29-Sep: At the post
Race
press conference for the United States GP, Rubens
Barrichello
indicated that the result wasn't planned but thanked Michael for handing
him the win and said "It wasn't planned. We never said at the
beginning of the race. I guess, we had a lot of fun in the race trying to
be as fast as the other, and at the end what can I say? I mean, I just
thank Michael very much, and thank the whole team for the support of the
whole year. I mean, we did everything now: We're first, we're second, we
won the constructors. I guess the crowd was happy for me. It was very
important - the USA is such an important part of my life. To win, it was
very, very, very good. I got to the last corner, I didn't know what to do
and nothing has been said. Michael was just very kind to, you know, let us
finish equally. I guess I pointed a little bit in front, but, you know,
what can we say? I mean, it's just - I think it's zero-zero now. We're
just having a lot of fun together, working together and having the car in
front of everyone."
Rubens admitted his confusion over what happened at the finish and said
"It took me what, three quarters of a lap to understand if I had won
or not because I was pointing to him and he was pointing to me. I didn't
know if he knew that I won the race or not. I was on the radio but the
radio is a bit of confusion, so I didn't know what did happen. So I was a
bit surprised, yeah."
Rubens wasn't happy with the backmarkers and that lost him time to Michael
and said "I wasn't very happy with the traffic, to be honest, because
people seemed to just back off in the middle of the straight thinking
that, okay, I'll keep my line, back off in the middle of the straight and
then you go by. But you have to, you know, to be a bit sensible in that
situation because all of a sudden people stop in front of you and you have
a crash. So twice I got the Toyota in front of me, and then there was a
time when there was a Minardi blow up in front of me on the lap that I was
coming in. So I lost that region of one to two seconds where I had it to
be closer. I think I had the car and the pace to be closer to Michael the
whole day. But it was just - he was maybe better or a little bit luckier
just to get ahead on traffic and stay that two seconds."
As for his feeling about winning the US GP, he said "It is very
special. I mean, don't worry - I don't think I will be worrying thinking
Michael let me by and this and that. I think it's, as he said, in all
honesty, there have been few times when things happen, especially in
Austria and, you know, quite clearly Michael wasn't happy. You know,
things happen and, as he said, we were told to do something. Today was a
payback and it was - I'm completely happy with the situation. Being a
South American, it was - it's quite important to me winning in this one
here. Michael won the race when we were - when he, you know, conquered the
championship, then I won in Austria (Hungary) when we did the
constructors, and right now I won the race that put me into second in the
championship. So I'm very happy. It's been a race, a good race. It started
so badly on Friday's practice with that shunt and it was kind of a
catching up the whole time. We had a really good race. You guys, I don't
know if you think that we were faking something, but I was flat out and I
guess Michael was, too. So I enjoy thoroughly the race the whole time. The
only time I saw Michael backing off was two laps to go. So I enjoy the
whole thing and I'll be thrilled to have my name on the winners."
Michael Schumacher indicated that he was hoping for
a dead heat at the finish and said "I mean, we have so many records
done this year, I think the race won, what is the closest finish? In all
honesty, I think we're just such a great team together, Rubens and myself.
We work very hard. We have a fantastic team and we have always supported
each other. And today I thought it was a good opportunity to go equal over
the line. We tried, we failed by a little bit."
He was pushed hard to explain the reason behind what he did in the end. He
said "There was no plan, in all honesty. There was no plan at all. It
was just that I felt he deserves to win this race and the team asked me
sort of not to do anything. And then we went side by side and in the end
he was the winner. We both didn't know actually who was the winner. He was
asking me down the straight, you won, me won? And I didn't know either. So
we had to wait until we saw some sort of screen who was.
Sometimes you may have to sacrifice, for me, in a couple of races this
year. And to a certain degree, what goes around comes around. And maybe
this was the day."
As for how the fans would feel about it, he said "If you look at how
close we were, that you can call this a purpose situation. I just felt and
we do this very often actually that we run almost side by side together.
As I said before, I mean I didn't know who was the winner. And in the end
it was Rubens, who in the end I think he deserves the win, because you
have to look at one package. I know from your point of view, maybe you see
only this one event. We obviously raced 16 races this year together, and I
see all the rest in one goal. And maybe I'm sure one or the other person
won't agree with what has happened today, but you can't have always
everybody to agree to what you do, unfortunately. But I think he deserves
it.
