Grand Prix of Japan
Suzuka

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Saturday 31 October 1998

Qualifying: 1. Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 1:36.293s; 2. Mika Hakkinen
(McLaren-Mercedes), 1:36.471s; David Coulthard (McLaren-Mercedes),
1:37.496s

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Q. Congratulations, Michael, with the 20th pole position of your career
safely in hand, you have accomplished your mission -- so far. But you lost
some time in practice yesterday, and then some more again this morning with
the hydraulic problem. Do you feel that you haven't had enough time on the
track yet?

MS: It feels like it, yes ... Obviously I know this place quite well, and
the car was handling very well right from the beginning. We have made
certain improvements to the chassis setup. But we have tested so much in
recent days that there is not much to do. We already knew pretty much what
we wanted to do, and we achieved something thanks to what we had already
done [in Europe].

Q. There has been talk of a special qualifying engine from Ferrari. What
can you tell us about the V10 you used today?

MS: We have something [extra], but as usual it's only small things. It's
nothing mega and certainly nothing for you to be making big headlines about
tomorrow. I am pretty sure Mercedes does the same. Everybody works very
hard. We are quite happy to have improvements in any area, and it is great
to have achieved what we have been given in only four weeks.

Q. You look well pleased with this third pole position of the year. What is
Suzuka like to drive in the Ferrari F300?

MS: I have to say that it is very enjoyable. When you reflect on what
changes have been made to the cars since last year, and then bear in mind
that I am lapping Suzuka almost as fast this year as I did one year ago, it
is an incredible achievement. Most of the improvement comes from the tyres,
but it also means a lot of fun for the drivers. I can say that my car is
handling quite nicely. It is really good fun to be able to throw it around
on this circuit.

Q. The start line here is slightly downhill. Does that present any difficulties?

MS: No, in fact it helps you to take off faster! Most of us have a left
foot brake pedal, so we can stop the car on the line without a problem. It
was different in the old days when we had a clutch and brake pedal, it
could be tricky. But I don't expect any difficulties.

Q. Mika, was your last lap going well before you slid off?

MH: Yes, it was. But this is just one of those things that at the end of
the day you don't want to mention. You don't even want to talk about it,
because the lap probably would have been good -- but you never know. It's
normal to go off on the lap that was going to be quick anyway. It doesn't
matter too much. I'm a bit upset for myself, because the car was handling
really well at that time. I just went wide a little bit in that corner, but
I did not touch the barrier.

Q. Were you disappointed not to be on pole? It was very close.

MH: Naturally it's disappointing. I prefer to be on pole position. But it
is just not the case, so there is no point to think about it. I'd prefer
myself to be on pole and for David to be second. But it doesn't really give
me any difficulties or aggravation or pressure at all. We will just see
what happens tomorrow.

Q. Did you use a qualifying engine today?

MH: You will have to speak to Mario [Illien] about that.

Q. Was the temperature today ideal for your car and tyres?

MH: Yes. The temperatures in qualifying were just perfect. I hope the race
is more or less the same. The way the car was handling and the tyres were
working in those conditions, it was absolutely ideal. Tonight there will be
a meeting with Bridgestone and they will come with the latest instructions
for tomorrow.

Q. David, we have talked about your problem with confidence in the car
before. What exactly is it that makes this gap between you and Mika?

DC: I guess I'm just a nervous person! I've spoken about it much less this
year because the car has been much less pitch-sensitive. It was a problem
for me last year and in '96. My driving style tends to be quite aggressive
on the brakes, so if you have a car that is pitch-sensitive, then that's
obviously not going to be helped by that. Here it is not really so much to
do with that. When I first hit the track on Friday I straightaway had a lot
understeer: I didn't seem to be able to take the line that I wanted to.
I've improved that a lot. I certainly took a step forward over some of the
other runners who had been ahead of me. Obviously there is still a big gap
to the front row. But I don't think it will be such a big gap in the race.

Q. Will your race be against Eddie Irvine to keep him behind you?

DC: No, I've got to be racing to try and chase whoever is in front. Or
maybe I'll make a good start and be leading. So many things can happen at
the start. Okay, I'll let you [Mika] lead! We shouldn't just presume it
will be 1-2-3 into the first corner. It is a tricky entry there. Everyone
keeps asking about Eddie and me and Michael and Mika. But those guys are
obviously thinking about each other because they have a championship at
stake. I'm certainly not thinking about Eddie. It makes me feel a bit
queasy when I think about Eddie, actually! So I will just be trying to do
the best job I can for the team this weekend to help McLaren finish the
year by [winning] both the championships.

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