'Exhausted' Ferrari men will keep going

"Michael says he was empty and exhausted after the race and I think we all were," said Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn. "I was totally drained on the pit wall because you are involved and you see things evolve, you try to make decisions and when it finishes you just look at each other and say: did that really happen? It was a draining experience. I said to Jean Todt, 'we're getting too old for this!'"

Brawn denied, however, that anyone had any thoughts of quitting. "This is going to stop one day and when it does, it's going to be very painful for all of us. We don't want to face that pain any earlier than we have to. We still enjoy winning races and, as I've said after Indy, Michael was still choked and he's won 70-odd races.

"There's still a passion there for all of us and while it's there we will carry on doing it. One day we'll stop but it's not going to be next year. I don't know when it will be but I guess we'll all know when it comes. I don't think it will be in the next few years."

Brawn added that Ferrari is planning a very intensive programme with Bridgestone this winter.

"They've realised that they are facing much stronger competition and in the last few months we've been spending a lot of time with them to make sure of our winter test programme," he said.

"It's a key element for next year and we are going to be busy on the tyre front. To me it's one-third car, one-third tyres, one-third driver. All those have to be at the highest level or else you won't succeed."