Thursday, July 23, 1998

"Thursday Four" press conference

With Alexander Wurz (Benetton), David Coulthard (McLaren), Ralf Schumacher
(Jordan) and Michael Schumacher (Ferrari).

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Q: Alexander, what has it been like coming to your home race?
AW: The initial part has been interviews and questions, and then it is the
driving tomorrow. This is my first home race so there are lots of different
emotions.

Q: What are your hopes for the weekend?
AW: Basically it will be a bad situation if it rains, we don't want rain,
because you can spin out and have a problem. For me it would be nice if
there was sunshine and a blue sky, it is a nice area around the circuit. I
think we have to see which way the tyres go, but I think it will be the
Bridgestone.

Q: Qualifying hasn't gone too well recently. What has happened?
AW: The last two races, which were Magny Cours and Silverstone, I started a
little too far down the grid. We could not get grip out of the tyre so we
struggled for qualifying. But basically it was alright for the race and as
you know if you start far down the grid, like in position 10, then it is a
trouble to get some points and almost impossible to get on the podium. We
are working hard on this problem, and hopefully Austria will be a step back
to what we had at the beginning of the season.

Q: Are you frustrated by it?
AW: I think in anyone's career there is a lot of ups and downs. Now we have
to work hard, I have to work to prove my position in the team, so we can
develop the car in the right direction for a good qualifying.

Q: Testing at Monza last week was up and down?
AW: For me it was the first time at the Monza circuit, so it was good for
me to learn the circuit. It is a completely different story running on this
circuit with high speed, chicanes and very high kerbs. I didn't go over the
kerbs much, and I concentrated on set-up work, I wasn't interested in fast
laps times.

Q: David, Silverstone was very disappointing. Have things got better since then?
DC: It was one of the worst days of my racing life. I wanted much more from
the weekend, but we test after every Grand Prix so there is not much time
to reflect on what has happened. At Monza we were testing and I did
reasonably well.

Q: But there are still some reliability worries?
DC: Yes. In testing it is funny how many problems you have. Even in
Williams, I found it a miracle that we actually managed to finish Grands
Prix, but that is what testing is for.

Q: Were you upset with tyre decision?
DC: After that decision I was angry at the time. I had gone off, I had made
the mistake and it is the same as anyone else because to score points you
need to get to the chequered flag, so I was frustrated. But having looked
at it afterwards, it is just the way the weather had changed. If I had
pitted just a few laps later then maybe it would have turned in my favour.

Q: What do you think about the team's appeal, because that could work in your favour?
DC: There hasn't been any mention of what they are doing. I left the
circuit at 5.30pm, and I haven't read any newspaper reports. I haven't
spoken to the team about it, I've only spoken to the team about my race
set-ups.

Q: But you are not concerned about it?
DC: I'm not thinking about it so how can I be concerned about it? I might
be now that you have mentioned it.

Q: It is now getting to the point in the championship where any success of
yours could hurt Hakkinen's title challenge?
DC: Well I think the team is probably more interested in the constructors'
championship. It is the drivers who get the medals, and if people win it
then people remember the drivers not the cars, but it is not difficult at
the moment.

Q: Second here last year. what are your feelings?
DC: It is a fun little track to drive. It is like Argentina a bit, it's
tight and twisty, but it's impossible to know who will have the advantage
here. I had fun last year, finishing on the podium, so it's nice to be
back.

Q: Ralf, you had a much better time at Silverstone.
RS: Yes it was a good race. Having started from 21st on the grid, it was an
amazing result. I pushed hard in the rain, we made the wrong choice with
tyres, but thankfully the safety car came out which helped. It was a big
relief to get my first finish in the points.

Q: And the starts have been better too?
RS: Yes, since Magny Cours we had a new clutch in the car and suddenly I
can start again.

Q: And the overtaking?
RS: Yes it was nice. At the beginning it was not too bad but when I got up
to the Benettons it was not so easy anymore. We knew all the time that we
could do it and I was so pleased to finish in sixth place.

Q: What sort affect has it had on you and the team?
RS: It's been good and I was so happy when we got our first regular points
of the year. Now we have made our break, in the last few races we have
shown we can consistently challenge in the points, so I hope it is the
start of something.

Q: You are rumoured to be going to Sauber, what is your situation?
RS: Well, there is nothing decided. We are talking with a few teams, but
when I have something to say I will tell you.

Q: Michael, is your new contract a contract for life?
MS: I hope I live longer than that! It is a long time yes, but it is good
that we can now work together for the future.

Q: It is for four years, is that correct?
MS: Yes, correct.

Q: And that will make you the longest serving Ferrari driver of all time?
MS: I don't care about Ferrari history, I don't have particular feelings
for that. It is good that the team is behind me and pushing hard is what
counts. It is nice to be paid well, but after a while it doesn't become
your first priority anymore.

