US GP: Post race quotes

2007 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX POST-RACE QUOTES -- Sunday, June 17

RUBENS BARRICHELLO (No. 8 Honda Racing F1 Team): "I had a great start. I'd gained two or three positions already, and when I braked at the end of the straight, Ralf (Schumacher), I don't if somebody threw Ralf into me, but I just saw Ralf coming to my side and breaking my suspension. Disappointing weekend, really."

DAVID COULTHARD (No. 14 Red Bull Racing): "It looks like Ralf came together with someone behind me and seemed to rotate Ralf, and he speared right into the side of me. That is why it doesn't look like there is so much damage. It busted our oil cooler, so I don't think it was cars just rubbing tires. I think we came together. I'm trying to mind my own business on the outside and get through the corner." (About lack of discipline entering Turn 1 on first lap): "Yeah I totally agree with you. It is something we talk about, and we all understand we are not going to score points going into the first corner. We only score points at the checkered flag, and we try and agree you do your racing off the line, and if you can do your move in the braking zone fine, but at no point rubbing up against. These aren't sports cars or NASCAR where you can rub metal. You know, we break carbon, which doesn't work."

TAKUMA SATO (No. 22 Super Aguri F1 Team): (Were you overtaking under the yellows? Was under investigation?): "No. Jenson was overtaking me, so I wasn't overtaking at that time. But it was a shame: The race was looking good up to that point. It wasn't a great day for me." (About the start): "That is always a difficult with everyone going into Turn 1 at high speed to a point of heavy braking. I saw the accident out front, and I just got over. It was no problem." (About his spin out of race): "There was still a yellow flag in Turn 1, and Jenson was overtaking me on the main straight so I just hold my position. But then I finally I came back to pass him back and I got on the dodgy side and spun off. Unfortunately, I made a mistake." (Did you get in the grass?): "Probably. It is a very dodgy side."

RALF SCHUMACHER (No. 11 Panasonic Toyota Racing): "Well, obviously into the first corner is very crowded. People have cold brakes, cold tires, same for me a little bit. I had a little locking, and David came from the outside, so it was really a race incident." (You have pretty tough luck here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway): "It seems that way, yeah, but I'll try next year. We'll see." (Can you elaborate a little on the accident?): "Well, at the end of the day I think it was a normal race incident. Things do happen at the start. The grip was not perfect, and the tire locked a little bit. It was pretty messing up there. I just got in the way of David or he into my way, one of the two. It's just unfortunate."

SCOTT SPEED (No. 19 Scuderia Toro Rosso): "I tell you, we struggled a lot out there. With our low downforce and it being so slippery out there, it did not go together. We needed the track to pick up more grip for this to work. It was definitely a tough race just to keep the thing on the track, so to come away 13th is not bad. I'm pretty happy with the result." (You really want that first point. What is it going to take?): "Lots of things, lots of small things. We're going in the right direction, though."

JENSON BUTTON (No. 7 Honda Racing F1 Team): "It was a fun race until the pit stop, I don't know what happened. They couldn't get the fuel rig on, which cost me another six or seven seconds, then they put 15 kilos or 20 kilos too much fuel in, which is a pain. But it was a fun race, just miles off the pace."

ALEXANDER WURZ (No. 17 AT&T Williams): "It was frustrating at the start. Liuzzi was really slow at the point, and it cost me too much time to catch points. The car was sliding a lot today. We have finished this weekend now, and we are looking forward to Magny-Cours."

MARK WEBBER (No. 15 Red Bull Racing): "Pretty wild first corner. I think Sebastian learned a lot. Pretty wild, Giancarlo dropped it on the exit of (Turn) 4, on the entry to (Turn) 4 on the first lap, which was a nice bonus, and it was a scarp with Jarno, really, through the race. Would have liked a slightly better balance in the middle stint, but that was it. I would have taken two points at the start of the weekend. It is good for the boys at the factory. It's a long way to go, for more downforce, more reliability, more speed. Keep going."

HEIKKI KOVALAINEN (No. 4 ING Renault F1 Team): "It was OK. I just got stuck behind Heidfeld after my first stop. I should have been a little bit more aggressive. I think I could have made a move on him, but apart from that, I think the result is the maximum we can achieve at the moment. We cannot beat with McLaren or we cannot beat Ferrari, but I think we can fight with BMW. I'm happy about my race."

ANTHONY DAVIDSON (No. 23 Super Aguri F1 Team): "It was an interesting race, with lots of marbles going down. It was interesting with the different speeds of the cars on the straights. We sort of geared our car up for being kind on these tires with lots of wing. It made for an interesting race, really, and a difficult one, nice and hot for everyone." (Did you have fun out there?): "Lots of fun. I was actually overtaking cars for once. That was really nice." (Not too bad of a track for F1?): "It's good. It gives you overtaking, so I like it. It's one of my favorite tracks in racing, definitely."

