Brazilian GP: Bridgestone race notes

Michael wins battle of the brothers

Michael Schumacher drove to victory in Brazil on Bridgestone tyres after battling for virtually the entire race against his brother Ralf. The elder Schumacher had started from second place on the grid but was soon in front when he overtook pole position driver Juan Pablo Montoya. The Colombian's race ended soon after when he collided with the back of the Ferrari.

After that, Michael led for most of the whole race, against expectations doing just one stop on his Bridgestone tyres. By the end, he was just half a second ahead of his brother but a superb drive saw him take the chequered flag in the F2002's debut race. It was a race of attrition for the other Bridgestone runners - Michael and Takuma Sato, who finished in 9th place for DHL Jordan Honda, were the only drivers on Bridgestone tyres to complete the 71 laps. It was a disappointing day for Bridgestone's three Brazilian drivers, who all failed to finish.

Ross Brawn - Technical Director - Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro

"Michael made a very good start and held his position. We were a little surprised that Williams were not stronger at the beginning of the race but that enabled us to build up a sufficient lead before the pit stops. It is more difficult when you're leading; you just have to keep the pace, make no mistakes and don't allow the guy behind to overtake. Michael drove the whole race beautifully but the last 20 laps were fantastic."

"We were concerned Montoya might have punctured one of Michael's rear tyres because he hit him quite hard but luckily that didn't happen. Rubens was going well and I hope his season will start at the next race. The tyres performed very well. People thought we were doing one thing with the strategy and we did another, so I was pleased with that. It was a tough race but it all fell into place."

Hisao Suganuma - Technical Manager - Bridgestone Motorsport

"Naturally, I am delighted with today's result in a race that we expected would be very tough. I must thank Michael and Ferrari for doing such a good job. The one-stop strategy was a team decision but that fact they were able to do it demonstrates that our tyres had the capability. Looking at Michael's lap times, it's clear the new tyre we brought here helped the consistency of his performance in these hot conditions. Nevertheless, the gap to Williams was close and there is room for improvement on our part so we will be addressing this in our future development."

Weather: Hot and sunny
Temperature
Morning: Air 24-32C Track:28-48C
Afternoon: Air 32-31C Track: 48-45C

Bridgestone Results: 1st Michael Schumacher; 9th Takuma Sato; DNF Jacques Villeneuve; Nick Heidfeld; Felipe Massa; Olivier Panis; Heinz-Harald Frentzen; Rubens Barrichello; Enrique Bernoldi; Giancarlo Fisichella.

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