Jenson, let the words sink in: you've won your first Grand Prix!
Jenson Button: I know. The problem is that it feels so normal already. Wow! What a day! It's been amazing. The weather conditions made the race very, very difficult for everyone but coming through from 14th and winning the race, I couldn't have done it in a better way, I don't think. I need to thank everyone. The strategy was fantastic and everyone within the team has done a great job this weekend and it's nice to see that we've got a car that can win races. The team deserves this. They've been working so hard and it's taken so many years to get here. We're finally here. I've got to say a big thank you to everyone in the factory and everyone back in the UK who is supporting me because they've never lost faith which is the amazing thing.

A great early phase of the race for you and everybody on Michelins, and then the race for you really came alive after the safety car when you were right behind Fernando in the Renault.
JB: Yeah – and if my voice sounds funny, it's because I've been screaming so much! Yeah, exactly, it was obviously fun closing down Alonso. We made a great choice on the tyres and also on the last pit stop. We've been a real thinking team today. We haven't just gone out there and had the best car and won the race. We've thought hard about this strategy and we've won the race, not just through speed but also because of our strategy and then the way of working within Honda. I've got to thank them all. Fukui-san is here, the president of Honda, so it's a great present for him.

How did that last lap feel?
JB: Amazing. The last ten laps. I didn't want the race to end. Normally, when you're in the lead – I suppose – it goes on for ever but I was loving it. We turned down the revs a lot, I knew we'd get to the end of the race. I had a forty second lead and I didn't want it to end, it was the best feeling, knowing that you're on the way home to winning your first Grand Prix.

Pedro, dramatic race for you, spinning right at the beginning of the race and then of course that incident between Vitantonio Liuzzi and your teammate Kimi Räikkönen, and here you are second at the end.
Pedro de la Rosa: Yes, I forgot about the spin on the formation lap. I was trying to warm up the rear tyres and I just spun but after that I forgot it, I just calmed myself and did a good start. The car was very good on intermediate tyres, the tyre choice was great. It was a bit tricky when it started raining again, they cooled down and it was a little bit difficult. There were a couple of times when I really nearly lost the car but after that it was fine, and finally, at the end, second position is great. Thanks to the team, McLaren Mercedes, all the test team, thank you guys. I think today it was like a test Grand Prix because we went through all the types of tyres we have and I feel very good. And finally Jenson has made it on the day I finished second. It could have been a different way!

Nick, what a race with Michael Schumacher, with you and Pedro right at the end of the race there.
Nick Heidfeld: Yeah, I was closing the gap pretty quickly. Obviously he had big problems, I think his tyres were just down to nothing so he had no grip any more and I saw that it took Pedro a while to overtake him and although I knew there were a few more laps to get Michael, I wanted to take the first opportunity because sometimes I guess he's not so easy to overtake and then he drove into the back of my car. I think he destroyed his suspension or whatever, and after that my steering wasn't straight any more either, so I just took it easy to the end.

But like everybody else, a great early pace on those Michelins and great strategy too.
NH: Actually at the beginning it was a bit difficult. My start was good but as I was on a very high fuel load, I think I struggled a bit to begin with. Once the tyre temperature was there, it was OK and then I have to thank the pit crew, because I was behind Coulthard as I went off the circuit once, there were some stones on the circuit and that caused me to go off. Anyway, I came in behind Coulthard and they did a very good stop, I passed him that way, and also at the second stop, Rubens was quite a long way in front of me but I stayed out on intermediates which seemed to go pretty slowly, but once they cleaned off, they became quicker and thanks to that, I managed to pass him.

Jenson, back in 1993, an Englishman named Damon Hill won his first Grand Prix here and went on to win the next two races. You said this one is already behind you…
JB: Yeah, you know it's great to get that first win after so long. It's obviously a great feeling for myself and the team but it's good that I don't have to do those interviews any more, when they say you've done 113 Grands Prix and you haven't had a win. Now they will say that I've had a win after 113 Grands Prix; it sounds a lot better.

Press Conference

Great performance, well done Jenson, is it all beginning to sink in now, or is it already passed?
JB: No, it hasn't passed, but you know you can get used to winning quite quickly, I think. But no, it's an amazing feeling. Those last ten laps when I was leading, I had a forty second lead, the best laps of my career, just to sit there and relax, knowing that I didn't have to push too hard and it could just sink in, and enjoy those laps.

When did you think to yourself: hey, I can really win this?
JB: That's a tough one, probably about thirty laps in. I was pretty happy with myself and the way the car was going, but you never know in these conditions. You're not thinking 'I can win this race.' You're just thinking about getting the best out of all you've got and that's exactly what we did and we came away with the win.