Thursday's Press Conference - Australian GP

Participating: Mark Webber (Jaguar), Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), Juan Pablo Montoya (Williams), Jenson Button (BAR).

Q. Mark, tell us all about the pins and the scheme that has been launched by the Grand Prix Drivers Association to give fans a chance to tour the paddock…What is it all about?

Mark Webber:

The GPDA decided to try and put a little back to the fans and to give them a chance to get a little bit closer to our world. Michael and I had a bit of a discussion about this a few weeks ago about how we could come up with an idea. The helmet pins idea was already under way because I was a patron for Brainwave Australia which is a cancer charity for the young kids here in Australia so we thought we would incorporate the pins and a raffle or a draw on Sunday morning and then six people can come into the paddock and have a photo taken. I think it is a very good idea and I'd like to see if we can do it at five or six races this year maybe with some karting or some football. Its just the way in which the GPDA wants to be able to do something to help the fans a little bit more.

Q. Are there other ideas in the pipeline?

Michael Schumacher:

Yes, as Mark said, we are planning different things and we will find out something else for the future for the fans.

Q. So this is really something that has come from the drivers?

MS:

Yes, I think so.

Q. This is the drivers' giving something back?

MS:

Yes. I think Mark explained it very well. Things have just moved further and further away, but there is no real thing to just open the pit lane and let the people come to you as that would be a disaster so Mark and I sat together and thought what can we do, what is possible. That was the first step and we've gone on from there.

Q. We saw what happened in Indianapolis last year when the pit lane was open and quite a few of the drivers were available as well….

MS:

I think it is very critical to do things like this as well in my view because you have to imagine if you do that and take the top teams and top drivers and they will be under a big command you only one person against so many and you will make only a few happy and a lot more unhappy because you cannot deal with those. So with having a lot of people to control this in certain countries it would get out of control. So I am a bit sceptical to see this as a general happening.

Q. Here the promoter has arranged general autograph sessions. Is that something you may be thinking of as well?

MW:

We are still looking at quite a few ideas and the main thing is that everyone wins. We have to please as many people as we can, but we have to draw the line somewhere. And also the charities have got to win as well and we want to try and kill a few birds with one stone and make sure the GPDA can sell off some race suits for the benefit of some of the charities. Clearly, the charity here in Australia will have a good win from what we've done here and more autograph signing sessions is a possibility and Mr Ecclestone has supplied the passes for the winners so everyone is pushing hard.

Q. You said five or six other Grands Prix, but could it extend to the whole championship?

MS:

We'll see how it goes and then we'll take it from there.

Q. Are there any other GPDA concerns at the moment?

MS:

No, not really. We have some little issues that we deal with internally, but otherwise things are going smoothly.

Q. Michael, looking forward to the coming season, you had a fantastic test at Imola…

MS:

Not only at Imola!

Q. Tell us about it…

MS:

We had good test session all winter long. The car came out with no serious trouble and we were running very competitively in our view and reliably too. That was the impressive thing. You cant stress that enough. To achieve what we did straight out of the box is tremendous.

Q. How much of an improvement is it on last year's car?

MS:

It is an improvement, but exactly how much, and where, we don't know because none of us â€" Rubens, Luca Badoer or myself â€" has stepped into the old car and back into the new car to do a real back to back straight comparison. We know its better but how much we will find out here. You have to take into consideration the temperature and the circuit condition and in the winter time it is different from how it will be here.

Q. At Imola the particular run was 14 laps at about three degrees I understand?

MS:

It was three degrees for the others as well. Its not a concern. We don't know. Nobody knows. That is why we are here. We will find out. That is why we are here. It will be a thrill to get behind the wheel and get the new car going.

Q. A thrill? No apprehension?

MS:

No, none at all. It is just pure pleasure and thrill. One hundred per cent.

Q. And confidence?

MS:

Yeah.

Q. That's really worrying.

MS:

Not for me.

Q. What about the Bridgestone situation. People say they are on their own with Ferrari, but what are the advantages and disadvantages?

MS:

You can argue in two ways. I have heard from the competitors side that when they are alone it is an advantage, but now there are so many teams it gives them an advantage that way too. You can argue the same way for us. At the end of the season, you look at the points and then you can see what is right.

