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2006 Brazil GP
Team Quotes - Sunday 22 October
Alain Dassas, President: Renault’s achievement in becoming double world champions, twice in a row, has nothing to do with luck. We have done it because we were quicker and more reliable than our rivals – and because we were able to raise our game compared to 2005 by scoring more points and finishing more races. One of the greatest satisfactions was to feel the entire Renault Group behind us at every stage, pushing us towards this victory. We were determined not to let them down, and the team has done Renault proud. As for our departing champion Fernando, he deserves this second title like no other. He has been an extraordinary part of our team, and we will miss him. However, Formula 1 is all about reacting to change, and meeting new challenges. We will begin a new adventure next year, and that is the thrilling challenge of this sport.
Flavio Briatore, Managing Director: It was an incredible fight with Ferrari this year, and first of all I want to congratulate Michael on an amazing race this afternoon. But we have done the job, and we deserve these titles. The whole team, from Fernando to all our colleagues in Enstone and Viry, have had a very difficult time this year. There have been many ups and downs, but we have never backed down, we never gave up and we are champions. As a team, we made fewer mistakes than our rivals, and Fernando made fewer mistakes than Michael. We must not forget Giancarlo, who has had a very strong season, and his points have made the difference between finishing first and second. Of course, none of this could have been possible without our partners – Mild Seven and Michelin, who will be leaving us this year as champions, and every group that has been part of this success. Thank you to them, to our supporters and to the Renault Group for their commitment to this team. They are all worthy world champions.
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: Today’s race was an incredibly exciting end to a thrilling championship, and probably one of the most stressful races of my career! But in the end, the whole team is ecstatic with the result, and it is a fitting end to our partnership with Fernando. He is a thoroughly deserving world champion, and we wish him all the best for the future; he will be a tough competitor, but we relish competition! Congratulations also to Michelin. The work they have done, particularly in the last two months, has been exemplary and they retire with their heads held high. We also wish all the best to Michael. He has played an important part for me personally in my career, and has been a worthy competitor to the team for many years. We hope to see him again, and wish him the very best
for the future. The final word, though, goes to this amazing Renault team. These world championships are for every member of our organisation, from top to bottom. Those of us who travel get to enjoy these moments at the track, but our team-mates in Enstone and Viry have given us the tools to do the job this season with their
unstinting effort and commitment. This victory belongs to each and every one of them.
Team McLaren Mercedes drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Pedro de la Rosa finished today's 71-lap Brazilian Grand Prix in fifth and eighth place respectively. Kimi was on a two-stop strategy pitting on laps 21 (8.5 seconds) and 51 (7.1 seconds), whilst Pedro was on a one-stop strategy coming in on lap 35 (10.8 seconds). Team McLaren Mercedes finished third overall in the Constructors' Championship with 110 points. Kimi finished fifth in the Drivers' Championship with 65 points, Juan Pablo Montoya is eighth with 26 points and Pedro 11th with 19 points.
Ron Dennis: "A disappointing outcome and not the way to finish what has been a difficult season. However next season already starts tomorrow. Congratulations to Fernando for winning the World Championship again. We will work hard to give him the same opportunity next year. I would like to wish Kimi all the best for next year, but as you would expect we will be doing our very best to ensure that we beat him."
Norbert Haug: "The result is not what we expected today. Obviously we didn't have the race speed to achieve a better position from second place on the grid. We will now focus all our efforts on the next season in order to definitely do a much better job. Congratulations to Fernando Alonso and Renault on winning both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships. I want to thank Kimi for the five years he has competed for us and we are looking forward to race against him next year. As this was Michael's last race of his career I would like to wish him all the best for his future life, Formula 1 will be different without him, but I always will have great memories of his 15 years in the sport."
Ninth win of the season for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, the second courtesy of Felipe Massa. This is win number 192 from 741 races entered by Ferrari, the eighth in the Brazilian Grand Prix. This is Felipe's second Formula 1 career win, having competed in 71 Grands Prix.
Jean Todt: Despite an extraordinary victory from Felipe and a race which for so many reasons was an historic one for Michael, in the heat of the moment I feel very disappointed. We would have liked Michael's career to end differently, but destiny had other plans. We must look at the positive aspects of this season: our team has taken the most race wins – nine in total, seven with Michael and two with Felipe – and despite getting off to a poor start, we were in the hunt for both titles right up to the final race. However, the championship is made up of eighteen Grands Prix and so we accept this result and our compliments go to our rivals. Now we have to look to the future and start a new chapter, taking into account the lessons we have learnt this year. We go into 2007 with new rules, a new driver, just one tyre supplier, but these are things we can discuss later. Today, I want to thank everyone in the Gestione Sportiva, Michael and Felipe for the great job they have done, with the support of our technical partners, especially Bridgestone and Shell and the commercial ones, first and foremost Philip Morris. Whatever the outcome, the Ferrari family has lived through a memorable season.
