US GP: Bridgestone Saturday qualifying notes

Barrichello claims first pole of 2004 on Bridgestone Potenzas

Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro's Rubens Barrichello has been flying all weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on his Bridgestone Potenza Formula One tyres and this afternoon he proved who is top dog in the US, clinching his first pole position of the year with a time of 1:10.223. Completing an all Ferrari front row, Michael Schumacher was hot on his heels with a time of 1:10.400 0.177 seconds behind his Brazilian teammate.

As temperatures rose into the forties, Bridgestone's tyres provided the pair with just the right amount of grip needed for this part oval, part infield circuit. The Sauber Petronas, Jordan Ford and Wilux Minardi Cosworth drivers, meanwhile, line up in the latter half of the grid but are all hopeful of using their Bridgestone tyres to claim points.

Hisao Suganuma, Technical Manager of Bridgestone Motorsport:

"I would like to congratulate Rubens on his fantastic pole and Michael on his front row position. A Ferrari-Bridgestone front row is always good to see and it will allow the team to make best use of their chosen strategy. The Bridgestone Potenzas provided the drivers with good single-lap performance today and although you never know how much fuel our rivals are carrying, it was very pleasing to see. The other Bridgestone cars are a little further down the grid but as they have proven in recent races, with the right tyre and fuel strategy, points should be within reach."

Ross Brawn, Technical Director of Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro:

"We are delighted that Rubens has come back so strongly. He has had a bit of a tough year but has been driving extremely well this weekend. Michael hasn't quite got the car to his liking and I don't think Indianapolis is a track where he can maximize his strengths there are no high speed corners, it's just all low-medium speed precision work. He made a little mistake in sector two which meant he could have been a bit closer."

"However, we're delighted front row is fine! They can race freely and the strategies will be open between the two drivers. They will each know what the other is doing and apart from making sure they don't knock each other off, it looks like we're going to have a good race. We had the bonus of a first lap performance from the Bridgestone tyres here today and I think they will also be strong in the race so I'm very pleased with the tyres this weekend."

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