US Grand Prix – Indianapolis
Qualifying session
Chassis: MS 254 FM 252
Temperatures: air 31/32 °C track 44/45 °C
 Third
pole position of the season for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro,
after those obtained in Sakhir and Imola, all of them with
Michael Schumacher. A Ferrari thus starts a Grand Prix held
in the United States from the top slot for the thirteenth
time, bringing the total of Formula 1 poles to one hundred
and eighty two. Michael has obtained the sixty seventh pole
of his career, the fourth at this circuit.
Jean Todt: “This was a dream qualifying!
For the second time this season, we have an all-red front
row of the grid and we are particularly pleased to have managed
it today for various reasons: for our large number of American
fans, who have given us a very warm welcome, for the team
that has worked well, for our technical and commercial partners,
especially Bridgestone, for me personally, as today I celebrate
the end of my thirteenth year at the head of the Scuderia.
All that aside, it’s points that count and we still
have to get them. Tomorrow we have a good chance of winning,
but we are well aware it could be difficult. The decisive
parameters will be the same as ever: reliability, especially
on the engine side, as this is the second race for them on
both our cars on a very demanding track and with high temperatures;
consistency of tyre performance; the talent of our drivers
and their ability to avoid making mistakes; the work of the
team. If all the pieces of the jigsaw go together, we can
aspire to a good result.”
Michael Schumacher: “I am very happy!
It would be hard to expect better from this weekend, at least
so far: yesterday Germany and Italy got through to the World
Cup semi-finals, today I got pole with Felipe alongside me.
To complete the job, we need to win tomorrow and I will be
trying my hardest to do so. Of course, I am a bit surprised
at the gap to the others, but this is further confirmation
that if all elements of our package are at their best, we
are really competitive. The 248 F1 has been well balanced
since yesterday and the Bridgestone tyres have been very consistent
in terms of performance, even in race configuration. This
is the start of the second half of the season and clearly
every race is ever more important to reduce the gap in both
championships and we will try and start doing this as from
tomorrow.”
Felipe Massa: “It was a very good
day, which I hope will be rounded off with a win for Brazil
in the World Cup quarter finals. I am very happy to be on
the front row, as it is a very important result for the team.
Now however, we must concentrate on the race. The car was
very competitive. Over the course of the weekend we made various
set-up changes which improved our performance. The Bridgestone
tyres were very good, both over a single timed lap and over
a distance. Tomorrow, it will be important to make a good
start and ensure that those behind us don’t manage to
get between us. I am sure we have a very good chance.”
Ross Brawn: “We’ve been very
pleased with our performance all weekend so far, as we saw
yesterday in practice that the Bridgestone tyres were working
extremely well in terms of consistency and performance. I
am optimistic that this will carry through into the race.
We need to have a good race tomorrow and today all the elements
came together, so let’s hope we see the same again tomorrow.
I felt we have had a strong car in both these last two weekends
so Canada was a bit disappointing. But the tyres are working
better here so we are seeing the true performance level of
the car. I hope we get a good start tomorrow and then we can
run the race we want.”
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