Q. Do you feel there is enough feedback?

MS:

We work very closely with Bridgestone and having Sauber the way they are cooperating now and doing the tests it is very helpful. Sometimes it is quality work rather than quantity work. Sometimes you are not able to do enough. It is possible, but I don't see that problem for us at the moment as we have been able to work through all of the programme we wanted and we have done a very methodical job in sorting out the directions and separating things and I am pretty confident. Bridgestone have certainly raised their game.

Q. You have noticed an improvement?

MS:

Yes.

Q. In what way? In the way they work as well?

MS:

Yes, because they are much closer to us so it keeps on improving. The relationship of Ferrari and Bridgestone is going on and on.

Q. New people?

MS:

Ask them.

Q. What about the new schedule. How will that effect you, particularly, with Sauber, tomorrow? Will they work for you to some extent in the morning?

MS:

No. I don't think there is a third car for either of the two teams. I am not involved in this honestly.

Q. What about the new schedule for qualifying on Saturday?

MW:

Well, to be honest, I thought Friday was a very strange event last year. The circuit was always very dirty and the guys who were doing well in the championship always had a difficult situation. That may have flattered some of the other people on a Friday and given us a good slot for Saturday but I think it is nice to have both sessions together. I think the new 100-minutes session is good, ten minutes in between, what fuel level you run in the first session is down to you and as for the second one it is first stint fuel and race set up so I think the changes they have made for qualifying are good for the fans and good for the teams in general.

Q. Michael, your feelings?

MS:

More positive than last year because the way the circuit has been most of the races on Friday in the first qualifying session I thought it was in bad shape due to other cars running after our last free practice, before qualifying, and I think this is not the case on the Saturday and there is no racing happening and so the circuit should be consistent and should be a fair chance to the first drivers out for the first flying laps and help you settle in for the runs straight after.

Q. Mark, how do you feel things have gone?

MW:

I am very happy with the R5. We have made some good progress over the winter. We didn't get the mileage we would have liked at first, but the guys worked very, very hard at the factory to make sure that when we got the new car out… The last few tests went very well. We always did about 120 or 130 laps per car which is not easy with good tyre testing with Michelin as well and the vices we had on the R4 last year, we tried to chip away at those areas â€" you know, tyre management and chipping away at the aero and the brakes and things so we were doing it in a very controlled manner and it was very disciplined testing. We are not kidding ourselves. Clearly, in Valencia, we did a very reasonable lap time, but that wasn't the real pace of the car and we were concentrating on the long runs as well. And we've made a good step on that too in this year's car.

Q. So, have you succeeded in getting to where you wanted to get to?

MW:

Yes, I am very happy with the progress we have made with the R5. Initially, we couldn't get the running we wanted, but at the end we could and we could fine tune a few things and start to work. We have a bigger balance window with the R5 and we can move things and make things easier for us to balance the car and make it better for us or globally better over a Grand Prix weekend, or over the 18 races of the season. So, yes, we have made clear progress and there a few departments doing a very, very good job with the car and I am very happy for them.

Q. Michael said he faces the season with total confidence. What about you?

MW:

I am very, very confident as well to be honest. I probably won't get as many points as Michael, but I am looking forward to the season. It is a building process from last year and I thoroughly enjoyed last year. The reputation of the team has made it easy for me and I did the easy job in driving the car and I think this season will be phenomenally competitive and there are a lot of teams up there doing a very, very good job. The level in Formula One now is very impressive.

Everybody is pushing very hard. Not that they weren't in the past, but it just seems very compact at the front. If we can hang on the back of that, it would be nice. We have full respect for our opposition, but we try and get amongst them when we can.

Q. There must be a lot of pressure on you at this race?

MW:

There is and it is getting worse every year in terms of the off track activities and we are trying to control it as best we can. Its always something very special for me to come and race in Australia and not just because it is the first race, but to compete in front of my home nation is special. When I watch other sports I like to see Australians do well and I suppose they like to see the Aussie do well down here as well so that's important for me to get the best result possible here. Probably a few more percent than other races but always pushing very hard at all races so once I'm in here, once I start I obviously focus on the weekend and I'm in the car, then I am working with the engineers, I could be at Valencia, Jerez, Brazil, it doesn't really matter, I'm getting the most out of the package.

Questions from the floor.

Q. Michael, do you think Juan Pablo was justified to react as he did when a couple of comedians came into his press conference yesterday?

MS:

Its funny but I am not surprised you asked that questions.

