Question:
Michael, do you feel that you're driving better than ever in your career? Do you think you're on top of your game now, in pure driving terms?
Michael Schumacher:
The reason you ask that is because I'm doing consistently well this year, whereas last year I was a little bit more inconsistent. But I think a lot is down to the car, honestly, and maybe the way I work with my engineer and everything. I just get more together. I do feel easier, yeah, but whether it makes me faster or not faster I've no idea. The car is just easier to work with and to get the maximum out of it.
Question:
I guess that was my point, whether you feel, within yourself, that every lap out there that you do, it comes easier than perhaps at any time in your career?
Michael Schumacher:
Not at any time in my career, but compared to last year.
Question:
How would you compare the track conditions from yesterday to today?
Michael Schumacher:
Similar.
Juan Pablo Montoya:
Yeah, it's getting cooler as the afternoon goes on. Qualifying started at 2.30, it was halfway through to 2.30 and you could see that track conditions started to go down.
Question:
I heard somebody say that they felt that it was going to be fairly green at the start of each day; was it fairly green at the beginning today?
Juan Pablo Montoya:
Not really, not for us.
Rubens Barrichello:
The best time out on the circuit was this morning.
Juan Pablo Montoya:
Yes, actually. The grip level then was actually incredible.
Question:
Question to Michael and Juan Pablo. Watching the TV, we didn't understand the little battle between you two in this morning's second session. Could you explain what happened?
Michael Schumacher:
We were trying to simulate race conditions!
Juan Pablo Montoya:
Yeah. It's pretty good, isn't it?
Question:
This question is to Juan. Did you have the same problem, understeer, in sector three this morning?
Juan Pablo Montoya:
No, it was good. I always have a little bit of understeer through there, it's the tendency of the corner when it goes downhill a little bit, but I think I carried too much speed to be honest.
Question:
This is to all of you. You have driven this track quite a few times now. Where would you say this track is lacking and where would you see that it is better than other tracks?
Michael Schumacher:
I wouldn't say there's any reason to say that it's lacking because it's very good in terms of run-off areas. We have seen a lot of offs during the days. I don't know if any of us have hit the wall, I don't remember. I don't think so, because the run-off areas are so good and it's technically demanding, so from a race driver point of view, it's a success.
Rubens Barrichello:
For me, I think that the only thing that the track is actually lacking is that we need more races. It's brand new, the track will get better, so it's not lacking anything. It's just that as we have more races here, I think the track will eventually get even better. So there's no downside right now.
Juan Pablo Montoya:
I think it's very good. You can see people going off because the car is so technical. It's a circuit where not many people got a clean lap in qualifying. Maybe they got the first one, but not the second one. I don't think anybody really got in two very good laps. And it shows that if you push the car, if you're 95 per cent or 98 per cent it's quite easy to get a lap in but if you try to really get the maximum out of the car, making a mistake here is quite easy and it's quite dusty as well. If you get into the dirt you just go straight off.
Question:
I have a couple of questions for Michael and for Rubens. Michael, in a few weeks you'll be back at Imola. It's the tenth anniversary of Ayrton Senna's death. Can you tell us how you will feel? How difficult or significant will this anniversary be?
Michael Schumacher:
It's a little bit difficult to… I mean, anyway, once you think about it, it's hard to remember what has happened, but on the other side… put it this way, I don't really want to talk about it too much.
Question:
Okay, it's something that's going to come up. Rubens, is it an emotional time for you?
Rubens Barrichello:
I think people are going the wrong way about this. I think ten years is to commemorate someone who was very special, so in a way, for me, he has always been present. It's not that I think about him every day but being a Brazilian and living the emotion of being a Brazilian, you live with Ayrton Senna every day. So I don't think that ten years is any different than the ninth year or eleventh year, as far as I'm concerned. For me, going there is going to be the same as it's been during the last few years.
Question:
Sorry Michael, you may have understood me. The ten year anniversary will be significant to many people and what Rubens is saying is quite true…
Juan Pablo Montoya:
I think it's more about celebrating his life than his death, to be honest, and I think that's maybe where you need to understand that it happened a long time ago, it's ten years. I was a massive fan – I'm still a big fan of Senna. When you go there, you know it happened there, but you're not thinking ‘oh, it happened here'. For example, last week I was in Dubai doing an auction for the Senna family and it's about celebrating his life and trying to help the family with the Foundation more than anything else.
Question:
Well, you're right Juan, I'm actually trying to get some recollections of Ayrton at a very poignant time. I can't avoid it, it's going to come up. I didn't invent the tenth anniversary thing. So I'm asking Michael and Rubens their recollections of Ayrton and thank you, you gave some input as well. So, sorry Michael, do you get the gist of what I'm trying to get at? I'm not so much asking about the time and the day and what the feelings may be, but it's a particular time when we'll all be remembering Ayrton and I guess what I'm asking is what are your recollections of Ayrton?
Michael Schumacher:
The main one to me is the one in 1980 when I saw him in karting, and for me, that's the biggest recollection I have. I didn't follow him there, but it was something outstanding and I don't think it's necessary to speak about what he has achieved and then afterwards – that is very obvious, but for me, that has been a very special moment.
Question:
What happened that was so special, then?
Michael Schumacher:
No, to see him driving. The ability he had, compared to everyone else driving in the field.
Question:
Which one track would you say is the most challenging you have ever raced on and how would you compare Bahrain to that particular track?
