|
|
|
|
| July 29,
2001 |
| German GP - Race Press Conference |
|
| Question: Ralf,
what does it feel like to win at home? |
| Ralf Schumacher:
It's a great feeling. I've always had a bit of bad luck here. I've never
really finished in a good position and, to be here today
in a German package, to win the race
in Germany, is a great feeling. |
| Question:
After Juan Pablo [Montoya]'s engine problem, did the
team then tell you that this had happened
and to watch everything and perhaps slow? |
| Ralf Schumacher:
Already before the weekend, we knew that we were on the tight side
with the engines so when, after start of the race, when Pablo
pulled away, I thought 'OK, you do whatever
you want to' and I already started to save the engine, because I know how
long and how hard that race is. It paid off at the end. After this, the
team told me as well to slow down even more, and
that was easy because Rubens couldn't push any more so it was a perfect
scenario. |
| Question:
Ralf, you won here today at Hockenheim, the next race
is at Hungaroring, a very different sort of circuit,
what are your chances? |
| Ralf Schumacher:
I'm not going for the championship, I guess, so that's not so important.
But still, we will try to be competitive in Hungary, although it's going
to be very difficult for us - as it is a high downforce
circuit and usually we struggle a bit on these circuits.
We have two and a half weeks to develop stuff and
to bring new stuff for Hungary and
then see how it pays off. |
| Question:
Ralf, this is the one you really
wanted to win, wasn't it? |
| Ralf Schumacher:
It's obviously great to win here, especially with a
German package, German driver in Germany,
it's the perfect scenario. |
| Question:
You were on your own a lot, were you being told to slow down, was
it difficult to concentrate? |
| Ralf Schumacher:
Yes, I always asked how quick Rubens was and it was obvious that
he slowed down as well, so they just told
me the pace I was supposed to
do to stay ahead of him - which is not
too difficult with 50 seconds gap anyway - but you never
want to risk too much. As you saw with Juan, we had an engine failure,
and already, before we went into this race,
we knew Hockenheim was going to be very tough on
our engines and that's why fairly early in the race I started to save it
anyway. |
| Question:
Was that your decision, or was it planned with the engine
guys? |
| Ralf Schumacher:It
was my own decision. I must say that Juan today was quicker.
I had a few problems with brakes in the beginning.
My first set of tyres wasn't really as good, because we
planned to start on a new set,
but obviously with the re-start we couldn't, so we had to go
to an old set which didn't work so, as Juan pulled away, I
was just trying to do my race and save my engine. |
| Question: Jacques
suggested that perhaps the race shouldn't have
been stopped.... |
| Ralf Schumacher:
You know sometimes Jacques has his own opinion
and, personally, everywhere else I would
agree. But here, with all the debris on the circuit, you don't
want to have a puncture or cut tyre
which might explode on the straight. I think it was quite
a good decision actually. |
| Question: You
also said earlier on that you had bad luck here. In fact you've finished
every race here.... |
| Ralf Schumacher:
Did I? I can't remember that actually but, as I remember, I've never really
finished where I wanted to finish until today, so maybe that's why I thought
I had bad luck here. |
| Question:
This is the first really quick circuit that we've been to this year
and the reliability has been a big issue. Is it going to be
the same elsewhere? |
| Ralf Schumacher:
Monza and America, I think we are going to have the same problems,
if not Spa as well, which is quite quick as well. |
| Question: Ralf,
were you aware that Michael was waiting for somebody to pick
him up? |
Ralf Schumacher:
No I didn't see it! Was he waiting for me? I didn't see it
actually otherwise I would have stopped… but I think
it's not allowed any more, is it? It's
forbidden to take
someone on board.
No? Well, sorry, I didn't see him and he came back
at the right time so… |
| Question: Ralf,
were you aware that your team-mate had big problems
in the refuelling stop? |
| Ralf Schumacher:
They said it to me after the stop, they said 'okay you
are P1 now, just go your race', then later they
said that he had an engine problem and to slow down. |
| Question:
Ralf, what were your feelings
when you were slowing down and waving at the end? |
| Ralf Schumacher:
I'm not really a person to
express my feelings to the outside
usually, but straight away after I slowed
down I realised the crowd, you know,
I realised everything. My team was obviously happy as well
on the radio, it was just the perfect day. |
|
|
|
| July 29,
2001 |
| German GP - RACE |
| . |
Ralf Shumacher winning his home race,
Ralf said "It
has been an unbelieveable day and I am very, very
happy. It is just great for a
German driver, with a German engine
to win the German Grand Prix.
