US GP: Ferrari Saturday qualifying notes

For Ferrari, row one and row four

Jean Todt:

"We expected a very close fought qualifying and that is what we got, given that the top ten are all within the same second. Rubens did a great lap, rewarded with a place on the first row. Unfortunately, Michael is only in seventh place. Now we have to work out the reasons for this performance. It is clear that, especially in Michael's case, we had hoped for a better result. Tomorrow, we can expect another close fight. Several factors will play their role, including the weather. One thing is certain; we will do our utmost right to the end to try and obtain the best possible result."

Rubens Barrichello:

"I was hoping for pole position as the car has been good all weekend. My flying lap was a good one, even though the car felt a bit different to the way it did in the warm-up and was loose all the way round. It was quite windy this afternoon, which I am sure affected everyone, so I had to gamble a bit on the car's set-up in the hope that it will be good for tomorrow. So, I did not have the quickest car in terms of its performance this afternoon. I am sorry I am not in the race for the title where the battle is still very much alive. The crowd here is fantastic, just like in Brazil and Monza and hopefully they will see a good clean race. Personally, I love a challenge and I will be trying to win tomorrow."

Michael Schumacher:

"This was a very average qualifying session for me today and naturally, I am not at all satisfied with the way it went. I am not clear what was going on, but the car was sliding too much and I could not find any grip. At least seventh place is on the clean side of the track which is better than being on the dirty inside line and I will be interested to see what strategy the others have adopted for the race. In terms of the championship, my closest rival is only three places ahead of me, so this is not a disaster and so, with Kimi on pole the title race is a bit more open now. The important thing is to understand what went wrong this afternoon. Now we will just have to wait and see what I can do from that position on a track where overtaking is possible. I hope that, by the end of the race, I can give the tifosi something to cheer about."

Ross Brawn:

"We saw how much the battle for the title can influence performance in qualifying. Certainly, Michael and Montoya cannot afford to take risks which might then compromise their race, so it is natural that they adopted a slightly cautious approach. Michael was not totally happy with the balance of his car. The wind caused some problems as did the fact that he lost a good part of this morning's free practice with the fuel pressure problem. It is important that Rubens is on the front row, because we also want to win the Constructors' title and having him there puts him in a good position for the race. I think the situation will be different in tomorrow's race. Our tyres seem good and we would not be displeased if it was to rain tomorrow."

Rubens Barrichello: 2nd
1.11.794 3 laps
chassis 233

Michael Schumacher 7th
1.12.194 3 laps
chassis 229

-ferrari-