TotalMotorSport All the latest Motorsport news, race reports and photographs from around the world. Alms, Touring Cars, Formula One & Le Mans 24 Hours

Melbourne 04

Fosters

07/03/2004

05/03/2004

Ferrari Leading By Example

Ferrari First And Second In Both Free Practice Sessions

Jean Todt:
"Today marked the start of the longest ever championship in history, with 18 races on the calendar. The new regulations have changed the Friday timetable, which is now almost exclusively dedicated to evaluating the two type of tyre available, while taking into account that the engine used today has to last all the way to the end of Sunday's race. It is always pleasing to see two Bridgestone-shod Ferraris consistently out in front of the field, but we are well aware that today's result is not so significant. The serious business comes tomorrow in qualifying and we are mindful of how important it will be for the race to be able to start from the front of the grid."

Michael Schumacher:
"I am happy with the performance of the car which has matched our expectations after winter testing. But we should not read too much into the lap times, as it is too early to say if this is a true picture of the order among the teams: in fact, I doubt that it is. Today, we worked mainly on adapting the car's set-up for this circuit. I went off the track three times during the course of the day, which was mainly due to the wind, which was strong and not consistent and it can catch you out in terms of judging your braking point."

Rubens Barrichello:
"I am very happy with the car. We still have some more work to do on the set-up, but the car shows great potential. So I think there is more to come from it this weekend, which is encouraging. The car is still quite new for me, as I only got one and a half days running in it in dry conditions, so I am still learning. We went through our normal work schedule for a first day of free practice, keeping in mind the new rule regarding engines. We must not read too much into today's result, but it is a good way to start the season."

Ross Brawn:
"It was an eventful session, given that Michael went off the track this afternoon. The boys did a great job to get him out on track again towards the end. This year, we have to have made our tyre choice by Friday evening and we have enough information now to make that choice, even though this morning the track was quite "green." The tyre looks good and consistent and the car seems to be going okay."