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2002 Hungarian Grand Prix 
What the teams and drivers said - Sunday 

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What the teams and drivers said - Sunday

Ferrari ( Rubens Barrichello - 1st, Michael Schumacher - 2nd ) 

Luca Montezemolo: "There are no words which can do justice to a result as important as this one. I am proud of my people, of all those who work for Ferrari. The credit for this magnificent victory must go first of all to them: the drivers, engineers, mechanics, along with the sponsors and suppliers. It is the greatest moment in the history of our company. Ferrari has never been this strong and, as we are a car manufacturer, winning the Constructors’ Championship for four years in a row gives us the greatest satisfaction and is a reward for everyone’s hard work."

Jean Todt: "A dream race with a dream result. Never before has Ferrari won four consecutive Constructors’ titles and this is the result of all the hard work from everyone in the Scuderia. Today, the chassis-engine-tyre package was dominant from start to finish. One can only use superlatives to describe this day. We have achieved our main aim of winning the Constructors’ Championship and now we will do our best to allow Rubens to maintain second place in the Drivers’ classification. Eleven wins, including five one-two finishes, out of thirteen races contested is a record for Ferrari. However, this will not affect our focus and our desire to press forward for the final part of the season and for the future. I am very proud to be able to head up Scuderia Ferrari. Taking the Constructors’ Championship two races after winning the Drivers’ title makes me particularly happy for our president, Luca di Montezemolo, our shareholders and all our partners, who even through the difficult times, have always had faith in us."

Rubens Barrichello: "The most important thing about this result is that we have won the Constructors’ Championship. Today was a fantastic feeling with a great car, great pit stops and great everything! I couldn’t believe how good my start was. I just tried to stay cool and not brake too late. In the early stages, I tried to save the rear tyres in case we might have a problem later, but they were perfect throughout the race. After both my pit stops, which were good and safe, Michael was very close and there is always pressure with a champion behind you, especially as it is easy to make a mistake and go off at this track. I made sure I kept my concentration as it was quite a tough race physically. When Michael put in his quick lap, I was very surprised to see him there behind me again. I guess he was having some fun because we had eased off by that point and were just bringing the cars home safely. Now I am looking forward to doing a good job again at Spa."

Michael Schumacher: "I did not have a pleasant start, It felt like driving on ice being on the dirty side. So of course, Ralf tried to squeeze me from the outside. It was a fair move and I went late on the brakes and was able to maintain my position and tuck in behind Rubens. In the later stages we were cruising safely to bring the cars home as it is easy to make a mistake here. The reason I did that very quick lap dates back to Silverstone, when Rubens was behind me in a similar situation when we were also supposed to be going slowly and he suddenly did a quick lap. So today, I asked Ross what was the quickest race lap time and did that lap to pay Rubens back for Silverstone! Our priority is still to get him into second place in the championship. Hopefully, that will come soon and then the two of us can have some fun together."

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Williams ( Ralf Schumacher - 3rd, Juan Pablo Montoya - 11th )

Sam Michael: "It was a solid drive from Ralf today. The podium position he finished with is good. Also the team did a good job at the pit stops. Juan had a bad start and then contact with Jenson Button's car. When Juan went off he damaged his car and thought that he had a puncture. That was why he pitted so early. We changed tyres and got a lot of fuel in the car. But Juan had to continue with damaged bodywork on the car and with this it was difficult to make up positions."

Gerhard Berger: "Third place for Ralf is the best we could achieve here. He drove a consistent race maintaining his position as he didn't have any pressure from behind nor any chance to gain a better result. Both cars finished, which confirms our reliability. Juan Pablo could not find the right rhythm here all weekend. In the race he had a bad start due to the fact he was starting on the dirty side of the track and he damaged some important aerodynamic components after having an off. After this he had neither enough balance nor traction to play a significant role in the race."

