"It was great to climb onto the podium and see the fans' joy and, I am not ashamed to admit, it was a special feeling. It is now that I have this feeling and now that all the fans who have always supported us are repaid", beamed Michael Schumacher.

Despite the exultation that swept through the Ferrari team, Schumacher once again displayed the character that has made him the most successful driver in Formula 1 history: he is very realistic and is swayed only by the facts. "It is a fact that he have made up a lot of ground but it is also true that we are not where we would like to be, even if this victory is a taster. We still have much work to do; the whole team agrees on this. Yesterday's win is only the beginning". Consequently, Michael will be testing this week on Thursday and Friday at Paul Ricard and Le Castellet. He will be developing the tyres while Felipe Massa will work on fine-tuning the aerodynamics. Talking of his team mate, he revealed that "tomorrow is Felipe's birthday and so I would like to wish him all the best"!

Michael stands by what he said at the beginning of the intense Imola weekend. "Side issues do not help; we have to continue working as hard as we have been. This is the only thing that has helped us to get better and reach our goals. It is incredible to see how the team manages to go on improving. Days like yesterday are especially important as they boost our motivation. This is good for our dream team, one that knows how to fight!

"I started fourth and finished fourth: that was the story of my San Marino Grand Prix," said Felipe Massa - who finished fourth - in his 'blog'. "After what was a tough race, I can be happy with this result, especially when you look at the combined number of points me and Michael brought home. Seeing that Michael fought all through the race with Alonso in the Renault and I was fighting both McLarens, honestly it is something I can be happy about. Yes, I might have made it to the podium, but I lost some time behind an Aguri at just the critical time, which meant I was just unable to keep ahead of Montoya.
 

"On the second stint, I had some graining after the first couple of laps out of the pits. It lasted about five or six laps when it was really difficult to keep up a good pace. But then the tyres cleaned up and we were back on a goodish pace. So, after three unlucky races, I am happy with fourth and to see our team take its first win of the season. I reckon that Sunday's race shows we don't need much to be exactly the same level in terms of performance as the others," continued the Brazilian.

"We have to think carefully about how we tackle the next race, but I think we are definitely at the right level to fight with the other top guys at every race now. On Sunday night, I said that naturally, it would have been nicer to finish on the podium, as fourth is still the best I have done in my F1 career so far, with two other finishes in this position. But now, I think I can look to do better in the coming races. After the race, I was asked what I thought was the secret behind Michael still being able to win races after so many years in the sport. For me, 37 does not seem very old. There have been drivers winning who were older than that. Michael is just motivated and that is the main thing in any sport. I am younger and I am very motivated and I would hope to reach Michael's age and still have that same level of motivation.

"Speaking of age, tomorrow, Tuesday, is my twenty fifth birthday. I am not planning to do anything special though. Since Imola, I have not gone home, but have stayed in Italy, in Milan, as I am testing at Fiorano for three days, starting on Wednesday. So, I will be spending my birthday in Maranello at Ferrari, which I think many guys my age would think is actually very special indeed. And I guess I would have to agree with them!" concluded Massa.