15.08.2004 "Today we have written another extraordinary page in this company’s history book, six consecutive Constructors’ titles" Ferrari Hungarian Grand Prix report

Ferrari has taken its fourteenth Constructors’ title, the sixth in a row. Today’s one-two finish – the seventh of the season - means that a Scuderia driver is bound to win the Drivers’ Championship for the fourteenth time, the fifth consecutively.

Today’s is Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro’s twelfth win of the season, all with Michael Schumacher, who thus sets a new record for number of wins in a season.

For Michael, it was career win 82, the fourth at this circuit. The Scuderia now has 179 wins from 699 race starts, with five wins here in Hungary.

Jean Todt: 'Today we have written another extraordinary page in this company’s history book: six consecutive Constructors’ titles and the certainty that one of our drivers will take the Drivers’ title for a fifth consecutive time are dream results.

"The unknown factors before the race were the start and reliability and it all went well. We knew we had a very competitive car and exceptional Bridgestone tyres in terms of their performance over a long distance and the way the race turned out confirmed that. The drivers were fantastic and as usual the team did a great job.

"Our technical partners, first and foremost Bridgestone and Shell, played a key role in helping us to achieve our objectives, as did our commercial partners, such as Philip Morris, Vodafone, AMD and Olympus, not forgetting all our other suppliers.

'A special thanks to our major shareholder, the Fiat Group which has always given us real support through its Research Centre. Now, we are looking forward to being back in Maranello tomorrow, to celebrate with president Montezemolo and the entire Gestione Sportiva.'

Michael Schumacher: 'The title means more than winning 12 races in a season and the fact this is the sixth in a row means more than the fact it is the 14th for the team. The way we achieved it is outstanding; we were so dominant, so perfect. To win in style here compared to last year shows why we have won the title so early. The whole team is great and deserves this result.

"The work we did with Bridgestone and Shell, for example in the Jerez test, paid off in Hockenheim and even more so here. This win might have looked easy from the outside, but I was flat out most of the race until after the final pit stop. In the early stages Rubens was pushing hard and anything could happen. The car was superb at this track.

"Everything is going so well and there is a great atmosphere in the team. Even after a great start to the season, everyone keeps pushing and that is great for motivation. I plan to continue enjoying winning as long as it lasts. It is true that I could win the championship at Spa or if not at Monza. Both have special significance for me, but I will try and win it where I can, because mathematically Rubens still has a chance.'

Rubens Barrichello: 'This title is a phenomenal achievement and I feel fantastic about being part of it. Together with Michael, we have put each other under pressure on the track to drive each other forward and the team always responds to this. It is our reliability which particularly impresses me: we just never stop.

"As for the race, I had a good start and I think last night’s rain helped make my side of the track less dirty. I was able to follow Michael, although it was difficult to know when he was going to brake, while I was trying to defend my own position as well as try to pass him. After that, I was running at my own pace and I think there was one part of the race when I might have been a bit quicker than Michael. But while my first, second and fourth sets of tyres were perfect, I had a slight problem with my third which cost me a bit of time.

"I had made a different tyre choice to Michael and I was pleased with their performance except for that third set. As for the Drivers’ championship, I know Michael has a very big lead, but as long as there is a mathematical possibility I will keep pushing.'

Ross Brawn : 'It has been a fantastic year for us so far. Taking the title with a nice one-two, having suffered so much on this track last year makes me very proud of our guys, who are able to help one another by sticking to the same aims and objectives.

"Our strength comes from the stability of our group and from the support of our partners: this is what makes the difference and will do so again next year, when we face another challenge with new technical regulations. As for the race, all I can say is that the Bridgestone tyres performed exceptionally well.

"At Rubens’ first pit stop there was a problem with the refuelling rig, which we will now look into. As a precaution, the team changed the couplings, but we did not inform the drivers as we knew we would have time to fix the problem without any consequences.'

Michael Schumacher: 1st 70 laps 1.35.26.131 chassis 239, Rubens Barrichello: 2nd 70 laps + 4.696 chassis 240, Temperatures: air 26°C, track 35/36°C