NewsOnF1 - 2003 Austrian GP - What the teams and drivers said

Jean Todt: "It was a really exciting qualifying session. Michael managed to take pole position with a lap which saw him having to work very hard, while Rubens, who made different choices to his team-mate, did not quite manage to get the most out of his car and qualified fifth. Splitting our two drivers on the grid are cars from three different teams.
Of course, we do not know how much fuel our rivals have on board and tomorrow we can expect a difficult and closely fought race. We know that our package -- drivers, car, Bridgestone tyres and Shell fuel -- puts us in a position to fight for the win. The championship is turning out to be very tight, so it is very important to always get both cars home in the points. That will therefore be our main objective tomorrow and reliability will be the key to reaching it."

Ross Brawn: "It was a very tough session. With the new rules you have to find the balance between qualifying performance and race strategy. Being on pole by a few hundredths of a second mean's that objective has been reached. Michael made a mistake at Turn 2 and we did not think he had a chance, but he got a fantastic result. The car was very good, especially in the second sector. Bridgestone have provided us with very good tyres, especially in terms of the race. Tomorrow, we can expect both our drivers to do well."

Michael Schumacher: "I am very happy with this pole position. Seeing how close the times were, this result is very satisfying. At the second corner, I had a little wobble but I did not lose too much time because I was able to catch it before the apex and so I did not run off the track and lose traction. After that, I had a good run.
Thanks to good work with the engineers, my car has been perfectly balanced since Friday. As for the chance of rain for the race, I feel that in the team we are prepared for anything. I must say that the fact that the FIA can now authorise the use of a tyre for heavy rain conditions is a wise decision from a safety point of view."

Rubens Barrichello: "After yesterday's performance I must admit I did not expect to be as far back as fifth on the grid. On my lap the track was not perfectly clean. But I went down a different route to my team-mate in terms of the car and I hope it will pay off in the race. It is sure to be an interesting race tomorrow, as this is a track where one usually sees plenty of overtaking. I hope I will be the one doing most of it!."

McLaren ( Kimi Raikkonen - 2nd, David Coulthard - 14th )

Ron Dennis: "As always the team has concentrated on optimising the race performance throughout the weekend's practice sessions which make Kimi's front row position even more satisfying. David's comments summarise well the problems he has had so far, but we expect that his race will also benefit from our strategy."

Norbert Haug: "A super performance by Kimi and the entire team. Kimi missed out on pole position with less than half of a tenth. However it's tomorrow that counts, and our strategy for the race will be good. A shame for David, a mistake in the last corner cost him a better result."

Kimi Raikkonen: "I'm pleased with today's result particularly after my qualifying at the last race -- the view from the front of the grid is definitely better than from the back. I drove an almost perfect lap, which is the first time I have done that in qualifying this year. It was close but unfortunately I just missed out on my first pole. We have improved the car from yesterday and its working well. I'm looking forward to starting from the front row tomorrow and am confident that we have the right strategy so we should have a competitive race."

David Coulthard: "I have been struggling with the balance throughout the weekend and didn't have the confidence to attack. I ran wide at the last corner which cost me some time, but to be honest I don't think the lap would have been that good anyway. I'm disappointed but we will see what happens tomorrow."

Williams ( Juan Pablo Montoya - 3rd, Ralf Schumacher - 10th )

Sam Michael: "With Juan, we are close to the front row and we are quite confident of both drivers having a good race tomorrow with the strategy we are on. We are looking forward to see how the cars will perform in the race."

Mario Thiessen: "All in all it was a good qualifying session for the team. Ralf had to cope with the handicap of being the roadsweeper, so we could not have expected much more than tenth place. Juan Pablo was very quick but unfortunately he did not get the first corner 100% correct, or he would have been fighting for pole today. However, 3rd is a good position from which to start the race."

