News On F1 - 2004 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix - What the teams and drivers said

Sam Michael: "Today we achieved a good result with regards to the FW26 performance and constructors' points. Ralf drove a fantastic race, typical text book style. The fast work of the pit crew at the stops was fundamental to get Ralf's result, to help him avoid traffic. Juan did a good job to come from where he qualified helped by some aggressive overtaking. Both cars were well balanced for the race, which is interesting after the little time we had to look after the set-up. We had no mechanical problems."

Mario Theissen: "Considering the difficult circumstances of this year's Japanese Grand Prix, it has been a very successful weekend for our team. Ralf demonstrated excellent performance in the qualifying and in the race. After he had quite a hard time he achieved a podium again.
This means fresh motivation for the entire team after a difficult season. Today's positive result was completed by the fact that Juan Pablo managed to grasp two points after having started 13th. Furthermore regarding the engines everything ran according to plan."

Ralf Schumacher: "The start went ok and I was surprised I was able to follow Michael. I pitted four laps earlier than he did, so he was obviously heavier. But after the pit stop I got stuck in traffic and when you are fighting at the back it is always difficult. Our car was good today.
We chose the right strategy and the result speaks for itself. We had a good overall weekend considering the good starting position I achieved. We also widened the gap to McLaren which is important. Now I am happy to go back home and celebrate with my family."

Juan Pablo Montoya: "My starting position compromised my race today. I got stuck in traffic and I was losing between one and two seconds every lap. The best I could do in that situation was collect some points, and that is what I managed to do. I can only hope my poor position today will maybe give me an advantage so as to get into a good qualifying position at the next race, as Ralf had here."

David Richards:
Qualifying: "I'm very pleased with the performance of both drivers in very difficult circumstances. We are now well-placed to consolidate our Championship position and achieve our objective of a strong points finish for both cars this afternoon."

Race: "3rd and 4th is an excellent result; giving us our 11th podium of the season, and for the second race in a row, B*A*R is the top scoring team. This really shows how consistently the combined efforts of B*A*R, Honda and Michelin are delivering, and gives us a tremendous foundation on which to build for next year. Taku is achieving very solid results, and despite the pressure of his home Grand Prix, he kept it all together and drove a faultless race.
The fact that Jenson was two-stopping really underlined the strength of his fifth place on the grid, and he did well to keep up the pace on heavy fuel. In the end we still have a lot of work to do to take the race to Ferrari, but we are on the right track."

Shuhei Nakamoto:
Race: "A tenth podium for Jenson, and Taku's best-ever Suzuka finish is a pleasing result. Both drivers coped really well with qualifying on a drying track and drove very solid races. If I'm being greedy, I'd say it's a shame Taku couldn't join Jenson on the podium at his home race. We'll be aiming to round off the season with a strong performance at Interlagos!"

Geoffrey Willis:
Qualifying: "Given the circumstances with the track drying through both sessions we had very good qualifying sessions this morning. The track was completely wet for first qualifying but drying throughout so that Jenson and Takuma did well to pre-qualify in the top ten. The second session was only just dry enough for dry tyres to start but improved rapidly. There were still tricky damp patches when Takuma and Jenson ran but they were only out-qualified by drivers that ran after them. This qualifying puts us in a good position for the race and to defend our 2nd place advantage in the championship."

Race: "In the last three races B*A*R has scored 33 points with another two-car finish and its 11th podium place at this important 'home' race We ran different race strategies with the two drivers and in the end Takuma was not quite able to make the small advantage of the three-stop work.
It was difficult to find a good race set-up without any dry-running and this showed up with both drivers finding the car balance poor and low grip throughout the race. We have recently been working on improving our starts and this start showed the benefits with Takuma jumping Webber and Jenson beating them both. After the first few laps running just in front of Takuma, Jenson let him pass to allow them both to run at their own strategy pace.
After that both drivers' races went much to plan. We were not quite quick enough to get ahead of Ralf Schumacher at the second stop and were helped by the collision between Coulthard and Barrichello, but were able to keep ahead of the Renaults throughout most of the race. This is just the result the team needed for the Constructors' Championship 2nd-place battle, allowing us to go to the last race with a 16-point advantage."

Jenson Button:
Qualifying: "It wasn't a bad lap considering the difficult conditions. Much of the circuit is dry but there are some parts that are still very wet and it is very difficult to see them. It's not just a slight loss of grip either; it's big oversteer as I demonstrated in the chicane on my timed lap. I'm happy to be a second ahead of the McLarens though and of course both Taku and myself are ahead of both Renaults which is a good place to start fighting to retain second position in the Constructors' Championship."