Ross Brawn: Everything was extraordinary today: the car, the drivers, the Bridgestone tyres and the team work. It was really frustrating that we were unable to see Michael bring his career to a close with a win. His race was compromised by a puncture caused by the collision with Fisichella, whom he had just overtaken. It's been a very tough season. The car was competitive right from the beginning but we did not get off to a great start. Then, we staged a great comeback thanks to the work of the team and our technical partners, especially Bridgestone and Shell, to the extent that we had the best package as well as the best drivers. Today, I am very happy for Felipe, who represents the future of Ferrari. He drove an exceptional race and it was a great way to finish the season.
Panasonic Toyota Racing suffered a desperately disappointing end to the 2006 season after both Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli retired from promising positions in the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos. Both drivers made strong starts, with Jarno winning a wheel to wheel battle with Fernando Alonso to hold third as Ralf battled with the BMW Saubers in the first corner. An accident further back brought out the safety car on lap two and when the race resumed four laps later Jarno again kept Alonso at bay and started to put pressure on second place as Ralf pushed to move back into the points. However, the team's race was over soon after when a problem with the central element of the rear suspension forced both Jarno and Ralf to pull into the pits and retire, on laps 11 and 10 respectively. The team will now focus its energies on next season when it hopes to bounce back after a difficult and challenging 2006.
Tsutomu Tomita – Team Principal: "Before the start of the race everything was okay - we were looking fine, the car was quick and the two drivers were motivated. The start was good but just after starting the race we suffered from serious problems – it was like a bad dream. It is still unbelievable for me. We were obviously very fast and we had fuel for 23 and 24 laps as a result of the safety car so we were a bit heavier than most of the other cars around us. According to what we have seen from the other cars we had a good chance of taking second place. Both cars experienced a rear suspension failure of the central element, which was not a new part. Ralf made it clear he had a problem immediately after the safety car and then Jarno suffered the same two laps later. It is probably due to the bumpy nature of the track but of course we knew that would be the case here at Interlagos and we should have been prepared for that. I have to say we are very sorry to Toyota's fans and the Toyota family companies. We are very disappointed but this is racing and sometimes it is good and sometimes it is bad. However, we believe we are moving in the right direction and now we will have to work hard for next year."
Patrick Head, Director of Engineering, WilliamsF1: "It can only get better from here, but obviously the result is massively disappointing. The Bridgestone tyre was quite clearly superior today. It's meaningless, but I think we could have had quite a good race. This is the second year in a row in Brazil that we've been out of the race with both cars before the end of the first lap and it's really very disappointing for everyone in the team. However, we can now only go back and make sure we have a much better car and look forward to a stronger season next year. Well done to Fernando and very well done to Renault for winning both Championships. With Michael retiring today, we saw all his fighting spirit come out in what were difficult circumstances and obviously he'll be a major loss to the sport. It is very sad that this is the last race for Cosworth in F1 for the immediate future. They have done a great job and have been a pleasure to work with. I hope the Cosworth name returns to F1 very soon."
Chris Jilbert, Principal Engineer, F1 Race Engineering, Cosworth: "Not quite the way that we had envisaged our current involvement in Formula One to draw to a close, but I guess we can genuinely say that we ran both engines at 20,000RPM for the whole race! It really does not seem possible that there will be no Cosworth-powered cars in the F1 paddock in 2007. It is an incredibly sad day for everyone who has been involved in making our Cosworth F1 engines so powerful, reliable and successful and I'm sure that these comments will be echoed by the numerous people up and down the pit lane who have either worked at, or with, Cosworth in the past. We pride ourselves on being world class and can proudly state that we have been able to deliver what is possibly the most powerful, most reliable engine in Formula One during the 2006 season, despite not having the backing of a manufacturer. Let's hope that Cosworth can return to its rightful place on the grid in the future. My thanks go to everyone at Cosworth for all of their dedication, commitment and resolve through what has been a very difficult couple of months."
The Honda Racing F1 Team ended its 2006 season in style today as Jenson Button secured another podium finish for the team in a breathtaking title decider at the Interlagos circuit. He took the chequered flag in third position after a brilliant drive from 14th on the grid, while local hero Rubens Barrichello crossed the line in seventh place.
