British GP Bridgestone race notes

Mika Hakkinen enjoyed that winning feeling again taking his first ever British Grand Prix victory and his first win since Belgium in August last year. The Finn's convincing win at Silverstone saw him breaking the lap record several times, and was the first win for his West McLaren Mercedes team since Austria 2001. The team chose a two-stop strategy, whereas Ferrari drivers Michael Schumacher, who was second, and third place Rubens Barrichello stopped just once. Red Bull Sauber Petronas was also celebrating with Kimi Raikkonen and Nick Heidfeld both in the points in fifth and sixth place.

Adrian Newey - Technical Director - West McLaren Mercedes
"Mika drove an immaculate race and got past Michael which was what he needed to do given that Ferrari was on a one-stop strategy, which was a surprise to us. However, it was a great shame for David, especially since he was in a strong position. After the collision with Jarno Trulli at the first corner, we were debating whether to bring him in because he told us the car was handling strangely, but then he went off anyway. There was a lot of bodywork damage to the car. We were happy with the performance of the tyres, which have been good all weekend."

Ross Brawn - Technical Director - Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
"We knew a two-stop strategy was quicker for us but we also knew Mika would be aggressive today. He has been looking very quick and had nothing to lose, but we were thinking more about David for obvious reasons. The car suffered in the middle of the race more than we expected and then came good again at the end but we probably were not quite good enough today. Second and third is still a good result. Considering the number of laps we did on what is a demanding circuit, the tyres performed well and Michael was able to push towards the end."

Hisao Suganuma - Technical Manager - Bridgestone Motorsport
"Our race tyre worked very well and, as was shown by the different strategies of McLaren and Ferrari, was capable of maintaining a strong performance for a two-stop and a one-stop strategy. I would like to congratulate Mika and I am very happy to see an all-Bridgestone podium. This weekend has allowed us to collect some useful data for both dry and wet tyres which will be valuable for future development."

-Bridgestone