Race: "Achieving another podium is a fantastic result here as we celebrate B*A*R's 100th Grand Prix and in the 40th year since Honda's F1 debut, so I'm very happy. It's also a great team result, with Taku finishing 4th and our combined result enabling us to pull even further ahead of Renault. The car was very difficult to drive at first because with a two-stop strategy I was very heavy on fuel.
As we got further into the race though, the car felt great and, once again, two-stopping really paid off for me. I think the last few races have demonstrated a great team effort by B*A*R, with Takuma and I achieving exactly the results we needed to beat Renault. The whole team should be very proud of that. There is still one race remaining though and although Renault will have a very very tough job on their hands to beat us, we'll wait until Brazil before celebrating what has been a pretty amazing year for B*A*R."

Takuma Sato:
Qualifying: "The conditions were very tricky but I'm pleased with my lap under the circumstances. The track has continued to get drier and faster with each car running, so I think the conditions will be good for the start of the race. The cancellation of yesterday's running was disappointing for the fans here, so I very much hope we can make up for that with a strong race this afternoon."

Race: "It was great that we managed to have a race this afternoon after yesterday's cancellation, although it was extremely difficult to work out the set-up as we were not able to practice on a dry track. That's why we ran two different strategies to enable us to cope with the widest range of possibilities. As it turned out, I was not able to get the result that I wanted and be on the podium, but at the end of the day, it was a great result for the team and really helps us to secure 2nd in the Constructors' Championship.
I felt so much support from my home fans; they were fantastic and really motivated me during the race. We have one more race left in Brazil and I will be doing my best to have another strong race performance there."

Flavio Briatore: "Overall, this was a disappointing result after a difficult weekend for everybody. I think Fernando did the maximum today but the car was not quick enough to allow him to fight the cars in front. Looking to Brazil, it is hard to remain hopeful about our championship chances but as long as we have a possibility of re-gaining second position, then we will be motivated to try and seize it."

Pat Symonds: "It was a very different day to normal and we had to choose strategies and tyres with a minimum of information, but of course everybody found themselves in the same situation. Fernando drove a strong race and had he not lost time early in his third stint, he might have been able to beat Sato. Jacques struggled with significant amounts of understeer, owing to the lack of time we had to set up the car, and that penalised him in the race."

Fernando Alonso: "It was a good performance in the race today. Qualifying didn't really favour us today: I suppose that sometimes we get lucky with the conditions, like we did in Spa, and sometimes not. From eleventh position, the only thing to do was to go maximum attack. Unfortunately, when you start back in the field, you never have a clear track in the early laps - and it was only at the end of my first stint that I could run at my true pace. That meant I was no longer able to fight for the podium. I think I did the best I could have done today but unfortunately, the points I scored will be more useful in the drivers' championship than the constructors."

Jacques Villeneuve: "When the race started, we quickly found that the set-up was not ideal for the dry conditions. The car was understeering a lot, so we added front downforce at both pit-stops, but I could not increase my pace in the final stint. It's a disappointing result, especially as our main rivals scored points with both cars this afternoon."

Norbert Haug: "Not the result that we had hoped for but coming from grid positions eight and 12th your chances are limited. Unfortunately there was a misunderstanding between David and Rubens which cost David a good points scoring position because he was able to keep up with Takuma Sato and Jenson Button. Considering his grid position Kimi did a good job finishing sixth. We now look forward to the last race in Sao Paolo where we want to finish the season on a high."

Kimi Raikkonen: "A fairly uneventful race for me. I was struggling with the car and from 12th it's fairly limited what you can do. I didn't make a brilliant start, but I gained one place and that was really it. I had an incident with one of the Jordan cars when I was trying to lap it towards the end of the race at turn nine. Basically I was on the inside and he just turned in on me. He hit me quite hard and damaged my steering a bit, so I was struggling to keep the car on the road. A race to forget to be honest but bring on Brazil."

David Coulthard: "It goes without saying that I'm really disappointed with the end to my Japanese Grand Prix. We were looking to score points but unfortunately on lap 38 I had a coming together with Rubens at the Chicane whilst he was trying to pass me. I don't think anybody is to blame; it's just one of those things which happen when you are battling for positions. The incident broke the front right hand suspension and that was it, but it was a good race until then. I gained a place at the start but got stuck behind Webber, however when I finally got past I was immediately able to speed up. It was a shame for things to end this way ? it would have been nice to have scored five points or even more."

Peter Sauber: "Apart from the extra point we scored, the highlight of today's race was the performance of Giancarlo and Felipe. Giancarlo proved his complete professionalism by recovering strongly from his moment and pushing hard all the way, while Felipe's drive demonstrated once more his great fighting spirit. Together, they proved that overtaking is possible in Formula One. My compliments to the team, who once again underlined the reliability and speed of the Sauber Petronas C23."

