Chinese GP - Ferrari - Race
Michael Schumacher managed to finish third in the Drivers` championship despite a torrid day in China. The final race of the season saw Schumacher and Christijan Albers make heavy contact on the way to the grid for the race. In the spare car for the Grand Prix, Schumacher would later spin out whilst behind the safety car and end his season on a low note.
While Rubens Barrichello had no such drama in what was his final race with Ferrari, he was unable to make it into the points due to excessive tyre wear and the Brazilian slipped back to 12th by the chequered flag.
Rubens Barrichello
“It was a hard race, during which everything was working okay up to the first pit stop. The team did a good job in terms of strategy, calling me at the right time, which allowed me to make up a couple of places. But from that point on, I felt I was losing performance and was having some problems with my front tyres."
"Basically, from the second Safety Car period onwards, my tyres were gone. The only enjoyable part of the race was my duel with Mark, but really I was in trouble because I had no grip at the front. So, a sad race, but I want to thank everyone in the team, both here and those back in Maranello. We have had a fantastic years. I learnt a lot and it is Ferrari that has given me the chance to build something for the future. I am grateful for that and I am sure we will be friends for ever.”
Michael Schumacher
“This weird ending pretty much sums up our season. As far as the warm-up lap is concerned, I was just warming up my tyres when suddenly I felt a big bang. I have not seen the incident on video yet, so I will not comment further."
"Then, during the Safety Car period, I spun simply because my tyres were completely worn and they were very cold, so when someone braked ahead of me, I had to brake as well and went off the track. Actually, I am not sure I would have finished the race because of the condition of my tyres. The only positive thing is that I am third in the championship. Now, let’s look ahead to putting things right next season.”
Jean Todt
“A bad end to a very disappointing season. Today, we failed to get either car home in the points. It is not the first time that, along with Bridgestone we find ourselves leaving the track empty handed after a difficult weekend. Given that situation, we can say that third place in the Constructors’ and the same result with Michael in the Drivers’ is pretty much of a miracle."
"I hope we can put this year behind us as quickly as possible and to be back for the start of the next season in a position to once again aim for the top. To do that, we have a lot of work ahead of us along with our friends at Bridgestone, in whom we have great confidence. I want to make a point of thanking Rubens for putting his heart and soul into trying to end his time at Ferrari, which will always be unforgettable, in the best possible way. Unfortunately, excessive front tyre wear meant he was unable to make it into the top eight."
"And an affectionate thought for Peter Sauber: a great race from Felipe Massa means he can end his fantastic adventure in Formula 1 in fine style. I wish him every happiness for the future.”
Ross Brawn
“This race was a very strange way to finish the season, but perhaps it typifies our year. Michael had an incident before the start and then, behind the Safety Car, he was just caught out as he was warming up his brakes. Rubens was doing fine for a while, but then his tyres began to lose performance. From that point on there was not much he could do. We changed the left front wheel because of a flat spot that was causing a lot of vibration. For safety reasons we felt there was little to be gained by staying out on track, so we changed it. Obviously, a very disappointing season and Ferrari and Bridgestone know they have a lot of work to do to get back to where we need to be. No one at Ferrari has enjoyed this season and we will be back stronger.”


Tags: ferrari, michael-schumacher, china,