Q. I live to serve.

MS:

I think to live in Formula One and do what we are doing means there is always a lot of tension and sometimes you feel better and sometimes you feel worse and do things you don't do normally. I don't know what happened exactly I've heard a couple of things but everyone has his personal reaction.

Q. Would you have seen the joke if a couple of comedians came in…

MS:

I was not there so I don't think it is a point to talk about how I would have behaved.

Q. There is a lot of discussion particularly after your sixth world championship about who is the all time great in Formula One. Who do you regard as the all-time great and why?

MS:

I don't think it is fair to say there is one in particular in anyway as each one is responsible for his time and working and being successful or not.

Q. But who do you most admire of your predecessors?

MS:

It's actually not anything I was interested in. I wasn't interested in racing before I got into Formula Three or sports cars. So I never watched any of those guys or had a hero in that era. Not in the way you would say. Not in the way I did in soccer because Toni Schumacher, he was my idol in soccer. But I didn't have the same thing for any of the racers.

Q. If you were not involved in motor sport in any way, what job would you like to do?

MS:

Soccer.

MW: Probably in some outdoor activity. Probably biking, with some racing activity in there, but definitely something that tested the body. An adventure school in Tasmania, yes, exactly, somewhere I can drink all the red wine and eat all the chocolate!! Exactly. Providing the school runs itself.

MS: And, can I join you for the later part?

Q. We have a lot of incidents here every year and Pat Symonds of Renault has suggested that while the drivers test a lot in the winter, they are not racing… Do you feel you lose the edge of your race craft during the winter?

MS:

No, I don't have that feeling. But I sometimes do some competition in karting here and there in the winter. I think this is just a coincidence.

MW: I probably agree. There's been some races where nothing happens and it is just straightforward. Actually, in testing, I like sometimes to get close to the guys and get a feel for the disturbed air and have a look around at some of the other cars as well. We are not racing, but we are still close to each other in testing. Pat may have a small point.

Q. We have two new circuits this year, Bahrain and Shanghai. What do you think?

MW:

I am looking forward to going there. It is always a great chance for the drivers and the teams and it is a great challenge. Bahrain will be hot potentially â€" like Malaysia which is a hot race â€" but it is just new and I've never been to china before or Bahrain so I am looking forward to going there. I think the whole paddock and the whole industry is excited about it. I think expanding it to 18 races is quite a good thing actually and broadening our touch with people is good.

MS: I agree absolutely. It is great to see the new circuits and new countries and I have heard of two very impressive projects in Bahrain and in China so it would be good to see them.

Q. You touched on the 18 races. Are you worried about the six races in eight weeks after Monaco?

MS:

So there is less testing and more racing and that is good.

Q. And physically it doesn't worry you?

MS:

No.

MW: I think it is fine and of course you have to be in good shape for that period. Like Michael said, there wont be a huge amount of testing going on so if you are going through a bad phase there whether it is reliability of something with the team you have to make sure it is not there because it will all happen very very quickly in those races. There are a lot of different circuits, high downforce, low downforce, all different characteristics, a real blend. So it will a good part of the championship.

Q. Michael, Suzuka was an odd race from your point of view. Do you just forget it, park it, or have you analysed it?

MS:

I went through it, but there were certain circumstances that made it into an unusual race for me but to come from where I came and to finish where I finished, I was in the end not really happy, but I had no need to be disappointed. I could have finished further down and other things could have happened. But qualifying decided that and that is the way it is.

Q. But, nevertheless, it certainly wasn't one of your better races was it? Was there any reason for that? Did you feel any different on the day?

MS:

You know sometimes in life there are moments when it is difficult and you know that for whatever reason it is supposed to be a difficult race and it is just one of those bad days that you have from time to time.

Q. This year there is no launch control or automatic gear change. Are you happy with this?

MW:

Yes, I think it is good and it gives more responsibility back to the drivers. I think the start this year in Melbourne will this year be quite interesting and everyone will have their own philosophies about how to get their cars away as quickly as possible. And we have ours. I hope it goes well and it is also down to me to do a good job and that is what it is about. Not like in seasons gone by where someone who might be a very average driver would be able to beat Michael off the line because he has a better season, which is not really the name of the game. Now I hope we have a system which gives a bit more feel to the driver and so a lot more finesse is required. It's going to be a difficult part of the race to get the cars away with all the noise and all the rest of it. It is a tough part. I think the fans will win there. We will see some different starting events to those we have seen in the past. And the manual shifting thing is not really a big deal for the drivers. It takes you three laps after the winter, testing, and you get back and sometimes you go into the limiter and then, you know, you are pretty sharp after that. It is not a problem.

