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Cristiano da Matta Q&A

Cristiano da Matta and Toyota both led a grand prix for the first time in a wild event at Silverstone, thanks to luck and an early pit stop. However against expectations he also managed to stay in the lead all the way to his second stop, helped by a lighter fuel load than some of his pursuers were carrying. Nevertheless his performance showed that the Toyota is a very competitive package at the moment, and his eventual seventh place added to the team's points tally. Adam Cooper spoke to the Brazilian



"I had a lot of fun. But as the race went on there was more rubber on the track and we were getting more and more in trouble with the car balance - I just had more understeer in the high speed and understeer in the low speed. It's a good thing that we led, but the good thing is that race after race we are still getting a little better and a little better. That's the important thing."



"I had a lot of doubts in my mind at that time! I didn't know if it was the right move or not. Obviously with the second yellow coming right after, it played really well for us, and of course it was crucial to the result at the end. But at that time I wasn't sure that it was the best way to go. It was a good job by the team. It was a risky strategy, but we got it right."



"I thought there was going to be more pressure. My car was running OK at the time. I got more into trouble at the end when there was more rubber on the track. I could get a good exit from the corners, so I could get myself a good gap before every straight and every overtaking point, so I was able to control the race."



"I knew I could, but it's good that everybody else knows now. That's a good feeling! For the team it's very good. Everyone is even more happy than when I finished sixth in Barcelona. But we have to not get too excited, and keep on doing the same type of work. I think we're going in the right direction."



"I saw the safety car was out, then I saw the guy on the track. I didn't know if it was a marshal or not, but I remembered seeing the Hockenheim thing on TV. I almost killed this guy! I was right behind Wilson, and when I saw the yellow I went to the right to see what was going on. If I had gone to the left... And Olivier I think was even closer to him."



"Yes, overall it was a good weekend for me and the team. We were up there in most of the practice sessions, and qualifying was obviously good. I finished one position worse from where I started, but we have something to work on here."



"I think we finished where we had to finish. It was the best I could have done today. We just have to keep working to get the most out of the car."

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