British GP: Ferrari Friday qualifying notes

Michael Schumacher took provisional pole psition in Friday's qualifying session for the British Grand Pix. Rubens Barrichello spun off on his flying lap.

Jean Todt:

"It was an encouraging qualifying for Ferrari. We set the quickest time with Michael Schumacher, while Rubens Barrichello was running at a similar pace to his team-mate until he ran wide and got stuck in the gravel in the final sector, when the track was a bit damp. It is always great to see a Ferrari ahead of the rest and Rubens' inconvenient incident should not prejudice his chances of doing well. This morning, in free practice, we worked on finding the best set-up for the F2003-GA and on tyre choice, with the Bridgestones performing well. The weather forecast for the rest of the weekend is very uncertain, which makes it even harder than usual to make any predictions."

Michael Schumacher:

"I am reasonably happy and this was a good day for us. I am not surprised, as we had a successful test session here a few weeks ago. Today's performance is also the result of all the hard work the team did last week in getting new parts tested and ready for this weekend. For sure, the Silverstone track seems to suit our car. Now, I hope everything goes equally well for the rest of the weekend, so that we can pick up some points. It was a shame for Rubens, but maybe on this track going out first or last does not make such a difference, looking at my lap today.'

Rubens Barrichello:

"I am very disappointed with what happened. I could have been first or second, which would have seen me running at the end of tomorrow's session. However and hopefully, given the changeable weather, today's result might turn out to be an advantage tomorrow! I was on a really good lap, then after the second split, there was a bit of drizzle and having clipped the kerb, I ended up off the track. I am not too bothered. This morning, the car was handling very well in race trim and I am confident for the rest of the weekend."

Ross Brawn:

"We had a very good test here after the Canadian Grand Prix and last week's test was also very productive, leading to improvements on the chassis, engine and Bridgestone tyre package. Today's qualifying result is the first visible sign of that improvement. We did quite long runs this morning to evaluate the two types of Bridgestone tyre, to make a choice for final qualifying and the race. We are happy with the performance of both. I think we will be in good shape for this race as the car is very well balanced. I feel much more comfortable with our situation than I did in France, but here at Silverstone, a lot will depend on the weather.'

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