Q. Alonso said two days ago that he believed some of the drivers he raced in karts were harder than those he races against now. What is your opinion?

MS:

It is true to some degree, because you don't have the close competition in Formula One that you have in karting, because in karting it is permanently wheel to wheel. It's a close thing plus its easier to get the good equipment and be there. In Formula One it is something else again. And that is why I like karting very much. To say that means the drivers in Formula One are not as good as the ones in karting would be the wrong way to look at it.

MW: I agree with Michael totally.

Q. What is your impression of the one-engine rule â€" do you think it will open up the podium positions for the smaller teams?

MS:

I would not expect that because if you imagine the resources that a big team has available and the way they approach this new rule they will be very well prepared. The top teams have done very many kilometers and they have prepared themselves. It is just a question of preparation. I see the possibility of an engine failure just as big as I did last year. We will adapt to that strategy. The smaller teams have less resources available and it will be a bigger struggle for them than for the bigger teams.

Q. So you think Ferrari can make a 750 kilometres engine better than Renault, better than McLaren?

MS:

I don't think Renault or McLaren are not top teams. I am talking of teams further down the grid in terms of resources because you suggested we would have problems, but I see it the other way around… The new rules sounds impressive from a mileage point of view, but it is not as difficult to achieve as you or we may have thought. Not such a problem.

Q. And will it make you more cautious over the beginning of the weekend?

MS:

Oh, yeah, you will be aware of that fact and deal with it appropriately and not try to stress anything unnecessarily.

Q. So you might have a lower rev limit?

MS:

There are plenty of ways to deal with it.

Q. Does that include less laps?

MS:

It may include less laps, but on the other side you want to work and prepare for the race and to check out the tyres and prepare properly and you cant reduce your laps too much. You have to find the right compromise.

Q. Mark, what about from where you are, what are your feelings, and what work is Bjorn Wirdheim going to be doing for you, for example?

MW:

Bjorn is going to do a lot of running tomorrow in both sessions. Clearly, it doesn't matter how much mileage he puts on his engine, compared to the two race-cars. We are expecting to do some good mileage tomorrow, even on my car and Christian's car to confirm things for ourselves and I think we will see the one engine thing changing slightly in the next two or three months in terms of what teams do, just to build a bit of confidence with the new regulation. We will see when we get back to Europe -- in terms of maybe laps completed or how aggressive they are even with the general running of their engine. Like Michael says, there are lots of ways to adjust the engine so it's feeling happier when it's on the track than when it's highly stressed. So, we have done some good work in testing to make sure that we have enough laps to prepare for the Grand Prix and also make sure we get to the chequered flag on Sunday.

Q. Is the third car going to be a big advantage?

MW:

I think it's nice to have in your pocket, definitely. Ideally, it would be good if Bjorn had more experience under his belt in general, just before he came to this race, but that wasn't possible, unfortunately. So, I think he will do a good job for us tomorrow, but he will learn in general because his experience in the next few events can make it better for us as team. But it's great for Michelin that he can fulfill our work for us.

Q. How much do your engines deteriorate over the period of a race weekend? I know it's hard to judge now because you haven't used the one engine for a full period, but would there be an advantage in perhaps bolting in a fresh engine and taking the 10-places-down-the-grid penalty to start the race with a fresh engine?

MS:

No.

Q. No advantages?

MS:

No.

Q. Do the engines deteriorate as they get older to any noticeable degree?

MS:

Very small amount, I would say.

Q. Juan Pablo, give us an idea of your feelings as you come to this race in comparison to what's been happening in testing? You've done a huge amount of testing, haven't you?

Juan Pablo Montoya:

Yeah, myself, I've done over 7000 kilometres of testing. Our main focus has been reliability. Of course there have been some aeros bits that have come in and stuff. The car from day one seemed very driveable. I think set-up-wise we are pretty close, we've got a good window. We tried a few different things, but we definitely knew from day one where we wanted to be. So our main focus was on reliability. We had some gearbox problems but those problems were solved. We've done a lot of race simulations and it's good. It just keeps going and going, it just runs.