I have to admit that at the beginning my team - mate
was faster than me. Before the re - start
I changed tyres to be on the safe side, because
there was so much debris on the
track. I started early on to save fuel and
be easy on the engine, as I knew it
would be a race of attrition. I want to thank
the team who did a perfect job. I am now looking
forward to take a couple of days
off at home before thinking about
Hungary." |
| "It's a great
feeling, I've always had a bit bad luck here. Imight
have finished the races but I haven't finished
them where I have wanted to, until today. We
knew before the weekend that it would
be tight on engines and
I had already started to save
the engine early on, which paid off. I think that
also my tyres were perhaps not as good
after the restart, but in the end everything
worked out. It was a good situation
that Rubens wasn't pushing me hard and I
could look after the car." |
| . |
| R.Schumacher WilliamsF1
BMW M 1h 17:17.873 ( 1st ) |
| . |
|
|
|
|
|
| July 28,
2001 |
| German GP - Qualifyinfg
Press Conference |
| |
| Question: Ralf
, how does it feel to have been deprived of pole position on your home
circuit? |
| Ralf Schumacher:
I've never been anywhere close to the first row at Hockenheim so
I'm pretty pleased. I think the two of us were quicker than anyone
else, so I think we have problems in the race
in front of us tomorrow, that's what counts. I am on
the first row so I have every chance. |
| Question: Ralf,
what do you think of your team-mate's pole and where do you think you lost
out? |
| Ralf Schumacher:
I lost out a bit in the stadium today, but the last two rounds
one I had traffic the other I had a yellow flag so for sure
it was tough qualifying between us today. We have the
first row for the team so everything is possible for the two
of us. |
| Question: How
crucial is it to be on pole? |
Ralf Schumacher:
It's difficult, from all the races I did here it turned out
to be different. Anything can happen but usually if you're on pole you
are first into the first corner and if you're
on second you go second. We'll
find out tomorrow how it is. The race is pretty long so anything can happen. |
| Question: You
were saying that the timing was crucial when you went out. |
| Ralf Schumacher:
For the first run, we thought that we didn't have the time in case
we needed to go to the scales or whatever and that was
a wrong decision by us. For the
yellow flag, nobody could do much about it. |
| Question: How
similar are the set-ups? |
| Ralf Schumacher:
Very similar. |
| Question:
So the potential was basically between the two
of you as drivers? |
| Ralf Schumacher:
Well… yeah, whatever, I don't know
the exact set up because I did change a few little things during the qualifying
but yes, that's the way it is. |
| Question: Do
the drivers feel that, with lap records falling, it could
be time to go back to slick tyres instead of grooved tyres? |
| Ralf Schumacher:
It's not really down to us anyway - ask Max! |
| Question: Ralf,
you and Juan Pablo aren't close friends, is it better to have
a slight edge against you team-mate? And how do you think his development
has been this year? |
| Ralf Schumacher:
Well, first of all, I think it's pretty difficult to be good friends
with your team - mate anyway - I have had five and things
have been similar. It has been
better with Jenson, but these were different circumstances.
I think (Juan) has had a bit of bad luck at the beginning
of the season with a lot of technical failures, he has been new
to Formula One and new to a couple of circuits so
things have changed obviously and he has developed in
the right direction. It's good for him and
good for the team. |
| |
|
|
|
| July 28,
2001 |
| German GP - QUALIFYING |
| . |
| BMW WilliamsF1 Team one -
two in Qualifyinfg |
| Ralf said "It
was just circumstances that prevented me
from trying to beat his time. We gave ourselves
plenty of time in the third runs in case we
were brought in for a weight check or anything
like that and it just so happened that it put me in on the
track in traffic. On the final run
we were caught out by the yellow flag - there was no
way of forseeing that."
"I'm still on the front row and I've never been anywhere near the front
row at Hockenheim before. It's so close in time between us that
you couldn't really say one of us
looks to have a better chance in the race than the other." |
| "I am happy to be on the front
row here as I have never qualified so far up the grid here in Hockenheim
before. It is a really good feeling to achieve this at my home grand
prix. I lost some time in the Motodrom and on my last stint I was
slowed by yellow flags. Today our car was quicker
than the rest of the field due to a strong
performance by the whole team. I hope we can continue like this
in the race and finish first and second, but the race is going
to be really tough in these temperatures." |
| . |
| R.Schumacher
WilliamsF1 BMW M
1:38.136 ( 2nd ) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| July 28,
2001 |
| German GP - FREE PRACTICE |
| . |
| BMW WilliamsF1 duo R.Schumacher
and J.P.Montoya were quickest at the end of Saturday practice for the German
GP. |
| 1. R.Schumacher
Williams BMW (M)
1:39.188 24 laps |
| 2. J.P.Montoya
Williams BMW (M)
1:39.469 22 laps |
| 3. M.Schumacher
Ferrari
(B) 1:39.937 22 laps |
| 4. M.Hakkinen
Mclaren Mercedes (B) 1:40.069
18 laps |
| 5. N.Heidfeld
Sauber Petronas (B) 1:40.263
24 laps |
| 6. R.Barrichello
Ferrari
(B) 1:40.436 18 laps |
|
|
|
| July 27,
2001 |
| German GP - FREE PRACTICE |
| . |
| Ralf was disappointed to lose
almost all of the afternoon session by spinning into the barrier. |
| Ralf explained "I
was a bit too quick in the motordrome section. I got too far onto the
kerb on the exit and that left me off line for the next
right hander and going too quick. It was a mistake on my part.
