having a contract for next year.
Brazilian Antonio Pizzonia, the Williams test driver, impressed in a recent outing with Jaguar in Spain while his compatriot Helio Castroneves could also be an option.
Castroneves has tested for Toyota and told the ESPN.com website that his Indy Racing League (IRL) team boss Roger Penske had been in contact with Jaguar.
"I didn't know anything about it until Roger told me he was talking to them (Jaguar) for me," he said.
"I want to know what's going on and I don't have any offer yet, but if it's serious I'm going to go after this."
Another Brazilian, Cristiano da Matta, has been considered the frontrunner for the Toyota drive but team boss Ove Andersson suggested at the weekend that his ideal candidate would be a younger man.
He said an announcement might be made at Suzuka although it was not certain.
"We tested Da Matta, we tested Helio Castroneves as well," he told Reuters. "I don't know, we will see.
"I would like to have a young gun to go with Olivier (Panis) and I think that would be a good mixture."
Andersson defined his ideal 'young gun' as someone aged around 21 or 22. Da Matta is 29, Castroneves 27.
Pizzonia, 22, fits the bill, however, while compatriot Felipe Massa, who has lost his drive at Sauber for 2003, is only 21.
Belgian Grand Prix on if tobacco adverts out
Source: Yahoo Sports
October 1, 2002
LONDON - The 2003 Belgian Grand Prix will go ahead next August if all teams agree to run without tobacco advertising, motor sport's world governing body has said.
The future of the Spa-Francorchamps race was thrown into doubt because it has not been exempted from domestic anti-tobacco advertising.
Belgium was included in the provisional calendar for 2003 released after Tuesday's International Automobile Federation (FIA) World Council meeting in Paris.
But an FIA statement said the event was "subject to the unanimous agreement of the Formula One teams that this event can be run without tobacco advertising".
Next year's race has been scheduled for August 31. New tobacco advertising laws come into effect on August 1.
The rest of the calendar remains unchanged, including a three-week August break between the German and Hungarian races.
Only a week will separate the European Grand Prix at the Nuerburging (June 29) and the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours.
The FIA also said that amendments to Formula One regulations for 2003 would be finalised by the Formula One Commission on October 28.
2003 FIA Formula One World Championship
Date Country Name of the event 09.03 AUS Grand Prix of Australia (Melbourne) 23.03 MAL Grand Prix of Malaysia (Sepang) 06.04 BR Grand Prix of Brazil (Sao Paolo) 20.04 RSM Grand Prix of San Marino (Imola) 04.05 E Grand Prix of Spain (Barcelona) 18.05 A Grand Prix of Austria (Spielberg) 01.06 MC Grand Prix de Monaco (Monaco) 15.06 CDN Grand Prix du Canada (Montreal) 29.06 D Grand Prix of Europe (Nürburgring) 06.07 F Grand Prix de France (Magny-Cours) 20.07 GB Grand Prix of Great Britain (Silverstone) 03.08 D Grand Prix of Germany (Hockenheim) 24.08 H Grand Prix of Hungary (Budapest) 31.08 B Grand Prix of Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps)* 14.09 I Grand Prix of Italy (Monza) 28.09 USA Grand Prix of USA (Indianapolis) 12.10 J Grand Prix of Japan (Suzuka)* Subject to the unanimous agreement of the Formula One teams that this event can be run without tobacco advertising.
POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE - 29 SEPTEMBER 2002 1. Rubens BARRICHELLO (FERRARI), 1h31m07.934s 2. Michael SCHUMACHER (FERRARI), 1h31m07.945s (+ 0.011s) 3. David COULTHARD (McLAREN), 1h31m15.733s (+ 7.799s)
TV UNILATERALS
Q: What a fantastic finish to the third SAP United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, right on the line. Rubens Barrichello for Ferrari, Michael Schumacher second and David Coulthard third. It's very hard to choreograph a finish like that, .01 of a second. Rubens, was that planned or was it a mistake?
RUBENS BARRICHELLO
: No, I mean it wasn't planned. We never said at the beginning of the race. I guess, we had a lot of fun in the race trying to be as fast as the other, and at the end what can I say? I mean, I just thank Michael very much, and thank the whole team for the support of the whole year. I mean, we did everything now: We're first, we're second, we won the constructors. I guess the crowd was happy for me. It was very important - the USA is such an important part of my life. To win, it was very, very, very good. I got to the last corner, I didn't know what to do and nothing has been said. Michael was just very kind to, you know, let us finish equally. I guess I pointed a little bit in front, but, you know, what can we say? I mean, it's just - I think it's zero-zero now. We're just having a lot of fun together, working together and having the car in front of everyone.Q: It certainly sent the crowd wild. Now, in 2000, you were fourth overall; last year, third overall; and this year, as of today, second overall. Are you looking forward to 2003?
RB: Very much. I'm a happy man inside of the team. We work well together, we work very well together. With both test drivers, we work very well together. And I think we built a fantastic team. I mean it's, yeah, I'm looking forward, but that doesn't mean that it's going to be better or worse. We just have to enjoy life and I'm enjoying very much.
Q: Michael, it sounds as though it was your decision to try to get - was it a dead heat? You wanted to get the ultimate precise bit of driving or did you intend Rubens just to get in front?
MICHAEL SCHUMACHER: Maybe.(Laughter). I mean, we have so many records done this year, I think the race won, what is the closest finish? In all honesty, I think we're just such a great team together, Rubens and myself. We work very hard. We have a fantastic team and we have always supported each other. And today I thought it was a good opportunity to go equal over the line. We tried, we failed by a little bit.
Q: You didn't fail by much. That was the closest ever finish, .01 of a second. You predicted yesterday that it would be a close race here, not just between yourself and Rubens, but also with perhaps McLaren and Williams. It seemed McLaren really raised their game today and got right up with you.
MS: Yeah, that was expected, to be honest. If you see the gap, it's just over about ten seconds - no, even less than ten seconds in the end of the race, which shows that it was a tight race. I think the strategy we used, two stops in the end was supposed to be by about ten seconds faster. But would we have been stuck behind, then our strategy could have been a problem. So, all in all, we did the right thing at the right time, we had the right car and our guys did the right strategy for us.
Q: David when you closed up at half distance, you had yet to come in for your only pit stop but you were right behind the Ferraris. Did you reckon at that stage you might be able to get past them?
DAVID COULTHARD: There was a lot of traffic at that point. You know, it was incredible. I've never seen so many cars that have to be lapped. So I think it helped that the Ferraris were going through the traffic first of all and helped clear a little bit of space for me. The fact that I was already a stop down and realistically it was just a case of not trying to lose too much time and make sure I could keep third place.
Q: You were pressing hard right to the finish with Juan Pablo Montoya closing in on you, but you couldn't afford to back off because I would have thought the knowledge that Kimi Raikkonen's engine had blown, must have made you want to lift your foot just that little bit off the pedal?
