Spanish GP: Bridgestone race notes

Double Podium for Bridgestone & Ferrari

The Bridgestone equipped F2003-GA, on which the hopes of the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro team rest for the remainder of the 2003 season, had a fantastic race debut at a hot Spanish Grand Prix this afternoon giving pole man Michael Schumacher his fifth win at the Circuit de Catalunya. Brazilian teammate Rubens Barrichello, who lined up second on the grid, took third place on the podium.

Schumacher and Barrichello both move up one place in the Drivers' Championship to lie in second and fourth places respectively. Continuing Jordan Ford's run of good form was fellow Bridgestone runner Ralph Firman who finished a hard-fought eighth. In only his first year of Formula 1, the 27-year-old battled hard to take his first career grand prix point.

Unlucky to miss out on points was Britain's Jenson Button in his Lucky Strike B.A.R Honda. Having maintained his fifth place start, he had to settle for ninth after an incident with a McLaren early on in a race which saw several incidents in the first few laps. Despite managing to stay on track the B.A.R driver soon pitted leaving him further down the field. Sauber Petronas' Nick Heidfeld took tenth.

Hisao Suganuma - Technical Manager - Bridgestone Motorsport:

"I'm delighted with the win and third place. The Bridgestones performed well not only in tough conditions but also on a tough track and it was good to see Rubens take fastest lap. On the other hand, there is always room for improvement and we shall work hard on that and analyse our performance here in Spain. Congratulations also to Ralph Firman on his first point in Formula 1."

Ross Brawn - Technical Director - Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro:

"A fantastic debut for a new car. We had a very tough race. This is a track where last year we had a significant tyre advantage and I think we have some work to do to maintain that. However, we are a partnership and we relish the challenge."

Ralph Firman - Jordan Ford:

"My first two stints were good but I had a tough third stint. In my efforts to hold back Jenson Button I used my rear tyres more than I would have liked but I'm very pleased with the way the race went."

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