Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 4:38 am
Alonso thanks his team and wishes them all the best for the future on the radio.
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Thanks!Snowy wrote:Well done Ed you've had a great season too
Fernando Alonso - 2nd (Clinches World Championship)Today is another dream, the dream of my life has become a reality. The car was perfect, the Bridgestone tyres were perfect, I drove an impeccable race and all of this at my home grand prix! I always had
the situation under control, slowing just a bit when Michael was in front of me, after his puncture, as I did not want to pass him. I want to dedicate this race to my family , to my friends, to all those who helped me in my
career and to the Brazilian people who, today, made me feel their warmth through all the fans in the grandstand. Michael now stops driving for the team, but already I know I will miss him. I have always felt his support and his friendship and I know that it will be a big responsibility to replace him. Over the last few laps, I was trying to maintain concentration, but I could not stop myself from watching all the fans celebrating in the grandstands!
Jenson Button - 3rdWhat a wonderful feeling this is. We have done a fantastic last part of the championship, scoring 26 points out of 30 possible, and that was enough to make us double champions. It is such a special moment to win both titles on the same day, and the atmosphere in the team is unbelievable right now. I have to say thank you; thank you to everybody in the team, to all the people at Enstone and Viry, to Michelin, to my team-mate Giancarlo and to Heikki, who has done so much good work this year. In 2006, they have taught me many lessons: to always stay fair play, to put in the effort, to keep the focus and the determination to win. It has been up and down for us, but they never forgot the target, and we have done it now. My memories from this season will be from the win in Barcelona, and also these times now, celebrating with the mechanics ? and the celebrations to come in the next weeks in Spain. This is the right time to enjoy what we have done. I am proud to have been racing with Michael as well. It is an honour to have won the final two championships of his career, and I think they will mean more than any others I can win in my career. He is retiring as the man with all the records, and it has been big pressure to race against him ? and a big privilege as well.
Michael Schumacher - 4thI'm thrilled to end the season on the podium, especially coming through from 14th on the grid yet again and after the problem we experienced yesterday. This result came out of a genuine fight, with the car showing great competitiveness. It was one of the most enjoyable races I have experienced. It's only natural to think about where we could have finished if we had been able to start further up the grid, but we shouldn't take anything away from a great result and a very strong second half of the season. My thanks to everyone in the team, and all our partners and fans. This is a fantastic way to go into the winter when I'm sure we will all have the motivation to push harder for a much stronger 2007 season.
Kimi Raikkonen - 5thI am very happy for Felipe who drove an amazing race. It is great for him to be the first Brazilian to win at Interlagos since Ayrton Senna. It would have been nice if I could at least have made it to the podium alongside him. I would also like to congratulate Fernando. Today, my race was compromised after the puncture I picked up on lap nine, when I had just passed Fisichella. I was unaware of it until the team told me about it on the radio. I had a good climb back up the order, thanks partly to an amazing car and exceptional Bridgestone tyres. Today my racing career comes to an end. Obviously, it is a special moment for me and I am proud to have lived my career with some fantastic people, namely everyone who is part of the Ferrari family. There is so much I could say about them, but it is difficult to find the right words?
Giancarlo Fisichella - 6thThis was a very difficult race. My car was not easy to drive today because I didn't have much grip. The straight line speed could have been better as it was not easy to overtake slower cars. I ran wide once towards the end of the race which allowed Michael Schumacher to close in, and despite all my efforts I couldn't keep him behind. As this is my last race for Team McLaren Mercedes I want to thank everybody in the team who have supported me throughout my five years here.
Rubens Barrichello - 7thI am so happy this afternoon. Psychologically, this was a tough race at the end of a very hard season. But we went out there today, and did the job. For me, the key parts of the race were with Michael Schumacher in the first laps and towards the end as well. He was so quick today, that it was nearly impossible to keep him behind. The first time, he overtook me and we were side by side into the first corner ? then I saw him have big oversteer in the second corner and got back past. But the key point in the race was towards the end, when he was behind me for five or six laps. I knew I had to keep him there for as long as possible, so he couldn't make up more positions, and I did my best. Eventually, I braked very late on the bumps, locked the front tyres and he got past. But I did enough. For me personally, I am fourth in the championship, which is my best ever result. It has been an incredible season, and we will be celebrating this evening.
