Spanish Grand Prix - Barcelona,
Michael Schumacher: 2nd + 18.502 66 laps chassis 254
Felipe Massa: 4th + 29.859 66 laps chassis 250
Temperatures: air 26°C, track 36/37 °C
Jean Todt: "We were expecting a very
close race and that's what we got, although obviously we were
hoping it would work out in our favour. Nevertheless, this
weekend confirmed we are competitive, even if today, we have
to admit our closest rivals were stronger. We had opted for
a strategy that meant carrying a bit more fuel at the start
than those ahead of us on the grid, but it did not work out
for us. All the same, Michael and Felipe picked up thirteen
points which are very valuable and consolidate our positions
in both championships. Now we have to put a great deal of
effort, along with our technical partners, first and foremost
Bridgestone, to be even more competitive in the next few races."
Michael Schumacher: "The race result
was decided in the first stint, as Fernando was able to pull
out quite a gap, because I simply did not have the pace to
stay with him. I was not held up by Giancarlo. After the lap
times we had done earlier in the weekend, this was surprising,
but we have seen before that in Barcelona, very small things
can change your performance quite quickly. It seems that today,
this had a negative effect on us and a positive one on Renault.
Eight points is still good and I could say that while I was
disappointed to have only won two points last Sunday, here
I can be happy to have only lost two. There is still a long
way to go and we will keep on fighting to try and win."
Felipe Massa: "The car worked well
and our pace was what we expected, but today, our rivals were
simply a bit quicker than us! I had some traffic in a few
crucial phases of the race and that's one of the reasons I
could not close on Giancarlo to try and get past him in the
run of pit stops. Overall, we have picked up some important
points for the championship."
Ross Brawn: "The car and the Bridgestone
tyres performed well, but we need to find a bit more performance.
There were moments when we got very close to our rivals, but
I think Fernando had a slight edge today. In the first part
of the race, when Giancarlo was ahead of our cars we knew
we would be unable to stay in touch with Fernando and so we
waited for the pit stop to try and get past Giancarlo, which
Michael managed to do. However, in the next stint, we realised
we were not quick enough to aim for victory. Now we have to
work on improving the package for the forthcoming races."
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