Friday's Selected Quotes - Hungary

Jarno Trulli - 4th: "We had a decent day of practice and made it through our programme of set-up work and tyre evaluation without any problems. I had a brief spin in the second session, but that is quite normal here because it is very dusty off the racing line and you quickly lose grip. Hopefully we can maintain strong pace throughout the weekend."

Ralf Schumacher - 5th: "Everyone always tries to get as much downforce as possible at the Hungaroring, so like other teams we have a special aero package here. It should stay nice and hot throughout the weekend, and that usually seems to suit us. So we will be targeting another decent points position ­ somewhere between 4th and 6th."

Ricardo Zonta - 1st: "It's always nice to see your name at the top of the timesheets, and that was a good day. The track was very slippery early on and we had some problems with the balance but we worked hard to improve it. I missed a few laps with a hydraulic problem at the end of the first session and with an overheating issue in the afternoon. But despite that we were still able to complete our long runs and put in a performance run."

Dieter Gass ­ Chief Race Engineer: "This was a very good starting point for the rest of the weekend. We showed good pace and we ran through our programme. Ricardo had a hydraulics problem in the first session which cut his last run short. Then in the second session he picked up some paper in a cooling duct so our electronic temperatures went high and we had to change his voltage regulator. Other than that, the drivers were happy. We did the tyre evaluation and collected the data we need."

McLaren

Kimi Raikkonen - 3rd: "Today has gone well and I am pretty happy with the balance of the car. The track was still not at its best as it was rather dusty which is normal for the Friday at Hungary. I feel that there is still some room for us to improve and the times will drop once we have a clean and fast line. There is still some work to do during free practice tomorrow morning when we will do the final tweaks to our set up for qualifying and the race."

Juan Pablo Montoya - 6th: "I completed my planned programme today, and I am satisfied with the work I have done. The car feels good with the race set up. I am not too worried about the temperatures as it was just as hot when we tested in Jerez a fortnight ago, so I think we are well prepared for the rest of the weekend."

Alex Wurz - 2nd: "I feel very comfortable with the car, but it is just disappointing that I got stuck in traffic at the end of the session as I had the chance to get the fastest time today. However we should be in good shape for the rest of the weekend. I was focusing on long runs with the selection of Michelin tyres in mind, and we have enough data to assist our strategy planning for the rest of the weekend. I like the track here as it is very challenging and the high temperatures are all part of that."

Ron Dennis: "All three drivers did a good job today in low grip conditions with no major excursions, and we worked well on our Michelin tyre choice and optimising set up for the race. Whilst we feel that we have a competitive package the whole team will continue to work very hard over the rest of the weekend endeavouring to maximise the points achievable."

Norbert Haug: "We completed our planned programme and all drivers posted good and consistent lap times. But it's Sunday that counts and everybody in the team is aware of this."

Ferrari

Rubens Barrichello - 7th: "This has been a very useful day in terms of what we have learnt about the tyres and how the car behaves at this circuit. I think we are more competitive here than we expected to be. The fact that it is very hot makes this a tough weekend, but it's the same for everyone. I am looking forward to the rest of the weekend. As for my incident at the end of the session, I was trying a slightly different set-up which obviously did not work, as I ran a little bit wide over the kerb. This meant the car was airborne, so from then on I was just a passenger."

Michael Schumacher - 24th: "Our performance does not look too bad for a Friday. My problem was an electrical one, so the only real damage is the fact I was unable to run in the second session. Of course, that is not very helpful but fortunately, Rubens had a good day and thanks to the data he acquired I think we know what we want to do in terms of tyres. Because I did so few laps, I will also have to see what I can learn from Rubens' set-up, although of course I have done enough laps of this track to know what is required! It is hard to know what to expect in qualifying. As usual, strategy will be very important and I think ours will look more towards the race than to qualifying."

Jean Todt: "As usual on a Friday, we concentrated on finding the best set-up for the cars and carrying out a comparison of the two types of tyre that Bridgestone has made available to us. The day was marked by very high temperatures, but that is nothing new here at the Hungaroring. At the start of the second session, an electrical problem on Michael's car prevented him from running in the second hour of free practice. This meant all the work was centred on Rubens who completed the programme we gave him. Of course, it is hard to make predictions this early in the weekend, but what we can say is that we have seen encouraging signs, even though we were down to just one car this afternoon."

