Japanese GP: Sauber race notes

After qualifying seventh and 19th, Team Sauber Petronas drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and Felipe Massa finished eighth and ninth respectively in today's Japanese Grand Prix.

Giancarlo Fisichella:

"For me it was an excellent race. The car was really good, and my only problem came on lap 16 when I ran off the road briefly in the Spoon Curve. There was a sensor problem with the fuel alarm and I was just radioing the pits for a report; unfortunately I left my braking a little bit too late as I lost concentration, but I recovered quite well. The best I could have hoped for without that was seventh, so I'm happy. It was great to push hard all the way and do lots of overtaking. A point today was our target, and we achieved that."

Felipe Massa:

"I wasn't very happy with myself after my mistake in qualifying, but I think I made up for that in the race today! It was fantastic! I really enjoyed myself. I was able to push hard right from the start and I did a lot of overtaking. I pulled some really good moves, so it was really, really satisfying."

Peter Sauber (Team Principal):

"Apart from the extra point we scored, the highlight of today's race was the performance of Giancarlo and Felipe. Giancarlo proved his complete professionalism by recovering strongly from his moment and pushing hard all the way, while Felipe's drive demonstrated once more his great fighting spirit. Together, they proved that overtaking is possible in Formula One. My compliments to the team, who once again underlined the reliability and speed of the Sauber Petronas C23."

Giancarlo Fisichella
Chassis: C23-04
Qualifying: 1:36.136s, 7th
Race: 8th

Felipe Massa
Chassis: C23-03
Qualifying: No time, 19th
Race: 9th

-sauber-

Website and pictures: www.sauber-petronas.com Ilka Wendlandt, Press Officer (+81 (0)80 1014 4806), Hanspeter Brack, Head of Communications (+41 79 770 18 19)