Pedro de la Rosa - 8thIt was tough for me today. I couldn't get a rhythm in the car and I was having some difficulties with the handling, but still we got two cars in the points once again. Jenson had a good race coming from the back to get on the podium, so it's a strong end of the season for us. I have to say that I struggled this year with the car but we have the winter to work hard with the benefit of all the lessons we have learned this season. I would also like to congratulate Felipe on his fantastic win today. We all get in life what we deserve, and he has had a great weekend. My thanks to everyone associated with our team for a great first season with Honda. Now I'm looking forward to 2007.
Mark Webber - RetiredA very tough race for me. I was on a one-stop strategy and obviously this was a little too hard for the tyres. As a result I couldn't really attack, but at least I scored one point for the team. On the occasion of this last race of the season I want to thank my team for giving me the opportunity to race, it was a pleasure and an honour to compete for Team McLaren Mercedes this year. I would also like to congratulate my compatriot Fernando Alonso on winning his second Drivers' World Championship.
Nico Rosberg - RetiredSuch a waste. It was an interesting first few corners, I was fighting with Jenson and Pedro going into the first one and putting a bit of pressure on Pedro. It was shaping up to be quite fun, but I braked a bit later going into turn four and then I was hit from behind. I lost the diffuser and that was that. It looks like Nico lost his braking point. He was very deep going into the corner and I didn?t think he was going to make it. It wasn?t nice to see Nico with a puncture and then colliding with the wall, but he?s ok. It?s always bad when team mates collide, but he didn?t do it on purpose. This is the game we?re in, there are no rewind buttons, so when it goes wrong, it goes wrong. This isn?t the result we were hoping for and it?s a real shame for the guys.
I was really hoping I could do something good in the last race. After the start, I was trying to get out of traffic, gain some ground and get back the place I had just lost to Jenson so I was close behind Mark going into the corner. I think he braked hard and maybe an extra metre too early, perhaps because something had happened next to him, and I hit him. It probably seemed a big accident from the outside, but it didn?t feel so hard in the cockpit and I am fine. I am sorry for the team, of course, because I wanted to finish this season in a better way. It has been a difficult year, but I have learned a lot. We now have the winter ahead of us and we will all work together very hard to be prepared for next season.
Ferrari - Ross BrawnDespite an extraordinary victory from Felipe and a race which for so many reasons was an historic one for Michael, in the heat of the moment I feel very disappointed. We would have liked Michael?s
career to end differently, but destiny had other plans. We must look at the positive aspects of this season: our team has taken the most race wins ? nine in total, seven with Michael and two with Felipe ? and despite
getting off to a poor start, we were in the hunt for both titles right up to the final race. However, the championship is made up of eighteen Grands Prix and so we accept this result and our compliments go to our rivals. Now we have to look to the future and start a new chapter, taking into account the lessons we have learnt this year. We go into 2007 with new rules, a new driver, just one tyre supplier, but these are things we can discuss later. Today, I want to thank everyone in the Gestione Sportiva, Michael and Felipe for the great job they have done, with the support of our technical partners, especially Bridgestone and Shell and the commercial ones, first and foremost Philip Morris. Whatever the outcome, the Ferrari family has lived through a memorable season.
Renault - Alain Dassas - President (Clinch World Championship)Everything was extraordinary today: the car, the drivers, the Bridgestone tyres and the team work. It was really frustrating that we were unable to see Michael bring his career to a close with a win. His
race was compromised by a puncture caused by the collision with Fisichella, whom he had just overtaken. It?s been a very tough season. The car was competitive right from the beginning but we did not get off to a great start. Then, we staged a great comeback thanks to the work of the team and our technical partners, especially Bridgestone and Shell, to the extent that we had the best package as well as the best drivers. Today, I am very happy for Felipe, who represents the future of Ferrari. He drove an exceptional race and it was a great way to finish the season.
Renault - Flavio BriatoeRenault's achievement in becoming double world champions, twice in a row, has nothing to do with luck. We have done it because we were quicker and more reliable than our rivals ? and because we were able to raise our game compared to 2005 by scoring more points and finishing more races. One of the greatest satisfactions was to feel the entire Renault Group behind us at every stage, pushing us towards this victory. We were determined not to let them down, and the team has done Renault proud. As for our departing champion Fernando, he deserves this second title like no other. He has been an extraordinary part of our team, and we will miss him. However, Formula 1 is all about reacting to change, and meeting new challenges. We will begin a new adventure next year, and that is the thrilling challenge of this sport.
