NewsOnF1 - 8 - 11 April News

11-Apr: At the Thursday press conference for the San Marino Grand Prix, Juan Pablo Montoya has once again confirmed that he will not change his approach to racing following his 2 incidents with Michael in Malaysia and Brazil. He said "I have my point of view and I still have the same point of view. For the stewards, it was a racing incident and so we will see what happens from here on. I'm not really going to change the way I approach the race in any way. You've got to race and that's what you're here for.
He (Michael) made this one move down the straight and I thought I could go down the inside and I guess I moved before him and I was too close to him. He came in front of me and he touched my nose and I was out of the race. But the stewards thought it was a racing incident so it is good to know you can do that as well."
He should have looked before he moved, from my understanding of the rules. You can talk as much as you want and speculate as much as want. It is not going to change anything that has already happened, last race and this race, it is not going to change anything."
As for the rumour that he is heading to Ferrari, Montoya said "Maybe in the future but I don't know, I am happy where I am at the moment. You've got to take things year by year and as far as I know we haven't talked anything about it."

Michael Schumacher defended his brother for not challenging him in Brazil and said "You get to a certain point close to a car in front then you are in the dirty air and that is about it. If you are not substantially faster you never get into the slipstream, you never get into being very close and to trying to overtake. I would have been in exactly the same position, most likely, to Ralf, and I wouldn't have had any chance to overtake and there is basically only one chance and whatever driver is around we are all going to be in the same position. I saw Ralf's sector times and I analysed the race. He was giving it all. It just wasn't enough."
He refused to get drawn into the discussion about his last incident with Juan Pablo and said "We both want to finish the race so whatever happens will make us more clever for the next race, in my view."
As for the rumours that he'll be retiring from Ferrari, he said "First of all I don't intend to retire. I have made this comment very often. But your problem is if one newspaper as a joke writes it everybody is following that story and has to write about it because it seems to be the most interesting story. I am not intending to retire so there is no point in looking any further. I think Jean Todt answered this very clearly this morning. He is obviously very fast but there are 22 other Formula One drivers who are also fast. Sure there is one better than the others and that one is doing a very good job."

Rubens Barrichello is happy to be driving the new F2002 at Imola and said "Two days testing again in Mugello the car feels just like it felt in Barcelona three weeks ago or a month ago. It is better than the old one, so I am feeling good. It is really good to have it here."
As for his approach following 3 retirements so far he said "I just think it is like golf. You play a bad hole on the first one, you have got to think it is going to be better on the second one. If the second one is still bad you have got to think the third is better. So I am on that. The fourth one has to be a better one so I am positive about it but I am not too concerned about the bad luck I have had. It happened already. I have zero points and I have just to look ahead and see what I can do here. It is not to be conservative or anything. I am here to enjoy myself."
On the rumour that he will have to take a pay cut if he is to stay at Ferrari next year, he said "It is such bull shit that it is not even worth to comment because I am here to race and Ferrari keeps me here because they love me racing the car so if they don't like me to be there they are going to tell me to go home or to go and find another team. But a pay cut because of what? What did I do wrong? In the first three races I was leading, in fact, when I had my problems."

Jarno Trulli is very happy with the progress at Renault so far and said "I was definitely surprised during the first three races to see how competitive we were in qualifying and the race. So at the moment I am really happy and pleased about the job which the team has done over the winter time. It's thanks to them that we are performing very well."
On his continuing bad lack he said "The first three races weren't very good for me because I didn't manage to finish races, but I think Jenson definitely showed that we have a good car. I'm hoping for the rest of the season that we can keep improving our car and get better and better. I'm sure the results will come. It's just a question of time. I'm confident. I know that destiny was sometimes not on my side but I'm also confident that I can turn it the other way. I'm sure, very soon, hopefully from this race, I can score my first point."
As for how far Renault can go in the championship, he said "At the moment, it's difficult to say. At the beginning of the season, we really wished to be the fourth in the Constructors' championship at the end of the season but obviously we have started the season much better than what we expected so now we are challenging McLaren which is really nice. If we keep developing the car as well as this team did last season, we can probably try to challenge the McLaren, even if it's a bit difficult, but I'm sure we will all try."

Giancarlo Fisichella admitted that the start of his season was not great and that was mainly due to the lack of power from the Honda units and said "After last year, I had a very difficult season. I thought this would be better, and especially when I drove the EJ11 in the winter, I was very confident, very comfortable in that car. Then with the new car, I was confident too, but unfortunately the power is not enough and we are struggling a little bit. But I am very confident because Honda is pushing very hard. Here we already have a little step forward on power and for the future, I think in a couple of races, in three or four races, we will have a much bigger step."
He described the mood at Jordan as confident and said "The atmosphere is very good. Already the first time when I went to the factory in December for a seat fitting, I felt to be back at home and the atmosphere is very similar to how it was two years ago. We are pushing, we just need to be more competitive, but we are confident."