I didn't feel particularly happy with what happened in Austria, but from
the point of decision we had to make at the time, I understood and we both
understood it. And to be honest, with now what has happened, I feel to
some degree I equalized this and I feel I can give him back something
where he deserved to win. We said we wouldn't do this and we hadn't
planned to do this. And it happened, it just happened."
Michael admitted that he approached the team and asked them if he can let
Rubens win but they refused. He said "In all honesty I did ask before
whether I could let him by and could let him win the race and they said
no. As again, there was no plan of this. So the team didn't basically want
this to probably not happen, but has happened now. But I feel it's nice
that this happened."
When asked if he could convince Ferrari not to apply team orders for the
sake of the sport, Michael said "I think you overestimate my power.
We're wearing the racing overalls and there are certain people who make
decisions for what us guys have to do. It's not for us to tell them what
will be done. So I think this question is not for me honestly, or not for
us."
He added "I don't think it will change. I was trying to have an
adequate comparison to other things in life, which they are simply like
this. I mean, in basketball they keep on changing players and here we have
maybe team orders for the best interest of the team. And, again, in life
you will not always be able to do or satisfy hundred percent of the
people. I think you have to take a decision for what is right for your
team, for the job you do. I don't want to put this in it, but, as you talk
about team orders, and team orders have always been the case. Sometimes
you like them, sometimes you dislike them. So do we."
As for the race, he wasn't happy with the backmarkers and particularly
Eddie Irvine and said "There were a couple of guys that were trying
to be nice but in the wrong place. And sometimes it's difficult for the
person to judge in front if he backs off, that maybe the guy behind
doesn't understand what he's doing and you then get a surprise suddenly
because you don't expect anything in the middle of a corner like this. One
corner is Turn Three to Turn Four, if you back off right in Turn Three,
you don't expect that and you then have not much chance to go somewhere, a
couple of issues like that. And a couple of guys, particular I think
"Irv The Swerve" staying a little bit long with blue flags in
front of us. I think he was the most difficult one today honestly. But
otherwise, it's a typical race."
David
Coulthard was pleased with the pace of the car and said "We
changed the strategy for the engine and I was driving to protect the
engine for the last 20 laps of the race. I think our pace could have been
quicker but we weren't going to beat Ferrari and it was just a question of
finishing in front of Williams. Just a precaution because of Kimi's
problem but, nonetheless, I think we can take a bit of a boost from this
weekend because we've taken a little step forward.
We had a change to the car which I think, on paper anyway, has made us
perform a little bit better here. Obviously, you don't have the
opportunity sometimes in a Grand Prix, we can't do it back to back, but,
yeah, I think slowly we're making a little bit of progress, and obviously
the first goal is to get in front of Williams consistently. We have one
more race to see if we can maintain that. But nonetheless, I think we can
say that we have made progress and that's encouraging."
He got close to the Ferraris after their first stop but he didn't feel he
was in contention and said "There was a lot of traffic at that point.
You know, it was incredible. I've never seen so many cars that have to be
lapped. So I think it helped that the Ferraris were going through the
traffic first of all and helped clear a little bit of space for me. The
fact that I was already a stop down and realistically it was just a case
of not trying to lose too much time and make sure I could keep third
place."
Coulthard declined to make any comments on the way the race finished.
29-Sep: What the teams and
drivers said following the Race at Indy ... Report
29-Sep: US GP
– Race: Rubens Barrichello wins the race ahead of Michael
Schumacher. David Coulthard, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jarno Trulli and Jacques
Villeneuve make the top 6 ... Timed Results
... Report ...
Notes
29-Sep: US GP
– Warm-up Session: Michael Schumacher sets the fastest time of the
session ahead of Rubens Barrichello and Olivier Panis. Takuma Sato, Kimi
Raikkonen and Mika Salo make the top 6 ... Timed Results
... Report ... Notes
Friday
Practice Session 1
Friday Practice Session 2
Saturday Practice Session 1
Saturday Practice Session 2 Qualifying Session
Warm-up Session Race
11
AM Indianapolis Time / 4 PM GMT
1 PM Indianapolis Time / 6 PM GMT
9:00 AM Indianapolis Time / 2:00 PM GMT
10:15 AM Indianapolis Time /
3:15 PM GMT 1:00 PM Indianapolis Time / 6:00 PM GMT 8:30 AM Indianapolis Time / 1:30 PM GMT 1:00 PM Indianapolis Time / 6:00 PM GMT