GIANCARLO FISICHELLA (No. 3 ING Renault F1 Team): "I'm really sorry about today's result. I lost the car going into Turn 4 on the second lap and compromised my whole race there. The pace was there today and the possibility to finish in the points was very good, so I'm sorry for myself and most of all for the team. Once I spun, I had to be very aggressive with my race. The car was very good through the infield, and I was even able to overtake people offline going through Turns 6 and 7. Once the car had lightened up on fuel load, the pace itself was very, very good. I don't know how I can compare to the other cars and where I would have finished, but, for sure, I would have been in the points, and we would have taken more points off BMW today. So it's been a bad two weekends in terms of results, but the car is definitely getting better. We're going in the right direction. I think the next two races will be very important for us."

NICO ROSBERG (No. 16 AT&T Williams): "Well, it was disaster. The strategy was good. We had a good choice of tire and everything. The race was going well. I was sixth, you know. It would have been a great result for us again. Then the engine blows up. I'm not sure if it was the engine. But something blew up in the back. I would assume it was the engine. But with six laps to go, so that was pretty bad." (How was the car feeling before the problem?): "I was feeling pretty good. I was pretty comfortable. It wasn't easy, but being comfortable, I was able to put down some good lap times toward the end of the first stint. I was moving up places all the time. I was really looking forward to a good finish."

VITANTONIO LIUZZI (No. 18 Scuderia Toro Rosso): "It was a nice race. Unfortunately, we had a problem with water temperature, but we had a good start. We had a good strategy. Unfortunately, when we stopped, the fuel rig didn't work. We lost seconds in the pit stop, and that killed our race because everything was pointing on the strategy. We could have finished 13th or 14th, but unfortunately we had to stop because of our problem with the water temperature. It's a shame because starting from the 19th position, we could have finished in 10th or 11th position with so many people stopping because of problems. It would have been a great race."

JARNO TRULLI (No. 12 Panasonic Toyota Racing): "It took me a bit of time for me (after the race) to recover, because I could not believe, I could not believe to finish in the points today. Despite all the effort, I thought there was no way. The team has done an incredible good job. We haven't got anything wrong and in the end we got away with a sixth position, which for us is much more than a victory." (How physically exhausting was the race?): "It was hot, honestly. I was over the limit for 100 percent of the race, so it was more mentally than physically." (More about the race): "It took a lot of fight, wheel to wheel. I really enjoyed it. When I finished the race I asked more than once, are you sure I finished sixth because I could not believe."

SEBASTIAN VETTEL (No. 10 BMW Sauber F1 Team): (You look remarkably fresh, how was your day?): "Yes, let's have another race. No, I mean, I am quite exhausted. But I tried to prepare myself for this kind of task. So in the end, I knew this could happen. It's just a question of where and when. As a reserve driver, you always have to be fit. I think here we were quite lucky to get away with one point. As the first corner was quite tight already. Therefore, I was stuck in traffic that more or less destroyed our strategy. But after all, I think it's good to finish the first race. Even better, in the points." (Any particular concerns or issues during the event?): "I mean, the car was working well. I could have been a bit quicker. But as I said, I was stuck quite often in traffic. Therefore, it was extremely tough to overtake the other guys there. They are not sleeping, and they know how to defend themselves. So it was extremely tough. But in the end, I am happy to finish. As I saw the checkered flag, I let out a cry of relief, and therefore I am quite happy for me and for the team. It was fantastic, great fun."

ADRIAN SUTIL (No. 20 Etihad Aldar Spyker F1 Team): "It was a good race, in general. We had a good pace and a good start and could really fight with other cars, and it seems to be a little step to the front since Canada. So, in general, a perfect race, and I'm really happy. It was very hot in the car, a tough race. I would have to say really in the end, it was hard to push." (About IMS circuit): "It is a great course. A really great course for racing, particularly in the high-banked corner. It is really different from the other racetracks, and I think it is really a great racetrack for Formula 1 and for racing."

CHRISTIJAN ALBERS (No. 21 Etihad Aldar Spyker F1 Team): "It was really difficult because we had an aggressive strategy, and it really worked out until the leaders were coming. I was only four or five seconds behind Adrian, and he was on a two-stop and I was on a one-stop. Normally he would lose 35 seconds. I think if I didn't have so much traffic, it wouldn't be so bad."

NICK HEIDFELD (No. 9 BMW Sauber F1 Team): "I had a hydraulic failure in the end that let to the problems with the power steering. After that, I could not shift anymore. In the very end, the throttle did not work at all. So I had to stop. In the beginning was OK. I made up one position on the start. Then the pace was reasonable. I think we would have had a chance to fight with the Ferraris, probably even for a podium. But then right before my first stop, I spun. Just overlocked the wheel and couldn't hold it anymore, resulting in me flat spotting my tire. Then I had to let by Kovalainen, and Kimi overtook me with a lot better top speed. But I still managed to get out in front of them again after my first pit stop, because I did some good laps. But then in the end the car failed."

-credit: ims