The rules that don't allow you to
use the spare during practice have really hurt us in
this situation and it's left us with a lot of work to do." |
| He said "The first
hour went as we expected and was quite good.
Unfortunately I went off at the beginning of the second
hour, and so couldn't continue the set-up work we had started in the first
session. I was a little too quick into the Motodrom, lost the
rear and hit the tyre barrier lightly. Because we can't
use the spare car today, we are facing a lot of work in free practice tomorrow." |
| . |
| |
| 1.E.Irvine
Jaguar Cosworth M
1:41.424 32 laps |
| 2.J.P.Montoya
WilliamsF1 BMW M
1:41.487 43 laps |
| 3.M.Hakkinen
McLaren Mercedes B
1:41.949 29 laps |
| 4.R. Barrichello
Ferrari
B 1:41.953
22laps |
| 5.M.Schumacher
Ferrari
B 1:42.255 35 laps |
| 6.P.de la Rosa
Jaguar Cosworth M
1:42.302 39laps |
| 7.D.Coulthard
McLaren Mercedes B
1:42.304 31 laps |
| 8.J.Alesi
Prost Acer
M 1:42.828 35 laps |
| 9.J.Trulli
Jordan Honda
B 1:42.941
34 laps |
| 10.R.Schumacher
WilliamsF1 BMW M
1:42.987 18laps |
|
|
|
| July 26,
2001 |
| German GP - Thursday
Press Conference |
| . |
| Question: I
think you went to the BMW factory
yesterday. What's it like to feel that
you have the support of all those people behind you? |
| Ralf Schumacher:
It was great, actually. Yesterday I saw more than 30,000 in
two factories and that was just an amazing
feeling. |
| Question: What about
this race? |
| Ralf Schumacher:
I hope that it's going to be better than the last
race was or appeared to be and I'm pretty sure it will be.
This circuit suits us a little bit
better. The temperatures are there, at the moment,
at least and I hope that it doesn't rain again, because
that would be a little problem for us as it has proved
to be at the previous races, but
it should be more promising. |
| Question: What's
your feeling about Heinz-Harald Frentzen's situation? |
Ralf Schumacher: I
feel sorry for Heinz, the way it's happened, but we don't know the reasons
for it. In previous years I've had problems with this team and it appears
to happen sometimes, and if people just don't want to work together any
more, I think it's
the best way, it's best to
decide to stop working with each other because it can't help one
of them. I heard a rumour that Heinz is going to be with
us again next year in a different team and if that's the case, then
I'm sure it's a better option for him anyway. |
| Question: Do
you think there will be a reaction against Eddie (Jordan)
this weekend? |
| Ralf Schumacher: I
don't know. To be fair with Eddie (Jordan) as well, he has big pressure
on him. He has big sponsors, he has to prove that he's a good
team to stay with so he's under pressure to deliver so one has to understand
his decisions as well. |
| Question: Are
you looking forward to the US Grand Prix, what did you
think of the track, of the ambience and of racing
at Indy? |
Ralf Schumacher:
The circuit was reasonably nice.
I was surprised by the amount of attention we got
on the weekend itself, but I was as well surprised because
the day after I was
in San Francisco
and nobody even knew we were driving in America.
So it's been a bit difficult, I think if
we went to race in China or wherever we would get more
attention, it still has been a bit too
early for the Americans to realise what
Formula 1 is and you can't
expect it after one race but I hope it will happen soon. |
| Question: Ralf, suppose
on Sunday you were running a different strategy to your team - mate. Suppose
he were faster than you under those circumstances, would you
let him past? |
| Ralf Schumacher: It
depends on the circumstance. In Silverstone we cleared that matter, it
was not a request it was a question but at the wrong time and it was discussed
afterwards. But if there was a race like Magny-Cours when I had a
tyre problem with my second set I wouldn't have a problem.