Ross Brawn: "Michael's car suffered from an alternator failure. We don't know why at the moment. >From what we can see from the data, it just stopped working, which meant the car was stranded out on the track. It was a shame as he had just begun his proper tyre comparison over a longer run. Rubens had a good programme today, taking an initial look at both types of tyre in the morning session. He also did two long runs this afternoon and thanks to his excellent work, we have plenty of information on which to base our tyre choice for tomorrow and Sunday. At this point, it looks pretty clear which tyre we want to use."

Renault

Fernando Alonso - 8th: "Today was not too bad, but the grip levels are still very low on the circuit. I didn't have any big problems with the car balance, some oversteer at slow speed but nothing we cannot fix, and I think the main thing we need is for the grip levels to improve in order to help the car. In terms of our competitiveness, we don't seem particularly quick at the moment, but you never know what fuel loads other people are running. We need to just concentrate on our programme, make the tyre choice and find some ways to improve the speed of the car."

Giancarlo Fisichella - 11th: "I didn't do as much running as I wanted in the second session after I spun in the last corner, and the anti-stall didn't kick in, which left the car stranded. That makes it hard to have a clear impression of where we are, but for me, there is still work to do on improving the behaviour of the rear end of the car - we need better traction, and more rear end stability under braking. I didn't get a good feel for our relative speed but from track-side, the McLarens looked very impressive today."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: "We had a relatively normal day of practice, concentrating on assessing the tyres in the extremely hot conditions - track temperatures were nearly 50°C this afternoon. The car ran faultlessly in the hot conditions, and does not seem to be adversely affected by the heat. The early indications are that either of the Michelin tyres are suitable race tyres, and we have some work to make our choice. Balance-wise, the cars are suffering from some oversteer, but that is something we can dial out for tomorrow."

Denis Chevrier, Head of Engine Operations: "A typical working Friday for the team, as we evaluated the car's performance in the hot conditions and on the two tyres available to us. As always, the majority of our programme focused on long runs to get the clearest possible indication of the car's race speed, and also in order to adjust the cooling levels appropriately for the engine and other accessory components. The day ran smoothly, and we have the data we need to make the correct choices for the rest of what promises to be a very hot weekend."

BAR

Jenson Button - 9th: "A very straightforward and positive first day for us. We've had no distractions from our usual set-up and tyre programme and we achieved plenty of running. It is however extremely hot, but that's what we've come to expect from the Hungaroring and we train to deal with these conditions. So far, so good and let's hope for the same from the rest of the weekend."

Takuma Sato - 17th: "The first session went well this morning - it was pretty straightforward running. This afternoon we tried a slightly different set-up and the car was performing well until we had a driveshaft boot failure which ended my session early. It's a shame that I could not do my scheduled programme this afternoon so I will have to rely on Michelin's advice and hope that we have a trouble-free day tomorrow."

Gil De Ferran, Sporting Director: "A very straightforward day on Jenson's car. We did all the work on tyre evaluation, as we usually do on Fridays, but it seems that we can find more speed by improving the balance a little since both drivers are not 100% happy. Unfortunately on Taku's car, we had a small problem that stopped him after the first run of the second session, curtailing most of his planned programme. Fortunately we should be able to use most of what we learnt on the other car to the benefit of both drivers."

Shuhei Nakamoto, Engineering Director, Honda Racing Development: "Jenson had a good day but unfortunately Taku lost the end of the second session because of a driveshaft boot failure. We have to do more set-up work but the engine is working very well and we completed quite a lot of laps. We will push hard to achieve a strong finish for both cars this weekend."

Red Bull

David Coulthard - 13th: "We chose not to go out this morning for tactical reasons, but this afternoon we completed our normal Friday tyre evaluation programme. I'm reasonably comfortable with the balance of the car now, we just need to fine-tune the controls a little and see how the track evolves tomorrow. We have a slightly different aero-package for this race, which feels better, but I think we can only judge where we are and note any improvements we've made once we've completed qualifying and ultimately, the race."