DC: In fact, we changed the strategy for the engine and I was driving to protect the engine for the last 20 laps of the race. I think our pace could have been quicker but we weren't going to beat Ferrari and it was just a question of finishing in front of Williams. Just a precaution because of Kimi's problem but, nonetheless, I think we can take a bit of a boost from this weekend because we've taken a little step forward.
Q: Back to you, Rubens. The crowd here has been absolutely fantastic, as you said. Next race, Suzuka in Japan, the crowd there also very excited but rather different.
RB: Well, it's a different place but for the Brazilians I would say it has always been quite good. I mean, Senna was there in Japan. So I have a lot of good Japanese tifosi and it's going to be good to go there and the car working fine. Hopefully we're going to have a very good race for Bridgestone which I guess is the most important right now.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Here they are, ladies and gentlemen, Rubens Barrichello, Michael Schumacher, and David Coulthard. Well, Rubens, that was an interesting one. Quite nice to have that on your plate, isn't it? Quite nice to be handed that one on your plate.
RB: Si.
Q: Now, tell us, I know before the start of the race, a lot of decisions to make, you told me before the start for two hours or something like that. What sort of decisions were made during that time?
RB: Well, in the number of pit stops, the decision to run the T-car or not, because I felt the T-car was a better car this morning. I ended up racing the race car because we were not sure about the brake problem I had on the T-car in the warm-up. Se-tup changes, the weather was getting hotter and hotter. We were still uncertain about the laps we could manage on the tires. But I guess we took the right one. I mean, both cars were running quite well.
Q: You have been playing catch-up since Friday really.
RB: Yeah, yeah. But it is not as bad as other tracks. If I had, for example, lost Friday in Imola or Spa, it would have been a little bit more difficult. I mean, the track here is difficult to set up because you have the choice of going faster on the straights or going fast into the infield. But it was quite straightforward. The car is working perfectly since the beginning of the year. So that helps you making the right choices on setups and things.
Q: The gaps did vary between yourself and Michael. Was that because of traffic or what other reasons?
RB: I was a little bit - I wasn't very happy with the traffic, to be honest, because people seemed to just back off in the middle of the straight thinking that, okay, I'll keep my line, back off in the middle of the straight and then you go by. But you have to, you know, to be a bit sensible in that situation because all of a sudden people stop in front of you and you have a crash. So twice I got the Toyota in front of me, and then there was a time when there was a Minardi blow up in front of me on the lap that I was coming in. So I lost that region of one to two seconds where I had it to be closer. I think I had the car and the pace to be closer to Michael the whole day. But it was just - he was maybe better or a little bit luckier just to get ahead on traffic and stay that two seconds.
Q: Michael, you were the first on the road for all but the last nano-second.
MS: For what?
Q: You never heard of a nano-second, okay. Ask Ross about a nano-second. He'll describe it. It's very small. A tick. What was the traffic like for yourself?
MS: Yeah, I had similar problems, in all honesty. There were a couple of guys that were trying to be nice but in the wrong place. And sometimes it's difficult for the person to judge in front if he backs off, that maybe the guy behind doesn't understand what he's doing and you then get a surprise suddenly because you don't expect anything in the middle of a corner like this. One corner is Turn Three to Turn Four, if you back off right in Turn Three, you don't expect that and you then have not much chance to go somewhere, a couple of issues like that. And a couple of guys, particular I think "Irv The Swerve" staying a little bit long with blue flags in front of us. I think he was the most difficult one today honestly. But otherwise, it's a typical race.
Q: Basically the car was perfect?
MS: Yes, yes. We had to be sort of a little bit careful, especially in the first stint, not to push too hard initially. After we'd done a certain number of laps, then the race was clean and we knew where we were and then everything was easy.
Q: How worried were you by McLaren today?
MS: Obviously, it was tight, but in the moment I was able to get in front of David after the pit stop, I thought of - I knew that we had a good opportunity today to keep this position. But obviously tighter than other races we have seen previously.
Q: Okay, thanks, Michael. David, you said that you felt you had made a step forward this weekend. In any specific area or all areas?
DC: Well, performance mainly.
Q: From the tires, from the engine, from the car?
DC: We had a change to the car which I think, on paper anyway, has made us perform a little bit better here. Obviously, you don't have the opportunity sometimes in a Grand Prix, we can't do it back to back, but, yeah, I think slowly we're making a little bit of progress, and obviously the first goal is to get in front of Williams consistently. We have one more race to see if we can maintain that. But nonetheless, I think we can say that we have made progress and that's encouraging.
Q: Which car did you use today? Because you had a fuel problem this morning, didn't you, fuel leak?
DC: I did the warm-up in the T-car and they fixed the problems. I used the race car. It sounds pretty similar to Rubens in that there's no difference between the cars but you get a little bit more comfortable in whatever one you spend most of your time. And in the end I decided to race the race car even though I hadn't done the warm-up. At first I thought the car was quite tricky to drive. As the fuel burned off, then it became reasonably balanced.
Q: I was going to say you had a pretty heavy fuel load for that, 40-odd laps?
DC: Yeah, I was quite surprised actually how good my start was with that level of fuel. I actually gained on both the cars in front initially, and then it was just obviously once the weight effect really took over, they gained a little bit down into the first corner. So, yeah, it's just a case of trying to keep it on the track and keep pushing right to the stop.
Q: Do you think a two-stop strategy would have made a difference?
DC: Not in my situation today. I think what we did was the right strategy.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: Michael, was it your plan that you win and Rubens finish a very, very close second and then did the plan backfire on you?
MS: There was no plan, in all honesty. There was no plan at all. It was just that I felt he deserves to win this race and the team asked me sort of not to do anything. And then we went side by side and in the end he was the winner. We both didn't know actually who was the winner. He was asking me down the straight, you won, me won? And I didn't know either. So we had to wait until we saw some sort of screen who was.
Q: Michael, did you feel particularly generous today? (Laughter)
MS: You know, I've said before we are such a good team and we understand each other very well. Sometimes you may have to sacrifice, for me, in a couple of races this year. And to a certain degree, what goes around comes around. And maybe this was the day.
^
Q: Yes, for Michael. I'm an American journalist and this is my first Formula One race covering it. Certainly I may not understand the politics of your sport, but could you please help me understand why the American fans who paid a good bit of money to come here, why they should not be resentful or offended that they've seen a sporting event where the outcome has been manipulated?
MS: I don't think, if you look at how close we were, that you can call this a purpose situation. I just felt and we do this very often actually that we run almost side by side together. As I said before, I mean I didn't know who was the winner. And in the end it was Rubens, who in the end I think he deserves the win, because you have to look at one package. I know from your point of view, maybe you see only this one event. We obviously raced 16 races this year together, and I see all the rest in one goal. And maybe I'm sure one or the other person won't agree with what has happened today, but you can't have always everybody to agree to what you do, unfortunately. But I think he deserves it.