Ralf Schumacher: "We can be very happy about today's result. After bad free practice sessions I was content with my qualifying position and a good race result. We didn't really expect to be third here. We can be satisfied as we were the only team to keep a reasonable distance behind the Ferraris. Let's say we were best of the rest. I pushed all race but sometimes it is difficult to keep your speed when you are lapping the other cars and I was held up a few times. We made two brilliant pit stops and I must say thanks to the team for this. Also our tyres seemed to get better and better throughout the race which helped."

Juan Pablo Montoya: "This wasn't my weekend. This track is not one of my favourites. Right after the start someone hit me, then I went off on a kerb and lost a piece of bodywork. Due to the ongoing understeer I had, my left elbow is hurting. From time to time today my car was almost impossible to drive. I couldn't get good balance for the whole weekend."

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McLaren ( Kimi Raikkonen - 4th, David Coulthard - 5th )

Ron Dennis: "Our improved race performance was a result of the higher ambient temperature which allowed us to maximise the performance of our Michelin tyres. Excellent drives by Kimi and David on a circuit which rarely sees overtaking and a good strategy resulted in well-deserved fourth and fifth places. That said, we compete to win and will continue to work hard on improving our performance package for the Belgian Grand Prix."

Norbert Haug: "Kimi and David both performed overtaking manoeuvres despite this being considered nearly impossible at this track. With better grid positions more could have been achieved today. The strategy and performance of the team were great."

Kimi Raikkonen: "Considering our starting positions and the lack of overtaking opportunities presented by the circuit lay out, I'm pleased that we managed to get some points today. I made a good start and gained a couple of positions on the first lap. Montoya and myself then had a clean battle for seventh. On lap 22 we were side-by-side coming into turn two and I managed to get the inside for turn three where he ran wide. I was then behind Button who went off and got past Trulli and Massa in the pitstops. If we had qualified higher up the grid, we could have finished on the podium today as we were quick and had the right strategy, but once I had a clear track ahead of me and could start pushing it was too late."

David Coulthard: "I made a good start but was squeezed to the outside of turn one and lost a couple of the places I had gained. I overtook Heidfeld at the beginning of lap two to take 10th and eventually managed to get fifth position as we were on a good strategy. The balance of the car was inconsistent and the rear end was rather nervous which was why I had a short off track excursion on lap 45. However our car was much better in race trim so it's a shame that we couldn't start higher up the grid."

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Jordan ( Giancarlo Fisichella - 6th, Takuma Sato - 10th )

Eddie Jordan: "Giancarlo and Takuma both did a really good job and drove well, rounding off a weekend which has been very satisfying, in more ways than one."

Giancarlo Fisichella: "I am pleased. I was quite confident today that we might score more points and possibly finish even higher than this, but unfortunately the McLarens were quicker and we lost a couple of positions. The hot conditions don’t suit us so well and during the lapping stages, I was held up behind a Toyota and that lost me some time. Nevertheless, sixth is a great result and I’m really looking forward to the next race as it’s at one of my favourite circuits."

Takuma Sato: "It was a good race for me, even though I wasn’t able to score any points. It would always be difficult to do that, starting from 14th, and there was not much retirement with the front runners, so it was a strong race for us to get two cars in the top ten. The start was really exciting with three cars side by side into the first corner! Our pace is improving, so as long as we can deliver a strong qualifying performance at the next race, we stand a good chance of reaching our targets."

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Sauber ( Felipe Massa - 7th, Nick Heidfeld - 9th )

Peter Sauber: "We had a good qualifying and that was reflected in Felipe's start and his performance in the early laps. He drove a good race, but unfortunately we could not score any points. That shows again just how tough Formula One is today, and how close the competition is."

Felipe Massa: "I made a great start and it felt really good running in fifth place for so long. In the first stint the car felt nervous; it was definitely better in the second, but then became nervous again on the third set of tyres. I just couldn't get by Fisichella when he came out of the pits, and towards the end I thought it better to finish than risk having an accident with him trying to get sixth place. Naturally I'm very disappointed not to score a point, but I think it was a fantastic race for me this afternoon and another chance to prove what I can do."

