25.04.2004 'This was a dream result, to come home after three races and give the tifosi what they wanted' post SAN MARINO GRAND PRIX reaction from Ferrari

Fourth race of 2004 and fourth win for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, once again with Michael Schumacher.

This is Ferrari’s seventh victory in the San Marino Grand Prix, the third in a row. It was career win number 74 for Schumacher, the sixth at this circuit and for Ferrari it was the 171st victory from 690 races.

Jean Todt: 'It was a fantastic race and an amazing start to the season, with Michael stringing together an incredible run of wins. This was a very open and difficult race.

'We saw how the slightest thing at the start, as was the case for Rubens, can see a driver lose places and then find it impossible to make them up again.

'We really wanted to win at this track for a variety of reasons. It is the nearest race to home and it was great to race in front of our fans and employees of the Ferrari Maserati Group who filled their reserved grandstand.

'For Michael and me, it was also a special race as we both have the honour of being ambassadors for the Republic of San Marino. There are two people I am particularly happy for today: Rory Byrne; it was a pleasure to see him collect the team prize on the podium and Bridgestone President, Shigeo Watanabe, as once again our partner provided us with excellent tyres.

'As in the past at Imola, President Montezemolo arrived with his family at the end of the race to celebrate with us. We hope we will be able to continue for a long time to come with what is becoming a very enjoyable tradition!'

Michael Schumacher: 'This was a dream result, to come home after three races and give the tifosi what they wanted. It is a dream come true, especially as I am an ambassador for San Marino.

'At the start, Jenson set a mind blowing pace, it was as though I was driving in the wet and he was in the dry. But after a few laps, everything came up to temperature and I was able to push.

'Fortunately, after that, I was able to maintain my pace, while his seemed to drop off. As for my fight with Juan Pablo, I wanted to keep him behind me so that I would not lose touch with the leader.

'At first, I saw him attack me, but then I did not see him, nor did I expect him to come round the outside. I think it was just a racing incident. In the final stages, I eased off the pace to bring the car home. I hope we come back here to Imola.'

Rubens Barrichello: 'My race was spoilt by traffic. I always found myself with a slower car ahead of me and so I was never able to push my car as hard as it could go.

'Ralf Schumacher especially blocked me several times, at the start for example when he made a move that saw me go off the track. It’s a shame as I knew I had a great car and I was convinced I could have a good race. At least I managed to bring home three points, which are important for me and for the team.'

Ross Brawn: 'You could see in the first few laps that our tyres took a while to come to temperature and when they did, they were fantastic. We just had to be patient and wait for the right moment, with Michael hanging onto Jenson for the first few laps. We hoped he would stop before we did and that was what happened. Then Michael did two stunning laps before his pit stop which saw him move into the lead.

'After that it was a case of monitoring everyone else’s strategy. Rubens’s race was compromised by traffic, especially at the end of his second pit stop when he was hindered by Ralf Schumacher in the pit lane.'

Michael Schumacher: 1st 1.26.19.670 62 laps chassis 234; Rubens Barrichello: 6th +36.683 62 laps chassis 236; Temperatures: air 20/22°C, track 31/35°C