Q: I think you're right, Michael. A lot of people won't understand it and won't agree with it. I'm puzzled. Why do it so obviously? You must have been aware that another staged finish is going to draw criticism of Formula One.
MS: As I said to you, there wasn't any plan of that.
Q: But it still happened. You tried at the finish to have a photo finish or something, didn't you?
MS: We tried to be side by side.
RB: We were.
MS: And we were, yeah. (Laughter)
Q: But even that, do you understand what I am getting at, you know, that you were ahead, Rubens was second and suddenly you close up at the end, and then you try and go across the line side by side.
MS: Again, I can only say there wasn't any plan of this. But in the end, for my point of view, I didn't feel particularly happy with what happened in Austria, but from the point of decision we had to make at the time, I understood and we both understood it. And to be honest, with now what has happened, I feel to some degree I equalized this and I feel I can give him back something where he deserved to win. We said we wouldn't do this and we hadn't planned to do this. And it happened, it just happened.
Q: Michael, when you said a few minutes ago that the team had asked you not to do anything, could you clarify whether they meant don't slow down and create a situation like this; or did they ask you not to do anything, meaning don't resist his attempt to pass? Could you clarify when you said they asked you not to do anything?
MS: In all honesty I did ask before whether I could let him by and could let him win the race and they said no. As again, there was no plan of this. So the team didn't basically want this to probably not happen, but has happened now. But I feel it's nice that this happened.
Q: Rubens, if you could just kind of compare and contrast the way you felt after Austria to the way you feel now, I mean, do you have sincere good feelings or do you feel, you know - just compare and contrast those feelings.
RB: I feel quite good, actually. I feel that I had a fantastic race. We were battling and I was pushing really hard after the first pit stop. I was on new tires and I, you know, gave a really hard time to Michael. We were going for it. It isn't that we were planning to stay the way we were. I mean, we were fighting. I pushed every button I could trying to pass him, but it wasn't possible. But we had a good race together. After the second pit stop, the team said just to save a little bit because, you know, we saw so many blow-ups and everything. At the end I wasn't expecting, we were close together, but, like Michael said, I think if you purely think that I won Austria and he won Indy, that's it. There's nothing to complain. (Laughter)
Q: Yeah, Michael, I think everybody understands what you're saying when you say you wanted to pay Rubens back for what he did in Austria, but shouldn't you be trying your hardest to win all the time? Isn't that your job?
MS: You know, I think life is to be honest and to be fair and, that's what I want to be.
Q: Michael, to be all the time on top, to be winning like 14 races and the way you did this year as an individual, it doesn't make you feel sometime that you would like to have more competition from other teams? Don't you have sometimes during the race the sense that you would like to have more to fight to win?
MS: You know, it's difficult for you to understand how much I had to fight to keep this guy behind me today. In racing it's always only one. It's hardly two or three you fight at the same time. Today Rubens was the person to give me a hard run. I wasn't missing anything, no.
Q: Michael, you said recently, "I have a fixation for winning." I'm wondering after this race and Monza, whether you have a fixation for second place?
MS: Well, wait 'til Japan. (Laughter). Try again.
Q: Michael, I'm sure you would like me to change the subject a little bit. What happened on the start? Did you think you might get penalized for reversing into your grid box? And are you looking forward to seeing and talking to Jean and Luca when you finish this press conference? Do you think there will be any - are they going to give you a hard time, you think?
MS: I don't think so concerning what happened at the start. What happened at the start did happen to me some years ago in Austria. I simply saw the Brickyard and I was for one little second confused that the Brickyard is the line and the first position should be there. I went over a little bit and I saw no line anymore. I thought, "Oops." (Laughter) But reversing and going into your position, I don't think it's any problem. So I don't think I'm going to be penalized for this.
Q: The final part of the question was: What do you think Jean's reaction is going to be to your -
MS: Maybe I have to keep my helmet on when I get back. (Laughter)
Q: Michael, I mean we all understand it's not your fault that Ferrari is dominant this season, but it's had a profound effect on the TV ratings and such. For the good of the sport, would you consider going to your management and saying, "Well, next year no team orders at all? Let's just let me and Rubens fight every race any way we can and let the best man win," like it was in '88 with the two McLaren drivers, you know, a similarly dominant situation.
MS: We're wearing the racing overalls and there are certain people who make decisions for what us guys have to do. It's not for us to tell them what will be done. So I think this question is not for me honestly, or not for us.
Q: You have a very powerful opinion within your team.
MS: I think you overestimate my power.
Q: David, you've kind of famously been in a situation where you've been asked to move over in the past. How does a result like today's make you feel and how do you think the general public will look at it?
DC: I'd really like to, what is it, the Fifth Amendment or something you plead out here? (Laughter) You know, I really just don't want - can you let me not answer that one, please? (Laughter)
Q: Rubens, when Michael won here in 2000 and when Mika Hakkinen won here in 2001, they both said it was a very special win. What does it mean to you to win Formula One at Indianapolis?
RB: It is very special. I mean, don't worry - I don't think I will be worrying thinking Michael let me by and this and that. I think it's, as he said, in all honesty, there have been few times when things happen, especially in Austria and, you know, quite clearly Michael wasn't happy. You know, things happen and, as he said, we were told to do something. Today was a payback and it was - I'm completely happy with the situation. Being a South American, it was - it's quite important to me winning in this one here. Michael won the race when we were - when he, you know, conquered the championship, then I won in Austria when we did the constructors, and right now I won the race that put me into second in the championship. So I'm very happy. It's been a race, a good race. It started so badly on Friday's practice with that shunt and it was kind of a catching up the whole time. We had a really good race. You guys, I don't know if you think that we were faking something, but I was flat out and I guess Michael was, too. So I enjoy thoroughly the race the whole time. The only time I saw Michael backing off was two laps to go. So I enjoy the whole thing and I'll be thrilled to have my name on the winners here.
Q: Michael, team orders have been a way of life in F1 since maybe World War II is over. Would you mind - how would you feel if they changed that next year and said, "Okay, from now on we'll just race flat out"?
MS: First of all, I don't think it will change. I was trying to have an adequate comparison to other things in life, which they are simply like this. I mean, in basketball they keep on changing players and here we have maybe team orders for the best interest of the team. And, again, in life you will not always be able to do or satisfy hundred percent of the people. I think you have to take a decision for what is right for your team, for the job you do. I don't want to put this in it, but, as you talk about team orders, and team orders have always been the case. Sometimes you like them, sometimes you dislike them. So do we.
Q: Rubens, talk about how special it is to win with all the support you get from, you know, some of the guys in CART and the IRL that you grew up with that you raced against, Tony Kanaan, Felipe Giaffone and all that. This is kind of a busy social week for you anyway coming up to this race and to be able to cap it off and share the victory with them.
