US GP Saturday Ferrari notes

Michael 2 Schumacher: 1st, 1m 14.266, 12 laps Rubens Barrichello: 4th, 1m 14.600, 12 laps
Temperatures: air 26 °C, track 26/29 °C

Jean Todt : “It’s great to have secured pole on such an interesting track in front of a crowd which followed our progress in qualifying with such enthusiasm. This is our eighth pole of the season, the seventh for Schumacher. We employed team tactics between our drivers for the last two runs and while it paid off for Michael, it did not work as well for Rubens. As predicted, it was a battle between the usual two teams for the front rows and I think we will see the same situation in tomorrow’s race.“

Michael Schumacher : “I was hoping it was not going to rain at the start of the session when I stayed in the garage. I was fairly confident it would not, but I saw a few drops on my visor and pushed harder to finish the lap. We played team tactics, just like the others did at the end, except that we did it differently so that we both got a run. We changed the car a little bit during the session, because as the morning had not been completely dry we still had a few things we wanted to try. We are well prepared for the race. If it rains for the race, my only concern is if there are rivers running across the track. We have not run in real rain conditions here, but if it rains in the warm-up we will get a chance to see what it’s like. It’s a good feeling going round the banking but because our entry speed is not so great we do not experience being on the limit. With the wall so close, I don’t want to experience it. We Europeans are probably more chicken than the Americans! I was surprised at the great reception from the spectators who were cheering us on. I hope we will give them a good show tomorrow.“

Rubens Barrichello : ”The car was pretty good. On my last run, I decided to put on more downforce and get a tow from Michael. However, I had a bit of understeer and I was not able to improve my time. But I am still confident because the performance levels of the top four cars are very similar. It’s a shame not to be on the front row like in Monza, but I a made a terrible start there so I hope to make a good one tomorrow. There is still some work to do to find the right compromise to suit both the slow and quick parts of the track. A lot will depend on the weather conditions. It’s great racing here in front of this very enthusiastic American crowd.”