Christian Klien - 10th: We only completed an installation lap in the first session, to check that the car was running correctly. We saved all our laps for the second session, as the Hungarian track is always quite dirty before many cars have run on it. The afternoon session was good for me I think. I did one run to get used to the track and the braking points and then got quickly up to speed. The balance of the car felt very good on one lap, but we have to improve it over long distances. Qualifying is really important here, as it's so hard to overtake during the race. "

Tonio Liuzzi - 14th: "The first session was not so bad. I tried to find a good car set-up, because this track is different to all the others we use during the season. We struggled a little bit at the beginning, but afterwards the car felt better and was well balanced. At the start of the second session, the guys found an oil leak on my car and I had to wait a while before I could start the run. We lost some track time, but crucially we managed to complete enough laps to test each tyre."

Guenther Steiner: "We had to change the engine oil pump on Tonio's car and that's why he went out 30- minutes late in the second session. Unfortunately, we discovered the leak quite late. Looking at the aerodynamic performance side, everything is going to plan. We still have some work to do, but in general it looks like we're going in the right direction."

Williams

Nick Heidfeld - 12th: "I've enjoyed myself today because this is a circuit I always like. Obviously temperatures are very high, but that's usual here and I think our tyres should be quite strong in these hot conditions as in the past here. Otherwise we managed to complete our entire programme without any problems. I tried a variety of different set-up options and from our tyre work I think we will have a good tyre choice for tomorrow."

Mark Webber - 15th: "We have plenty of work to do as I am not happy with the balance of my car. We will work from here to try to improve before tomorrow, so we can improve our long runs as they don't look good enough at the moment."

Sam Michael (Technical Director): "We have had a productive day today as we went through our entire programme, checking tyres, cooling and brakes for the race. It looks like it will be very hot on Sunday. The tyre choice will be difficult because both compounds have their strengths. We will work through the data tonight with Michelin as well as working on the race set-up. We have some new aero parts on the car and they are all working well."

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): "The temperatures today gave us a taste of what to expect this weekend in terms of heat, and of what we are expecting at the next race in Istanbul. Both the new engines we have fitted today in the cars are well prepared for these two hot races. Engine temperatures were today still under the heat limits and the team didn't experience any problems at all during Free Practice. As far as we can tell from today's Practice, our competitiveness is similar to performance levels in Hockenheim, which is as we expected, after a three-day gap."

Sauber

Jacques Villeneuve - 16th: "I had oversteer all day. Normally that doesn't disturb me too much, but there was enough of it to make the car difficult to drive quickly. Otherwise it wasn't too bad, it just lacked pace. At the end I had to spin to avoid a Jordan in the corner before the pit entry; I don't know who it was but they seemed to get a bit confused when they saw blue flags and just braked, so I had to go off to avoid them."

Felipe Massa - 18th: "The car was good this morning when the track was still very green and slippery. We kept the same set of tyres on for part of this afternoon's session, and by then the car was really oversteering, so as we put on a new set of tyres we also adjusted the set-up to make the handling more neutral. Unfortunately we went a little too far and after that I had bad understeer and couldn't do a decent lap. It was difficult out there."

Peter Sauber (Team Principal): "As usual here the track conditions changed a lot between the two sessions, and so far we have yet to find an optimum set-up for either car."

Minardi

Robert Doornbos - 19th: "The Hungaroring is actually a very nice track to drive, even if there are a lot of turns for a Formula One car. Right from the first lap this morning, the car seemed to go well and we worked some more on chassis balance during the lunch break to suit my driving style. We further improved the set-up, and I think the second session was also good from the beginning. We hope to continue like this for the rest of the weekend."

Christijan Albers - 20th: "We had a little bit of a bad start this morning when a broken speed sensor cost us quite a lot of time. As a result, we weren't able to cover so many laps. Even so, to do a 1 minute 27.5 second lap on my first proper run this morning was not so bad. In the second practice, we were mostly just playing around with the car, trying a number of different set-up changes, and then, on the last set of tyres, we went for a quick lap. We encountered some traffic, though, and the first lap was gone. Unfortunately, I think this is a track where you have to get your time on the first lap, and although the second lap was okay, it was a bit off what it could have been. We need to push really hard tomorrow and see where we can improve my car, as we still have some balance problems."

