US GP: Post qualifying quotes

2007 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX POST-QUALIFYING QUOTES -- Saturday, June 16

VITANTONIO LIUZZI (No. 18 Scuderia Toro Rosso): "It was disappointing, but overall we are not so far behind the top 10. We're just three-tenths away from them. We know where it stands. We just need to find a way to use it in the future. Tomorrow during the race it will be difficult for us. At least we are really strong on the straight. The problem is that is it takes us a long time to get to the end of the straight because of gear shift. Tomorrow will be a tricky race like it was last year, I'm pretty sure. It's going to be fun."

SCOTT SPEED (No. 19 Scuderia Toro Rosso): "We know we have worse acceleration than all of the guys in front of us. The only possible way we can race is to take off all of the wing. Certainly, in the infield, we're sliding around more than everyone else. I think maybe we can have a race car that we can possibly do something with. So far this weekend we've had great reliability. Hopefully that will continue. I think we were worse off than we expected. We knew this track was going to hurt us because of the gearbox. We're a bit surprised that we're as far down in the order as we are. But in actuality, our pace isn't that much slower than the guys in front of us. Being fast down the straightaway, I think we'll have something we can race with tomorrow. It's not near as bad as it looks after qualifying because we're fast down the straightaway. Hopefully we'll get a bit lucky in the race, and something can happen. Points would be big."

ADRIAN SUTIL (No. 20 Etihad Aldar Spyker F1 Team): "The first run was OK. I had some traffic in my first lap, but my second lap was all right. The last run with the new tires was difficult. I had some problem with the front tires, so I had to lock up in the first corner. I went a little bit wide in the first corner, so I lost some time. In general, it was OK, but it could have been better." (About the Indianapolis Motor Speedway): "It's really nice here. It's a nice circuit, especially the long straight there and the high-bank corner. It's very special. It should be a fantastic race tomorrow because compared to other tracks, it's quite easy to overtake somebody."

CHRISTIJAN ALBERS (No. 21 Etihad Aldar Spyker F1 Team): "It looks easy, this track. You need to have a good setup, and it's not easy to do a quick lap time. I think we did our best. It's a shame because I missed some speed on the straight. We'll see tomorrow. Hopefully we'll have a good setup for the race." (About the Indianapolis Motor Speedway) "It's really nice and challenging."

TAKUMA SATO (No. 22 Super Aguri F1 Team): "It was a bit difficult. We didn't get good grip on the first lap and ran wide a little bit wide on Turn 1 the second lap. That was a reason for losing time and, of course, traffic is the big issue here. I did the best I could but couldn't get through. It was shame we couldn't make it through. It is disappointing. I hope we can come through from the back of the grid tomorrow."

ANTHONY DAVIDSON (No. 23 Super Aguri F1 Team): "There was a bit buzz going on because unfortunately in the last session, in practice three, I tapped the wall coming out of the last turn there on the banking and we had to change over to the T-car for qualifying, which is never the best situation to be in. And so there was a bit of a buzz going on. We only just made it out to the grid for the first qualifying session and ran a tidy first lap, and our second lap was a good attack lap, which saw me through to Q2. We tried to keep a cool head, and we drove two good laps again, but it just wasn't enough. The car just didn't quite have the speed in it to be where we wanted to. It just didn't find that sweet spot on the lap. I was close, but there you are asking for a tenth and just missed out on the tenth to get where we felt we could have been. But to get to Q2 is a good effort in the Super Aguri car."

KIMI RAIKKONEN (No. 6 Scuderia Ferrari): "Sure, it's disappointing. You always try for the pole." (Do you have anything for the McLarens?): "I hope so. I think we will be able to compete with them."

NICO ROSBERG (No. 16 AT&T Williams): "Traffic hurt me before, because I glazed my brakes a little bit. I think that took away my confidence a little bit, because I couldn't hit the brakes hard anymore. When they cool down too much, they get a slippery surface and don't work anymore. Otherwise, there was still something missing. It just wasn't enough today, unfortunately."

ALEXANDER WURZ (No. 17 AT&T Williams): "Today is not good. The first run was all right. Go out on the second run, and we had no changes. I had really bad, bad understeer, so we had to pull in the pits. That's how it goes out there. I'd feel good if we were in the top 10, but what can I do?"

GIANCARLO FISICHELLA (No. 3 ING Renault F1 Team): "It was important to get in the top 10. I think I have the right strategy for the race. I'm not worrying about my position. I think I will score a few points tomorrow. I'm sure I have a different strategy than someone else. I had traffic on my first lap on Q2. I lost at least four-tenths, so that's why, and then every single lap was clean, so we made a good jump forward (during the second qualifying session)."

DAVID COULTHARD (No. 14 Red Bull Racing): "It was a little messy. I had a spin during qualifying and lost the back end at the end of the back straight and very tricky to drive. I picked up a couple of tenths on my last run but lost it in the middle. In the end, I think it was half a tenth." ( Is it frustrating that qualifying is so close?): " If you were in McLaren, Ferrari or BMW, you knew you were going to get through easily. For us, you can be anything from seventh to 16th or something like that."