If one driver's quicker than the other for
whatever reason I think we shouldn't stop ourselves. |
| Question: Ralf,
you are very relaxed today - is it because you are confident
in your car after the Monza test? |
| Ralf Schumacher:
I'm relaxed - why not? It's a nice, sunny day why shouldn't
I relax? We all of us expect
a lot from this weekend but if it doesn't happen well, there's
always the next race. |
|
|
|
|
| July 25,
2001 |
| Jordan terminate Frentzen's contract!
Ralf was not surprised when he heard the news. |
| . |
| Ralf Schumacher, who made
his Formula One debut with Jordan, admitted the decision was
not a surprise for him and claimed it was the best for Frentzen. |
| Ralf said "It doesn't
surprise me, the rumour has been there for several months. I know Eddie
Jordan. I know the way he acts, so this was not a surprise. For Frentzen,
although he might not see it now, it was the best solution." |
| "I am sure
that we will see him in a Toyota. If they're smart they'll
sign him because he is the best driver on the market." |
|
|
|
| July 23,
2001 |
| German Grand Prix |
| |
Friday July
27
free practice 1.1 :
11.00 - 12.00 (GMT + 2)
free practice 1.2 :
13.00 - 14.00 (GMT + 2) |
Saturday July
28
free practice 2.1 :
09.00 - 09.45 (GMT + 2)
free practice 2.2 :
10.15 - 11.00 (GMT + 2)
qualifying session
: 13.00 - 14.00 (GMT + 2) |
Sunday July
29
warm-up
: 09.30 - 10.00
(GMT + 2)
RACE
: 14.00 - 16.00
(GMT + 2) |
| . |
(Timetable in local time)
London time: GMT+1 (Summer
time)
Local time : GMT+2 |
|
|
|
| July 21,
2001 |
| German GP - FIA Schedule of
Press Conferences |
| . |
THURSDAY 26 JULY
15.00
MIKA HAKKINEN (McLAREN)
MICHAEL SCHUMACHER (FERRARI)
RALF SCHUMACHER (WILLIAMS)
OVE ANDERSSON (TOYOTA)
NORBERT HAUG (MERCEDES)
MARIO THEISSEN (BMW) |
| .. |
FRIDAY 27 JULY
15.00
HEINZ-HARALD FRENTZEN (JORDAN)
NICK HEIDFELD (SAUBER)
JACQUES VILLENEUVE (BAR)
ROSS BRAWN (FERRARI)
PETER SAUBER (SAUBER)
PAT SYMONDS (BENETTON) |
|
|
|
| July 20,
2001 |
| Live chat with R. Schumacher and M. Theissen |
| . |
Ralf Schumacher and
Dr Mario Theissen will appear live online on ( www.bmw-motorsport.com
) on 25 July 2001 .
The live programme
at starts at 3.30 pm local time. At 3.35 pm
Dr Mario Theissen will be asked by a Formula 1 reporter
about the preparations for the home Grand Prix, the race season so
far, future objectives and a great deal more besides.
At 4 pm fans will be able to join a 30 - minute live
chat with Ralf Schumacher. |
| . |
Timetable
15:30 -Start of the webcast
- introduction from Wolfgang Rother
15:35 - 16:00 Interviews,
live chats, promotional Video
16:00 - 16:30 Chat with Ralf
Schumacher
16:30 - End of the event |
|
|
|
| July 20,
2001 |
| German GP - PREVIEW |
| . |
| Ralf said "It's
my second home country Grand Prix this season and I
will be looking forward to the unique atmosphere in the
motodrom, which is like driving in a football stadium. Hockenheim is
not particularly exciting from a driver's
point of view, but there are some good overtaking opportunities.
The most difficult thing is to achieve the
right car set - up, as you have to find enough
downforce for the twisty motodrom section
and high speed for the long straights. As long as it doesn't rain
we should be well prepared for this
race." |
|
|
|
|
|
| July 20,
2001 |
| Eddie Jordan told The Sun, |
| . |
| Jordan said "There
is no question Michael is an exceptional
racer but he had better start looking over his shoulder
because I feel Ralf is even better. When Ralf drove for us, Michael would
often pop in and make a point of stressing
his younger brother was quicker. At the time I
just thought he was trying to pump Ralf up but now I
believe he's right. Ralf was the straightest
driver I have ever met, as rigid as a bar. He was open, very
kind and we are still good friends.
In fact, he is one of the finest people ever to
have driven a Jordan. He loved his
time with us and wanted to stay on. But then Michael
stuck his oar in and helped him move to Williams. As it turned
out, the move proved to be the right one and Ralf has
won two races this season and I am sure there will be
plenty to come, along with championships." |
| . |
| Schumacher
released by Jordan - 02/09/98 |
|
|
|
| July 19,
2001 |
| MONZA TEST – Day Three |
| . |
Ralf Schumacher and
Juan Pablo Montoya continued testing at Monza
in preparation for the German GP.