Q: It was said you had better offers elsewhere?
MS: Yes, it was basically there were three options around. I had to choose
one of them and I chose to stay at Ferrari. It depended on what the
different conditions were in the team and I already haven't finished the
job I came here to do. I want to stick with Ferrari.

Q: How important is being world champion at Ferrari?
MS: Very important, but more important is how we try to achieve it. There
are good people around me, which is a good factor. We have been there for
three years, we have built up trust and respect, and people say you
shouldn't change a winning team. We are winning, so why change?

Q: What are your feelings for the long wheelbase Ferrari?
MS: We didn't bring it here because it didn't show the advantage for us. We
will carry out further tests and then we will see if it works. In Monza we
tried it and it looked good, and we tried it again at Fiorano and it wasn't
as clear. It is not a big step, it is a small thing, so it could be that we
bring it to some tracks. We will make some further improvements to the car.
It is a type of circuit that is more Magny Cours than Silverstone. We were
good at Magny Cours, so why not here?

Q: What about Silverstone. Are you worried about the appeal?
MS: Not really because it doesn't go against us. It is against the way
things happened. We didn't do things wrong. Why don't you ask Alex whether
he could see where the yellow flag was.

Q: Alex, did you see the yellow flag?
AW: No I didn't see any flags there. I was too busy concentrating because
my car was aquaplaning, I had a dry set-up and the car was quite low, and I
slipped wide and Michael took me on the inside. I did not see any flags, I
am sorry.

MS: The conditions were very bad. When you are following a car in spray you
have no chance, you are lucky to see the spray and the car in between --
that it is. If he struggled to see the yellow flag, then how could I see
it? I think something that should be considered for us drivers is to see
the signal, or to have a judge of fact that sees there are chances when you
can't see it. What can you do? You shouldn't penalise someone who has no
chance to see the flag. But the best solution is what we had at the
beginning of the season with a display in the car which can be connected to
the tower. If there is a yellow flag at one corner it will come up in the
cockpit and you will have a better chance of seeing it. That is something
we need to stop any kind of problems.

Q: Will it work before the end of the year?
MS: We had it at the beginning of the season as a test. But we haven't
connected it to the control tower. I don't know how it has developed and
what is the problem with it.

Q: Michael, you were practising for a football match recently. Have you
played with your local side in Switzerland?
MS: I have a problem with my knee, I cannot go on it very hard, I am hoping
to be fit for the start of the new season in six weeks. I am doing cycling,
which doesn't hurt my knee too much, and I will stick to that.

Q: Michael, there has been speculation in German papers that you will have
a new engine here with 30hp more?
MS: We consistently develop, we always improve. I would love to have an
engine with 30hp more, but that is not going to be the case. We will always
have an improved car that is more efficient. It may be 28hp more...

Q: How do the drivers compare their engines with the Ferraris and McLarens?
AW: I think the latest Renault engine is a good engine. It is good from the
hardware, we can base it very nicely in the car, the driveability is okay.
The only downside is the horsepower. The development curve of the
three-litre engines is not steep, it is flat, but it is a good engine.

RS: As you know we started this year with the new Honda engine. For sure
the Honda's performance is not as good as the top engines, there is more to
come, but the good thing is that Honda are working hard. At every race we
are making a step, it is good for this year, but I am sure next year it
will be a better engine. Horsepower we are improving race by race. It is
coming and I hope soon.

Q: What do you think of Villeneuve's decision?
DC: I think he has probably had to buy a bigger piggybank. At this time
none of us know how it is going to perform. Reynard are experience at
building racing cars, they've got good funding and they have Mecachrome. So
on paper it looks successful. It is more of a gamble to go with a new team
rather than an established team...

MS: I guess it is going to be a different experience. Building up something
with a new team and starting from scratch. Which way it is going to go,
that is the uncertainty, it will be interesting to see. It can go the good
way, it can go the bad way or it can be average. A new team needs to take
lessons to learn. It's obviously not similar, we had a team working for a
long time, but we built up a top team. But obviously there is more
uncertainty with the new team he is going to build. Ferrari was always a
twitchy team, but now it is good.

Q: Jacques is said to have equity in BAR. Is it a good thing for a driver
to have shares?
MS: It is nice to sit on it I think.

AW: How many persons have they got? In Austria, it can be risky if the
whole thing goes down.

DC: I can't imagine Jacques contributing a great deal other than driving.
If the team is successful then he has something to sell on later. He likes
to drive then leave, so I can't imagine him wanting to contribute much to
the team.

RS: It depends in which team. It could be a wrong decision. It needs to be
a good stable thing, but it could be a good thing.

Q: Michael, do you have an advantage with Eddie backing you and sweeping up for you?
MS: Does Eddie sweep behind me. He drives his race, luckily I am faster
than him. It is a perfect situation if we are both ahead of the McLarens,
but that has happened once, and otherwise I have had to do it myself. I
don't know McLaren's strategy, at one stage they bidded to look after both
drivers. How they apply their strategy, whether it will be a disadvantage
or an advantage I don't know.

--- Msged/386 4.20 beta 4