Juan Pablo Montoya: "After following a different philosophy with our set-up today, we have been fairly consistent through practice, warm up and qualifying doing 1.09.3 laps, so I think this was as quick as the car could go in qualifying without taking any risks. It is difficult to know what fuel levels the other guys are on, but I am sure that we have a very good race set-up which will give us a strong race pace for tomorrow."

Ralf Schumacher: "After I had spun off during yesterday's first qualifying, today I had to cope with the disadvantage of being first on the track, and of course there is less grip at the start of the session. Although the car was quite well balanced by the end of this morning's practice, it wasn't quite right for qualifying and it felt a bit nervous. As a consequence, I could not get it together which was made worse by a little mistake I made early on when I lost some tenths in the first corner. So it wasn't a good lap, and as a consequence, maybe I should not be too disappointed with my grid position. It is going to be a tough race here as overtaking is pretty difficult on this circuit."

Sauber ( Nick Heidfeld - 4th, Heinz Harald Frentzen - 15th )

Peter Sauber: "I am very happy about Nick's fourth place, for two reasons. First he had to change to the T-car, which the regulations prohibited us from running prior to that point. Then it also requires a lot of trust in the team and the equipment to give everything under such circumstances, over a single all-out lap. Congratulations to Nick for the quick lap and his strong nerves! We opted for a different strategy for Heinz-Harald, which didn't allow him the chance to achieve a similar result."

Nick Heidfeld: "I am very happy with the result, particularly under such circumstances! During the warm-up I experienced a problem with my race car and therefore had to change to the spare. Thank you to my team for the good work, because it was exactly the same car, but quicker!."

Heinz Harald Frentzen: "My position is what I have expected after the practice sessions this morning. We were still not happy with the car's balance and therefore chose a rather conservative approach to qualifying and the race."

Renault ( Jarno Trulli - 6th, Fernando Alonso - 19th )

Pat Symonds: "A good clean lap from Jarno. Considering our race strategy, we are extremely pleased with his sixth place on the grid. Unfortunately for Fernando, the penalty you pay for one mistake under the one-lap-qualifying rule is very high and it will be very hard for him to score points, starting so far back. Nevertheless we will try our best, knowing that anything can happen on this tough circuit."

Denis Chevrier: "Mixed feelings today, as we have a big gap on the starting grid between our two drivers. Jarno did an excellent lap, pushing the car to the limit. Fernando started equally well but made a mistake, which cost him a position which would have been very close to Jarno's. Engine-wise, today we found again a good level of performance, which is very encouraging for the race."

Jarno Trulli: "I am very happy with my sixth place, considering that it was a tough qualifying for everybody, on a very dirty track. This morning's hard work on the set up paid off as I felt that the car balance was perfect in qualifying. I feel good and ready to attack in tomorrow's race and my objective is definitely to bring home some points for the team."

Fernando Alonso: "This morning I felt the car more competitive than yesterday, thanks to some changes the team did last night. In qualifying my lap started very well but I made a mistake that took me off the track and put me at the back of the grid. In spite of this, I feel confident I can make my way up in tomorrow's race and, who knows -- even score some points."

BAR ( Jenson Button - 7th, Jacques Villeneuve - 12th )

David Richards: "Today’s qualifying session proved just how tricky this low-grip track can be, with a surprising number of drivers making mistakes. Jenson got away with a minor error on the last corner, whilst Jacques lost most of his time on the very first corner. Nonetheless, we’re feeling very positive about our potential race performance tomorrow, albeit concerned about what the weather might bring as the forecast is for rain in the morning."

Geoff Willis: "Today was a rather mixed day for the team compared with Friday. In the morning we had an hydraulic leak on Jenson’s car, which lost him the second half of the first session. We had an otherwise productive morning and by warm-up we felt we had a good race set-up on both cars. Qualifying was rather less satisfactory. Jenson got a quick, if rather ragged, lap but Jacques made a mistake on turn one, costing him over half a second. We’ve been competitive all weekend and we feel we have a good strategy for tomorrow’s race. Given the very mixed-up nature of the grid there is a high likelihood of a first-corner incident. With one of our cars starting from the middle of the field, it will be important to stay out of trouble on the first lap."

