Sunday Quotes - Teams [2003-12-October]
Jean Todt [team boss - Ferrari]:
"It has been an historic day. Rubens put on a fantastic performance, while Michael drove a defensive and cautious race to bring home the point which would guarantee him the title. We have won both championships, writing another page in the history book of this sport. No team has ever won five consecutive Constructors’ titles and no driver has ever had his name at the top of the record books six times. First and foremost, I want to thank Luca di Montezemolo who has always given us his support. Thanks must also go to our shareholders who have always believed in us, even in the really difficult times. I think Gianni Agnelli would have been proud to see the car which bears his name win seven of the twelve races in which it competed. Then there are our technical partners - first and foremost Bridgestone, Shell and AMD and the commercial ones, some of whom have been with us for a long time, like Philip Morris and more recent ones such as Vodafone and Olympus. I am proud to be in charge of this dream team;
which is united, determined and never gives up. Now we will enjoy this success, which comes at the end of a very difficult season, up against very strong opposition. I can assure you that we have not lost our hunger for more victories in the future. Enzo Ferrari would have been proud of what we have accomplished."
Ross Brawn [technical director - Ferrari]:
"This was a very tough race, especially with so much at stake. Rubens did a fantastic job at the front, but we wanted to get Michael in the points just to be sure. It was very exciting. That early incident made life more difficult for us but we knew we still had a chance. We had a recovery strategy which worked okay. We did not catch Ralf at the second stop, as he took on less fuel than we did, but we managed to get him at the third one. It was very close and tough today. I think I am getting too old for all this excitement! But you always know with Michael that you have a chance. It was important to get that one point, because you never know what can happen at the front. It was actually tougher to get that point than it was to win the race. We were lucky to get away with the incident at the chicane with Michael and Da Matta. I guess Da Matta must have braked early as Michael almost hit him. This is a dream come true. I am so proud to be part of Ferrari. All the guys and girls have shown what kind
of team they are. Our partner Bridgestone also did a great job. Now we go and karaoke!"
Ron Dennis [team boss - McLaren]:
“It was quite close and anything was possible in the race. Kimi and David performed well, and we had a good strategy for both cars. However it’s the combined result of the 16 races which decide the World Championship but we were able to fight until the very end. The entire team is already working hard on planning our 2004 season.”
Norbert Haug [team boss - Mercedes]:
“Kimi is runner-up in the World Championship two points behind, which is a good result at the end of an exciting season. The whole team did a great job and worked very hard to keep Kimi in contention for the title until the last race. David showed a strong drive coming home in third today. Congratulations to Michael Schumacher on his sixth World Championship title – at least he can’t say we made it easy for him. Thanks to all our team members for their hard work during 2003. We will all continue our efforts in order to finish one better in 2004”
David Richards [team principal - BAR]:
"This is just fantastic! To have this result at Honda's home track, with Taku driving his first race with us is amazing. Jenson had one of his best races, driving with real maturity, and showed he had the pace of the top teams. We had an excellent race set-up and a perfect fuel strategy, which leapfrogged us over Saturday's light fuel teams. I like to think that this weekend's performance is significant in a number of ways, and going into the winter break, gives us the confidence that the changes we have made are all positive. Both Honda and ourselves have ambitious plans for next year and we will be pushing very hard when testing resumes in November."
Geoffrey Willis [technical director - BAR]:
"I am very pleased that in the closing race of the season we have been able to demonstrate the real potential of the team. Both Takuma and Jenson drove perfect races, the team's strategy was perfect and both cars ran faultlessly. I would also thank Bridgestone for providing a strong tyre this weekend. Although we have lost far too many points this year, this race has allowed us to take 5th place in the championship, which is a true reflection of the performance of the package. This has given everyone at BAR and Honda just the boost that we need to drive us hard over the winter and prepare for the 2004 season."
Shuhei Nakamoto [engineering director - Honda Racing Development]:
"A great way to end the season, especially in front of our home crowd. Both our guys were really strong out there and our strategy worked perfectly. Jenson pushed hard and showed good pace throughout the race and Taku coped brilliantly with the pressure of a home debut. I'm also very pleased that we secured fifth in the constructors' championship today - the car worked really well and the boys did a great job on all the stops. I want to use this as a springboard for next season."
Flavio Briatore [managing director - Renault]:
"The results don't show it fully, but the team did a very good job this weekend. Both drivers put in excellent performances, especially Jarno from the back of the grid, and it was frustrating to see Fernando retire. It is a shame to end the season like this, but it has been a fantastic year for Renault and the whole team. The winter will be spent working hard, and we should be even stronger in Melbourne next March."
Pat Symonds [executive director of engineering - Renault]:
"A mixed final race for us. Jarno drove an absolutely superb race today and starting from nineteenth, to finish fifth in a race with few retirements is remarkable; indeed, were it not for bad luck with traffic, it could have been fourth. Fernando's early laps were extremely impressive, and he was able to hold on to Barrichello who we knew was on three stops. We slightly extended the second stint in order to give the possibility of converting to two stops, and beating the Ferrari this way. Unfortunately, an engine problem intervened and didn't allow us to reap the benefits of this. We also congratulate Michael and Ferrari: this has been a fitting end to a great season."
