Ross Brawn Q&A
Michael Schumacher and Ferrari pulled off a superb victory at Indianapolis, putting themselves onto pole position for both titles with just Suzuka to come. Once again the German made more than anyone else of tricky conditions, although chief title rival Juan Pablo Montoya made it easier for him by getting himself into an unnecessary scrape. Michael even survived a rare tactical glitch which saw him pit for dries and then wets on consecutive laps. Without that, he would have been even further ahead. Adam Cooper spoke to Ross Brawn straight after the race

"I think things worked for us and against us. But there were definite periods when the Bridgestone tyres were very good today. We struggled a bit when it first got damp, but as soon as we got onto wet tyres, it was great. Tyres played a big part today and we had the best tyres. There were wet periods which showed how good they were. We made it a bit difficult for Michael at the first pit stop. It was 50:50 whether we should go out on the wets but our forecaster kept saying, 'No, it's a light shower.' We sure it was going to disappear. That pit stop came just at the wrong moment, and if we had another couple of laps of fuel we certainly would have changed to wets."
"Mixed! Obviously it would have been great to do it at Indy, but we've still got to score a point in Suzuka and we've still got to try and win the constructors'. It's been a fantastic championship whatever happens."
"Life can turn round dramatically in another race. I'm delighted today, but Kimi showed he's a very tough competitor. All through the race we were doing the mental calculations on where we needed people to be, and he managed to stay in contention."
"It's so close. That's why I say it's mixed feelings. It will be very painful if it does come together for Kimi. He drove a great race today and we can't underestimate anything. We're going to have two tough, difficult weeks before Suzuka."
"I guess so, but Kimi's been quick all weekend. He put it on pole and he was very quick, so I don't think we can count him out. We only have to have a glitch with Michael and he could be the guy to win the race at Suzuka. As I say the next two weeks will be sleepless nights."
"Yes, that was very valuable."
"The tyres always work in different windows, and there was a window of damp weather where our tyre wasn't so good, but the rest of the time it was superb, the bits in dry and full wet conditions. When it was just damp and a little bit cold they had the advantage, but luckily that didn't last very long."
"If you have to put your life on Michael in those circumstances, Michael's the man!"
"He had a problem with the car when he took off from the line, and he was struggling for the first few laps with the car, which is why he lost so much time. We were just working out what to do with it, and obviously Montoya got him."
"I think they have to examine incidents when a car's put out of the race. I haven't looked at the video properly, but the stewards took a decision. You need a referee in these situations. It's hard for me to comment, but it was just disappointing that we had a car out of the race."
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