Sunday Team Quotes

Ferrari

Michael Schumacher (1st): "This was a strange grand prix and it was odd seeing the other cars go into pit lane at the start. But then Rubens and I had a close race - there was only the two of us really. I suppose it was not the best way to take my first win of the season and it was sad for the fans. But I am glad so many of the Ferrari supporters stayed to the end to see how this strange race would end. It is just a shame we could not fight in a normal way, because I think that, even with the other cars, we could have won as we had a strong car. The situation we had today was out of our hands and I don't know all the details of the problems the others had. But I do know that we left at home tyres that had more performance and less durability, but we and Bridgestone made our choice knowing how much stress there is here on the tyres. I lost the lead to Rubens because we had long pit stops to check the tyres and mine was longer than his and he was pushing very hard."

Rubens Barrichello (2nd): "This was a sad day for the race fans and it was also sad to see the other cars pull into the pits, but I guess their problem must have been a serious one. I am also disappointed that I missed out on getting 10 points today. Once I got in the lead I pushed quite hard and I managed to open a gap to Michael and I also had a tremendous out lap. I tried to stay ahead but it did not go my way. Bridgestone and Ferrari had worked so hard that I think we could have won here anyway. We had the quickest car and I was quicker than Michael at the start but I could not find a way past him. Formula 1 has never looked very strong in the States and I think it is worse now."

Jean Todt, Team Principal: "This was our first win and our first one-two finish of the season, obtained under very unusual circumstances. To be put this result in boxing terms, we and Bridgestone won with a technical knock-out. We witnessed a very close race between our two drivers, even if today's main aim was to bring the cars home without any problems, whatever the finishing order. I am particularly happy that this is the hundredth win for a car produced under the technical direction of Rory Byrne, that coincides with the eightieth victory for the Scuderia since I have been running it. For Ferrari, this is an important win, coming as it does in a country that is our number one market. It was pleasing to see that, even in these circumstances there were so many of our fans and so many Prancing Horse banners in the grandstands right to the end of the race. I am very surprised by the situation that arose today, but would prefer not to comment on things that are not directly my responsibility. Bridgestone is doing an extraordinary job. There are now ten races to go to the end of the season and, as usual, we will do our utmost to reach our targets."

Ross Brawn, Technical Director: "We had no problems during the race and the tyre performance was consistent throughout. Our drivers were pushing one another quite hard and it got exciting after the second pit stop. We tried to put on the best show we could under these circumstances. During the pit stops we were being cautious simply because we had time to spare."

BAR-Honda

Jenson Button (DNF):

Takuma Sato (DNF):

Renault

Giancarlo Fisichella (DNF):

Fernando Alonso (DNF):

Williams-BMW

Mark Webber (DNF):

Nick Heidfeld (DNF):

McLaren-Mercedes

Kimi Raikkonen (DNF):

Juan Pablo Montoya (DNF):

Sauber-Petronas

Felipe Massa (DNF):

Jacques Villeneuve (DNF):

Red Bull-Cosworth

Christian Klien (DNF):

David Coulthard (DNF):

Toyota

Jarno Trulli (DNF):

Ricardo Zonta (DNF):

Jordan-Toyota

Tiago Monteiro (3rd): "I have mixed feelings today as it was a strange race with no one being there. However, for me, it was still a race. I had to fight with my team mate and competitors at the beginning and push as hard as in a normal race. The most important thing today was to finish. I am very happy for the team because they have been working very hard the whole time. This is my ninth consecutive race finish this season and now I have scored some points so I am very pleased with that. I know these were weird conditions but nobody can take this away from me. Having raced in America in the past, I am sorry for the fans but the decision had nothing to do with us."

Narain Karthikeyan (4th): "These are my first Championship points in Formula One and it does not really matter how they come. Points are points. This is the first time an Indian driver has scored points in Formula One so I am happy. Due to the circumstances, our main job was not to make any mistakes and finish the race. My car was very reliable this weekend and I am very pleased with that."

Adrian Burgess, Sporting Director: "Today was an unusual race for Jordan Grand Prix. With the extraordinary circumstances, we did our best to bring both cars to the finish and we were there to get the points. We have done the same job as we normally do in a race and made sure we did not make any mistakes or take any useless risks. Now our main focus is on our test next week in Barcelona and to keep on improving the cars."

Minardi-Cosworth

Christijan Albers (5th):

Patrick Friesacher (6th):

Paul Stoddart, Team Principal: "First of all, our sincere apologies go out to the race fans, both here at Indianapolis and indeed, around the world, for the farce that took place at Indianapolis this afternoon. This really was a time when Formula One needed to put sport above politics, but sadly, this did not occur. Earlier on today, nine of the 10 competing teams had agreed that, in the interests of safety, a temporary chicane needed to be placed before the final turn, and that unless that took place, the nine teams would not compete.

"This idea was rejected by FIA President, Max Mosley, and in no uncertain terms, the teams were told that, should this occur, there would be no race. This, in my opinion, is clearly not in the interests of the sport, the American public, or Formula One fans around the world."

"I have complete sympathy with the Michelin teams, and can take neither satisfaction from, nor interest in, this afternoon's race, if you can call it that. For the avoidance of doubt, Minardi only participated when it became clear that Jordan had changed its decision to compete from this morning."

"I sincerely hope that valuable lessons are taken away from here today before we destroy the sport we love with politics. A solution, which would have allowed the United States Grand Prix to have proceeded unaffected today existed, but was resisted by the FIA and not supported by Ferrari, who claimed it was not their problem."