Ove Andersson [team principal - Toyota]:
"To take two points in our home grand prix is a very nice feeling and we can return to Cologne with our heads held high. We finish the season in eighth position in the constructors' championship, which is where we probably should be after only our second season in Formula 1. My ambition tells me that I would have liked to be further up, but it was a more difficult year than our debut season, and one from which we have learned a huge amount. I want to thank the team for the hard work and effort that every single person has put into this season. We will back racing next year with a better car and even more determination to be successful and to give our competitors an even harder time."
Peter Sauber [team principal - Sauber]:
"Of course we all are disappointed that we couldn't keep our fifth place in the World Championship for Constructors, but we must not be ungrateful. Before the last race in Indianapolis we were only ninth in the Championship and only climbed to fifth thanks to the fantastic performance of the drivers, the team and, of course, Bridgestone. We thank Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen for a good and professional job in a very difficult season for us. Hats off to BAR. Honda for a great result today and for taking fifth place in the Championship. And congratulations to Ferrari and Michael Schumacher. With this unique success they write themselves into a completely new chapter of motorsport history."
Dr Mark Gillan [head of vehicle performance - Jaguar]:
"A disappointing end to a weekend that has been very good for us in terms of preparation and reliability. The balance of the car has also been good but we were simply off the pace today versus our immediate competition. The track was somewhat green given the rain that fell overnight and these conditions didn't suit our exploitation of the tyres. Degradation was a problem for both drivers but on the whole our performance wasn't enough on the day. Our strategy was right and was executed very well and the only issue we suffered was an engine-related problem on Justin's car after his third pit stop. We made the necessary changes to the settings in an effort to get the car across the finishing line and in the end both cars came home, albeit out of the points. Our partners and suppliers have done an outstanding job this year and we thank them for their support and look forward to working with them in 2004."
Tony Purnell [head of PPD - Jaguar Racing, Cosworth Racing, Pi Research]:
"We began the season with a fast car but one which was unreliable at times and with the benefit of hindsight, we lost points as a consequence. As the season progressed, however, our competition got quicker and reliable to the extent that today's race was out of our reach. That's motor racing and while we have lost out today, I take a lot of pride in the fact that we have achieved the target we began the season with – ‘respectability.' That was the objective and I'd say we have achieved that. Sauber were fortunate to have bagged ten points in Indianapolis by being out on the right wet tyres at the right time otherwise we would have finished the season in 6th place. Nonetheless, the work and effort that has gone into turning this team around must be recognised and the fact that we are on the right path leaves us with a lot to look forward to next year. It is going to be a tough winter but we will come out kicking and fighting in 2004."
Frank Williams [team principal - Williams]:
"It was a disappointing end to a brilliant F1 season, but there remains much encouragement for us for the next year."
Patrick Head [technical director - Williams]:
"We fought very hard all year but we started too weakly and that put a lot of pressure on us at the end, which I don't think was really the problem but ultimately the results in our last few races of the year have been very poor, although the car speed has been very good. We will be going home now and analysing what has happened and we'll try to make sure we do much better next year. I want to give credit to all the people in the team, both in Grove and Munich and the support from our partners and sponsors because everybody has worked very hard this year. Second in the Constructor's Championship isn't first but still the team has improved enormously through the year and that's pleasing to see. Well done to Michael and Ferrari!"
Mario Theissen [motorsport director - BMW]:
"This last race reflected the whole season for our team, it was just like a rollercoaster. After a weak start to the season we had the Constructor's Championship within reach but in the last few races we have to acknowledge that our team is still not quite strong enough. There were too many mistakes and this includes today's race. It is a small comfort to us that the P83 engine did not experience any failures in all of the 16 races. With hindsight, we can still say that it is clear that this year we made a big jump forward. With four victories,including two one-two finishes, this was our strongest season so far. We managed to keep the Constructors' title undecided until the last race. The developments for 2004 should ensure that we will be competitive from the start of the season. Congratulations to Michael Schumacher and Ferrari for having won both titles. They have been a little too strong for us, this time."
Gary Anderson [director of race and test engineering - Jordan]:
"I can't deny that was a disappointment. In Ralph's first pit stop we had a problem with the fuel rig connector which lost a lot of time for him. We were forced to pit early as well because he had a fuel pick-up problem - we think one of the pumps in the tank failed - and he had to run with quite a high fuel load to the end, to try and keep it from cutting out. In Giancarlo's first stop we didn't get the quantity of fuel we thought we had during refuelling, so he was a lap short and ran out of fuel just before his second stop.
"There have been a lot of lessons learnt this year and the whole team is already working very hard to ensure we come back next year with a much more competitive package.
"On a personal note I'd like to thank the team and all my friends in Formula One, for some very memorable years. As I'm now heading to semi-retirement I won't see everyone as often but I'll certainly pop up now and again and hopefully I'll have a little bit more time for that little glass of red wine I've enjoyed with many of you over the years!"
Paul Stoddart [team principal - Minardi]:
"First of all, congratulations to Michael Schumacher and to Ferrari for a job well done. As for Minardi, the year ended on a positive note, with both cars yet again taking the chequered flag. Overall, though, ‘frustrating' is the way I would describe the season, in that our engine and driver line-up deserved more, but the lack of funds to develop the car cost us dearly, despite a fantastic effort from all our staff throughout what has been a most difficult year. I'd like to thank all our personnel, not only on the race team, but also in the factories at Faenza and Ledbury. Together with our technical and commercial partners, they have given 110 per cent throughout 2003."
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]