Q. The transmission problem is solved, you say.

JPM:

Yes.

Q. What was going wrong?

JPM:

I can't really tell you.

Q. It's been solved for several weeks?

JPM:

Probably the last two tests we didn't have any problems. New parts came in and we tried to look what happened, because in December we didn't have any problems and then new bits arrived and then suddenly, whoa, everything started to break. And then we went back to what we used to use and everything was fine. I think the car is very competitive, it's a lot quicker than last year. We'll see. The only question is how competitive we are in compared to the rest. It doesn't matter how much quicker you are than last year. What matters is how much quicker you are against everybody else. I think we have a strong car. I don't know if it's a winning car or not. Hopefully it is. We're much better prepared than ever going into the first race. We know we gave away both championships last year mainly because we didn't score any points in the first five races. Based on that, you've got to think that if you could start scoring good points from the first race you'd be fine.

Q. What about the atmosphere within in the team. It's rather a strange situation: Ralf hasn't signed yet, there's a strange thing there, you're leaving at the end of the year. So what's the atmosphere like?

JPM:

I think it's good. I don't have any problems with anybody really. The team seems to be working exactly the same as last year and before I even signed. It's good. They want to win. It would be nice to win the championship before I leave, to be honest. I'm here to race. I can't say I'm going to take it easy because I'm leaving at the end of the year. I'm here and I want to win, and if I have the chance I'm not going to give it away.

Q. You don't notice any difference in the atmosphere?

JPM:

Not really. Towards the end of the year you might start feeling a little bit, but at the moment I've done quite a bit more testing than Ralf and everything. I can't say I've had any disadvantage or anything. It feels very good at the moment.

Q. We were talking to Michael about his situation with Bridgestone in comparison to the Michelin teams, there are so many of them, all exchanging information, and he said that we will find out the best solution at the end of the season. What are your feelings about that?

JPM:

Well, in a way, we could be in a good position because we can… you know different teams try different things, but in a way, you can play both ends. If Michelin can get all the information together and develop the tyres based one everybody's information, then it's a good thing and I think they have so far, against having one team only developing the tyres for one single car. It limits the amount of miles they do, even if they try to run and run and run. It's not the same as 15 cars running as two. So we'll see. It will take a bit of time to know where you are and if you look at the pace they had in Imola, it was unbelievable, you're going to say, but it's the only time they've been quick, and it was zero degrees ambient and about five degrees track temperature and we're never going to race… well, I'm not really planning to race in that weather. (Laughter).,

Q. But surely the tyre company has to compromise to look after all you guys on Michelins whereas they can specialise looking after…

JPM:

No, I think Michelin has done a really good job in being able to develop everything each team wants. I can't say that Williams are suffering a little bit because they are developing tyres for another team. I think they have been 100 per cent behind every team and I've seen a lot of the development during the winter and I've got to say that Michelin has done a fantastic job so far.

Q. What are your feelings about that, Jenson?

Jenson Button:

I think we're very happy with the situation. As Juan said, nobody's that reliable at the start of the season. Throughout the winter, you're never going to have 100 per cent reliability, or what you want. So it's great that there are so many top teams able to test different things, and I think that is very important.

Q. A new situation for you in the team, in that it can be said you're the old boy in the team now. Does that change things very much for you?

JB:

It has done. I think it's just a natural progression really over the winter. I've just had more feed back and more input, whereas last year when Jacques was around, he was obviously very opinionated as we all know, but it was a good thing, because he would push very hard for new parts on the car, whereas I would sit back a little bit more. But I've learned from him that you really do need to push, even when there aren't any problems, you've really got to keep the whole team on their toes and that's where I've been working very hard this winter.

Q. So in that way, you feel you've changed, you're a bit more demanding?

JB:

Yeah, definitely, a lot more demanding.

Q. And Takuma's contribution? What is that?

JB:

He's been doing a good job. I think it helped that he was racing in the last race of last year in Suzuka. He seems to be confident, and doing a good job in testing.

Q. What about Anthony, what's going to his contribution as third driver tomorrow?

JB:

Well, we're lucky that we've got a third car… well, it depends which way you look at it really. We finished fifth last year. But he's going to do a lot of miles tomorrow when we're not going to be doing as much. We can save the engine a little bit more, which I think is going to help us over the weekend. So yeah, I think you'll see Anthony out on the circuit more than anybody tomorrow.

