Qualifying Quotes - Teams [2003-11-October]
Jean Todt [Team manager - Ferrari]:
“The changing weather conditions turned qualifying into a lottery. This has resulted in a rather unusual grid although, with Rubens, we have a Ferrari on pole position. He drove a great lap just before the rain intensified.“
“Michael was the third from last driver to go for his timed lap and the last man to complete his run. This explains his fourteenth position.”
“The two championships will be decided in tomorrow's race. We know what we have to do to defend our positions. It is obvious that, especially because of predictions for more uncertain weather, much will depend on making the right choices at the right time.”
“The changes to the regulations introduced at the start of the year were designed to add an element of unpredictability to qualifying and here in Suzuka that is exactly what has happened.”
Ross Brawn [Technical director - Ferrari]:
“We are very happy with Rubens' performance, as he drove a really good lap. Michael's position is all down to the rain which was timed badly for his run, even if he was not as badly affected as the last two runners. His time was quite impressive considering how damp it was.”
“They say it should be wet again tomorrow, but we will need to check as the forecast is changing a lot. We are in a good position for tomorrow, as Rubens is on pole and Kimi is not so far ahead of Michael, so I think we have a good chance for both championships. The Bridgestone tyres looked very good in these difficult conditions.”
Sam Michael [Chief operations engineer - BMW.WilliamsF1]:
"It was obviously a mixed qualifying for us - good for Juan, but bad for Ralf, which was due to the weather. However, we believe that we should have a good race performance tomorrow to help our challenge for the constructors' championship. Juan is well placed to start with and Ralf is keen to show what he can do by cutting through the field."
Mario Theissen [Motorsport director - BMW]:
"First the Indianapolis race and now also the result of the final qualifying session of the season has been decided by the weather conditions.”
“Juan Pablo managed to complete his lap just before the rain started to fall significantly and secured second place. For the last three drivers, however, the rain's influence was evident - Michael Schumacher has to cope with 14th place, Ralf spun and Jarno Trulli didn't even do his qualifying lap.”
“For Sunday, changeable weather conditions are predicted too. Therefore it is impossible to predict the outcome of the race or the constructors' championship. At least, this weekend, once again, all of our engines have run trouble-free so far."
Keizo Takahashi [General manager - Toyota F1]:
"At our second home grand prix, I am extremely happy that we did the best ever qualifying result with both Cristiano and Olivier on the second row of the grid. Cristiano did a fantastic job throughout the day, especially considering this is his first time at Suzuka, which is one of the toughest tracks on the calendar.”
“As for Olivier, the car was not as well balanced as it could have been, but he drove a faultless lap and gave his absolute best. We want to keep this momentum up and achieve some good points in tomorrow's race."
Pat Symonds [Executive director of engineering - Renault F1]:
“After such a promising start to the weekend, today's qualifying result is bitterly disappointing. However, in spite of a lap affected by the onset of rain, Fernando's fifth place, while not reflecting the full potential of the car, still gives us a real chance for tomorrow.”
“What can I say for Jarno? He must be the unluckiest man in Formula One - in the space of 24 hours, he has gone from being the fastest man out there to last on the grid, through no fault of his own. We decided it was not even worth doing the timed lap, and called him in to save fuel for the race.”
Denis Chevrier [Operations manager - Renault F1 France]:
"Fernando's fifth place is an encouraging position from which to start tomorrow, and at least shows that the rain did not completely ruin our afternoon. However, given the times set by the people on the front row, we can only regret that circumstances prevented Jarno from doing a timed lap - he had the potential to take pole. Fate denied him a real opportunity to shine this afternoon.”
Dr Mark Gillan [Head of vehicle performance- Jaguar Racing]:
"We have been on the receiving end of bad weather many times this season and, for once, it is nice to have been on the right side of the elements.”
“Our preparation going into this race has also been very thorough. We have generated over 1300km of mileage in the past two days without a single reliability issue and the car's balance around this demanding circuit is good in both single lap and endurance trim. As always, we have put our focus this weekend firmly into the race and, having two cars start from the top ten, is very good news for us.”