Renualt - Pat SymondsIt was an incredible fight with Ferrari this year, and first of all I want to congratulate Michael on an amazing race this afternoon. But we have done the job, and we deserve these titles. The whole team, from Fernando to all our colleagues in Enstone and Viry, have had a very difficult time this year. There have been many ups and downs, but we have never backed down, we never gave up and we are champions. As a team, we made fewer mistakes than our rivals, and Fernando made fewer mistakes than Michael. We must not forget Giancarlo, who has had a very strong season, and his points have made the difference between finishing first and second. Of course, none of this could have been possible without our partners ? Mild Seven and Michelin, who will be leaving us this year as champions, and every group that has been part of this success. Thank you to them, to our supporters and to the Renault Group for their commitment to this team. They are all worthy world champions.
Honda - Gil de FerranToday's race was an incredibly exciting end to a thrilling championship, and probably one of the most stressful races of my career! But in the end, the whole team is ecstatic with the result, and it is a fitting end to our partnership with Fernando. He is a thoroughly deserving world champion, and we wish him all the best for the future; he will be a tough competitor, but we relish competition! Congratulations also to Michelin. The work they have done, particularly in the last two months, has been exemplary and they retire with their heads held high. We also wish all the best to Michael. He has played an important part for me personally in my career, and has been a worthy competitor to the team for many years. We hope to see him again, and wish him the very best for the future. The final word, though, goes to this amazing Renault team. These world championships are for every member of our organisation, from top to bottom. Those of us who travel get to enjoy these moments at the track, but our team-mates in Enstone and Viry have given us the tools to do the job this season with their unstinting effort and commitment. This victory belongs to each and every one of them.
McLaren - Ron DennisWhat a great way to finish the season and what a spectacular drive by Jenson to come all the way from 14th to the podium once again! Jenson had a good start and made up a lot of places on the first lap. After that he was flying, executing some brilliantly judged overtaking manoeuvres. Once he caught up with Alonso, he put up a good fight to try and pass him for second. Rubens raced hard throughout, posing a strong challenge to Fisichella who was on a similar strategy.
Today is a day of many milestones. First of all, well done to Fernando Alonso on a much-deserved second World Championship title. Many congratulations and best wishes to Michael Schumacher on a brilliant and inspiring career that brought many F1 fans a lot of joy over 15 years of spectacular racing. Many thanks also to the founders of this team, British American Tobacco, and title sponsor Lucky Strike, in what is their last race, for their confidence, support and vision. Lastly we should also thank our partners - particularly Michelin - and the many talented Honda team members in Japan and the UK for the tremendous effort and dedication which has culminated in this great final result of the season.
BMW Sauber - Mario TheissenA disappointing outcome and not the way to finish what has been a difficult season. However next season already starts tomorrow. Congratulations to Fernando for winning the World Championship again. We will work hard to give him the same opportunity next year. I would like to wish Kimi all the best for next year, but as you would expect we will be doing our very best to ensure that we beat him.
Super Aguri - Aguri SuzukiAlthough missing scoring points by a small margin, in the last race in Sao Paulo we achieved our goals and claimed fifth place in the constructors? championship. We also took an engine for homologation for the next years across the finish line. All in all with the BMW Sauber F1 Team we achieved more than we could have expected in our debut year. We made it into the points 15 times and even scored two podium finishes. This means we are clearly ahead of our own targets. What makes me even happier is that during the season our team improved in comparison to our competitors ? going forwards and not backwards. This is the best signal that the measures implemented in Munich and Hinwil strengthened our challenge. On the drivers? side, we are well prepared for the future.
Toro Rosso - Franz TostI am very happy today as both SAF1 Team cars finished the race and Taku finished in the top 10. This is an amazing and incredible achievement for the team. Both drivers? lap times were also very quick and consistent and the mechanics did a great job during the pit stops. It was a perfect race result to end the season and now we will focus on next year and on coming back in an even stronger position! Congratulations to everybody.
Red Bull - Christian HornerScott drove one of his best races this season, with consistent lap times and he also fought well. After Tonio collided with Heidfeld, we think he damaged something on his front suspension, because his lap times slowed. The team did a good job, with both cars finishing and in reliability terms we are the fifth best team overall this season and have ended up ninth in the Constructors' championship. The team itself has learnt to work together, gathering useful experience over this season and that will be a good starting point for next year.