Q. And of course, he's not only competitive and quick but also, he's been around for a long time and done a lot of testing.

JB:

He has. He's been involved with team for a long time. In testing, he's been quick, especially over long distance runs and his feedback's very good so he's good part of the team.

Q. Would you say that in terms of the third drivers, he's probably going to be the most useful?

JB:

Definitely, definitely the most useful.

Q. So what difference is that going to make to the team, then?

JB:

As I said, it's great to have three cars and he's able to do a lot more laps, so I think it's really going to help us when we get to the weekend. He can do all the long running on Friday, whereas other teams won't be able to do that so much, or some teams, anyway.

Q. You really are going to be saving the engines tomorrow?

JB:

I don't think you're going to see many cars going round and doing 40 or 45 laps in practice. I think everyone's going to be a little bit cautious, especially being the first race.

Q. Is that going to be a worry for you, Juan Pablo, the fact that you guys have got to go out and do the work?

JPM:

Er, yeah. I think the first session you're probably going to have to do one or two runs to get a balance and you've definitely got to go out in the second session like you used to do before, back to back the tyres, and then make up your mind. It's like it used to be before, you had to make up your mind on the tyres and that was it. You couldn't really start changing tyres on the Saturday morning because you were working on race set-up, especially with the new speed limit and everything, a lot of races are going to be three stops. You need to have the good tyres for the race. So it won't be such a clear opinion on the tyres like probably they will, but Ferrari's in the same position, McLaren's in the same position, and Renault's in the same position. I'm pretty happy.

Q. Is it going to change the hierarchy, the fact that they can do more work on the day that they've got to decide on the tyres?

JPM:

I think that what you've got to do is have a good look at what they're doing. You know, you've got reference numbers and things. You can probably figure out what tyres they're running and what things they're doing, and if you have a good look, you can probably learn a lot from them as well. I think the team's going to be well prepared for that.

Q. Jenson, your feelings on that? Can you see that happening?

JB:

Oh yeah, definitely. I think people will be watching us, because I think we will be strong this season so I think that the top four teams will be interested, especially the three Michelin teams.

Q. You seem to have been quick at three or four tests, really substantially quicker on some days. They have been low fuel days I understand…

JB:

Yes

JPM: Really?

Q. … but it's not worth that much is it?

JB:

Well, we dropped it from 100 to 60 on those days.

JPM: Ah, very impressive.

JB: The car's strong. It's a nice car to drive, it's very stable and that gives you confidence. Also, when you make a change, you can really feel the difference with the car which is good and I think that we've made a good step forward. I still don't know where we are compared to the top teams, but hopefully we're a lot closer than what we were last year.

Q. Is it a huge advance compared to last year's car?

JB:

Yeah, it's a very good step forward. But again, it hasn't been one big step, it's been throughout the winter, we've been improving. We had the interim concept car and then the 06 is again, it's just little steps but it seemed to work for us.

Questions from the floor

Q. For both of you, if you were not involved in motor sport in any way, what job or profession would you like to do?

JB:

We are.

JPM: I don't know. Yeah, probably an architect. My father used to be an architect. So when I was a kid I wanted to be an architect.

JB: I'll be a secondhand car salesman then. (Laughter)

JPM: Be washing cars or something.

JB: Exactly.

Q. Is that what you want to do?

JB:

No, that's what my old man was. No, it would have to be something pretty crazy I think. I don't know what.

JPM: Stunt driver or something.

JB: Fighter pilot.

JPM: Yeah, that would be cool.

Q. Juan, you've seen or you've heard the reaction to what happened yesterday. Two things: are you surprised at how much coverage you got and in hindsight, do you think that you should have gone with the joke a bit more?

JPM:

I think I will go with the first question. You know it's very hard to say whether you react too hard or not. I was very polite to him. I think that especially when you're doing a day for a sponsor, you've got to be very professional what you're doing, and when it's not handled professionally, then I don't think you've got to be there. There's a lot of money involved in it from everybody: from the sponsors, from the team and if it's not controlled properly and they're not respecting not only myself but everybody in the room… I found out…. If you're in a place where you're joking and having fun then it's alright but I wouldn't really find if funny… you know I didn't find it funny, a guy asking me if I wanted to play golf with his grandmother or whatever. I didn't tell him anything. I wasn't rude to anybody. I just said 'sorry, 'scuse me' and I stand up and I left. It was very straightforward. If you look at the pictures and everything they've got in the newspaper I find it quite amusing actually, because it wasn't even from yesterday. If you look at the pictures from yesterday I was laughing on the way out because I was talking to a friend of mine. You've got to establish a precedent that you've got to do a professional job and it wasn't done professionally, and it wasn't handled professionally by anybody so I decided that I didn't have to be there. I just stood up and left.