Chanoch Nissany - 25th: "It was really exciting to take part in my first Formula One race weekend. I made two runs this morning, but unfortunately, this afternoon some technical issues arose with the car and couldn't be fixed in the time available. I like the track here very much - it's my home circuit - and it has been a big honour for me to have the opportunity to become the first Israeli to drive in a Grand Prix weekend."

Paul Stoddart, Team Principal: "First all, our congratulations go to Chanoch on his Formula One debut as a Minardi test driver. The morning session started satisfactorily, but towards the end of the hour, a hydraulic problem curtailed the rest of Chanoch's day. Nevertheless, there will be further opportunities as he continues his testing programme with Minardi throughout the year. Robert and Christijan had a more productive day. Both completed their Friday technical programmes, despite Christijan losing much of the first session with an electrical problem, and their times were impressive, all of which bodes well for the rest of the weekend here in Hungary."

Jordan

Narain Karthikeyan - 22nd: "The track here in Hungary is quite difficult to learn for newcomers, as you have a lot of corners, chicanes and bumps. Therefore, you have to do as many laps as possible and this is what I have tried to do. I will sleep on it tonight and see how I can drive tomorrow. I will also have to sort out some handling issues for tomorrow but I am pretty confident."

Tiago Monteiro - 21st: "As we expected it, it will be a very difficult weekend because the track is very technical and also because of the heat. It is hard for the car, the engine, the tyres and all of us. This morning the circuit was so dirty, I could not say anything about the car. I also had a few small technical issues, which prevented me from doing as much running as I wished. However, we managed to do everything we wanted in the afternoon session. It is not very easy to find the right set- up here as there are so many different corners but we have collected a lot of data that we need to analyse now."

Nicolas Kiesa - 23rd: "I was very encouraged at the end of the second session as I was quite close to Narain. It is not an easy task, as I haven't driven for a year and a half in Formula One. It feels very fast and I need to adapt not only to a F1 car but also to a completely new team crew and procedures. We have had a pretty good session and I am confident about our tyre choice. If I were a race driver, I would know which Bridgestone tyre set to choose. I know tyres play an important role here, so I will try to help the team in their choice."

Adrian Burgess - Sporting Director: "Hungary being what it is, temperatures have been very high today. The track surface was very dirty and dusty this morning, which limited our running. We had a small problem with Tiago in the first session, which was solved for the afternoon. The drivers have also gained more confidence. Narain has never driven here and he learnt the layout very quickly. All of them have done a good job and now we have to make the right choices for tomorrow's qualifying and Sunday's race."

Michelin

Pierre Dupasquier, Michelin motorsport director: "The track evolved significantly today in terms of lap times, but is in very good condition. We were able to obtain useful, consistent information throughout both sessions and completed an enormous number of laps with the two types of tyre we have available. As yet, neither compound has a clear advantage over the other. The 'option' was a little faster than the 'prime' over a single lap, but we need to analyse wear-rate characteristics very carefully before drivers make their final selection. Sunday's 70 -lap race promises to be quite gruelling, but the high track temperatures have caused no problems so far. This has been an extremely productive day. Even if differing fuel loads can present a slightly distorted image on a Friday, it is seems that Michelin's tyres are well suited to the conditions."

Bridgestone

Hisao Suganuma, Bridgestone Motorsport Technical Manager: "As is normal on a Friday, the track was very dirty today and quite slippery. Several cars seemed to be struggling, especially at turn one but the Bridgestone cars got on with the job in hand and began their comparisons in the first session. These comparisons were continued in the second session. Michael Schumacher's second session was cut short unfortunately but there is plenty of data from Rubens. The times from the Minardi and Jordan drivers also look encouraging as they seem closer than normal and this is good to see. We need of course to check all the tyres and go over the data tonight but the performance and wear seems good. At this stage we are happy with the specifications we have brought here."