Today's result brings the Honda Racing F1 Team's tally to 21 points finishes, with Jenson securing his seventh consecutive points haul, to make a total of 11 from the 18 races. Rubens brought home points on 10 occasions from the 18 opportunities. They end the Drivers' Championship sixth and seventh, whilst the team takes a strong fourth position in the Constructors' Championship, 50 points ahead of the next team.
Today's result is a fitting tribute to a hard-fought and competitive second half of the year and makes the farewell to title sponsor Lucky Strike and tyre supplier Michelin in their final race with the team all the more poignant.
Gil de Ferran, Sporting Director: "What a great way to finish the season and what a spectacular drive by Jenson to come all the way from 14th to the podium once again! Jenson had a good start and made up a lot of places on the first lap. After that he was flying, executing some brilliantly judged overtaking manoeuvres. Once he caught up with Alonso, he put up a good fight to try and pass him for second. Rubens raced hard throughout, posing a strong challenge to Fisichella who was on a similar strategy.
"Today is a day of many milestones. First of all, well done to Fernando Alonso on a much-deserved second World Championship title. Many congratulations and best wishes to Michael Schumacher on a brilliant and inspiring career that brought many F1 fans a lot of joy over 15 years of spectacular racing. Many thanks also to the founders of this team, British American Tobacco, and title sponsor Lucky Strike, in what is their last race, for their confidence, support and vision. Lastly we should also thank our partners - particularly Michelin - and the many talented Honda team members in Japan and the UK for the tremendous effort and dedication which has culminated in this great final result of the season."
Christian Horner: David unfortunately retired with a gearbox problem after making some progress in the early part of the race. Robert managed to make up a few positions from where he started on the grid, to bring his car home in 12th place. From a team point of view, we finished seventh in the Constructors' Championship again, ahead of Williams. Obviously it's been a frustrating season, but I think we can look forward with a lot of optimism.
The BMW Sauber F1 Team is celebrating taking fifth place in the constructors' world championship after the final race of the team's first season in Sao Paulo. However, neither driver was able to add to the overall points tally with Robert Kubica finishing ninth and Nick Heidfeld crashing into the barriers with six laps to go.
BMW has achieved many successes together with Michelin – in sports cars, touring cars, talent support programmes and in Formula One. BMW wants to thank Michelin for the successful partnership in F1 and looks forward to continuing together in other projects.
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): Although missing scoring points by a small margin, in the last race in Sao Paulo we achieved our goals and claimed fifth place in the constructors' championship. We also took an engine for homologation for the next years across the finish line. All in all with the BMW Sauber F1 Team we achieved more than we could have expected in our debut year. We made it into the points 15 times and even scored two podium finishes. This means we are clearly ahead of our own targets. What makes me even happier is that during the season our team improved in comparison to our competitors – going forwards and not backwards. This is the best signal that the measures implemented in Munich and Hinwil strengthened our challenge. On the drivers' side, we are well prepared for the future.
We are still in the middle of a two year ramp up phase, and in the coming season we want to take the next step and make it on the podium on our own merits. I would like to thank everybody in the team for their dedication and the work they have done. I am looking forward to the challenges that lay ahead of us in this project. We will take them together and I am convinced achieve them.
Willy Rampf (Technical Director): It was a race with a lot of incidents. After what happened in the beginning we thought something might have been damaged on Nick's car, but at the time everything was fine. Following Nick's collision with Liuzzi the radiator temperature went up and we pitted early for Nick's second stop. He received a new front nose as well as some other work on the car. We still have to investigate the reason for his crash. Robert in the early laps gained a few positions, despite a heavy fuel load. In his second stint he was slower than expected, therefore, he could not defend the positions he had gained.
On a historic day in Formula One that saw 7 time World Champion Michael Schumacher retire from the sport; Spyker MF1 Team closed the book on their own season with two more race finishes.
The bright and breezy conditions in Sao Paulo mixed with a hugely passionate crowd to watch Brazilian Felipe Massa win on home soil. The Spyker MF1 M16 car again showed its competitive potential by pushing the team's nearest rivals throughout the race.
At the end an unsettled season the former Midland F1 Racing squad are looking forward to returning to Formula One in Melbourne as the all-new Spyker F1 Team. The distinctive Orange and Silver livery run in China, Japan and Brazil has given a sneak preview to the team that will arrive ready for action in the 2007 Formula One World Championship 5 months from now.
Dominic Harlow, (Head of race and test engineering): "It was good to have two cars at the finish as we had decided to run two different strategies which actually played out very close together. We had hoped for a break of some kind as we would have been able to capitalise on any track incidents. This didn't happen in the end but both drivers did a good job getting the cars to the finish."