Q. Are you concerned at all though how it came out and how it portrays you and maybe Formula One drivers and how they react?

JPM:

No, I don't care to be honest. I talked to Frank, Frank is OK with it and that's all that really matters. I talked to Frank and he said to me 'I'm glad you behaved in a good way, it's a shame we couldn't complete the day.' I said 'yeah, it's a shame, but it wasn't handled properly from the beginning.' When the two guys after the first time it should have stopped and nobody in the room did anything to stop it so I decided, they not interested in stopping it, then I will. They've got respect me, I'm doing a professional job for them. I'm not lacking in respect to anybody so I decided to leave. Of course, as Formula One never comes here, only each year for three or four days, it's a big thing if something happens and like everything, the press wants to be with Formula One and people want to see if they can stir some bad things about it and they did, and that was all. I don't think it got out of hand or anything. You can ask any of the media who was there because there were a few guys from Formula One you can… I didn't shout at anybody or anything, I just got in the car and left.

Q. So is the report that there was some friction between you and some staff members from Williams, is that not true?

JPM:

There was some friction but it wasn't in front of anybody. It was a closed room, and we had a discussion about it. I told them why I was leaving. Of course they didn't want me to leave because it's a sponsor day and everything, but I gave them my reasons and they said OK.

Q. This question is for Jenson; you're the only driver who has driven on the track in Bahrain. Do you think you're going to have any advantage on the other drivers? (Some laughter)

JB:

What did you say, Juan? Not really, because there wasn't any tarmac there. (More laughter). If we were racing a 4x4, then maybe. But it wasn't very interesting to go there and have a look at the facilities and the layout of the circuit, so it was a great visit for me but no, I don't think it's going to help me in circuit experience.

Q. The question is to Juan Pablo: you talked about Frank's reaction, but what was the sponsor reaction?

JPM:

Well, the sponsor can't really say anything because the sponsor was the guys who let them in. From what I read this morning, I think part of the sponsors, the guys who were based here in Australia, they knew about it. At least the guy sitting beside me knew about it. They probably wanted to play a joke on me and it didn't work too well, not as planned.

Q. Jenson, you're sitting next to a guy who's leaving Williams at the end of the year and going to McLaren â€" I know you don't want to answer this question â€" but there's a lot of speculation that you might take his seat. What will it take to keep you at BAR? If you are halfway through the year and you're sixth in the World Championship, are you going to stay at BAR?

JB:

I don't have a choice.

Q. There's no performance clause?

JB:

If I'm sixth in the championship I'm at BAR and that's…

Q. The team is sixth in the Constructors' championship, perhaps….

JB:

(Laughter) It's difficult to say, you know. What I would like to concentrate on this year is this year.

Q. I know that, but I'm not asking you about this year. If Williams comes along and offers you a pile of money to go and Juan's car are you going to take it?

JPM:

That would happen would it?

JB: Your car?

JPM: No, driving the car yeah, but the pile of money?! (Laughter)

JB: The most important thing for me as I said is this year and no decision will ever be made until part of the way through this season and if I don't perform this year, it doesn't really make any difference and if our team doesn't perform or Williams don't perform, we won't be having this discussion. I really don't know what's going to happen. It's a decision we're going to have to make when we get to the time. At the moment, I'm not thinking about that at all. Not interested at the moment.

Q. Do you think you could be World Champion in 2005 with BAR?

JB:

I think there's a chance, yes. The amount of progress we've made over this winter, not just through lap time but also as a team, we've really moved forward. I think it's possible.

Q. Do think you could be World Champion in 2005 with Williams?

JB:

Not if I'm at BAR! (Laughter)

Q. Just to make it even more painful, Jenson, to follow on from that: isn't it inconceivable, though, if you had a choice between BAR, even if it's on the rise, and Williams… BAR in the near term future is never going to be a Williams is it?