Nick Heidfeld: "I made a pretty good start and things were fine going into Turn One, but there was a lot of traffic in Turn Two with two cars in particular – I think it was Trulli and Raikkonen – trying not to collide with each other on the outside. That lost me some ground and some momentum as everyone got squeezed together. Then Coulthard outbraked me going into Turn One on the second lap. After that I could settle down but the balance of the car wasn't quite right all through the race so it was a hard afternoon for me. After his last stop Trulli was in trouble for a few laps and I was able to get close until he pulled away again, but I was able to close on him again at the end."

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Renault ( Jarno Trulli - 8th, Jenson Button - Retired )

Denis Chevrier: "From a technical point of view, we experienced no problems with the engine throughout the race, and had no nasty surprises. Even though this is undoubtedly positive, we must also note that the level of reliability was high throughout the field. Quite simply, we must recognise that we were beaten by cars that were much quicker than us today. We need to work hard before the next race in Belgium."

Pat Symonds: "This is an extremely disappointing result from promising grid positions at a circuit where we should have performed better. Jenson made a good start and was running well before making a mistake which saw him spin. He was subsequently unable to restart. Jarno experienced a very traumatic first few corners through which it seemed that every bit of track he wanted was already occupied. This dropped him down the order, but he was able to maintain position until his final stint, where he encountered a lot of understeer and consequently lost competitiveness."

Jarno Trulli: "I made a bad start on the dirty side of the track and then was hit by several cars at the first corner, which cost me two places. The same thing happened at the second corner, and I lost another position. By then, I was following the other cars but of course it was impossible to overtake. The car balance was OK on the first two sets of tyres but during the third stint, I experienced a loss of grip at the front left which cost me a lot of time. Things improved by the end of the race, but I couldn't make up the time I had lost."

Jenson Button: "I've had a tough weekend here. We made the decision to start on used tyres because we were worried about blistering in the hot conditions. The start was pretty good and I went round the outside at the first corner, which meant I had the inside line for the left-hander. I touched Montoya on the exit, but it didn't damage the car. Then I just started gradually losing grip, and I had a lot of oversteer. Just before my first pitstop, Davidson went off in front of me and after avoiding the incident, I put the right-rear wheel on the kerb as I was braking for the corner. It was simply my mistake."

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BAR ( Olivier Panis - 12th, Jacques Villeneuve - Retired )

David Richards: "This has been one of those weekends where things haven’t gone at all smoothly. We didn’t get the best from the car here and, given our disappointing grid positions and the track characteristics, this was always going to be a difficult race for us. The high temperatures made it very tough on all the drivers and inevitably, the race became a test of endurance. Olivier recovered from a bad start and made the best of things to finish 12th, while Jacques’ car suffered a transmission failure. We didn’t achieve our target of finishing both cars and this is something we must continue to address."

Olivier Panis: "Unfortunately, the start didn’t work as I expected and I lost a few places. When I reached the first corner, the car in front of me braked heavily which forced me to do the same and I ended up on the dirty part of the track. Because of this, it was impossible for me to stop the other cars passing me and I got stuck behind slower cars. Due to the nature of this circuit, I had to wait for the first pitstops to get clear laps, but then my lap times were very quick and, in fact, I managed to post the 6th fastest lap of the race. After my second stop, the car was running OK but then, close to the end of the race, the team asked me to slow down because they were worried about an oil pressure problem and that’s why Montoya pulled away from me. We’re going to work very hard this week in order to solve the different problems we have encountered and generally make sure we are ready for Spa."

