Eighth pole position of the season for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, the seventh for Michael. This is the Scuderia's sixth pole in the Hungarian Grand Prix, its 174th in total. It is Michael's sixty second career pole, his sixth at the Hungaroring.
Jean Todt: We knew we had a competitive package and this result confirms it. The F2004 appears to be very well balanced, the Bridgestone tyres were exceptional over a single lap, having performed very well over longer runs in free practice and, once again, Shell has provided fuel and lubricants that are up to the job. During qualifying, there were a few worrying moments as far as the weather was concerned, as a few drops of rain appeared, but in the end it all went well with no outside factors affecting the result. An all-red front row proves that our preparation work and efforts this weekend are going in the right direction. Now we have to tackle the final and most important part. We know a dream is within our grasp tomorrow afternoon, but we are equally aware that seventy laps of this track is a very tough challenge. We will tackle it with passion and determination as usual. Today's performance is a nice way to remember our founder on the sixteenth anniversary of his death. The Commendatore would have been happy to see two red cars heading the field. Under the guidance of President Montezemolo we have the responsibility of continuing to move forward with the legend that is Ferrari.
Michael Schumacher: That was a good lap, although as a racing driver you always feel you could do better. Rubens did a fantastic pre-qualifying lap, but I was not too worried as we had both been very close in the morning. The new Bridgestone tyre possibly gave us an advantage and along with Shell, they have given us a big push, helping us to pick up performance. I am not so surprised at the grid: we expected BAR and Renault to be competitive, even if I am surprised McLaren is a bit further back, but maybe they have a different strategy. Even though it is cooler than usual here, tomorrow will be a tough race as this track requires a lot of work at the wheel, the cars slide a lot and the bumps make it unpredictable. It is hard work, but that is what we train for and I am looking forward to it. The fact that we can win the Constructors' title tomorrow will have no affect on the way we tackle this race.
Rubens Barrichello: My pre-qualifying was very good and my qualifying was good. I experienced a bit more understeer than we had expected which cost me time in the second sector. I knew it could have gone either way between me or Michael, so in a way it is disappointing not to have got pole, but Michael drove a perfect lap. This has to be the worst 'P2' of the year as starting on the dirty side of the track is really dirty here. Nevertheless, I am optimistic that I can have a good race tomorrow.
Ross Brawn: Both drivers worked really effectively with their engineers to get their cars well balanced. The F2004 is a very good car but much of the credit for this result must go to the new Bridgestone tyres, which worked very well and constitute a good step forward. Having struggled at this track last year, today's result is something of a reward.
