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Turkey GP: Thursday Press Conference

NEWS STORY
24/08/2006

Tiago, 14th on the grid here last year and you finished 15th, but what are your memories and thoughts about this circuit?
Tiago Monteiro: We had quite a good race actually until we had some gearbox issues and we lost a lot of time. But time wise it was one of our best races last year, the balance was pretty good and taking into account that our car is a lot better than last year - we are really looking forward to this one. It's the kind of track that suits this car and my driving style as well, so I am looking forward to it. My memories of last year are also of my huge toothache problem and it was treated by my team owner which was quite interesting. But fortunately everything is fine this weekend and I am looking forward to it.

Last weekend was a busy one for you in Holland, tell us about that?
TM: Yes it was a great event in Rotterdam, we did a demo in the streets and there was a huge amount of fans there and it was a big event organised by a Dutch company with drivers like Nico Rosberg and Verstappen. It was a big, big party and was really a lot of fun with burnouts and donuts. It was raining a bit, but people were still there and it was well organised and it's good for F1 in general to have things like this, they should happen a lot more often because the fans get to see F1 really close and they see things they would normally never see at a normal race track.

You nearly got a point in the last race at Hungary, what are your aims for the rest of the season?
TM: It's still the same, we're still looking for points, it's not going to be easy but we are fighting for it. We obviously were close because of the circumstance of the weather which helped a lot. But we still have five races to get points.

Kimi, obviously you have great memories of this circuit from last year, the pole position to victory, your thoughts about the track?
Kimi Raikkonen: Yeah, I like the circuit a lot, of course it's a different story this year because the car is not at its best, but it is getting better but it will be hard to achieve those results. The last race was pretty good in qualifying but it went a bit wrong in the race, so we'll see what we can do.

What are your aims for the rest of the season?
KR: We'll try to do our best and win races but you never know what is going to happen, so you just keep pushing and do your best.

What about the challenge of this circuit?
KR: It's not the easiest one, it's quite tricky at Turn Eight. There are a lot of bumps and it's not very easy. I think it's the most difficult corner on this circuit, there is some corners that you cannot see the apex when you go in. But it's a nice circuit.

David, last year 12th on the grid and you raced to seventh in the race itself, your thoughts on this track?
David Coulthard: Well I think as the others said, it's a great track and one of the better new circuits that we have because of the challenge of the corners. Turn Eight caused a lot of problems last year because of the bumps and the fact that it's such a high-speed corner. The result from last year is kind of irrelevant because it's a different formula from what we had last season with tyre changes now. We just try and do the best, we can and try and score points.

And in the last race in Hungary, 13th to fifth, even though everyone seemed to bump into your car. Was it a case of hanging on in there and winning some points?
DC: There was a little bit more to it than that! Yes, in those changeable conditions lots of things can happen and inevitably people can tell stories of how they could have won the race. But you take the results at the chequered flag and that was obviously Jenson's day and for us as a team it was good points as well.

And since the last race your new team-mate has been announced as Mark Webber for next year. Your thoughts on that?
DC: I think it's great for the team to have two experienced drivers and obviously I feel sorry for Christian because he has been unfortunate this year. I think he has good speed and he's still very young. People have to remember than when you start at 19 or 20 and you're put in that spotlight with that pressure, you are still a young man, probably still living at home with your parents. We all can remember the transition we go through when we start to stand on our own two feet. My opinion is that he's been rushed through too quickly and therefore he hasn't had the chance to show his talent. Therefore his period with Red Bull Racing has come to an end too quickly and that makes it difficult for him to find a drive elsewhere in Formula One and that is Formula One's loss because he drives well and his feedback is good. But coming back to Mark, obviously I'm at a more consistent level of results in Formula One. He's come into it older with a bit more experience under his belt and he's been able to make more use of the opportunities that he's had and our goal will be to achieve the best results we can for the team.

Jenson, coming after the great victory in Hungary, have you enjoyed the last three weeks, thinking about it?
Jenson Button: Yes, very much so. I won the race and it was a very emotional moment, but I was rushed off because I had to get a flight to China and also to Tokyo, Japan. But after that I got home and saw all my family and friends. I don't see them that often and on such a special occasion it was a great event and I spent the whole night chatting to everyone. That's when it really hits home when you see everyone's feelings and emotions towards you and the race. It was a very nice feeling.

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