The weather was sunny and
dry. |
| . |
| 1.E.Irvine
Jaguar Cosworth M 1:24.103
31 laps |
| 2.P.de la Rosa
Jaguar Cosworth M 1:24.532
74 laps |
| 3.R. Barrichello
Ferrari
B 1:25.060 73 laps |
| 4.J.Trulli
Jordan Honda B
1:25.146 72 laps |
| 5.M.Hakkinen
McLaren Mercedes B 1:25.150
56 laps |
| 6.J.P.Montoya
WilliamsF1 BMW M 1:25.269
59 laps |
| 7.A.Wurz
McLaren Mercedes B 1:25.393
52 laps |
| 8.R.Schumacher
WilliamsF1 BMW M 1:26.021
49 laps |
|
|
|
|
| July 18,
2001 |
| MONZA TEST – Day Two |
| . |
Ralf Schumacher and
Juan Pablo Montoya dominated the second day of a four - day test
at Monza in Italy.
The weather was
sunny and dry morning and rained an
hour into the afternoon session and the track
remained wet for the remainder of the day. |
| . |
| 1.R.Schumacher
WilliamsF1 BMW M 1:24.000
44 laps |
| 2.J.P.Montoya
WilliamsF1 BMW M 1:24.453
35 laps |
| 3.A.Wurz
McLaren Mercedes B 1:24.994
59 laps |
| 4.J.Trulli
Jordan Honda B
1:25.134 64 laps |
| 5.P.de la Rosa
Jaguar Cosworth M 1:25.357
68 laps |
| 6.E.Irvine
Jaguar Cosworth M 1:25.364
13 laps |
|
|
|
| July 18,
2001 |
| Ralf said 'We Wanted Chicane Changed' |
| . |
| Ralf has revealed
that he and his fellow drivers had
raised concerns about the Variante della Roggia corner before
Michael rolled his Ferrari in testing. The
world champion lost control under braking and
was sent flying through the air and
into a tyre wall. |
Ralf has called
for FIA safety boss Charlie Whiting to insist
on changes to the chicane before the Italian
GP in September.
Ralf Schumacher told the Italian
Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper
" We put forward
some criticisms about the second chicane.
I expect that there will be some
alterations after Charlie Whiting's
inspection." |
| Michael Schumacher
crashed at 120 mph on Tuesday during this week’s first day
of testing at the track. The crash occurred at the circuit’s
second chicane, the scene of the accident
which resulted in the death of a marshal during
last year’s Italian GP, and drivers are calling for changes to be made
to prevent further incidents. |
| Drivers often
ride over the kerbs to take the
smoothest line through chicanes, which are designed
to bring speeds down on very fast straights such
as at Monza. |
| Ralf, who was
heading back to the pits and reached the scene
after Michael Schumacher had got out of his car and stepped into an ambulance,
parked his Williams and made sure Michael
was uninjured in Tuesday's incident. |
|
|
|
| July 17,
2001 |
| MONZA TEST – Day One |
| . |
The BMW WilliamsF1 Team started
a four day test at Monza with Ralf Schumacher and Marc Gene.
The weather was sunny and
dry |
| .. |
| 1.R.Zonta
Jordan Honda B
1:25.125 43 laps |
| 2.A.Wurz
McLaren Mercedes B 1:25.240
41 laps |
| 3.M.Gene
WilliamsF1 BMW M 1:25.251
62 laps |
| 4.R.Schumacher
WilliamsF1 BMW M 1:25.792
39 laps |
| 5.M.Schumacher
Ferrari
B 1:25.997 21 laps |
| 6.O.Panis
BAR Honda
B 1:26.784 31 laps |
|
|
|
| July 16,
2001 |
| Karting at Ralf Schumacher's
Circuit in Bispingen, |
| . |
| Ralf Schumacher
took time out the day after the British GP to entertain
guests for a day's karting at his circuit
in Bispingen. |
Ralf said “There are
aspects to day’s like this that I really enjoy.
It’s nice to
see so many people enjoying themselves on the kart circuit
and having such a great day out. I like to
come back to my circuit in Bispingen on regular occasions
just to see how it is developing and it is even
more special today because of the fantastic
turn out.” |
|
|
|
|
| July 16,
2001 |
Patrick Head Said
"Ralf Ignored Team Orders at Silverstone" |
| . |
Williams have
criticised their driver Ralf Schumacher after he refused
to move over for his team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya for the second
race in succession.