Rubens Barrichello:
If we drive it as fast as you talk, we're going to be on pole every day, I tell you! Everyone has a challenge, I think this one is pretty good on challenges, even though there are not many high speed corners, but it's really difficult to get it right and even though in turns five and six you don't brake as much, it's still a nice corner.
Michael Schumacher:
I think everybody knows I'm in love with Spa, so that stays number one, but this is not far off.
Juan Pablo Montoya:
As Rubens says, each track has a particular thing about it. You would say that there is only one really fast corner but it's still quite a good challenge, it's very demanding, there are a lot of places where you're turning and braking at the same time, so I think having a well-balanced car here makes quite a lot of difference.
Question:
This morning the Ferrari was a little bit away from the top; what changed, was it just strategy or did you change something in regulation of the car, or the track, or something like this?
Michael Schumacher:
I guess it's a matter of who got their laps in on new tyres or not, and I don't think either Rubens or myself got in good lap times on our new tyres, so what you saw this morning wasn't too representative in terms of overall lap time.
Question:
The question is to Juan Pablo. Is it realistic for you to expect a good battle with the Ferrari drivers tomorrow?
Juan Pablo Montoya:
It's hard to tell. You don't really know what everybody did today or anything. You look at Malaysia where we just tried to finish close to them and we had a close battle. Whereas here? I don't know. I don't know how the tyres are going to behave, it's so difficult, but if everything goes according to plan, hopefully we can at least challenge them, but if we don't we can try to take some points and try to challenge them at the next race.
Question:
Michael and Rubens. We just wanted to know about the tyre compound; there has been a lot of speculation about Bridgestone not performing well due to the weather and the heat. How are the tyres faring so far?
Michael Schumacher:
Good. We're on pole position. We won the race in Malaysia – it wasn't too cold there and that's much better than we've seen in the past, and certainly down to Bridgestone improving their game.
Rubens Barrichello:
I think the story of Bridgestone not performing well in heat conditions is just part of the past. It happened before, it doesn't happen any more, and we have a fantastic tyre for both conditions, so we're quite happy.
Question:
Question to Michael. Are you chasing the pole position record, it's seems you're always putting a few kilos [of fuel] less than the top drivers?
Michael Schumacher:
Does that seem to be? Yeah? I thought in Australia he had less than me, actually.
Question:
No, at least with Rubens. Last race, you pitted beforehand…
Michael Schumacher:
Yeah, true.
Question:
You always say you're not interested in records, but that's the only one missing.
Michael Schumacher:
I thought I won both races, so I think it is…
Question:
No, the only record missing, the pole position record.
Michael Schumacher:
Yes, I know, but I guess you know myself – maybe not long enough, actually – that records don't drive me, don't push me. If they happen, obviously I'm very glad they happen but that's not what I'm aiming for.
Question:
This is just a little humour: I would like to ask you guys how many speeding tickets have you managed on the road?
Michael Schumacher:
Usually they come afterwards, when the results are taken from all the photos. I haven't seen any photos taken of me! I haven't seen any photos yet, so…
Juan Pablo Montoya:
I know one. The rest? No never.
Rubens Barrichello:
I had one last week in Brazil, but I was talking with my Vodafone at traffic lights and then they gave me a ticket for that. I sent it to Vodafone!
Question:
Talking about the challenge of the track, it's interesting to see from the grid that the first four rows are team by team. Could you actually explain why that might be?
Michael Schumacher:
Maybe you could help us.
Question:
No, it's an interesting point. It's Ferrari, followed by Williams, followed by BAR etc. It's curious that it would be like that because often that happens on certain tracks with certain layouts. You don't think that's significant?
Michael Schumacher:
I don't think so. I think that's coincidence.
Question:
To all of you. Before we came here, one of the big talking points was sand on the track, going off on it, in the engines and all that but, correct me if I'm wrong, it doesn't seem to be an issue very much any more, so have there been no problems with this very fine sand that you have round here?
Michael Schumacher:
No, it's not a big issue. Everybody expected this flat area surrounded by sand, and a little bit of wind would blow it onto the circuit immediately, but it's not so sandy actually, it's a lot different to what I expected and the problem doesn't exist.
Question:
That's my point, it's not an issue, is it?
Michael Schumacher:
None of us have been here before and neither have you, so…
Question:
And the heat?
Juan Pablo Montoya:
I think the big difference is that it's very dry compared with Malaysia.
Question:
Question for Michael. I know you don't take anything for granted but how unnerving is it for you to see your silver competitors are not in your vicinity for the last few races? Is it a surprise, a relief?
Michael Schumacher:
It is, yes. I think it's a surprise for everybody to some degree but when things go wrong, they go wrong badly and unfortunately that's what's going on with Mercedes, for whatever reason, not only that, it's not the biggest competition package but they're quite unlucky as well, for whatever reason. You never discount teams such as those, from my point of view because they always have the capacity to be back.
Question:
Michael you got a fine this morning for speeding in the pit lane, what happened? Did you push the button too late or…?
Michael Schumacher:
There was a mistake by me, not pushing the button. Yeah.
Question:
For both Ferrari drivers: do you think the fact that Shell produced the asphalt here and also at Fiorano has helped you and can help you in the race?
Michael Schumacher:
I think it's the same as in Hockenheim and at some other circuits, actually, so that situation is comparable. I think we'll know more after tomorrow's race whether that's good or not good. But usually Shell supports us very strongly, but whether they have any influence in this area, I doubt it.