Giancarlo Fisichella: "For me it was an excellent race. The car was really good, and my only problem came on lap 16 when I ran off the road briefly in the Spoon Curve. There was a sensor problem with the fuel alarm and I was just radioing the pits for a report; unfortunately I left my braking a little bit too late as I lost concentration, but I recovered quite well. The best I could have hoped for without that was seventh, so I'm happy. It was great to push hard all the way and do lots of overtaking. A point today was our target, and we achieved that."

Felipe Massa: "I wasn't very happy with myself after my mistake in qualifying, but I think I made up for that in the race today! It was fantastic! I really enjoyed myself. I was able to push hard right from the start and I did a lot of overtaking. I pulled some really good moves, so it was really, really satisfying."

Tsutomu Tomita: "I think it was always going to be a difficult race for us today. Both drivers did a good job in qualifying this morning to put both cars in the top ten. In the race, Olivier did not have a good start and then struggled on the softer compound Michelin tyre for the whole race. Jarno, on the harder compound, fought very strongly and was racing near the front for some time. Unfortunately, he also had difficulty with tyre degradation and ended up in 11th place at the chequered flag.
Overall, I am impressed with how easily Jarno has settled into Toyota. It was a hard race debut for him, but I think we have worked well together as a team. I would like to thank all the Toyota fans and employees who turned up to support us this weekend in our 50th grand prix. Their level of enthusiasm is highly appreciated as we look to great achievements in the future. On behalf of the whole team, I also thank Olivier for his contribution over the last two seasons. We are all looking forward to working with him for the next two years."

Jarno Trulli:
Qualifying: "Sixth place on my Toyota race debut is quite a satisfying result. It has been a tough weekend with the wet weather on Friday, then the typhoon warning on Saturday and now a drying track for qualifying. We had a bit of luck in pre-qualifying when I set the fastest time, but I expected a slightly better result in the second session. However, sixth place on the grid is not too bad, especially as I think we might struggle a bit in the race."

Race: "I do not think that we could have achieved anything better today. After a good qualifying, which put me sixth on the grid, I got a good start and was up to fifth place at the end of the first lap. Unfortunately, during the race, there was a big tyre drop-off, which compromised the car balance and grip levels and made it a tough afternoon for me. However, there are only positives to take away from this weekend; it was my race debut for Panasonic Toyota Racing and I gathered a lot of valuable experience, which was my priority here in Suzuka this weekend."

Olivier Panis:
Qualifying: "The track conditions were quite difficult after all the rain that we have had this weekend. We were lucky to go out late in both qualifying sessions because the track was always drying out, so we benefited from improving conditions. This Japanese GP is important for Toyota as our home grand prix and we have a lot of support from the many fans in the grandstands, so to have both cars in the top ten is very good."

Race: "Although I am not satisfied with the result, we did our best in today's race. We took a risk with the tyre choice after the bad weather restricted our running on Friday, but I had a lot of graining this afternoon and I simply could not push. I am very happy that I could complete my last F1 race in front of all the Japanese fans. To stop racing after eleven years is a special moment. I would like to thank everyone in Panasonic Toyota Racing for two enjoyable years, all the support and for the F1 car that has been generously given to me as a gift. Although I have stopped racing, this is not the end because I have signed a two year contract as third driver. Now we have to continue the challenge."

Dr. Mark Gillan:
Qualifying: "Despite a lack of preparation time on track the team has done an excellent job today in delivering two strong cars and qualifying in good points contending positions. Mark drove two very clean qualifying laps which saw him secure a well-deserved third place on the grid and Christian who has only ever completed twelve laps in total here finished fourteenth. All in all, I am very pleased with our performance so far and we are now focusing on the race with the aim of delivering some more Championship points."

Race: "Mark's start was not good and he lost three places by the first corner. He then started to fight back and was being held up by Jarno Trulli. On lap seven he mentioned the increase in temperature in his cockpit area and when he first pitted we tried to sort it. A forced pit stop later to further investigate the problem and it was clear that the heat was only getting worse. Eventually on lap twenty-one he had to stop racing due to the dangerous conditions being generated by the heat.
This is of course frustrating for us all, but the pace of the car was excellent this morning and given the lap numbers when other teams carried out their first-stop you know that his pace in qualifying was impressive. Christian did a good job today since he has had no dry practice on this circuit and actually only twelve laps in total before the race. He brought the car home and drove solidly. It's been a bit of a roller-coaster ride of emotions today but we know what we are capable of and we will travel to Brazil focused on the task ahead and upbeat about our potential as a team."

Mark Webber:
Qualifying: "It's been a good start to the day for us here in Suzuka. We would have liked to have had more time to prepare the cars for today but as it has turned out I am really pleased to be in 3rd position for the start of the race. My first qualifying session made it possible for me to go out much later in the second session, which has helped us. The boys have done a great job preparing the car given the little amount of track time we have had and our third position is a good morale booster. I am really looking forward to the race and although it is a long race I will be doing everything I can to finish in a points scoring position."

