Belgian GP: Ferrari Friday notes

Schumacher third and Barrichello fourth in free practice at Spa

Jean Todt:

"As usual on Friday, our work was centred on Sunday's race, which takes place on what is a lovely circuit. From the results of today's free practice, we can see that some of our rivals are looking very strong. Tomorrow, we can expect a very close fight for the top positions on the grid. As is always the case, tyres will play a vital role. As far as we are concerned, we are confident we can qualify well."

Michael Schumacher:

"We managed to make significant improvements to the car's set-up during the day and the car feels good. It is handling well on this track and I feel confident about the work we have done today. I think the modifications to the Bus Stop chicane work well. We used to take it flat out, using the kerbs and risking damage to the suspension and tyres, just before going flat through Eau Rouge. To my mind the modifications are therefore good from a safety point of view."

Rubens Barrichello:

"This morning we lost half an hour of practice because of the fog, but the car is handling pretty well and so I am quite confident about tomorrow's qualifying. I went off the track towards the end of the second part of the session. There was nothing wrong with the car, so I guess I was just pushing a bit over the limit."

Ross Brawn:

"Today we carried out the usual tyre comparison with the two types available. I think we have a pretty clear idea which is the best one, but nevertheless we will carefully study the data we have acquired. The drivers said they were happy with the balance of their cars, which performed well considering the fuel load they were carrying. On this track, consistent tyre performance during the race is very important and if temperatures stay similar to today's then we think we are in good shape."

Michael Schumacher 3rd
1:47.403 27 laps
chassis no. 221

Rubens Barrichello 4th
1:48.321 24 laps
chassis no. 220

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