11-Apr: "Will Barrichello be allowed a F2002 ?" is the title of the 8th issue from the Diagnosis and Prognosis Series for the 2002 season. In this issue, the Heretic looks at the upcoming San Marino Grand Prix - Issue 8

10-Apr: Michael Schumacher has admitted that the Williams BMW team will be very competitive at Imola but hopes that the improved aerodynamics on the new Ferrari will make up for their lack of power and said "I would say the BMW-Williams have more top speed but we have other strong points. One is certainly our aerodynamics and actually, a lack of horsepower can be made up for in other ways such as in a better weight distribution. You have to look at a car as a complete package. For example, we were very close to the Williams in terms of top speed, making up the power difference through the rear wing, which is one of the strongest components in the new Ferrari. But we must remember that we only won the Interlagos race because the opposition did not get the most out of its machinery, whereas we did."
His team-mate Rubens Barrichello is hoping for a change of fortune and said "I am regarding this weekend as a new start to the season for me," he maintained. "There have been three races so far and I have been unlucky in all of them. Last year, I had a total of three unlucky races in the whole season, so I think all that is going to change from now and what better place than Imola where I can count on the support of all our fans."

David Coulthard who finished on the podium in the last 4 races at Imola is hoping to continue this trend and said "I was pleased to be back on the podium in Brazil for the West McLaren Mercedes team. The result demonstrated that we are moving in the right direction and I am now able to begin my 2002 Championship challenge in earnest. I have a good record at the San Marino Grand Prix, having secured podium finishes in the previous four races, and I am aiming to extend this run at the weekend. The anti-clockwise circuit offers limited overtaking opportunities, with the best chance through the Tosa hairpin."
His team-mate Kimi Raikkonen who only finished in Australia so far this season is hoping to be able to score some more points and said "My experiences at the track, which is characterised by a number of elevation changes, are mixed. In the 2001 race my steering wheel came off and I was not able to finish the race. However I am hoping to secure another points finish to add to my third position in Australia."

10-Apr: "Honda, where are they heading ?" - Topic of the week - Have Your Say

10-Apr: Following 3 retirements in the first 3 races of the season, Jarno Trulli is hoping for a change of fortune. Trulli is confident of what the car can deliver is is hoping to start his points score this weekend. He said "Last year was the first time I scored points in this race so I hope to repeat it. I am pleased with the direction we are going in all areas. In Brazil, I practically completed a full race distance, and drove strongly and consistently throughout. That was an important step for me, and a good boost for my confidence. Jenson has finished both the last two races, and that shows the quality of the car. I know I have plenty of time to score points this season but I would like to start now! I hope to finish the race, and score my first points for Renault."
His team-mate Jenson Button is expecting to finish in the points as he describes the R202 as a great car and said "The R202 is a great car, and I get more confident with it every time I drive. We have been able to find a good set-up at each circuit and hopefully that will continue here. I am pretty much expecting to finish in the points, and that shows how competitive the team is this season."

Jacques Villeneuve has yet to score a point this season and the disappointing performance from the BAR004 doesn't help. Despite Honda introducing a new spec engine, Villeneuve isn't expecting any major improvements for Imola and said "Brazil was another disappointing race for us but the team made some progress in the Valencia test. I'm not expecting to see any major improvement in Imola but we seem to be moving in the right direction. The car felt a little better on race day in Brazil so hopefully we can build on that this weekend. The team have been quite competitive here in the past and it would be nice to fight for some points. I'm looking forward to the race."
His team-mate Olivier Panis had 3 retirements so far and is hoping to be able to finish for a change and said "I haven't finished the first three races so I'm going to Imola hoping for a better outcome. My aim is to finish the race so reliability is the most important factor. My other target is to maximise any opportunity we can to get a good result. Again, the work done in Valencia last week was based on our reliability issues and I'm cautiously optimistic that we've taken a step forward in a number of areas. We worked very closely with Honda and improved the drivability of the car so we are making progress."

9-Apr: The Quali-flyer's predictions for the 'Real Race' in San Marino ... Report

8-Apr: "Will Ralf benefit again ?" - The San Marino Grand Prix Preview is now available ... Race Preview

San Marino Formula 1 Grand Prix Schedule:

Session	Time (Local / GMT) - Current local time
Friday Practice Session 1 Friday Practice Session 2 Saturday Practice Session 1 Saturday Practice Session 2 Qualifying Session Warm-up Session Race	11 AM Imola Time / 9 AM GMT 1 PM Imola Time / 11 AM GMT 9 AM Imola Time / 7 AM GMT 10:15 AM Imola Time / 8:15 AM GMT 1 PM Imola Time / 11 AM GMT 9:30 AM Imola Time / 7:30 AM GMT 2 PM Imola Time / 12 PM GMT
Go to the San Marino GP Page