RB: Well, it's, as I said, I enjoy very much coming here. I think the public enjoy very much, because it was completely different to Austria. If you saw - I mean I saw people happy, I saw the big flags in there. Some of my friends are in here, Felipe is here and Gil is here and Helio is here. So it's very important. Helio won twice in here and, obviously, I guess it's still - the 500 is still much more important for Indianapolis than it is Formula One. But I think Formula One made a good impact into Indianapolis and we have a good show. When we are on the parade lap, you know, people are quite enjoying and the flags. So, as I said, I'm really happy to have won it here.
Q: Rubens, were you genuinely surprised when you crossed the finish line and seeing Michael backing off and pulling over on you?
RB: It took me what, three quarters of a lap to understand if I had won or not because I was pointing to him and he was pointing to me. I didn't know if he knew that I won the race or not. I was on the radio but the radio is a bit of confusion, so I didn't know what did happen. So I was a bit surprised, yeah.
Q: David, since the beginning people have been saying Formula One has no home in America. Judging by the crowd's reaction in the last three years, on the grid and afterwards, do you think that Formula One is a success here?
DC: Yeah, I do. I didn't know that people were saying that there's no place for Formula One in America. And I understand that it's not as popular here because it hasn't run here for the time that it has in Europe. So, you know, crowds - I'm told the crowd was less than previous years but it looked pretty big to me and they were very enthusiastic. You know, very similar to the sort of crowds we get in Italy in terms of the passion they have for it. I guess that was mainly the Brazilians and Colombians. But, no, I think it was great.
Q: This is a question for both Michael and Rubens. Michael, you talk about you were looking to get side by side across the line. Which line did you have in mind was the finishing line? Was it the one just in front of your grid slot or the one where Tony George was standing, which is about 15 yards further on? That's for both drivers, please.
MS: Tell me, where is the line actually.
Q: Well, Mark and I can't work it out either, but it was right in front of where we were commentating and there were definitely two lines and I wonder whether that was a problem.
MS: Does the Brickyard have a line?
RB: I have no idea.(Laughter)
Q: Michael, it's obvious that you and Rubens get along very well. Are there drivers - and I am not asking for names - who in a similar situation if you had a three-second lead with a lap to go, you would say, "He can stay three seconds behind, I am going to win by three seconds. There isn't going to be a photo finish"?
MS: I can speak for us, too. I don't know what other drivers and teammates feel at each other. But I think I have seen one or the other maybe reacting differently.
2002 United States Grand Prix
29-09-2002
RACE FACTS AND INCIDENTS
* Lap 1: At the start of the race the front rows of the grid take off without problems and the order in the first corner is Michael Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello and David Coulthard. Ralf Schumacher makes a better start than Juan Pablo Montoya and is fourth with Montoya behind him while Jarno Trulli jumps up from eighth on the grid to be sixth. Kimi Raikkonen is seventh with Jacques Villeneuve eighth, Nick Heidfeld ninth and Giancarlo Fisichella 10th. Further back Olivier Panis makes a particularly bad start and falls from 12th on the grid to 17th at the end of the lap. At the end of the first lap Schumacher is just under a second ahead of Barrichello who is 1.3 seconds ahead of Coulthard.
* Lap 2: Going into the first corner Montoya tries to pass Ralf Schumacher on the outside. He is ahead as they turn in. Ralf spins and knocks Montoya off onto the grass, much to the annoyance of the Williams team. Montoya rejoins without trouble but drops to seventh. Ralf has to pit with a broken rear wing. He rejoins a lap behind. Further back Takuma Sato passes Jenson Button to grab 11th. Mika Salo overtakes Eddie Irvine to take 14th.
* Lap 4: The Ferraris are pulling away from the field with Coulthard three seconds behind. In the midfield Salo passes his Toyota team mate Allan McNish for 13th position.
* Lap 7: The Ferraris continue on their way, the lead over Coulthard having grown to nearly seven seconds. In the midfield Sato lunges past Heinz-Harald Frentzen for 10th place. He then goes off and the two men almost collide as he comes on again. While this is going on Button is able to pass both men.
* Lap 12: Irvine drops behind Panis and Mark Webber.
* Lap 13: Villeneuve passes Raikkonen for fifth place.
* Lap 14: The two Ferraris suddenly speed up and begin setting fastest laps, increasing the gap at the front as they do so.
* Lap 15: Raikkonen's McLaren begins to misfire, the engine having lapsed onto to nine cylinders. Panis overtakes McNish for 14th place.
* Lap 17: Montoya passes Raikkonen for sixth place.
* Lap 19: The Ferraris are trading fastest laps at the front. In the midfield Irvine passes Webber for 16th place.
* Lap 21: As the Ferraris begin to lap the back-markers, Panis is the first man to stop. He falls from 14th to 19th. Further back Pedro de la Rosa passes Alex Yoong for 18th place.
* Lap 25: The first of the frontrunners stop. Villeneuve pits and falls from fifth place to 11th.
* Lap 26: Sato and Salo both stop and drop down the order.
* Lap 27: Michael Schumacher heads for the pits and hands the lead to Barrichello.
* Lap 28: Barrichello pits and the order is re-established with Michael ahead of Rubens. Heidfeld also stops and falls from seventh place to 11th. Further back Sato passes Webber for 14th. Pedro de la Rosa goes out with a transmission failure. The rear of the car catches fire and the marshals rush Pedro from the scene. He jumps over the barrier and falls into a small stream which flows beneath the track at that point.
* Lap 29: Jarno Trulli in fourth place pits and falls back to eighth place.
* Lap 30: Button stops and drops from seventh to 13th. Frentzen also pits and falls from 10th to 15th.
* Lap 31: The order at the front remains the same but at the back Salo overtakes Yoong for 16th.
* Lap 32: Montoya pits and falls from fourth place to sixth, behind Raikkonen and Fisichella.
* Lap 33: Irvine overtakes McNish for 10th.
* Lap 34: Villeneuve passes Trulli for seventh.
* Lap 37: Fisichella, who is on a one-stop strategy, stops and falls back from fifth to ninth. This promotes Montoya to fifth and Villeneuve to sixth.
* Lap 39: Mark Webber, who has been running 14th retires with a powersteering failure.
* Lap 40: Yoong pits for his one scheduled pit stop.
* Lap 41: McNish stops and drops from 12th to 16th.
* Lap 42: Third placed Coulthard stops and drops behind Raikkonen.
* Lap 43: Raikkonen pits and so Coulthard goes back into the third. The gap to the Ferraris goes out to over half a minute although the red cars have to stop again. Irvine stops and falls from 10th to 14th.
* Lap 45: Salo has a moment and drops behind Irvine and Panis.
* Lap 47: The 17th-placed Yoong goes out with an engine failure. Barrichello, who is lapping the Minardi, runs into the oil smoke but it has no major effect.
* Lap 48: The second stops begin as eighth-placed Heidfeld pits. The German drops to 11th.
* Lap 49: Schumacher pits again and so Barrichello goes into the lead. Further back Frentzen and Panis also stop.