Schumacher’s broken
radio meant that he did not hear his team ask him
to move aside during the French GP,
but Ralf is not thought to have experienced the same
problems yesterday. |
| "If Ralf had let Juan
Pablo through as we'd asked him," Patrick Head told The Guardian.
"He would have finished third. But from 8th and 10th
on the grid, a fourth is probably as good
as we might expect." |
| R.Schumacher said "I
didn't let Juan Pablo past because I knew I was on
the same strategy as Barrichello, so I was confident I could pass
him." |
Montoya said "I was faster
than Ralf (at that point), but we were on two different strategies,
I spoke to the team on the radio about
it. They said: 'Ralf's trying to get past Rubens. Turn down your
fuel mixture and take it easy."
"It was not blocking because
Ralf came into the pits anyway. Our fuel loads
were slightly different and we were
racing for position, so he didn't do anything
wrong."
Juan Pablo refused
to be drawn in to a war of words with his team
mate. He said after the race “It was
a pretty good race even though I think we could have finished third," |
|
|
|
| July 16,
2001 |
| BMW WilliamsF1 Team - Monza Test Schedule |
| . |
| July 17th - Ralf Schumacher,
Marc Gene |
| July 18th - Ralf Schumacher,
Juan Pablo Montoya |
| July 19th - Ralf Schumacher,
Juan Pablo Montoya |
| July 20th - Juan Pablo
Montoya, Marc Gene |
|
|
|
| July 15,
2001 |
| British GP - RACE |
| . |
Ralf said "I had
an excellent start, but in the first corner I had to
lift off when David spun and, therefore,
lost a position to Rubens. I believe I was
on the right one - stop strategy, but
unfortunately during
the pit stop the fuel nozzle stuck and this cost me
several seconds, but these things happen. Then suddenly I heard
a noise and the engine just stopped."
"I had five more laps to do
before my stop by the time Juan Pablo caught me," said Ralf, "and it was
critical with the strategy I was on that I kept my position.
Letting Juan past would have cost me time which might have lost me position
later in the race."
Ralf peeled off
for his pit stop and Montoya began to attack Barrichello.
Ralf was on his out lap when he suddenly lost drive,
and pulled over to retire. "There was no warning, it just suddenly
stopped," he reported. |
| . |
| R.Schumacher
Williams BMW (M)
Retired on lap 37 |
| . |
|
|
|
|
|
| July 14,
2001 |
| British GP - QUALIFYING |
| . |
Ralf said "This qualifying
did not go well for me. I did my best lap in my second stint
and as everybody could see all the other drivers
managed to improve at the
end of the session. Unfortunately
I didn't have the chance to do the same as I got stuck in
traffic on my last run."
"Everyone came
out together in the last two minutes, which was predictable really,
and the traffic was impossible. I just couldn't get a clear run.”
Ralf's race engineer
Craig Wilson made the call of when to send him out for
the final run. Unfortunately, several other teams
made the same call at the same moment.
Ralf said "It was
a joke out there,” It was impossible. I tried backing
off near the end of my out lap to create a space in front of me
but then everyone behind just came past, making it worse than ever.”
“It's a difficult balancing
act to call it. You don't want to go out too early in
a situation where the track seems to
be getting quicker all the time. But if you leave it too late
you run the risk of ending up in the situation we did." |
| . |
| R.Schumacher
Williams BMW (M)
1:22.283 ( 10 th ) |
|
|
|
| July 13,
2001 |
| Ralf Schumacher's comments |
| . |
| He told the London - based
newspaper the Evening Standard. |
| He said David
Coulthard "shouldn't always pretend he is
the fairest boy in Formula One". |
He said Eddie Irvine "was
never quick enough to beat Michael and never will be. The same for
Rubens. If you're slower, you'll lose. I don't know if I'd
be quick enough. I'm definitely quick enough to win races.
That's enough for me. I don't want
to compare
myself to Michael." |
| He said Jenson Button's
poor performance this year cannot be blamed on the feebleness
of the Benetton he is driving. "From his performance this year. . . He
has not done as good a job. It's not just the car he's
in. You have to beat your team - mate first, and his team-mate seems
to be better every time." |
Montoya and Coulthard both
felt the move Michael made on Ralf at the European GP two weeks
ago - when the triple world champion almost pushed his brother into the
pit lane as they sped off the front row of the grid - was "dangerous".
Ralf disagreed.
"Not dangerous, no. It was
a move to defend his position. "
"I'd have done
it the same. If Juan is talking about dangerous moves,
maybe he should watch his
own driving style. Even Coulthard shouldn't
always pretend to be the fairest boy in Formula
One. Sometimes he does the same." |
He explained with
"We just all know what we want, that's all.
