Farcical United States Formula 1 Grand Prix

Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari, second place: “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.”

Ross Brawn, Ferrari: “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.”

Tiago Monteiro, Jordan, third: “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, Jordan, Fourth: “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, Jordan 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.”

David Coulthard, Red Bull Racing: “It’s a sad day for the sport. Driving back into the pits, I had a really horrible feeling in my stomach and I’ve never experienced anything like this in the whole of my career. It’s quite remarkable that in the interests of the sport, a solution couldn’t be found that would have allowed us to go racing today. I understand it’s not the fault of Bridgestone and that today’s situation was due to a technical fault of Michelin for which we should have to pay some penalty, but at the same time there are thousands of TV viewers wanting a race and a massive crowd, and not to race feels very wrong. I think what’s happened today will leave a bitter taste in some people’s mouths for some time and, as a driver, quite frankly I’m very embarrassed by the situation. However, I understand that we’ve been acting in terms of safety following advice from Michelin and that there was no choice left open to us today. But, it’s a shame we couldn’t put on the show that everyone wanted to see and I feel extremely sorry for the fans.”

Christian Klien, Red Bull Racing: “It’s very disappointing not to be competing today. All the fans were waiting for a good race and six cars going round the circuit is definitely not good for Formula One, especially here in America. But, there’s a safety issue on the tyres and we were following very strong advice from Michelin not to race. I suppose safety has to come first.”

Christian Horner, Sporting Director, Red Bull: “My heart goes out to all the fans who have come to be entertained today, but we’ve taken the only decision we could in the circumstances. Unfortunately, we had to act on the advice of our tyre manufacturer Michelin, who advised that its tyres were unsafe to drive on here. We therefore had to withdraw both cars from the event, in line with all the other Michelin teams. Unfortunately, Formula One is the loser today. It was our intention to go racing and we’re very sorry that we’ve not been able to put on the intended show this afternoon.”

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