* Lap 50: Barrichello pits and so Michael goes ahead again. In the midfield Sato drops from ninth to 12th.
* Lap 51: Villeneuve comes in for his second stop and drops from fifth to sixth. At the same time Raikkonen retires with an engine failure. Salo also stops in the midfield.
* Lap 73: After a very stable period the two Ferraris head for the finish line trying to stage a formation finish. The two cars go side by side across the line. Victory goes to Barrichello by 0.011 seconds. The closest finish recorded was at Monza in 1971 and the 0.010s gap remains the closest ever, although it was recorded with stopwatches which were not capable of measuring such small gaps.
GP USA Final Results
P. No Driver Team - Engine Tyres Time Ave / Stops 1. 2 BARRICHELLO Ferrari B 1h31'07"934 2.760 Km/h 2 2. 1 M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari B + 0'00"011 2.760 Km/h 2 3. 3 COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes M + 0'07"799 2.756 Km/h 1 4. 6 MONTOYA Williams BMW M + 0'09"911 2.755 Km/h 1 5. 14 TRULLI Renault M + 0'56"847 2.732 Km/h 1 6. 11 VILLENEUVE BAR Honda B + 0'58"211 2.731 Km/h 2 7. 9 FISICHELLA Jordan Honda B 1 lap(s) 1 8. 15 BUTTON Renault M 1 lap(s) 1 9. 7 HEIDFELD Sauber Petronas B 1 lap(s) 2 10. 16 IRVINE Jaguar Cosworth M 1 lap(s) 1 11. 10 SATO Jordan Honda B 1 lap(s) 2 12. 12 PANIS BAR Honda B 1 lap(s) 2 13. 8 FRENTZEN Sauber Petronas B 2 lap(s) 2 14. 24 SALO Toyota M 2 lap(s) 2 15. 25 MCNISH Toyota M 2 lap(s) 1 16. 5 R.SCHUMACHER Williams BMW M 2 lap(s) 2 DNF 17. 4 RAIKKONEN McLaren Mercedes M 23 lap(s) 1 18. 22 YOONG Minardi Asiatech M 27 lap(s) 1 19. 23 WEBBER Minardi Asiatech M 35 lap(s) 1 20. 17 DE LA ROSA Jaguar Cosworth M 46 lap(s) 0
2002 United States Grand Prix
POLE POSITION PRESS CONFERENCE - 28 SEPTEMBER 2002 1. Michael SCHUMACHER (FERRARI), 1m10.790s 2. Rubens BARRICHELLO (FERRARI), 1m11.058s (+ 0.268s) 3. David COULTHARD (McLAREN), 1m11.413s (+ 0.623s)
Q
: It was an amazing experience with all the flags out there. But before the session, they all seemed to be for Montoya, then suddenly they're all Ferrari again.MICHAEL SCHUMACHER: Well, I think they're with the person who puts the best effort, and today that was us and that's why the crowd cheers us. Obviously, Ferrari is a little bit known in America, too, and we have a lot of supporters here. And it's a fantastic feeling to be out here and get the roar of the crowd. I mean the atmosphere here is very special.
Q: Now, you gave us a bit of a surprise at the beginning, aborted that first flying lap. What was that problem there?
MICHAEL SCHUMACHER: It's not so quick in the grass to continue running and that's why I aborted it.
Q: I'll take your word for it. Thank you, Michael. Rubens, a good strong second position today. Did that exceed your expectations or was that just how you thought you might be after the untimed this morning?
RUBENS BARRICHELLO: Obviously, after yesterday I was playing a little bit of catching up. I think it's been quite difficult out there today because the balance seems to be different from run to run and we tried to adjust ourselves but it was a bit difficult. But at the end of the day, I think we have our car first and second, and that's quite important.
Q: They built up a whole new chassis for you overnight. That's good for the car, but how are you? Did they have to build a new Rubens?
RB: No, no, I'm feeling fine. The impact, I was very lucky I hit a good angle on the wall, because otherwise I could have hurt myself. But I'm feeling perfect.
Q: Glad to hear it. David, you left that very, very fine, your final flying lap pipping Juan Pablo Montoya by .001 of a second. Great result.
DAVID COULTHARD: Yeah, obviously the best qualifying I've had since Monaco, so I'm very happy with that. It's quite difficult to get a consistent lap here because of the nature of the track. I knew there was a quicker time in the car and it was just a question of trying to keep it all together. I actually lost a tenth in that last sector, so it made it closer than it otherwise might have been.
Q: Is it correct that between the untimed session and then qualifying, you had to have an engine change?
DC: Yeah, I had a hydraulic problem this morning, so as a precaution we changed engines. So the guys did a good job obviously to get the car out and gave us the opportunity to qualify in the second row.
Q: Thank you very much, David. Michael, back to you. Tomorrow the race. For a few races it seemed you have been trying to help Rubens get second place in the championship. But tomorrow, if you win the race, then that guarantees it for Rubens, runner-up. Are we going to see the gloves off?
MICHAEL SCHUMACHER: Basically we have a free situation. And as Jean mentioned in one of the press conferences, as you said, first of all, I have to win it. Rubens will make that very difficult for me, and so will the other guys. But if I have the opportunity, I can do so and that means automatically second position is secured for him. But it's going to be an entertaining afternoon tomorrow.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Here they are, ladies and gentlemen, the first three for tomorrow's SAP United States Grand Prix here at Indianapolis. Michael, you've been on top, dominated the practice, even though sometimes you've done very few laps on occasions. One could almost expect you to be actually with a greater margin, but still enough, isn't it?
MICHAEL SCHUMACHER: Honestly, we have seen big margins on the Friday and Saturday mornings and we still have been losing out in qualifying. I think it was Silverstone, for example, and, therefore, it's always a surprise what is actually going to happen in qualifying, although you seem to be up front for the free practice sessions. But today was a good one for us. I mean, although I had to back off for yellow flags in the second sector, I still managed to do basically my best lap time. I didn't manage to have the best sector in that lap time, but still it was good enough, and that's obviously ideal.
Q: Just clarify what you said a moment ago about the first run, why you aborted the first run.
MS: I went wide in the first corner. I locked up a little bit the front inside wheel and couldn't make the corner.
Q: That's when you went on the grass?
MS: Yeah.
Q: Then at the end when you went out again, was the track slower? I mean Rubens was saying it's changing all the time, was the track actually slower at the end?
MS: I mean maybe the wind is changing. It's possible. I mean everybody seemed to struggle to really do the lap time again or get faster. Some have done, some have not done. It's difficult to say. I did, in my last lap I did basically the same time as I had done before, within a few hundredths or thousandths. I don't know.
Q: There's no specific reason anyway.
MS: No, I mean maybe it is the wind. I mean, the wind was gusting a little bit. Depending where you are in what part of the circuit, it was good or bad for you.
