|
Question :
Michael,
you won in Barcelona and said you were in love with
the new car. Do you think it is going to be suited
to this circuit?
|
| M.Schumacher
: Barcelona
is a circuit which shows the true potential of
the car, specific in aerodynamic purpose so if it goes
well there it is supposed to go well everywhere. |
| Question :
But
some of the rival teams felt you were going to be quicker
than you were. What are your feelings about that?
|
| M.Schumacher
: Well,
we were quick enough. |
|
Question :
You
certainly were, but were you not surprised to be further
ahead?
|
| M.Schumacher
: Honestly,
looking at the weekend
and studying the data and the times of the
other competitors, no I was not. I was expecting
a tough fight, particularly with Fernando and
I don't know how much we have seen about the others.
Obviously McLaren were out, Ralf in the first
stint was able to follow at a distance and then after
they sort of disappeared with their strategy. I think
a lot was tyres there and tyres sort of overruled the
potential of the situation. I believe that we couldn't
show the true potential of the car and we will have
better opportunities. If you see in relation where Bridgestone
runners had been over that weekend compared to the Michelins
I think our car showed what it is able to do. And if
you remember we started in a similar way the new car
(last year) in Brazil a very tough fight with Ralf and
from then on it just went better and as you can imagine,
you learn a new car, you improve it as well because
new bits and pieces will come – on the old car it was
not the case; it has remained what it was last year
and we just kept on using it while we waited for the
new car so I believe we have a very good car that should
only go better, not worse. |
| Question :
This
circuit has not been the best for you, so do you still
feel you can do well here?
|
| M.Schumacher
:
We
will keep trying.
|
|
Question :
To
the four of you who have race here before, what are
your thoughts on this being the last Austrian Grand
Prix? Ralf first, particularly as you feel it is your
home Grand Prix…
|
| R.Schumacher
: Yeah,
definitely. It is a shame. It is a very nice area to
come to, it is very nice anyway in Austria – good food,
great hotels around – so it is good to be here, so it
is just a shame but I am sure there are various reasons
for that decision. |
| M.Schumacher
:
I agree. |
| N.Heidfeld
: I
would also say I have always liked to come here, especially
as I mentioned before the car was quite quick here in
the last couple of years. But on the other hand I am
also looking forward to going to a new country and a
new circuit. |
| M.Webber
:
Yeah, very similar. It is a nice part of the world to
come to, the track is not the most challenging in the
world but it is one of the circuits we have to come
to and compete and I am sorry to see it go, actually.
|
| Question :
If
I could ask the inevitable question about team orders
to all the drivers, they are banned now, but is that
the right decision and is the ban actually enforceable.
|
|
M.Schumacher
:
Well,
I think it is down to you that the team orders have
changed, I guess, because you sort of didn't like
it. Whether it is enforceable or not, I don't know.
Certainly the obvious team orders will obviously be
enforceable and we have made a clear statement from
our point of view on how we are going to do things
and there is nothing else to add from my side.
|
| R.Schumacher
: I
think once we had a little problem but I think it is
impossible to get rid of team orders and it should be
down to the team to decide whatever they think is necessary
to do in this moment, so I don't have a problem with
what happened here last year, I thought it was the right
thing to do, and that's it. |
| N.Heidfeld
: Usually
we do not have team orders in our team but I agree,
I think it is not really possible to ban them or control
it. The only thing is that perhaps it changes things
so it is not so obvious for the spectators any more
which you could argue about if it is better or not.
|
| C. da Matta
: I
think when you are on the track you are competing against
the other people you just decide who is best on the
track and I think the team has their interests on the
sponsors and everything but for me the sport should
be on top of everything first. |
|
M.Webber
:
We
don't have any team orders or any favours going any
particular way but there could be scenarios in a race
where you are on a different strategy and it is quite
a powerful tool for you to move out of the way for
your team-mate to make your strategy work or a better
situation for the whole team and that could swing
around to the next race because he is doing something
different, so again if it is subtle differences I
think it can happen. It's still a team sport at the
end of the day but with the obvious ones it's open
to debate.
|
| Question :
There
has been something in the papers about Juan Pablo Montoya
finding a rather unsympathetic traffic cop. I wonder
if each of you could tell us experiences that you might
have had with policemen and whether they ended more
happily than they did for Juan Pablo.
|
| R.Schumacher
: I
have never had an experience with that, sorry. (Laughter)
|
| M.Webber
: For
sure, if they pull one of us over they are very honoured
to book us. There's no risk of that, and I think we
have all been booked at some stage by going far too
quick. It's easy to do 130mph in a nice BMW I suppose.
That was Juan's problem at the time and they are not
going to mess around. |
| C. da Matta
: I
come from Brazil. I never got caught – there are not
many police on the roads there anyway. |
| N.Heidfeld
: The
most tickets I get are for wrong parking but I tell
you if any racing driver tells you he is never caught
speeding he is lying. |
| M.Schumacher
:
Maybe
in the pit lane…
|
| R.Schumacher
:
Actually, the pit lane is more expensive, isn't it?
|
|
Question :
To
Michael and Ralf. It is the 100th Grand Prix you are
racing together. Are there some special feelings?
|
| M.Schumacher
: We
had some great fighting here in 1997, so we look forward
to some more of that.
|
| R.Schumacher
: In 100 races maybe we met each other about
10 times on the circuit I think, that is about it. Usually
it was always quite tight and quite exciting.
|
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