Hungarian GP: Bridgestone Saturday notes

Ferrari front row for championship charge

Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro will launch their bid to claim the 2002 world constructors' championship from the front row of the grid in tomorrow's Hungarian Grand Prix. Rubens Barrichello, who is also aiming for second place in the drivers' table, will start on pole position after putting in the fastest qualifying lap, a 1:13.333, on his Bridgestone tyres. His teammate Michael Schumacher will start the race alongside him.

Bridgestone teams' dominance of the weekend so far continued today, with a total of five cars in the top eight. Giancarlo Fisichella continued his recent form in qualifying by driving to a potential points-scoring 5th place on the grid while the Sauber Petronas drivers, Felipe Massa and Nick Heidfeld, qualified 7th and 8th. Bridgestone runners number just eight this weekend since OrangeArrows is not taking part in the grand prix.

Ross Brawn, technical director, Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro

"There is great competition between our two drivers and it has been a wonderful day for them. As it warmed up, our competitors clearly improved and became more of a challenge. However, we are in the best starting position, which is critical here because overtaking is so difficult. There are things one can do with strategy and pit stops but good starts will be crucial."

Gary Anderson, director of race and test engineering, DHL Jordan Honda

"I am very pleased for Giancarlo because he is only 0.18 seconds behind a Williams and the first Bridgestone car behind the Ferraris which is a true reflection of his ability. Our tyre choice looks good for the race and we are looking forward to tomorrow."

Hisao Suganuma, technical manager, Bridgestone Motorsport

"Overall, an encouraging result for Bridgestone with two cars on the front row and three more in the top eight which confirms the competitiveness of the tyres we brought here. In addition, today's temperatures were closer to what we expect in Hungary and still we encountered few problems. As we know, grid position is very important here because there are so few overtaking opportunities, so a number of our drivers will start the race with a realistic chance of points."

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