Q: What about tomorrow, that first corner? We've seen quite a few people go off at the first corner. Obviously, it's very difficult, very precise to have to brake from such a high speed for such a slow corner. Tell us about the difficulties encountered there.
MS: I think it's much easier than what we have seen in Monza because Monza is much tighter and a lot higher speed you arrive with and so on. I don't expect a big problem there, plus you have a very wide area you can use if you, for whatever reason, have to escape a problem in front of you. So I don't expect a big problem there.
Q: Rubens, you mentioned just now playing a certain amount of catch-up. Is that really the case? Obviously you lost the whole of yesterday. How are the race preparations?
RB: Well, obviously I didn't have any run yesterday. The car, I just found out this morning how it was. Obviously it's a good car, it doesn't need a hell of a lot to be going fast. But when you get to a certain point, it's quite difficult, especially this track to be able to fine tune here and there. That's where I found the four runs I had, it was, you know, I improve it, you know, sector one and then go worse in sector two. I never really could put all the sectors together.
But, you know, looking for what has happened yesterday and the certain laps that I did today, I'm fairly happy and quite a bit excited for tomorrow because it's a good position. We both can have good races and it's fairly good.
Q: Just to clarify, the car presumably feels exactly the same as you would expect? Just because it's a spare chassis, no difference?
RB: No, no, the car is exactly the same as yesterday. They changed the chassis and the car is as good as - not that the other one would have done better, no. It's just a thing - I think the track and the wind, like Michael was saying, changed a little bit, but the car is as good as the other one.
Q: You were talking just now about understeer and oversteer, you're getting a bit different from lap to lap, is it going to be more stable in the race? Is it normally more stable in the race?
RB: Qualifying, you have new tires and you go for it. That's the best time you can find the car good. But normally our car seems to react quite well to the changes for the races and it's definitely a good and stable car for the race. I mean we have to see how's the weather tomorrow, how's the wind and everything. It's a tricky track because it's, you know, you have such a long straight and a very tight part of the circuit. So it's a bit of a gamble on set-ups.
Q: David, that was a pleasant surprise at the end for us all. Was it a surprise for you?
DC: Well, I knew from the morning session that it was going to be very close; and this circuit, like Brazil, has the sort of closest spread of qualifying lap times typically. So, as Rubens mentioned, it's difficult to get all your sectors together. I believe I could go quicker and, in fact, I lost a tenth in that last sector just by getting a little bit late on the power in the last corner. So, no, you know, it's nice to qualify third. Obviously, that's the best I've had in quite a bit so far this season. And normally our race performance has been reasonably strong as well. So I'm feeling good for tomorrow.
Q: McLaren won here last year. Do you expect to be equally challenging?
DC: Anything can happen in the races, you know. Qualifying has been more set this year and the race has shown up different performances, depending on how the tires are working. Obviously, it really depends on what the Michelin-Bridgestone split is like.
Q: Do you feel it's pretty good so far?
DC: The qualifying position would indicate that it's not too bad. Obviously, there's still quite a gap to Ferrari. It's quite a short lap here. And if they're able to maintain that pace in race trim, then obviously you don't have a chance. As I mentioned before, the way the tires perform in the race has been different in some of the circuits, so we may have a good opportunity.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: Michael, two years ago this was a new circuit for everybody in Formula One. Now that this is going to be the third race here, are you guys beginning to feel like it's second nature when you run here or do you develop a rhythm and have a better feel for the course?
MS: Yeah, you certainly do. I mean, you know what you have to do with the car. You know what to expect for sort of race distance, as you have the experience. So it does help.
Q: Michael, if you could change one thing in the design of the circuit, what would you change?
MS: Probably the very tight bit. It's not so famous for us.
Q: David, I gather there was a bit of discussion at the drivers' meeting yesterday concerning the pit lane entry. May I ask you how it got sorted out?
DC: The pit lane has been moved, I think, by 30 meters later, which I personally think is better. I haven't had the chance to ask the other drivers but it means you brake more in a straight line, where yesterday you were on the turn.
Q: Michael, there was a story in one of the newspapers that while you were in Texas you were considering maybe taking a few fun laps around the stock car track down there. Can you tell us what happened?
MS: I think I told this story already before. Basically, it was not now, it was during the Canadian Grand Prix or before. And having a holiday down in Texas, we made a motorcycle tour and we hit the Speedway. So we went inside to have a look and there was this opportunity to buy a ticket and go around for a ride or be driven. And we asked whether we could go as well and how much it was costing and how long it would take. Unfortunately, we had to wait four or five hours before we were able to get the ride, and we didn't want to ruin the day for waiting four or five hours just to go with the car. That was the story. But the good thing was nobody recognised me and I was completely alone and watched the cars a little bit and have a view from a different point of position.
Q: You would have been quite happy to be driven around the circuit by this person?
MS: I wanted to find out whether I could - I mean you had the opportunity to be driven around or to buy a ticket to drive yourself, to take a lesson. (Laughter). Obviously, I was interested in this one.
Q: It might happen another day.
MS: You never know.
Q: Two questions. Anybody surprised that Montoya is not on this podium? And second of all to David: Would Michael still be the favourite even if he were in the back of the field tomorrow? If we started him at the rear, would he still be the favourite?
DC: A bit of a bizarre question. (Laughter) No.
MS: I'm not surprised he's not sitting in the middle today, but obviously if we look at the qualifying performance over the year, it was a little bit more difficult usually for the two McLarens to out-qualify the Williams. So naturally you don't expect it from the beginning. But obviously they've done a good job.
Q: Rubens, you had a really good car in last year's race and you ran up front until something happened. If you should bring it home tomorrow, talk about the accomplishment of winning here. And if you do win, does that mean you have to have dinner at Tony Kanaan's house? (Laughter)
RB: Obviously, I think it would have a good impact. I mean, as I said, I love to come here, so it would be a great win. But, you know, it has nothing to do with last year and we're just starting all over again. But for sure I wouldn't leave the cup in Tony's house, I would take it to my place.
Q: What do you think of the reports that Dan Gurney and Phil Hill are attempting to put together an American Grand Prix team? How good would that be for the sport of Formula One to have a U.S. team in it?
MS: Who? I didn't understand.
Q: Dan Gurney and Phil Hill have announced that they are attempting to organise a U.S. team for Formula One next year. Apparently Cosworth may provide the engines. The question is: How good would it be for Formula One racing to have an all-American team in it, particularly if they could find American drivers?
MS: I think it would be good. I mean, as big a nationality spread you have is better for this for the coverage of Formula One. And America being such a big country and we have a race here, it would be great.
DC: Only thing I was going to say is say budget and seat belts and wings, because they didn't have them back in their day, did they? (Laughter)
Q: Michael, could you talk just briefly about the competition with your brother over the years? Did it start when you were young? And what did you think when he made it to Formula One?
