Full Transcript of Brawn's Press Conference

Following the controversial ending to yesterday's Austrian Grand Prix, Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn summoned the F1 press at the A1-Ring today for a press conference, aimed at clarifying the team's decision. The following is the full transcript of his meeting with the media.

Q: How tough was the decision?

Ross Brawn:

"That decision was as tough as they get. Rubens has not had the best of luck this year - circumstances where, because of problems with the car, he has not been there at the end. When you are in that sort of position it does make it doubly difficult because you are mindful of the difficult season he has had.

"We tried to explain there were three years, 97, 98, 99 when we lost the Championship at the last race and we can't take that chance.

"Until, and if, we are ever in a situation where it doesn't matter, we have to put maximum effort behind the person who has the best prospects of winning the World Championship - that really could be Rubens or Michael. It doesn't make any difference to me. At the end of the day Michael had 44 points and Rubens had six, not a difficult decision in that respect."

Q: Given the reaction do you regret it?

Brawn:

"I am sure there could be, easy to orchestrate a deceptive approach to the decision, say to change the pit stops around, easy to do other things to make it less obvious. That would have taken the credit away from Rubens because Rubens has driven very well this weekend. To have done it in a clandestine way would have taken things away from Rubens but it was something we could have done and tried to hide behind the way we approached it but we didn't. It was the decision we wanted to make. Some people will understand it, some won't, as I say, when you get to last race of season and lose the Championship at the last race there is a lot of tifosi unhappy then. Hopefully they will understand and respect our decisions."

Q: You said at the launch in Maranello this would never happen again. What changed your mind?

Brawn:

"The situation today is Michael has 44 points, Rubens has six. If both were fighting for the World Championship we would not have made the decision we would have made today. Rubens understands that so I have no problem with the decision that was made today and nothing has changed really."

Q: One technical director described it as cynical, possibly fraudulent? Say some people put lots of money on Rubens to win today and Michael has taken the win?

Brawn:

"I don't really want to comment on other people's opinions. We controlled the race today. We told the drivers we didn't want them racing. We told the drivers they had to cover the engine revs because they had to look after the brakes, we told them not to take any risk with backmarkers. That's the nature of Formula One, that is the nature of the business we are in. When you make that decision you make the decision to control the race thereafter.

"You can't tell your drivers not to race and then not be prepared to make the decision that comes after that because Michael might come back and say 'well, why wasn't I allowed to race'. We didn't want to damage the equipment, we wanted to give ourselves the best chance of winning the Driver's Championship; I can quite understand it is something that is going to raise a lot of opinions but we did what we feel is right."

Q: Do you feel the sport has been damaged today?

Brawn:

"Obviosly there has been a lot of reaction. I don't know if that is an error. We all have to make decisions. We have to make decisions about what is best for Ferrari. I can't really answer that question for you. If we are able to reach a situation where we have won the Championship it will be interesting to see. But we had that for five races last year but I don't think it made any difference. Five races where Rubens and Michael wouldn't have had any decisions made for them, it didn't make any difference. It just appens once or twice and we had to make the decision we made."

Q: Do you see the sport having a lot of troubles and people are going to say the results are decided before we get to a circuit?

Brawn:

"The race isn't decided before we get there. The result is decided when you have got one driver with 44 points ahead and the other with six points. It is a team sport. We have to do what is correct for Ferrari - some people will understand that some people won't."

Q: Rubens was upset, Michael was too. Has he communicated anything to you that he thinks it's wrong?

Brawn:

"Michael doesn't think it's wrong. Michael likes Rubens a lot and doesn't like him to have lost a race and him to have gained one. Natural for him to feel that way. Michael understands why we do it because he was there through those years when we lost the Championship at the last race. Michael didn't ask for it. Michael didn't partly enjoy it, but it was what we felt was correct to maximize our chances for drivers and constructors."

Q: This is more damaging for Michael than if he came second. Isn't it tough on Michael?

Brawn:

"I don't see it that way."

Q: [You are] so far ahead you can win the Championship easily. [You are] stronger than last year. That is the issue.

Brawn:

"I can understand that, but people are making judgments about the Championship before it is won and we are not making those judgments. Michael broke his leg in 98 [it was in 99], anything could happen in a Championship. We just don't take the slightest chance. We don't get conceited enough to say 'we don't need to follow our policies today'. It's really as simple as that."

Q: But after Michael broke his leg, Eddie had given away enough points to have made him champion at the end of the season.

Brawn:

"That's true but if we had known Michael was going to break his leg we wouldn't have done that. None of us knew that."

Q: But if you gave both your drivers a fair chance?

Brawn:

"But we don't operate like that. We give them a fair chance up until one clearly has a much stronger chance of winning the Championship. They get exactly the same equipment, they both get good support from all the team. And when one get a certain advantage we put our support behind that driver. Too many Championships have been lost in the past when teams haven't given their support to their driver. We don't operate like that."

Q: How do you feel as a racer?

Brawn:

"There is a side to this that is difficult. Those decisions are very difficult. Difficult for all of us. We've sat there in Suzuka, sat there in Jerez and wondered what decisions we could have made during the year that could have avoided that situation we had then. It's both sides."

Q: When was the decision made?

Brawn:

"It was made all weekend. Rubens knows the situation - he has just signed a new contract. He is aware of the situation. If he starts 2003 and is 44 points ahead against six after six races he will get to take wins in the same fashion. Rubens knows because of the circumstances. Even before the weekend it was a given. I speak to the race drivers during the race and I spoke to Rubens and explained the situation. He was very professional about it."

Q: At what point did you tell him that?

Brawn:

"After the second pit stops were finished and we saw the way things were. I spoke to him and explained what we wanted to do. Easy to orchestrate some scam in the pit stops to make it look different but we don't want to operate like that."

Q: When was Michael made aware?

Brawn:

"After I discussed it with Rubens then I informed Michael what the situation was. But I'd already told both drivers to back off and take it easy. So once we got through the second pit stops we knew what the situation was. Just a question of looking after the equipment."

Q: Any Reluctance from Michael?

Brawn:

"We didn't get into details but I am sure he doesn't feel entirely comfortable. It's natural. But Michael doesn't run the team so it wasn't his decision."

Q: [Would you take] exactly the same decision in Monaco?

Brawn:

"Of course yes. Until mathematically the Championship is sorted either way then that decision can be repeated."

Q: Why run two drivers?

Brawn:

"To win the Constructors' Championship."

Q: Ferrari's preference is the Drivers' one?

Brawn:

"We don't have a preference but that decision kept our position in the Constructors' Championship exactly the same and strengthened it in the drivers'. It wasn't as though we gave away points in one Championship as opposed to the other. It seemed entirely logical."

Q: Can you see how this damages the legend of Michael Schumacher?

Brawn:

"Not really. Michael had nothing to do with today's decision."

Q: But when everybody writes the history of this they will be a reservation about Austria?

Brawn:

"But that's the history of F1. That's happened many times."