Spyker MF1 Racing - Dominic HarlowDavid unfortunately retired with a gearbox problem after making some progress in the early part of the race. Robert managed to make up a few positions from where he started on the grid, to bring his car home in 12th place. From a team point of view, we finished seventh in the Constructors' Championship again, ahead of Williams. Obviously it's been a frustrating season, but I think we can look forward with a lot of optimism.
Toyota - Tsutomu TomitaTo be added
Williams - Patrick HeadBefore the start of the race everything was okay - we were looking fine, the car was quick and the two drivers were motivated. The start was good but just after starting the race we suffered from serious problems - it was like a bad dream. It is still unbelievable for me. We were obviously very fast and we had fuel for 23 and 24 laps as a result of the safety car so we were a bit heavier than most of the other cars around us. According to what we have seen from the other cars we had a good chance of taking second place. Both cars experienced a rear suspension failure of the central element, which was not a new part. Ralf made it clear he had a problem immediately after the safety car and then Jarno suffered the same two laps later. It is probably due to the bumpy nature of the track but of course we knew that would be the case here at Interlagos and we should have been prepared for that. I have to say we are very sorry to Toyota's fans and the Toyota family companies. We are very disappointed but this is racing and sometimes it is good and sometimes it is bad. However, we believe we are moving in the right direction and now we will have to work hard for next year.
Cosworth - Chris JilbertIt can only get better from here, but obviously the result is massively disappointing. The Bridgestone tyre was quite clearly superior today. It?s meaningless, but I think we could have had quite a good race. This is the second year in a row in Brazil that we?ve been out of the race with both cars before the end of the first lap and it?s really very disappointing for everyone in the team. However, we can now only go back and make sure we have a much better car and look forward to a stronger season next year. Well done to Fernando and very well done to Renault for winning both Championships. With Michael retiring today, we saw all his fighting spirit come out in what were difficult circumstances and obviously he?ll be a major loss to the sport. It is very sad that this is the last race for Cosworth in F1 for the immediate future. They have done a great job and have been a pleasure to work with. I hope the Cosworth name returns to F1 very soon.
Bridgestone - Hisao SuganumaNot quite the way that we had envisaged our current involvement in Formula One to draw to a close, but I guess we can genuinely say that we ran both engines at 20,000RPM for the whole race! It really does not seem possible that there will be no Cosworth-powered cars in the F1 paddock in 2007. It is an incredibly sad day for everyone who has been involved in making our Cosworth F1 engines so powerful, reliable and successful and I?m sure that these comments will be echoed by the numerous people up and down the pit lane who have either worked at, or with, Cosworth in the past. We pride ourselves on being world class and can proudly state that we have been able to deliver what is possibly the most powerful, most reliable engine in Formula One during the 2006 season, despite not having the backing of a manufacturer. Let?s hope that Cosworth can return to its rightful place on the grid in the future. My thanks go to everyone at Cosworth for all of their dedication, commitment and resolve through what has been a very difficult couple of months.
Congratulations to Felipe today! What a great win - we are delighted for him. Nevertheless we are disappointed that Michael should have such bad luck in the final race of his career. He had to pit early for a replacement tyre after it was cut, most likely as he passed Fisichella, but what was clear today was that the Ferrari drivers were by far the best out there today and I strongly believe they were assisted by a performance advantage from the Bridgestone tyres. Takuma Sato demonstrated this further by finishing tenth ? it was a great race from him. We are very proud of the Bridgestone tyre performance today and it was just a shame that neither the WilliamsF1 nor Toyota team were able to capitalize on that. Nevertheless, as the year now draws to a close, we should congratulate the champions and celebrate what has been an extremely competitive year. We believe that in the latter half of the year certainly, Bridgestone has had the competitive edge against our rival, for which we must thank all our teams, and we would like to say that we have really enjoyed this year?s fight. As for Michael, his fantastic drive was indicative of his stature as a seven time world champion and we thank him and wish him the very best in the future.
Well done JV, I know voting for Massa over FA must have been hard but I applaud you. (I realise you were never going to vote for MS).JayVee wrote: My driver of the day, toss up between Massa for winning at home, Alonso for a controlled drive despite the pressure of the championship and Button for an impressive drive. I decided to go for Massa![]()
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Well done JV, I know voting for Massa over FA must have been hard but I applaud you. (I realise you were never going to vote for MS).JayVee wrote: My driver of the day, toss up between Massa for winning at home, Alonso for a controlled drive despite the pressure of the championship and Button for an impressive drive. I decided to go for Massa![]()
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