MS: I mean, it probably started - he started competing with me the day he was born. (Laughter) He always wanted to stay longer awake than me and all this typically young brother issues. And he hasn't stopped doing that. (Laughter) Him being in Formula One is no surprise, to be honest, due to his efforts he has been doing. And him doing well as well is for me not a surprise either.
2002 United States Grand Prix
SATURDAY 28/9/02 - FREE PRACTICE AND QUALIFYING
WEATHER CONDITIONS: SUNNY AND WARM: TEMPERATURE: TRACK 30 DEG/AIR 24 DEG
2001 POLE POSITION: Michael SCHUMACHER (FERRARI), 1m11.708ss.
2001 RACE FASTEST LAP: Juan Pablo MONTOYA (WILLIAMS), 1m14.448s.
Michael Schumacher took his third straight US Grand Prix pole position here this afternoon, his sixth pole of the current season and the 49th of his career. David Coulthard's McLaren-Mercedes pipped Juan Montoya's Williams-BMW for third fastest time on the final lap of the session.
SCUDERIA FERRARI MARLBORO (1st M. Schumacher/2nd Barrichello)
Technical: New car (chassis 222) rebuilt overnight for Barrichello after his accident yesterday.
Sporting: Schumacher reckoned he could have been even quicker had he not caught a yellow flag for Yoong's abandoned Minardi. He said that both drivers are free to race tomorrow and, if either one of them wins, Barrichello clinches second place in the championship.
Quotes: Barrichello: "The mechanics did a very good job rebuilding the car but fine turning the set-up proved very difficult."
WEST McLAREN MERCEDES (3rd Coulthard/6th Raikkonen)
Technical: Fresh engine installed in Coulthard's MP4/17 after an hydraulic problem this morning.
Sporting: Coulthard pipped Montoya for third place on his final run, believing he could have been even quicker had he not been late on the throttle out of the final corner. Raikkonen used the spare car after damaging his race chassis against a tyre barrier during the morning session, slightly damaging its front suspension.
Quotes: Coulthard: "The gap to Ferrari is still too big on what is quite a short circuit."
BMW WILLIAMSF1 TEAM (4th Montoya/5th R. Schumacher)
Technical: No technical changes to the cars for today.
Sporting: Disappointing session for both drivers who were struggling for balance. Montoya admitted to pushing too hard in the second sector while Schumacher had too much understeer but reckoned the tyres would be OK for the race.
Quotes: Montoya: "We just couldn't get a good balance all day and that was it. Tomorrow we'll try and beat McLaren. I don't think we have the speed to beat Ferrari."
LUCKY STRIKE BAR HONDA (7th Villeneuve/12th Panis)
Technical: No technical changes to the cars for today.
Sporting: Villeneuve had a good session after a gearbox problem which cost him 20minutes during the morning had been rectified. Panis started well, but suffered from worsening oversteer, was blocked by Coulthard on his third run and then spun on the fourth.
Quotes: Villeneuve: "The car was really pretty good and the tyres worked well."
MILD SEVEN RENAULT F1 TEAM (8th Trulli/14th Button)
Technical: No technical changes to the cars for today.
Sporting: Trulli quite content, admitting that he did not expect either this lap time or this grid position. Confident that the race set-up is good. Button complaining about inconsistent handling balance, yawing from understeer to oversteer.
Quotes: Button: "The handling balance changed as the track temperature rose which was very frustrating."
DHL JORDAN HONDA (9th Fisichella/15th Sato)
Technical: No technical changes to the cars for today.
Sporting: Fisichella did not manage to get the best out of his car while Sato was playing catch-up after going off yesterday and then suffering an engine failure on his first lap this morning.
Quotes: Gary Anderson: "The car is quicker than the times show and, while we're a bit disappointed with our grid position, we're not unhappy as you can overtake on this track."
SAUBER PETRONAS (10th Heidfeld/11th Frentzen)
Technical: No technical changes to the cars for today.
Sporting: Heidfeld reported that the car was not as good as it had been this morning. Initially had a lot of problems, locking brakes and then spinning. Made some more chassis set-up changes and car improved on the last run. Frentzen quite content with his progress, although surprised to have oversteer after understeering during free practice.
Quotes: Frentzen: "I think we did a pretty reasonable job today of getting the best out of both cars."
JAGUAR RACING (13th Irvine/17th de la Rosa)
Technical: No technical changes to the cars for today.
Sporting: As the track temperature rose, so the R3's grip seemed to deteriorate. Irvine went off the road on his first run while de la Rosa made the mistake of switching to Eddie's set-up and admitted he should have stayed with his own.
Quotes: De la Rosa: "I just couldn't handle Eddie's set-up this afternoon."
PANASONIC TOYOTA RACING (16th McNish/19th Salo)
Technical: No technical changes to the cars for today.
Sporting: McNish improved the handling balance of his car during the morning only to struggle with understeer throughout qualifying. Salo also totally lost grip in qualifying and had a wheel speed sensor fail on his final run.
Quotes: Salo: "We will have to reduce downforce tomorrow to give us the chance of overtake on the straight."
KL MINARDI ASIATECH (18th Webber/20th Yoong)
Technical: No technical changes to the cars for today.
Sporting: Webber had a clutch problem during the morning but reported the handling balance was not to bad in the afternoon. Yoong crashed, then took the T-car but could not improve his time.
Quotes: Webber: "For the race it will not be easy to overtake because we are not that quick in a straight line."
Schumacher leads Ferrari front-row sweep
Source: Yahoo Sports
Saturday, September 28, 2002
INDIANAPOLIS - World champion Michael Schumacher led a Ferrari front-row sweep to secure pole position for Sunday's U.S. Formula One Grand Prix.
It was Schumacher's sixth pole of the season and he remains the only Formula One driver to take the position in three races at The Brickyard since the championship returned to America in 2000.
The German, winner at Indianapolis in 2000, is also perfectly placed to secure his 11th win in 16 races and Ferrari's 14th.
The time of one minute 10.790 seconds was the fastest lap yet produced by a Formula One driver on the Indianapolis circuit and 0.268 quicker than Brazilian team mate Rubens Barrichello.
Schumacher said he would have a free fight with Barrichello in the race after a season dominated by 'team orders' controversy.
"Basically we have a free situation...if I have the opportunity to win, I can do so," he said.
"Obviously I have to win it, because Rubens will be trying to win and so will the other guys. It's going to be an entertaining afternoon."
McLaren's David Coulthard was third fastest ahead of Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, the former CART champion hoping to become the first driver to win the U.S. Grand Prix and the Indy 500 at Indianapolis.
"It's nice to qualify third, its the best I've had in quite a bit," said Coulthard of his best showing since Monaco in May. "Anything can happen in the races."
Ralf Schumacher, Montoya's team mate in the second Williams, and Kimi Raikkonen in a McLaren, filled the third row for the penultimate round of the season.
Barrichello's performance reinforced Ferrari's supremacy, the Brazilian running strongly despite failing to complete any fast laps in Friday's practice after ramming the concrete retaining wall at around 300 kph.
