Bahrain Preview Quotes: Ferrari

Michael Schumacher: "I am very curious. It is a new race on a new track and in a different climate. I like visiting new places and coming into contact with new cultures, even if we are not always able to totally understand everything about them. In any case, travel is always something that enriches the soul. In Sepang I hoped to bring home six or maybe eight points. We knew that it would have been a difficult race and so the eventual victory was even better. We know it will be a hot race in Bahrain. We shouldn't forget that it was cloudy in Malaysia and if the sun had come out, things would have been even harder. The real worry in Bahrain is the sand We are all concerned about it and how much the sand will condition the performance of the engine. I am quite confident, though.

"Taking on a new track is always exciting, though no more than difficult than driving one that you know well. The computer simulations really do help in giving us an idea of the set up we will need. It is important to remember that every time we take to the track, we have a different set up depending on the temperature, the weather and the track surface. There are lots of factors to consider and, for this reason, a new circuit is a little harder to deal with. It will be very, very exciting though."

Rubens Barrichello: "I have never been anywhere in this part of the world and in fact, I am going to spend a couple of days in Dubai before making the trip to Bahrain and I am very much looking forward to discovering another part of the world. I like to approach a new circuit in the old-fashioned way, which is to get to the track and walk round it or maybe cycle. I will probably do a couple of laps, walking, running or cycling to develop a feel for the place. By the time I get in the car, the engineers will have done all the necessary circuit simulation programmes and they will know what speeds we can expect and the most likely gear for each corner. Then all you can do is start driving and learn the track phase by phase. But to be honest, once you are used to finding the limits of a Formula One car, learning a new track is not such a big deal.

"I have heard there might not be so many points around the circuit to help the drivers, which is natural I guess given it is in the desert. But I have always been open minded about using markers for my braking or turning points. Sometimes there might be something useful like a bridge across the track or a change in the surface of the asphalt. You first notice these things when you walk the track, but not until you have driven it do you know if these are useful indications or not. Only then can you decide what to take as a reference. Hopefully, after the first ten laps you should know enough to start making changes to the car and be on the limit. I think the specific problem with this circuit is that it is going to be dirty as it is brand new and so the limit is going to be very changeable. So, ten laps is enough to know what you are doing, but until there is a good layer of rubber on the surface, you are going to be learning all the time. The F2004 has proved to be competitive at the first two races. So I don't see any reason why that should not be the same here."