Race: "Starting from third position on the grid today was a good result after all the hard work that has been carried out at Jaguar Racing during this season. The team did an excellent job in preparing the car for this weekend, despite the lack of practice that we experienced in the run up to today.
Unfortunately my start was not as good as I would have liked and I lost three places. Then I was being held up by the Toyota of Jarno Trulli so that was frustrating for us. It was then on lap seven that I noticed that the cockpit was becoming increasingly hot and in particular my right-hand side. I pitted as planned on lap eleven and the team tried to cool me down and solve the problem. We could not find the cause for the heat and so I carried on in the hope that it would cool down or at least remain static. It didn't and the heat soon became excruciatingly hot and I had no option but to retire.
You need to be completed focused on the race and when the temperature is so high that you are being physically affected and thus distracted then you need to take the decision to stop. I am of course disappointed that I could not have continued with the race and finished in the points. We enjoyed a good morning today and I hope that by securing third in qualifying goes some way to rewarding the team for their unwavering commitment and in addition highlights the pace and future potential of our car."

Christian Klien:
Qualifying: "Before today's qualifying I had only managed to complete nine fast laps and those were in extreme wet conditions. I knew the guys were going to prepare the car as best they could so it was up to me to give it my best shot in qualifying. The track was drying up this morning and this has made conditions easier to drive in. My first qualifying was ok but I am pleased with my second session when I finished fourteenth. The circuit is not easy to drive and I think that this afternoon is going to be challenging."

Race: "My start was ok today and I did my best to maintain my position although with a Ferrari behind me this was not do-able. I was also in an unfortunate position in that I had not had any dry practice on this track and so the race was really my first opportunity to learn the track. As the race progressed I became more comfortable with the track and the car and although we had not had any time to set-up the car the balance was ok.
The circuit is incredibly challenging on the car and driver and I was pleased that my race went smoothly and I was able to finish. It's disappointing for us not to have scored points but the pace of the car was really good and I am now really looking forward to the race in Brazil."

James Robinson: "It was a hard race and we had a number of technical problems. We had to limit Timo's performance because of an engine problem, which was unfortunate, and although Nick had a good hard race, from where we qualified it was tough to make any impression. It was a challenging day for Timo but given his first lap around here in the dry was lap one of the race today, we feel he came through okay. We are all looking forward now to the last race in Brazil."

Nick Heidfeld: "I got a good start and gained a position or two. For the first part of the race I had quite a loose rear and we made some adjustments at the first pit stop, which certainly helped. I had one or two small electronic issues, maybe something on the gearbox as on one of the pit stops I couldn't get into neutral. Also at one point suddenly the pit lane speed limiter was on while I was on the circuit and I lost a couple of seconds there. Otherwise, I think in the circumstances, given that we did not have a lot of time to practice here, I'm happy with our starting set-up and what we achieved in the race."

Timo Glock: "My start and first couple of laps were not too bad but overall it was difficult today. The car set-up was not that good and I had everything: oversteering, understeering, changes in the pit stops didn't seem to help much and the car didn't feel easy to drive. I had big problems and couldn't find a rhythm. Added to that I had gear problems and a crash with Kimi Raikkonen that I didn't see coming all in all it was a bad race for me."

Gianmaria Bruni: "It turned out to be quite an uneventful race, but it was good to finish here at Suzuka, as that is always the first ambition of the team. We struggled with the package we have, though, and in particular today with oversteer, but I'm looking forward to Brazil now and hoping to get another solid finish there."

Zsolt Baumgartner: "Overall, it was not my weekend here at Suzuka, although my pace in the race wasn't too bad, especially considering I had never driven in the dry here before. I like high-speed circuits, which is probably why I got used to this one quite quickly. Unfortunately, I made a mistake while pushing really hard after my final stop and went off the track. I'm upset not to have finished, particularly for the guys, as I caused them quite a lot of work this weekend. I'd like to thank them for their efforts."

Session - Local time	2004		2003
First Friday Practice - 11:00 am	Results	Report	Results
Second Friday Practice - 2:00 am	Results	Report	Results
First Saturday Practice - 9:00 am	Cancelled		Results
Second Saturday Practice - 10:15 am	Cancelled		Results
Qualifying P1 - 9:00 am - P2 10:00 am	Results	Report	Results
Race - 2:30 PM	Results	Report	Results
What the teams and drivers said Friday - Saturday - Sunday	Press Conferences (FIA) Thursday - Friday - Saturday - Sunday

2004 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix
What the teams and drivers said - Sunday

Team and Driver Quotes following the Japanese F1 Grand Prix Race

2004 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix What the teams and drivers said - Sunday

Team and Driver Quotes following the Japanese F1 Grand Prix Race

2004 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix
What the teams and drivers said - Sunday