Barrichello had a new chassis for qualifying as a precaution after the crash caused by a suddenly deflating rear tyre.
There was disappointment for Ford-owned Jaguar, after strong performances in practice, with Briton Eddie Irvine only 13th fastest and Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa 17th.
Germany's Heinz-Harald Frentzen, standing in for Brazilian Felipe Massa in a car designed for far smaller drivers, qualified 11th for Sauber, just behind team mate Nick Heidfeld in 10th.
GP USA Results Qualifying session
P. No Driver Team - Engine Tyres Time Ave / Laps 1. 1 M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari B 1'10"790 213.183 Km/h 11 2. 2 BARRICHELLO Ferrari B 1'11"058 + 0'00"268 12 3. 3 COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes M 1'11"413 + 0'00"623 12 4. 6 MONTOYA Williams BMW M 1'11"414 + 0'00"624 11 5. 5 R.SCHUMACHER Williams BMW M 1'11"587 + 0'00"797 12 6. 4 RAIKKONEN McLaren Mercedes M 1'11"633 + 0'00"843 12 7. 11 VILLENEUVE BAR Honda B 1'11"738 + 0'00"948 12 8. 14 TRULLI Renault M 1'11"888 + 0'01"098 12 9. 9 FISICHELLA Jordan Honda B 1'11"902 + 0'01"112 12 10. 7 HEIDFELD Sauber Petronas B 1'11"953 + 0'01"163 11 11. 8 FRENTZEN Sauber Petronas B 1'12"083 + 0'01"293 12 12. 12 PANIS BAR Honda B 1'12"161 + 0'01"371 9 13. 16 IRVINE Jaguar Cosworth M 1'12"282 + 0'01"492 10 14. 15 BUTTON Renault M 1'12"401 + 0'01"611 12 15. 10 SATO Jordan Honda B 1'12"647 + 0'01"857 12 16. 25 MCNISH Toyota M 1'12"723 + 0'01"933 11 17. 17 DE LA ROSA Jaguar Cosworth M 1'12"739 + 0'01"949 12 18. 23 WEBBER Minardi Asiatech M 1'13"128 + 0'02"338 12 19. 24 SALO Toyota M 1'13"213 + 0'02"423 11 20. 22 YOONG Minardi Asiatech M 1'13"809 + 0'03"019 5 107% time : 1'15"745
2002 United States Grand Prix
FRIDAY PRESS CONFERENCE - 27 SEPTEMBER 2002 DRIVERS: Michael SCHUMACHER (FERRARI), Ralf SCHUMACHER (WILLIAMS) and Jacques VILLENEUVE (BAR) TEAM PRINCIPALS: Ron DENNIS (McLAREN), Jean Todt (FERRARI) and Frank WILLIAMS (WILLIAMS)
Q: Ladies and gentlemen, the press conference is about to start. On the ground floor, if you're still in the pressroom - Ron Dennis will be with us in just a few minutes. Back row, left to right, just in case you don't know who is whom: Ralf Schumacher, Michael Schumacher, and Jacques Villeneuve. Front row, left to right: Frank Williams, Jean Todt.
Jacques, perhaps I can begin with you. What are your feelings always coming back here to Indianapolis? It's part of your tradition in a way.
JACQUES VILLENEUVE:
Great memories here. The racing on the oval in the Indy 500 was very, very special. Being here in an F1 is definitely not the same, the same feeling. But it's nice to be here, nice to be in the States for a race.Q: You get a welcome, don't you?
JV: Yeah, the welcome is good. The fans are great. It's not as crazy as in Europe, which in a way is a nice thing. But it's the end of the season, so the weather is not as nice as early in the year. It's a little bit grey. But it's nice. The people that are coming are real race fans. It's A racing fan base, Indy. So that's good.
Q: We've heard a certain amount, we heard from a press point of view, we heard from Geoff Willis at the last race who said he was really going to tighten things up in a big way at BAR. What are your feelings about the improvements planned?
JV: Great. I think next year we'll finally have a Formula One car and that is a very nice thing.
Q: Where were the areas that you particularly wanted to see tightened up?
JV: You can't pinpoint it. It's the overall thing. You know, we have a big heavy car and then that's not up to Formula One standards. Honda has been stepping up, also, and we're starting to see the effect of it. Mainly it will be next year so I'm very confident for next year.
Q: Michael, I think you like USA a great deal, what about the circuit here?
MICHAEL SCHUMACHER: I think we have talked a lot of times about the circuit. It's a circuit with a big name because of the oval and what the Indy cars are doing here. And we have a compromised circuit on the same package, which is not a big challenge, for example, like we have in Suzuka or Spa. But if you see what has been possible to do, they have done a good job.
Q: Yesterday you spoke about a free battle here in that -
MS: Free or three?
Q: I think you said free battle during the race for the race.
MS: Yeah.
Q: Can you explain what you meant by that?
MS: Basically it was obvious that we wanted to drive in a way that Rubens secured his second position and he supported me in winning the championship as much as he could, so it was natural that I would support him in his achievement. I believe, if my calculation is right, if I would win this race, then it would automatically mean for him a second, which means that - maybe Jean can say more about this - we can race free.
Q: But you haven't yet been told that you can?
MS: Maybe Jean can clearly say that.
Q: We'll ask later. Thank you very much.
Ralf, you've been having quite a few battles at the first corner with your teammate lately and we saw the last one, the latest episode at Monza. What's been happening there? Is there a greater rivalry than ever?
RALF SCHUMACHER: No, it's just racing. I mean, there was a possibility and I was trying to take it as usual. I mean nothing, nothing special about it, is there?
Q: It looked as though it was quite hot stuff. There wasn't much quarter given, much allowance made.
RS: Well, that's Formula One racing at the end of the day. I don't know, I'm surprised. Usually I would be pointed out not to overtake people. So maybe that's why. But, you know, I try my best and if there's a chance, as I usually say, and I see the chance, I take it as I took there. It was very optimistic there. Because of the way the circuit is designed there, it worked out.
Q: Frank recently mentioned that sometimes your effort at the end of the season tailed off and perhaps you've made a special effort this year, is that the case?
RS: No, I mean I think last year was a very special situation, at least for me. I don't know for other drivers. But I'm just trying to do my job as good as possible. Certainly if you look back to last year in qualifying, or maybe in general for the last few races, you could say they weren't too good, but then I still ended up on the podium, most of them. But I'm simply trying to do a good job all the way through.
Q: Frank, I think you've got a new wind tunnel being commissioned, what's the stage for that? What's happening with that?
FRANK WILLIAMS: It's just a wind tunnel.
Q: When does it come on stream?
FW: Not very soon. They take a long time to make.
Q: So when do you expect it to be commissioned?
FW: About 12 months, 24 months, somewhere in that frame.
Q: In what way is it better than the one you've got at the moment?
FW: Well, I didn't say it was better. The plans are in