02.04.2004 MICHAEL SCHUMACHER AND RUBENS BARRICHELLO TOPS THE TIMESHEETS DURING THE FIRST FREE PRACTICE SESSIONS IN BAHRAIN
Jean
Todt: 'First and foremost, I must congratulate the
organisers who, under the direction of Bernie Ecclestone, have done an
extraordinary job in building this most modern of circuits.
'Bahrain is a new experience for the world of Formula 1 and offers a backdrop outside the circuit that is more reminiscent of a rally than of a grand prix. The first day of practice was devoted to finding the best set-up for the car, to learning the track for the drivers and engineers and to evaluating the two types of tyre.
'We can say that the Ferrari showed good potential, thanks in part to the Bridgestone tyres which worked well on a track surface developed by Shell with similar characteristics to what we have at Fiorano.
'Now we have to work very carefully on those areas that need improving, even if we know we have a competitive package. We will have to keep an eye on the usual parameters: first of all reliability which will be strongly affected by the high temperatures, even though the humidity is much lower than in Sepang.'
Rubens Barrichello: 'I think the car has been performing quite well on this the first day here. I am happy with the set-up, but there is still a lot of work to do, as the track is very dirty, so we are having to second-guess the set-up for Sunday. The track has less grip than I expected after walking the track yesterday. But it is not because of the sand, but simply because the surface is still new. It has been a positive day in terms of our work with the tyres, the engine and on set-up.'
Michael Schumacher: 'It’s been an interesting start on this circuit. I enjoyed driving and I have to say the track layout is very demanding. It looks like the rest of the weekend will be a great challenge and I am looking forward to that. It seems that everyone is very close and from our point of view, we can say we have everything in place to be very competitive.'
Ross Brawn: 'It seemed like quite a chaotic session, with several cars going off the track. Our drivers sometimes came to a corner and found there was a lack of grip because of dust thrown onto the circuit.
'From our point of view, we have a clear picture as regards the tyres and all the signs point to it being a close race, which is what we expected, as the characteristics of the track do not play to our strengths. It will be an interesting weekend.'
Free practice - First session: Michael Schumacher: 1st 1.32.158 13 laps chassis 234, Rubens Barrichello: 2nd 1.32.651 13 laps chassis 236, Temperatures: air 33/32 °C, track 42/47 °C
Free practice - Second session: Rubens Barrichello: 1st 1.31.450 19 laps chassis 236, Michael Schumacher 4th 1.31.732 22 laps chassis 234, Temperatures: air 33/34/32 °C, track 50/51/50 °C