Malaysian GP: Ferrari Friday qualifying notes

Ferrari Friday qualifying notes from the Malaysian Grand Prix:

Jean Todt:

'We witnessed a strong performance from both Ferraris today. Having set the two quickest times, Michael and Rubens will be able to run last in tomorrow's session which will establish the grid for Sunday. The Friday afternoon session now takes on extra importance, as it is the only time that the cars can demonstrate their maximum performance, given that tomorrow afternoon the cars must run with the fuel load with which they intend to start the race. The new rules have also reduced to just one hour the amount of time one can spend on Friday working towards the race and therefore we have to try and make the most of the ninety minutes tomorrow morning. These past few days have been very hot and that has made life difficult, not just for the cars and drivers out on the track, but also for the engineers and mechanics working here.'

Michael Schumacher:

'We had a great day today, without any mistakes and the track was quite clean. My lap was neat and tidy. We had a very good set-up having made improvements to the car in the break between the two sessions. Overall we are very happy with these conditions and our starting position for tomorrow's qualifying and I am looking forward to it. I just hope there is no rain, even though I am fully aware there is always a chance of a downpour here.'

Rubens Barrichello:

'It was quite a good day today. It is really hot out on the track, which seems to be getting better and better all the time. I feel good about it because we tried a lot of things. Right now the car is not at its best, but there are some things we plan to try tomorrow morning. That way we will be ready for the afternoon. I am happy to be on the provisional front row.'

Ross Brawn:

'Friday is not completely indicative of what to expect for the rest of the weekend, but first and second is obviously better than having a problem! The key issue now is to sort out tyres and set-up as Sunday's race will be very hard on the tyres. Michael was happy with the balance of his car, Rubens less so, but conditions were not the same with one driving at the beginning of the session and the other at the end. Therefore, tomorrow morning, Michael will be able to concentrate on tyres, with Rubens still looking at his set-up. Both drivers used the same specification tyre. As track conditions change quickly here, tomorrow it will be important to anticipate what will happen.'

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