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Hungary GP: Post Qualifying press conference

NEWS STORY
05/08/2006

Kimi, obviously a qualifying session with a difference, but one suspects you were pretty confident anyway going into this being right at the front.
Kimi Raikkonen: I think the car has been very good the whole weekend and for sure this pole is much better because we didn't have any refuelling problems so it definitely feels better than last weekend. I think we have very good race tyres and car so I'm really looking forward to the race.

Obviously you had problems at the last race for Michelin, less so for you than for other teams, but a lot of work has been done in the period between the German and Hungarian Grands Prix.
KR: Yeah, but I think it's up to the teams really, to chose the right tyres for the right circuit, so it's not really Michelin's fault in any way. Maybe we took a little bit too risky choices and now, although I think we are still on the risky side, I think it looks like we've chosen good tyres still so I think it will be good.

I have to ask you: Michael set 1m18.8s in Q2, do you think you would have still have been on the pole?
KR: It would have been more difficult but it doesn't make any difference. There are some rules, and if you don't respect them you get penalties. Anyhow, we are much happier to be in first place than second so I will still take it.

Felipe, you had an extra supporter on the pit wall there for your final qualifying session, your team mate Michael Schumacher. It looked like a great last fast run for you, maybe slightly over the limit in a couple of corners.
Felipe Massa: Yes, I just got a little bit of a warm-up problem for the last try because I was going out of the pits and Ralf was just in front of me and I backed off in the pit lane in order not to be too slow on the out lap and my tyres had a little bit of a warm-up problem for the first corner, so perhaps I lost a little bit of time there which could have put me on pole but these kind of things can happen, especially on this kind of track, and we always have some troubles in terms of traffic, but I'm happy to be on the front row anyway, and hopefully tomorrow I can have a very strong race like in Hockenheim.

Where do you think the Ferrari/Bridgestone package is next to McLaren/Michelin?
FM: I think it will be a very competitive race tomorrow. We are confident in our tyres, that they should work consistently as well so hopefully tomorrow we can attack and have a very strong race.

And obviously your team mate Michael is now starting 12th; does that change in anyway your approach to the Grand Prix?
FM: I don't think so. I just need to push as hard as I can to be in the best situation, the best position I can be.

Rubens, congratulations to you, a great revival for Honda at the German Grand Prix and that continues here. Tell us about your qualifying run, and of course, you are starting on the clean side of the grid as well…
Rubens Barrichello: … which is very important. This is one of the worst places to start on the right side. I'm quite happy. I think there's a lot of pressure from the outside, but the Honda team - everyone, including engine guys, chassis guys, the aerodynamic guys - they made a hell of an effort to put the car where it is right now and the car is much more driveable, we enjoy much more the driving, so I feel sorry for Jenson that he's actually had to change the engine, otherwise we would have been third and fourth, so we've made an improvement.

Obviously that engine problem must be a worry in some dimension; does it affect the way you approach the race in terms of what you're going to be able to do with the engine and the package you have?
RB: Not really. All of a sudden, I had a problem in Hockenheim which was a one-off. I don't really know what the problem was that Jenson had this morning. We are expecting a great race. I really would like to put the car in a good shape. My thoughts are with my friend Cristiano da Matta in the States and I think it would be nice to give him this one.

Kimi, finally, great to be on pole but a race with a difference of course: Michael starting 12th, Fernando starting 15th. How is that going to make you feel when you wake up on Sunday morning?
KR: I don't think that's going to change anything. That's how it goes sometimes in racing. For sure, it's a little bit of help for us so we take it and I think that in any case, if they are closer to us at some point I think that we have a strong race car and I really think that we can win tomorrow so I'm not too worried about it really.

Press Conference

As you were saying just now, this must feel more like pole position than last week. Given the difficulties of overtaking here, you must fancy your chances tomorrow.
KR: Yeah, we were expecting that the car might be good here. It was good in Monaco and this is as close to Monaco as you can get, so it has been a good weekend and I think we've made an excellent tyre choice and the car was good in the last run, so I think we have a very good race car and an excellent chance to win the race.

So you haven't really been affected by the fact that it's a lot cooler this weekend?
KR: I think so. I think everybody has a little bit but that's how it is and I still think that the tyres which we brought here will work very well during the race.

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