Jacques Villeneuve: "I got a good start and was running 12th on what would have been the right strategy. It was a typically hard race because of the heat and the nature of the Hungaroring circuit but I just kept pushing until, at the end of the pit straight, the car just seized with a transmission problem. It was too bad because the car was going much better in the race than it had been on Friday and Saturday. It’s a disappointing end to a difficult weekend so I guess we just put it behind us and move on to the next one. Spa is one of my favourite races and one where we expect to do better than we have here in Hungary."

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Jaguar ( Pedro de la Rosa - 13th, Eddie Irvine - Retired )

Niki Lauda: "Not the best weekend for many reasons and our package has struggled here. We carried out some work last night that helped the balance of both cars and in Eddie’s case, the handling issues he experienced yesterday were much improved. Nonetheless, this is one circuit where you either qualify very well or face the consequences of not being able to overtake much. Eddie took full advantage of the first lap but after that, it becomes very tough to pass cars. As always, qualifying well is the key to a points-scoring position in the race and our on-going development is pushing relentlessly towards achieving this. It takes time in this business to generate significant improvements and we cannot expect to overturn the situation in a matter of weeks. We started the season with a bad car and there are only so many corrective measures you can take. Our main objective, however, is to learn exactly where the mistakes have been made in an effort to avoid passing the problem onto next year’s car."

Pedro de la Rosa: "That was probably the most boring race I have ever driven! Despite being significantly quicker than some of the cars in front of me, there is just no way of getting around them at this circuit. The car felt OK and I suffered from no tyre problems. It’s encouraging to finish a race, yes, but we need to get closer to the points fight and given the vast difference in the circuits we have left on the calendar, we will do everything in our power to boost our somewhat poor points tally."

Eddie Irvine: "It was a real shame to have retired in that manner, especially since the car felt so improved. I have had a terrible weekend here in Hungary and the car hadn’t been to my liking until I began the installation lap just before the start of the race. That’s when I remember thinking how improved it felt and I was actually looking forward to the race. The team did a fair deal of work on the set-up and balance after the somewhat difficult qualifying session and their work certainly made a big difference to how the car was behaving. The acceleration from the start line was excellent and I passed three cars before the end of the first lap. The problem, however, came on lap 18 when I reported a misfire to the team. There is very little you can do under those circumstances and I had little choice but to retire on lap 24."

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Toyota ( Allan McNish - 14th, Mika Salo - 15th )

Ove Andersson: "I am really so very happy with this result. We have not been able to have both cars complete a race for so long. I think it will be a big relief for the whole team. People have varying conceptions on what makes a success, but I can definitely say that this is a success for Panasonic Toyota Racing in spite of the 25-second fine that was imposed on Mika."

Allan McNish: "I got a clean start and had de la Rosa and Mika ahead. It is notoriously difficult to overtake here and all we could do was sit in line. At my second stop I had a problem selecting gear which lost a bit of time, but I was making up ground at the end. Overall there were no major technical problems, other than some slight understeer and I am pleased to finish the race"

Mika Salo: "The car was pretty well balanced in the race. I had a close call with de la Rosa in the pitlane, which I have been penalised for. I drove a good race today and kept off some pressure towards the end, so I am not happy about losing 25 seconds for what I think was normal. About 20 laps from the end my fire extinguisher in the car went off as well and sprayed foam everywhere. I couldn't really see anything after that and had to drive the last laps from memory."

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Minardi ( Mark Webber - 16th, Anthony Davidson - Retired )

Anthony Davidson: "It was definitely a lot harder than it looks on the television, and the first stint of the race went by so fast, I couldn't believe it! It took a bit of time to get into a rhythm, but once I did, I was able to push harder and harder, until I found the limit. This weekend was always going to be a learning experience for me, and I'm pleased with my performance today, but disappointed not to have finished the race. It was my mistake, as I got onto a slightly dusty part of the track while trying to allow overtaking room, and the back end of the car just snapped away. On the positive side, the pit stops were fun, and I now understand what it feels like to be in a Formula One race. I'm really looking forward to Spa, where the cars should be just awesome."

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Arrows - Missed the GP due to financial problems

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