We're not getting
married at the end of it. If there is a need we
have a tough conversation.
I like and respect Frank Williams very
much. He's making the most
out of his life. It's amazing how much
strength he has." |
Ralf said "I can't remember
ever having a friend as a teammate. It's impossible because
the first person you want to beat in any race is
the man driving the same machinery as you.
The worst result you can have is to lose to him. "
"I don't think
we will ever find out what it would be like if
I
were Michael's team
- mate. One of us would always lose, and
there would be so much stuff in the Press every time. We
would make our lives so difficult by being on the same team. Why
would we do that?" |
|
|
|
|
| July 13,
2001 |
| British GP - FREE
PRACTICE |
| . |
Ralf said "We've
been working through race set ups, I
think we're not in too bad shape. Maybe
not right at the front but better than it
looks on the times because I suspect
we were carrying more fuel than some of
those ahead of us. We're just
struggling a little
bit on balance but not so much that I'd say we were in trouble."
"As we already
knew from the test, Silverstone is a difficult
track for us. We have a lack
of grip and it is just that the combination
of tyres and chassis that are not as compatible as at other
circuits, but we will work hard to improve
for tomorrow. Apart from that we had no
technical problems." |
| . |
| R. Schumacher
Williams BMW M
1:24.222 ( 8 th) |
|
|
|
| July 12,
2001 |
| Ralf visited the Compaq HQ in London |
| . |
| Ralf had not been
smiling on a photo-shoot, he was not relaxed, he had had
to get up earlier than he had wanted, he would only talk about
Formula One and the British Grand Prix. |
He said "It is great the things
that we achieved there, and for me
personally as well,
but to win one or two grands prix is not what my goal is, It is nice
but it is nothing too special." |
"It is going
to be difficult. We are coming under pressure to
improve to be
world championship contenders next year but a lot of things can happen
over the winter that can make you go in the wrong direction
with the car and you can get caught by that,"
"There is a
realistic chance we can be in that
situation if
everything progresses
as it has over the last two years, but it is still early days." |
| Ralf is circumspect about
the Nurburgring incident. "A race is not just about the start and if everything
had worked out without the white line problem (a stop-go penalty)
I'm sure we could have won that race anyway. At that moment when
Michael moved across me I thought, okay, it wasn't worth trying to push
it, maybe having an accident before the first corner. We would both have
looked very stupid. I knew we were a bit stronger on our strategy
so that was why I pulled back. But there may be another time
when I don't. He knows that." |
| “I guess to lose against Michael
won’t be a problem and for me to lose against him while
he has – I guess by the end of the season he’ll have four championships
– it won’t be a big problem for him either.” |
|
|
|
|
| July 09,
2001 |
| British Grand Prix |
| . |
Friday July
13
free practice 1.1 :
11.00 - 12.00 (GMT + 1)
free practice 1.2 :
13.00 - 14.00 (GMT + 1) |
Saturday July
14
free practice 2.1 :
09.00 - 09.45 (GMT + 1)
free practice 2.2 :
10.15 - 11.00 (GMT + 1)
qualifying session
: 13.00 - 14.00 (GMT + 1) |
Sunday July
15
warm-up
: 08.30 - 09.00
(GMT + 1)
RACE
: 13.00 - 15.00
(GMT + 1) |
| . |
(Timetable in local time)
London time: GMT+1 (Summer
time)
Local time : GMT+1 |
|
|
|
| July 06,
2001 |
| British GP - PREVIEW |
| . |
Ralf Schumacher said
"The circuit is quick and challenging, but unfortunately it is very
difficult if not impossible to overtake here. Bridge
and Copse are corners where there is very little
run - off area
so you have to be careful not to go off at either of these places.
However, the safety at Stowe has been improved since my brother,
Michael, had his accident there in 1999. It is
always a great atmosphere at Silverstone
and I am looking forward to being there
as it is one of our team's home races." |
|
|
|
|
|
| July 02,
2001 |
| Ralf said there was
a problem with the radio !!! |
| . |
Reports today (07.02.2001)
have suggested that Ralf Schumacher
could have ignored team
orders to let J.Pablo Montoya pass in the French Grand Prix. |
WilliamsF1 Technical
Director Patrick Head says that the team made the
decision to let Montoya through after fears that Ralf’s slower
pace could result in the pair being caught and passed by
Barrichello and Coulthard,
which would have seen them cross the line fourth and fifth.
Although Ralf
was unable to do as the team asked,
he pitted after a few laps of his
own accord and a blown engine later ended Juan-Pablo’s
day prematurely. |
Ralf said after the
race "I didn't get any messages but that might be a different thing,”
“My decision was anyway after I saw my
performance and Juan closing
up I decided to go in earlier. The problem we had was conversation.