Colin Kolles, (Team Principal): "The end of the season finally seals a great deal of hard work by the entire staff of Midland F1 Racing and now the Spyker MF1 Team. Throughout the last year everybody at the factory in Silverstone and the wind tunnel in Brackley has worked tirelessly to produce a competitive package. It has been another interesting year but I can feel real optimism as we look towards 2007 and our arrival as the Spyker F1 Team. I would also like to thank Toyota for their commitment to our campaign this season and wish them well for the future."
Michiel Mol (Director of Formula One, Spyker Cars NV): "I think its time to thank the team for all the hard work they have done this year. There have been a lot of changes and I am really looking forward to a good year next year. After a good night's sleep I think our thoughts will turn to 2007 to ensure we make it a good one."
Victor Muller, (Chief Executive Officer, Spyker Cars NV): "First of all, thanks to the team who have performed fantastically. My thoughts immediately turn to next season where we will have a new car and a new engine partner, Ferrari, with whom work has already begun and we have started an intense and fruitful co-operation. A year lies ahead with tremendous potential and opportunities and in which we will see the gradual influence of Mike Gascoyne's entry into our team. I just can't wait to be in Melbourne in March."
Franz Tost: Scott drove one of his best races this season, with consistent lap times and he also fought well. After Tonio collided with Heidfeld, we think he damaged something on his front suspension, because his lap times slowed. The team did a good job, with both cars finishing and in reliability terms we are the fifth best team overall this season and have ended up ninth in the Constructors' championship. The team itself has learnt to work together, gathering useful experience over this season and that will be a good starting point for next year.
Super Aguri finished its inaugural year with its best race to date. At the 2006 Formula One season finale in Sao Paulo today Takuma Sato brought home his SA06 in 10th position following an exciting Brazilian Grand Prix. Team mate Sakon Yamamoto completed the two-car finish by taking the chequered flag in 16th position. Sakon set the seventh fastest lap time of the race and Takuma the ninth in a gripping grand prix that brought to an end a challenging season for the fledgling team.
Aguri Suzuki, Team Principal: I am very happy today as both SAF1 Team cars finished the race and Taku finished in the top 10. This is an amazing and incredible achievement for the team. Both drivers’ lap times were also very quick and consistent and the mechanics did a great job during the pit stops. It was a perfect race result to end the season and now we will focus on next year and on coming back in an even stronger position! Congratulations to everybody.
As Felipe Massa dominated the Brazilian Grand Prix to take a pole to flag victory in front of a roaring home crowd, his teammate and seven time world champion, Michael Schumacher, bowed out of Formula One with one of the most stunning displays of driving seen in Formula One. An unexpected tyre change due to a tyre puncture, likely to have been caused by contact with another driver, left Schumacher climbing from 20th to an impressive fourth place. The Ferrari drivers clearly had the best package of the day, with their Bridgestone tyres aiding them to consistently set the fastest laps of the 71-lap race. For Felipe Massa, it was his second career win and the 104th victory taken by a Bridgestone driver since the company entered Formula One in 1997. Of those 104 victories, which seal Bridgestone as the second most successful tyre supplier in F1, 58 have been won by Michael Schumacher. Although the world championship titles were lost today to Fernando Alonso and Renault, Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro and Bridgestone fought every inch of the way. Ferrari ends the season in second place, just five points short of Renault in the constructors' championship, while Panasonic Toyota Racing, WilliamsF1, Spyker MF1 and Super Aguri F1 are 6th, 8th, 10th and 11th respectively. Felipe Massa's win secured his third place in the drivers' championship behind his teammate, Michael Schumacher.
Hiroshi Yasukawa, Director of Bridgestone Motorsport: I am proud of our tenth season in F1 and appreciate the hard work and collaboration of all our teams, our technical and service staff. Our challenge and commitment continues for next year and beyond where we aim to supply safe tyres, fairly.
Hisao Suganuma, Technical Manager of Bridgestone Motorsport: Congratulations to Felipe today! What a great win - we are delighted for him. Nevertheless we are disappointed that Michael should have such bad luck in the final race of his career. He had to pit early for a replacement tyre after it was cut, most likely as he passed Fisichella, but what was clear today was that the Ferrari drivers were by far the best out there today and I strongly believe they were assisted by a performance advantage from the Bridgestone tyres. Takuma Sato demonstrated this further by finishing tenth – it was a great race from him. We are very proud of the Bridgestone tyre performance today and it was just a shame that neither the WilliamsF1 nor Toyota team were able to capitalize on that. Nevertheless, as the year now draws to a close, we should congratulate the champions and celebrate what has been an extremely competitive year. We believe that in the latter half of the year certainly, Bridgestone has had the competitive edge against our rival, for which we must thank all our teams, and we would like to say that we have really enjoyed this year's fight. As for Michael, his fantastic drive was indicative of his stature as a seven time world champion and we thank him and wish him the very best in the future.
