US GP: Bridgestone Saturday notes

Michael maintains Brickyard pole record.

Michael Schumacher maintained his unbroken record of pole positions at Indianapolis taking the top spot on the grid at the `Brickyard' for the 3rd year in a row on Bridgestone tyres. The only driver to post a time under 1 min 11secs, he set his best lap, a 1:10790, during his second run. Schumacher won the inaugural grand prix at Indy in 2000 and was 2nd last year. Meanwhile, Rubens Barrichello in the other Ferrari qualified in 2nd place despite not running at all yesterday following an accident on his installation lap in practice.

For the third race in a row, Jacques Villeneuve was the best qualifyer on Bridgestone tyres after the Ferraris. He finished in 7th place, just a second behind Schumacher. All of Bridgestone's eight drivers qualified within the top 15, including Heinz-Harald Frentzen who was 11th for Sauber Petronas, where he has replaced Felipe Massa for this race.

Ross Brawn, technical director, Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro

"The key to today was Bridgestone - the result is due to the tyres which were very good. Bridgestone has done a super job and brought a compound which is working extremely well. We had a back-up tyre which we could have used as well, but the one we have chosen looks good. Michael could have gone a little bit quicker but for a yellow flag on what would have been his best lap but overall it was fairly straightforward today."

James Robinson, chief engineer, Lucky Strike B.A.R. Honda

"We struggled here last year so we have seen a big turnaround this time. Set-up was crucial in getting the best out of the tyres over one lap and Jacques worked hard on that this morning which paid off as he was able to improve on every run. Honda's improvements have given us confidence and with the work we are doing with Bridgestone it's all coming together. We have been looking at what Ferrari is doing and trying to echo that a little bit for next year."

Hisao Suganuma, technical manager, Bridgestone Motorsport

"This track does have unique characteristics and it is difficult to find the point of compromise between the two different halves of the circuit. However, the tyres we brought here have helped our teams find the best set-up, in particular in providing some much-needed grip through the in-field. We expect warmer conditions tomorrow so we will discuss strategy options with our teams to help them all build on their good performances today."

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