MARK WEBBER (No. 15 Red Bull Racing): "We have had a bit of a scratchy weekend. Put it together a little bit in P3, and it was important for me to do that fuel burn then because I didn't run yesterday because of a gearbox problem, so it was bit more encouragement for us. We were very tight in the middle group. The track is not the most challenging joint for Formula One cars, but it is real easy to overdrive. You have to be patient, which is not easy for guys like us."

RALF SCHUMACHER (No. 11 Panasonic Toyota Racing): "Well, I mean the qualifying itself was quite OK. We were just a bit unlucky missing by tenth to get in. We made a little change in the front wing, and the car was a bit nervous after that. In general, it was OK, so we look forward to tomorrow. We're getting close. Today, as we saw, was possible to go into the top 10. We just made a little change in the front wing, and that made the car a bit too nervous." (There's people saying that it's better to be 11th or 12th than ninth or 10th because then at least can see your fuel levels tomorrow morning.): "Well, that is quite true. You can now adjust the complete race strategy, which, for sure, is an advantage. Having said that, I would rather be in the first or second row."

SEBASTIAN VETTEL (No. 10 BMW Sauber F1 Team): "You have three different sessions. Three times the opportunity to either do a good lap or do a bad lap. Toward the end, I could have been a bit better. But in the end, making it into qualie three was already a big step. From that point, starting in P7 is on the clean side, so we will see tomorrow." (Will you have a good night sleep? Or are you going to think about your first Grand Prix tomorrow?): "No, I felt already better tonight than last night because last night was a bit of unknown and what will happen. Yesterday, I think we had a good day. Today also was not too bad. Therefore, I think I will have some rest and some good sleep tonight." (Not bad for a beginner): "Lewis set the pace up here. So all the beginners have to do something to get close to him. Apart from that, I came here Thursday not knowing what I will do. I was planning to take another weekend as a reserve driver. Then I got the chance to do the race seat. I was quite nervous Thursday through Friday. I didn't sleep a lot." (We hear you have been certainly confusing your engineers by using words like, 'kerfuffle' on the radio. Have they understood what it means yet?): "I used it yesterday when there were some things going on, on the track with other cars. I said I was stuck in traffic and was having a bit of a kerfuffle with other drivers. But I think they understood."

HEIKKI KOVALAINEN (No. 4 ING Renault F1 Team): "I'm pretty happy. It was a real good lap, and the gap to the others was too big to make up. If I would have found another tenth or two, it would not have made any difference. So it's all right. I think we'll be all right in the race. We have a good opportunity to score good points here. I think the top-four and top-five still seem to be quite strong, but we'll give it a big push and see how we end up."

JENSON BUTTON (No. 7 Honda Racing F1 Team): (We heard you talking about Turn 1, was that where you had trouble?): "Along with the other nine corners. In Q1, the car felt good on the first run, then I had some problems when (inaudible), enough that the car felt very different. We had to keep adjusting the front wing by a degree, which is a lot to be changing the car. In Q2, my last lap was as quick as I could go, and I crossed the line thinking I had a good lap, and I ended P13. But it's also very close to the cars in front who actually have reasonably good cars, so it's not so bad." (The times are very close, indeed, are you surprised by that?): "It is. A lot of cars have been very quick all year, the Red Bulls, the Williams with Rosberg. We're very close to them in qualifying here, so we'll have to see what happens in the race. So that's quite nice, we can race the people around us up to ninth position, so it's OK."

RUBENS BARRICHELLO (No. 8 Honda Racing F1 Team): "Yeah, we don't have the performance right now. We are very close to the limits of the car. To make it faster, you're dealing with some oversteer on the car, and it's just not accurate all the time. You're having more or less, and it depends on how much speed you take into the corner, and that is the stopping thing that is not letting us go forward." (Knowing this, will it be a struggle for you tomorrow?): "I think so, but there will be a lot of different strategies tomorrow. And obviously if we pick a good one, we have a chance to finish in the top eight."

NICK HEIDFELD (No. 9 BMW Sauber F1 Team): "Not bad. I'm not 100 percent satisfied because I think there was more in it. On my last shot, I didn't get the last corner perfectly right. It's never nice when you have two Ferraris just ahead of you." (You must have thought you had a chance of at least splitting, if not getting ahead of them after the earlier performance in the earlier session?) "Yes exactly, through (qualifying) one and two we were pretty close. Kimi did a second outing in Q2 in order to be safe. Yes, we were on a similar speed. But, as usual, only tomorrow we will know how much fuel they have on board." (There was a setup change from Friday, how does the car feel?): "Yes, it felt quite a bit better. I wasn't happy at all yesterday. It is now more stable, easier to drive, and especially on the long run, I am a bit more confident."

JARNO TRULLI (No. 12 Panasonic Toyota Racing): "It was a difficult qualifying. To get into the top 10, we really had to fight hard and get a good lap in. Obviously, there's a little work tomorrow. Starting eighth is a great performance, but I think I am in a position what I shouldn't be." (It's a little hotter and more humid than yesterday. Are there any changes to the track because of that?): "No, not really. I've been struggling all weekend, so I'm more than happy to be eighth. Obviously, it's the best we could have." (Is your challenge more with straightaway speed or grip in the infield section?) "No, it's everything."

-credit: ims