Post-Qualifying Press Conference - German GP

You can listen to the press conference at http://www.f1press.com

Q. David, you have a massive advantage over Michael today of almost one and a half seconds. How does that feel?

David Coulthard: It's OK, but to do well in these conditions you have got to get a clear run, you've got to be able to see through the corner and not get too close to the car in front, things like that. In the dry I would be delighted to have an advantage like this, but in half-and-half conditions like today's it is entirely normal to see big gaps.

Q. You went out again at the end. What were your tactics there?

DC: It was obviously a bit wetter than it had been at the beginning of the session. I went out because the surface had shown that it was drying quite quickly and I wanted to be on the track, just to be ready in case it dried out a lot more. In the end, although there was a chance to do a lap in the 1m 47s region - as Michael did - it didn't look to me as through there would be any opportunity to go quicker in the time allowed. To be on pole is perfect.

Q. This morning it was interesting to see how quick you were on the straight. Were you running with low wing in order to be ready for the race?

DC: Well, the whole time you're practising on the track you're trying to optimise the car not only for race conditions but also for qualifying. That means you have to check the performance depending on the level of the wings. It is always a trade-off here between getting the speed right for the straights and not losing too much time through the stadium complex. But there is no such thing as a definitive qualifying set-up, because naturally you're constantly adjusting the car depending on track conditions and things like circuit temperatures. I was just trying to find the best compromise for the weekend.

Q. Michael, how was the car for qualifying after that crash into the tyre barrier this morning?

Michael Schumacher: I was using the T-car, so you'll have to ask Rubens how my car was. Obviously we had a problem before, which took them quite a long time to fix, but I think they got it right.

Q. I guess you will have had to make constant adjustments to the car during this last session ...

MS: No. The car was pretty much the same as it had been on the first run. It was just a matter of getting out on the circuit at the right moment.

Q. You went out at the very end there and secured second fastest time when nobody else was able to improve. What were the conditions like then?

MS: It was very difficult in the second sector, between the Ostkurve and braking for the first chicane, these two areas were very wet, wetter even than on the first run. But it was slightly better into the third chicane than it was on the first run. Unfortunately I couldn't push as hard as I wished in the Motodrom because it was wet in the Sachs-Kurve and in the last two corners. Anyway, it was fine. The conditions weren't yet quick enough again then for me to approach David's time, therefore I am happy to be second on the grid.

Q. How did you manage to get that lap at the end when nobody else was improving?

MS: I would obviously have been much faster earlier if the track had been better then. I don't know what the other guys did. But you need to have a bit of confidence to try [to push] under these conditions and just try. I did, and it was enough, but I was also close to going off.

Q. Can you pre-plan that?

MS: A little bit, because I had the 'out' lap behind me and I knew where the critical places were. But then you also have to calculate in advance how much drier those places are going to be next time you come through. That's kind of difficult. But it worked out for me ...

Q. Do you think your luck has now returned?

MS: We will see tomorrow. That's when it counts. Not today.

Q. Giancarlo, I know you agree that this has been a lucky qualifying session for you, especially after you had to stop in this morning's untimed session, and then had a spin at the start of your first timed lap this afternoon. Talk us through those incidents ...

Giancarlo Fisichella: Well, I didn't expect to be here in 3rd place after that, especially when I spun off in the first corner. I had to jump in the T-car, which had the gear ratios completely wrong because there had been no time to change both cars for the conditions. Obviously I went on the track at a right and lucky moment.

Q. You've got some big names behind you. Under race conditions do you think you will be able to keep rivals like Mika Hakkinen behind you?

GF: I don't know: it depends on the start. But I will be doing my maximum to get the best possible result. I want to hold my position and get a place on the podium. I know this is a difficult race but we are quite competitive here, so it may be possible to score points.

Q. Why were the ratios different? Was the team preparing the car for Hungary already?

GF: No, on the T-car fifth and sixth gears were much too long [for the wet] and I was 10 km/h slower than normal on the main straight.

Q. Michael, can you please tell us what caused your accident this morning?

MS: I cannot be precise, honestly, but we saw that something in the rear floor had already broken as I went into the Sachs-Kurve. The car felt different, but we had just made a change to it, and I thought it was that change which explained my feeling. Then I completely lost rear downforce as I went into the corner. But we don't have a clue, honestly.