Shuhei Nakamoto: "Although we expected higher grid positions we have shown that the car has been competitive all weekend so I'm confident we can score points tomorrow."

Jenson Button: "I'm quite satisfied with my lap because I had too much oversteer practically all the way round. It wasn't a very tidy lap because I was on the verge of being out of control. There wasn't enough grip out there but I was giving it maximum attack and pushing as hard as I could - a little bit too much in the last corner because I ran wide.
We've been struggling to find the right balance all weekend and qualifying showed we're not quite on top of that. Having said that, we've been very competitive so far, so I'm optimistic. Seventh on the grid gives us a lot of chances, and because there have been so many surprises today, a podium is not beyond the realms of possibility. Before I make any predictions though, I'd better wait and see what happens in the race!."

Jacques Villeneuve: "The car felt amazing on old tyres this morning but we couldn't get the best out of new tyres this afternoon. I tried to compensate but I drove too aggressively and made a big mistake in turn one, which basically cost me the lap. 12th isn't too bad because a mistake like that could have cost more. We should be OK for the race because the car is very quick in race trim.
A lot of people were trying too hard today and I was one of them. If you do a slow out-lap to look after the tyres you can end up going too slow and you don't get enough heat in the tyres. It's a difficult balance and the one's who got it wrong are the one's who made mistakes.
This is a good track for overtaking and our grid position doesn't reflect our actual speed, so it should be a fun race. It's always a very interesting first lap here and the people who survive that end up having a fun race. I hope I'm one of them."

Jaguar ( Antonio Pizzonia - 8th, Mark Webber - 17th )

Dr Mark Gillan: "An excellent performance from Antonio today and simply unlucky for Mark! Our preparation going into the qualifying hour and subsequently the race has been very comprehensive and positive. We spent the morning warm-up sessions working on tyres and fuel loads in an effort to optimise our strategy for tomorrow. The balance of the Jaguar R4 has been very good and both drivers are happy with the performance. Antonio obviously got the best out of the qualifying hour and we are all delighted for him. He has kept his head down and focused very diligently on the job in hand all weekend and assuming we are reliable tomorrow, he should be well-placed to make a points challenge. Mark was unlucky today in that he followed Jacques Villeneuve out onto the track and suffered in the dust and debris that Jacques had left in his wake. Mark was clearly struggling for grip in those corners but these things happen. He has had a tremendous run of qualifying performances and you cannot win them all. The main thing is that we have not compromised our race strategy for tomorrow and given how well the car has been performing all weekend, we are quite positive and upbeat going into the race tomorrow."

Antonio Pizzonia: "We made some set-up adjustments to the car during the morning warm-up and the results are good. I am, however, slightly disappointed not to have done better because of an error in turn six where I think I lost around three tenths. The margin separating the top ten is one second and three-tenths would have put me in P5. Nonetheless, given the improvements we made to the car this morning, I am very happy and looking forward to racing tomorrow. The balance and power is very much suited to this circuit and my aim is to chase for my first points tomorrow. Michelin have again done their homework and the team has done an excellent job of preparing the Jaguar R4 this weekend. We haven’t suffered from any unreliability issues and pace has been very competitive. We must finish tomorrow’s race and aim to top-up our points tally which Mark kicked-off in Barcelona two weeks ago."

Mark Webber: "A big shame given the potential of the car but there was little I could do. Jacques (Villeneuve) did a great job of messing up the track and compromising grip. It’s a tight track and given how close the lap times are between teams, everyone is pushing that extra bit further for an extra tenth and these things happen. The car has been performing very impressively all weekend and to have missed out on its true potential is disappointing, but that’s one-lap qualifying for you! It’s a long race tomorrow and with some clever strategy work, I’m sure we can still make a significant contribution to the race tomorrow, albeit starting from 17th on the grid."