Ross Brawn, Technical Director – Scuderia Ferrari: A fantastic performance from the drivers, car and Bridgestone tyres – it was unbelievable today. It was just frustrating that Michael was not able to finish with a win as he was more than capable of it today but losing a tyre to Fisichella was very unfortunate - although obviously not deliberate. Everything was tremendous today: the drivers, car and tyres but it just didn't quite work out for Michael. It's been a hard year but we felt we had a good car at the start of the season. Admittedly we were perhaps a bit rusty and didn't have the sharpest start but then we came back and I think that this team has demonstrated over the last few races that it is the best team in Formula One. And I'm delighted for Felipe today as he's going forward with Ferrari now and to finish the season with a win like that is fantastic.
In its final scheduled Formula One appearance, Michelin has completed a clean sweep of this year's world championship titles. Fernando Alonso finished second to become the sport's youngest double world champion – and that result helped his team secure the world championship for constructors for the second consecutive season. Renault clinched the championship for constructors in today's season-closing Brazilian Grand Prix. Six seasons after returning to F1, Michelin is bowing out with its head held high.
To cap an excellent day for Michelin, six of its drivers achieved points-scoring finishes in the season's 18th and final grand prix. Jenson Button (Honda) took third ahead of Kimi Raikkonen, Giancarlo Fisichella, Rubens Barrichello and Pedro de la Rosa.
In addition to its spectacular success in Formula One this season, Michelin has accumulated many motorsport victories on two wheels and four. With one round of the MotoGP series to go, Michelin is already guaranteed this year's title – its 26th in motorcycle racing's premier category and its fifth on the trot in MotoGP. So far this season, the company has notched up 13 wins, 10 pole positions and 39 podiums. Michelin took a clean sweep of the top 13 places in the Le Mans 24 Hours, to extend a winning streak that dates back to 1998. It was the company's15th outright success in this event, the most prestigious – and taxing – of all endurance races. It has also won the American Le Mans Series and Le Mans Series titles. For the first time, Michelin has participated under the banner of subsidiary BFGoodrich in this year's World Rally Championship but the change of branding has made no difference to its customarily high level of performance: another world title double is already assured. BFGoodrich also won the Dakar Rally and FIA Cross-Country World Cup – two more landmark successes that underline the Michelin Group's status as the world's most versatile supplier of competition tyres.
Nick Shorrock, Michelin F1 director: "Today's higher temperatures caused us a few concerns before the race, because they were some way beyond the ideal operating window of certain partners' tyre choices. As things turned out, though, we had no problems at all. The tyres held up very well and were extremely consistent throughout the race.
"The main thing today, naturally, is to compliment Fernando Alonso and Renault on retaining their two world titles and to thank all our partners for the excellent work they have put in throughout the year. Our main rival was clearly very fast today, but one or two incidents worked in our favour during the race's early stages. That's the nature of this sport.
"This year's world championship was decided not today but over the course of a long, 18 -race season and Michelin has proved the excellence of its products throughout the campaign. We were determined to go out in style in our farewell F1 season and I think the results speak for themselves."
"I would like to extend my gratitude to all Michelin team members at the track, in the factory, at the research centre and within our logistics group. Every one of them has played a part in our many successes."
Michel Rollier - Michelin CEO: "I am very proud of the Michelin team, which knew how to fulfil the needs of Fernando Alonso and Renault. This has been an exciting season and the fierce competition between the two tyre companies provided an extra element of interest. I would like to thank Fernando Alonso and the whole \Renault team for the confidence they have shown in us throughout the campaign - and also for helping to push us to such heights. At this time, naturally, my thoughts turn to the late Edouard Michelin who was always the driving force behind Michelin's participation in Formula One. I would like to dedicate this year's double title success to him."
Alain Dassas, president, Renault F1 Team: "To win two consecutive world titles is an extraordinary achievement– but it didn't happen by chance. It underlines the excellent performance of our whole team and proves that Renault and Michelin know how to work and win together. It has been an emotional day in many ways and my thoughts turned, naturally, to the late Edouard Michelin, who inspired his company to embark upon this great F1 adventure. It's a pity that our relationship must end here but this is a fantastic note on which to finish."
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