French GP Ferrari qualifying notes

Jean Todt: "It was a very close qualifying session, during which we witnessed the now customary battle between the three top teams. I am sorry for Rubens, as we were unable to get the most out of his car and that meant he could not secure himself a place higher up the grid. The race will be very tough and hard fought and we will be frontrunners. Tyre performance will be very important, as will be the strategy and of course, reliability."

Michael Schumacher: It's possible I could have gone a little bit faster on my last run, but it's the final result that counts. At least it's a nice way for Ralf to celebrate his birthday! I went out earlier than usual for my final run, because we saw that there a lot of cars that still had some laps left and I didn't want to get caught up in the mess at the end. It was the right decision. On my third run I was held up by a Jordan. It was a shame, as it could have been my best run. As for the race, as far as I am concerned, the hotter the conditions the better as the new tyre Bridgestone has brought here seems to work well in all conditions. The new exit to the pit lane is not 100% satisfactory as cars going quickly through the corner drift towards the outside and the exit from the pits. We will discuss it again in the Drivers' Briefing."

Rubens Barrichello:
"I could not find the right set-up today. The car was very nervous under braking and that stopped me having a good session. For example, I had to abort my second run, because I went straight on at a corner as I could not control the car under braking. It was a really bad day. Now we have to work to find out how to improve the car for the race. Starting from the fourth row is not ideal, but with a good strategy, I think we can make up some places."

Ross Brawn:
"It was a little bit disappointing in the end. Michael might perhaps have been able to beat Ralf today. One hundredth of a second is nothing. I came on the radio at the wrong time and spoiled one of his laps. We never got our three best sector times on the same lap and if we had, Michael would have been three tenths quicker than Ralf. Rubens is a little bit further back than we would like to see him. I think it will be a hard race tomorrow. Tyre consistency will be difficult tomorrow and that will make for an interesting race."

-Ferrari