Jordan ( Giancarlo Fisichella - 9th, Ralph Firman - 16th )

Gary Anderson: "That was a fairly interesting session, with a lot of mistakes, our guys made some as well, but 9th and 16th is not too bad. We were hoping to get in the top ten and it's somewhere we can work from tomorrow. We haven't done anything stupid with strategy so I think we can have a reasonable race from our positions. It was interesting to see people flying off the road so I hope it made good TV!."

Giancarlo Fisichella: "We are happy because we met our target, which was to be in the top ten. I am 9th, and without a mistake in the last corner, I think maybe I could have been 8th. I'm optimistic about tomorrow and hope to score points. The weather forecast is very uncertain so we will have to wait and see."

Ralph Firman: "I had a good first sector but after that there was too much understeer so I lost time over the rest of the lap. I think the circuit changed a bit in the fifteen minutes between warm-up and qualifying. We've got a good race car and there's no reason why we can't score some points."

Toyota ( Olivier Panis - 11th, Cristiano da Matta - 13th )

Keizo Takahashi: "Both drivers, Olivier and Cristiano, did their best and really pushed hard in qualifying today, but we suffered from a lack of track grip. The cars were in much better shape than they were yesterday but the set-up is still not as good as it should be, so I am a little bit disappointed. We still have a chance to challenge for championship points tomorrow, and it goes without saying that we will do our best."

Olivier Panis: "We have had a difficult weekend and the car simply hasn't been right for this track. I think I did a good job in qualifying today and it was a respectable lap given the circumstances. Obviously we are not quick enough but the team has worked well to improve the car little by little over the weekend, and I think we are on a good strategy for tomorrow. Starting from 11th is not bad, so we'll see what happens in the race."

Cristiano da Matta: "I am quite happy with my qualifying lap and my overall performance. The track appeared to be a little slower than this morning, but still the time is not good and it has been a tough weekend so far. We have been struggling ever since the first practice session yesterday. We have to dig a little deeper to find the answers to why our car is not going well this weekend. We'll keep working on it."

Minardi ( Justin Wilson - 18th, Jos Verstappen - 20th )

Paul Stoddart: "After what started as a very promising weekend, today was fraught with misfortune. It began with Justin's brush with the barriers at the first corner in the morning practice session, which necessitated him using the spare car for qualifying, and was followed by a disastrous qualifying session, in which he was unable to match his earlier pace. Adding to the woes, Jos's qualifying effort was then curtailed by a fifth-gear failure at the start of his flying lap. We can only hope for a better day on Sunday."

Justin Wilson: "It's very disappointing. I seemed to pick up a chassis imbalance, which caused a problem in qualifying. The weekend started really well, but we seem to have had difficulties in the afternoons, so perhaps they are track or temperature-related. We'll now just have to concentrate on the race and work out a good strategy for tomorrow."

Jos Verstappen: "That was a real shame not to have completed qualifying, because we made some good progress on aerodynamic work this morning and had a good balance in the chassis by the end of the practice session. As a result, I think we could have been in 16th or17th position on the grid for tomorrow's race. The problem in qualifying first showed itself on my flying lap, as I was braking into Turn 1 and downshifting, and suddenly had a big, oversteering slide. I then started to shift up through the gears as I exited the corner, but when I got to fifth gear, there was just no drive. Hopefully, we will have better luck tomorrow."

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Main Austrian GP Page

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Session	2003		2002
Friday Practice	Results	Report	Results
Friday Qualifying	Results	Report	Results
First Saturday Practice	Results		Results
Second Saturday Practice	Results	Report	Results
Saturday Qualifying	Results	Report	Results
Race	Results	Report	Results
What the teams and drivers said Friday - Saturday - Sunday

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