01/10/2006
NEWS STORY
Eighth win of the season for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, the seventh courtesy of Michael Schumacher. This is win number 191 from 739 races entered by Ferrari, the second in the Chinese Grand Prix. Michael Schumacher recorded his ninety first victory from 248 Grand Prix starts and his first at this track.
Jean Todt: This was an incredibly intense race in which Michael's genius, the team's talent and the exceptional Bridgestone tyres all made this extraordinary result possible. It was a shame for Felipe who was staging an exceptional climb up the order from the penultimate row of the grid. A collision with Coulthard put him out of the race, which prevented him from picking up any points that would have been so important for the Constructors' championship. However, this can do nothing to detract from the joy of such a fantastic victory, obtained here in Shanghai in the face of very stiff opposition. Now, both the titles will be decided in the space of two races. If we look back to where we were after Montreal and to the fact that Michael has now caught up his closest rival and that we are only one point down in the Constructors' classification, it is further confirmation that one should never ever give up!
Michael Schumacher: I am so happy! I want to thank the team for this result, as they did a fantastic job. After the start, I was surprised to find that I could match the pace of those ahead of me, which was better than I had expected. After a while, I was able to close up on Fisichella. I thought that if I could pass him, even if I could not win, then at least I would only lose two points to Fernando and given where I started that would have been a good result. It was very important to reduce the gap to the Renaults when the track began to dry. The crucial moment came with the switch to dry tyres. I knew that even if Fisichella managed to stay ahead of me after his stop, I would have the chance to pass him going into the first corner as he would be in trouble with the temperature of his tyres and that is what happened. In the final laps, I drove very carefully. I had a good gap but the track conditions were getting difficult, however, I was never worried about getting caught. Now we go to Suzuka, a track that I love. But it is difficult to make any predictions and as usual, tyre performance will be crucial.
Felipe Massa: I was very quick all through the race, both on the wet track and when it was drying out. Maybe it was a bit of risk fitting the dry tyres a bit early, but once they reached the right temperature, I was one of the quickest on track. It's a shame what happened with Coulthard. We were right in the middle of a fight and at the end of the straight, I went a bit long because the track was slippery and we ended up touching. Unfortunately, I damaged the front left suspension and had to retire. I could have finished in the points, helping the team in the fight for the Constructors' and to defend my third place in the Drivers' classification. I have to say I plan to make up for it and do my best in Suzuka.
Ross Brawn: It was a fantastic race in which Michael performed exceptionally well. On the rain tyres we were struggling when there was still a lot of water on the track, but we were still able to keep up with the lead group. Then, as the track began to dry, the situation changed in the way we had been expecting, namely in our favour, thanks to the performance of the Bridgestone tyres, which worked very well in these conditions. The team also did an incredible job and all the pit-stops were impeccable. A shame for Felipe: starting from the back of the grid because of the engine change, he was having a great race and could have brought home some important points for the Constructors' classification. All the same, we are very happy and we can be reasonably optimistic as we prepare to tackle the final two races, but we will have to remain concentrated and not leave the slightest detail to chance.
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