“Both drivers did an excellent job in conditions that were far from perfect and, apart from a tiny mistake Justin made going into turn one, I don't think we could have asked for much more.”
“With everything to play for and heavy showers forecast for tomorrow, bringing the cars home will be the order of the day and, while points are never easy, we are well placed to make a serious challenge tomorrow. A good day and one we hope to maximise upon tomorrow."
Ron Dennis [Team principal - McLaren]:
"An interesting outcome, reflecting no more than the onset of rain which largely affected the last five cars. Hopefully, our race strategy will contribute to a good result."
Norbert Haug [Motorsport director - Mercedes-Benz]:
"It's a pity when the weather decides the order of the starting grid. However, we expect this to be the basis for an exciting race. Yesterday's top five suffered an increasing handicap towards the end of today's session."
David Richards [Team principal - BAR]:
"Well, the last race is proving to be as dramatic as the whole 2003 season! Rain has once again upset the form book, but I am obviously pleased that this has helped our cause. It is difficult to know what fuel loads our direct competitors were running, but our grid positions have put us in touch with where we need to be.”
“Jenson made a couple of small errors and probably had the speed to be a couple of places higher. Taku did a satisfactory job, but will no doubt benefit from more experience with this style of qualifying as we get into next season.”
“As for tomorrow, I imagine that a great deal is going to depend on the weather, and with a forecast of rain it may well play into our hands."
Geoffrey Willis [Technical director - BAR]:
“We were fortunate to avoid the penalty of the variable weather in qualifying today - however, neither driver got an ideal lap. Jenson ran wide at the second Degner and lost some time through the chicane, as did Takuma, whose lap was also a little ragged.”
“This morning we lost a bit of time with a hydraulics problem on Takuma's car, but were able to complete the majority of our set-up work with Jenson working hard to catch up after losing most of yesterday's running. We are happy with our set-up and strategy for tomorrow's race and our clear objective is to regain fifth position in the constructors' championship.”
Shuhei Nakamoto [Engineering director - Honda Racing Development]:
"Another good effort from Jenson and Taku. The conditions obviously played a part in qualifying today and may well affect the race tomorrow. We have to take every opportunity we get to secure fifth place in the constructors' championship in front of our home crowd."
Peter Sauber [Team principal - Sauber]:
"Our strategies were good, but the implementation of them didn't quite work out. Nick's lap was okay, and Heinz-Harald's run was good, too, in the first and third sectors. In the middle one, he unfortunately lost nine-tenths of a second in Degner Two and, consequently, the fifth starting position, which would have been very important for us considering the grid positions of our principal opposition, Webber and Button."
Gary Anderson [Director of race and test engineering - Jordan GP]:
“I think the balance of the cars is reasonably good today, and the performance just reflects the grip level that we've got. I think we've done the right thing for the race and, after today's conditions with rain coming mid-afternoon, I hope it will do the same tomorrow and that we'll be able to pull something out of what unfolds.”
“To be honest, we could not have done more than we did. Being directly behind Michael, at least we can expect a bit of TV coverage on the grid and at the start tomorrow.”
Paul Stoddart [Team principal - European Minardi Cosworth]:
"A sprinkle of drizzle just before the start of the final qualifying session gave great encouragement to European Minardi that it might be rewarded with a rain-affected session, but it was not to be until the last few cars.”
“As usual, both our drivers gave 100 per cent this afternoon and, as for tomorrow's race, which is critically important for the world championship in so many ways - with three teams fighting for title honours and five others battling for the coveted fifth place - European Minardi is expecting an interesting contest and believes a points finish is a definite possibility."
2003 Japanese GP News
Race Review[2003-12-October]
Sunday Quotes - Drivers[2003-12-October]
Race Results[2003-12-October]
Qualifying Quotes - Drivers[2003-11-October]
Qualifying Results[2003-11-October]
Friday Press Conference[2003-10-October]
Thursday Press Conference[2003-9-October]