The team got me but I couldn't hear the team, something with my
earpieces went wrong so I just
called the team to tell them
I was coming in so whatever the team wanted I don't know.” |
|
|
|
| July 01,
2001 |
| European GP - Race Press
Conference |
| . |
| Question: Ralf, you
seemed to have a problem with the changing of one of your rear
wheels at the first stop… |
Ralf Schumacher:
Yes, I had a pit-stop problem. That's why we lost a position, I guess,
in the first place. But, in the second stint, my set [of tyres] didn't
work at all. I was so slow, really. I was losing everything
and I had to come in earlier than expected. If I
would have come
out in front of Michael, I think it would have been difficult
to hold him behind me. I am actually happy to sit
here in second today because it was
a disaster and really difficult to
drive. |
| Question: Did
your team-mate, Juan Pablo Montoya, only manage to get close to you
because you had this problem? |
| Ralf Schumacher:
Yes, I'm sure, because in the first
stint I wasn't aware of him. It was
a shame that he had a technical problem, I don't know
what it was, but otherwise he would have finished even
in front of me, I guess. |
| Question: Ralf, what
was the problem with your first pit-stop? |
Ralf Schumacher:
I don't know. I think the right rear
wheel didn't get on, I just saw in the mirror that he was struggling
and that he was turning to say 'no I'm not
ready', but I haven't
spoken to the team. |
| Question: You
also mentioned it was difficult to drive, in what
way? |
| Ralf Schumacher:
Just in the first stint, I was surprised
how good the car was balanced, how good the tyres were
and it was always a concern after my tyre choice since yesterday.
I didn't want to risk a good position
in qualifying but then, after the pit-stops, I had understeer
and oversteer just everywhere, and it was really difficult to drive, just
sliding round the whole circuit, and that's why I was so slow. With
the third set, it came a bit better, but
never as good as at the start. |
| Question: You mentioned
you had a problem with the brakes. |
Ralf Schumacher: The
first ten laps today, I just couldn't find a balance with the car. I tended
to lock wheels into the hairpin and, actually, I was lucky to have a bit
of space in the first two laps and not to lose position
there, because I had to go wide from the
beginning. |
| Question: You've
moved up to third in the championship, can you dream of second? |
| Ralf Schumacher: I
think it's possible, but second
or third doesn't really change a lot,
does it? I want us to win and
obviously he (Michael) is on that for this year. I'll try next year.
It would be nice if it is possible,
but McLaren seems to have closed the gap a little bit in performance.
They had a bit of bad luck today, so I'm sure it's going to be difficult. |
| Question: Ralf, there
was a period during the race when Montoya was climbing all
over you and there was some agitation amongst your pit crew. Were
you getting any messages because of that? |
| Ralf Schumacher:
No, I didn't get any messages, but that might be a different
thing. My decision, after I saw my performance
and Juan closing up, was that I decided to go in earlier anyway.
The problem we had was conversation. The
team got me, but I couldn't hear the team, something with my earpieces
went wrong, so I just called the team to tell them I was coming
in. Whatever the team wanted, I don't know. |
| Question: Ralf, when
did your radio fail? |
| Ralf Schumacher:
I don't know, I didn't hear anything from the team after the start,
so maybe it must have been around that time. As long as you don't
speak to the team you don't notice. Well, at a certain
stage, I didn't get a real answer, I just got noise in one ear. One
didn't work at all. |
|
|
|
|
|
| July 01,
2001 |
| European GP - RACE |
| . |
|
Ralf said "Second
place is good, but of course from pole you hope
to win. I expected to beat Michael
at the start, which worked, but after a few metres
I had problems with the brake balance. Later we had a problem at
the first pit stop and then my second set of tyres did
not work well so I pitted early for my second stop. Juan
Pablo would have finished ahead of
me, so it is a pity for him he had a problem."
"It was looking quite good
at first, I won the start and was able to stay with a small but comfortable
lead over Michael. I had a slight problem with the brake balance
which meant a couple of times I locked
up and was lucky not to lose
position, but eventually I found a compromise
balance and I could stay in control. But when
I came in, there was a problem
with the right - rear wheel which delayed
us enough for Michael to get the lead. It may still have been possible
to fight with him at this stage but I immediately realised
my second set of tyres caused a big problem with the
balance of the car. I was understeering into the corners and
oversteering out of them and I had to go so slow it felt like I was
parking." |
| .. |
| R.Schumacher
Williams BMW (M) 1hr33:45.735
( 2nd ) |
|
|
|
|
|
