Italian F1 Grand prix: McLaren 1-4, Renault 2-3

Jenson Button, BAR Honda, eighth place: “Apart from qualifying we have struggled the whole weekend here. We have found this a difficult circuit and it has been tough getting to grips with the low downforce configuration. We had problems with the fuel rig which also meant that I had to stop four laps early and that cost me on the final result. Hopefully when we return to the higher downforce circuits of the next four races we will be able to get back on the pace.”

Gil De Ferran, Sporting Director, BAR Honda: “Obviously we were hoping for a better result after starting both cars on the second row. After a good start things were going fairly well, however we had a problem with the fuel delivery with both drivers during their first stop which compromised our strategy, particularly for Taku who had to do an extra stop. Furthermore the handling on both cars deteriorated during the race reducing our pace significantly. Although we are disappointed with this weekend’s results we are looking forward to a very different challenge in Spa.”

Shuhei Nakamoto, Engineering Director, Honda Racing Development: “Clearly a disappointing day. Although we had some fuel rig problems in the race it does not hide the fact we did not have enough pace this weekend. I am sure Spa will suit us better.”

Felipe Massa, Sauber, 9th: "I made a great start and was able to avoid the incident in the first corner. After that the pace was reasonable but the car was difficult to drive. It felt pretty nervous. But to start 15th and finish ninth is the best you can hope for on a day when nobody retired, though it is frustrating to miss out on the last point. At least I have a good qualifying start position for Spa, my favourite circuit."

Peter Sauber, Sauber Team Principal: "I can’t remember another race where all 20 cars that started made it to the finish. Today it was therefore impossible to benefit from anyone else’s unreliability. It was satisfying to go from 12th and 15th on the grid to 11th and ninth in the race, but unfortunately that did not enable us to score any points. It was an exciting Grand Prix, however, which had some dramatic repercussions in the fight for the World Championship."

Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 10th: “Clearly, our race did not go well and we were much too slow. We are nowhere near where we want to be but we have to live with it. You could say we were a bit better than in Turkey, but that is still not good enough. Running ninth, I was prepared to take some risks to get a point, but I risked a bit too much and went off the track, which lost me a place. There is no point in getting angry about our situation, we must simply try and improve, maybe in time for Spa, although that is unlikely, but possibly before the end of the season. The championship was obviously lost a while ago, but we have had a lot of good years before this one. There is no need to give up because this is all part of competition. I feel sorry for the tifosi and thank them for their support, even though we were not able to deliver them a good result.”

Jean Todt, Ferrari: “Yet another painful day in what has been a difficult season for us. We fought really hard to try and finish in the points, but we did not manage it. This was another big disappointment with both cars making it to the finish but with no points to our name. We are very disappointed for our fans and our staff who were here in the grandstand at Monza. The main problem afflicting us is, as everyone knows, a lack of grip and all we can do is continue to work with our partners at Bridgestone to fix it. Next weekend, in the Belgian Grand Prix, at Spa-Francorchamps, we can once again expect a difficult weekend. But hopefully we can show that this current situation can be turned around in the final three rounds of the championship. Despite the fact that we are going through very difficult times, the team and the drivers have once again worked very hard. We have shown that we are really determined to get the most out of the package we have at our disposal.”

Ross Brawn, Ferrari: “Obviously this was a difficult race for us. We really needed better starts than we had in order to suit our chosen strategy, so that held us up in the early stages. Rubens had a puncture on his left rear tyre which spoiled his race and then in the closing stages, Michael went off at Turn 8 and did some damage to his car which affected his race. Generally, the cars performed okay, but we simply did not have the overall performance we needed and we must continue working to try and understand and rectify that situation.”

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