JB:

We don't know, nobody knows. The only people who know are involved and we know the amount of improvement we've made over this winter, it's been huge, and we don't 100 per cent know how we're going to compare against the top teams, but I think we're going to be very strong. So if you ask me in six or eight races time I'll probably have a slightly better answer but not much.

Q. I'm a bit incredulous, so excuse me but if you were offered a drive, if it came, the opportunity to go to Williams in your career, could you really say no?

JB:

You could if they weren't the top team, yeah. I want to win the World Championships and I want to do it… it doesn't matter how I do it really, I want to be World Champion, but I would rather do it with BAR because I've really built a good team around me, I think.

Q. Jacques Villeneuve was a great character, the outlaw of Formula One drivers, you worked with him, you saw him off, so basically you killed his career (Laughter) so do you miss him, did you like having him around?

JB:

Yeah. The start of the season I didn't really because he said a few things, but I did also. But he was a good teammate. He was very opinionated as I've said before, but he really got the job done and he pushed the team very very hard for improvement so yes, he was a very good teammate, but things move on and I'm very happy having Takuma as a teammate. I think he's really done a good job over the winter and he deserves to be in the team.

Q. Juan, your opinion on this please, do you think it's a shame that a driver of Jacques' calibre is not in Formula One?

JB:

If you say he's good, that means I'm awesome! (Laughter)

JPM: I think he put himself in that position really. I think he's got to look after his career himself. As Jenson said, Jenson beat him last year and if Jacques had done a good enough job, he would still be here. He did a very good job when he was World Champion and I think he lost a lot of motivation when he went to BAR and struggled for a few years. Of course he wanted to win but he didn't have the equipment to win, so I'm not sure how hard he was still trying to win and maybe he just backed off too much, took it too easy and suddenly he realised he didn't have a drive.

Q. Juan, over the winter, a lot's been said and written about events at the French Grand Prix being a possible catalyst for you talking to McLaren. It's been reported that you weren't happy with Ralf stopping a lap early and all the rest of it. He had the pole, he was leading the race, what was it about the French Grand Prix that you were actually upset about?

JPM:

Er, nothing really. (Laughter). No, there was a lot of shit happening in that race and I'm not going to say no, it didn't happen, I'm not going to tell you what happened. Yes, he did piss me off. I can tell you that, I'm honest. I can tell you I was talking to Ron before that race.

Q. Was it team orders?

JPM:

No, no, no, no. I don't remember (Laughter)

JB: It was a long time ago, wasn't it?

JPM: Jeez, about eight months ago and I can tell you I was talking to McLaren and to Ron before that and of course that added up to making up my mind but that wasn't the only reason. There were a lot more things that happened. It's like when you're having a girlfriend, it gets to a point when it's just too much. (Laughter)

JB: What. With every girlfriend?

JPM: Exactly, that's why I'm married to Connie because she's alright.

Q. Juan, you've mentioned what you think of Ferrari's lap times in the recent test; what do you make of the problems that McLaren have been having in the recent test. Do you think that they will hit the ground running this weekend, or do you think that they genuinely have some difficulties?

JPM:

I think they did have some difficulties and from what you've seen in testing, especially on new tyres, they don't look very strong. If you look at the long runs, ours or BARs, I think if somebody's got stronger long runs than us you've got to see it's Renault, it's somebody who over one lap we might be quicker than them but in the longer distances they look to be quite strong. The question is, how much have they had? Everything is always based on fuel, on weight of the car, I don't know if everybody's been running with the weight they have to run. I think they've been running with lower weight just to find some sponsors. There are so many political things going on that… I think by Sunday we'll get a bit of an idea who's quick and who's not.

Q. Juan, obviously you're going to McLaren next year. You're an opinionated person which make it an interesting concept for some of us who know Ron very well, who's ever so slightly restrictive of what he likes to hear his drivers saying. Do you think it's going to be an interesting relationship?

JPM:

I think it will be really interesting. You know I'm really looking forward to it. It will be nice to have a year with Williams but when I made up mind, I made up my mind after meeting Ron and talking to Ron and negotiating with Ron. When you make a decision like that, he knows what he's getting into and I know what I'm getting into.

Q. You're not going to sign anything that says you can't have your opinions?

JPM:

I haven't, as far as I remember. (Laughter)

Q. To Jenson Button. Last year Honda had a lot of unreliability in the car. This year, you have a very good chassis but what about the engine?

JB:

In the winter, in November and December, we were fine, we seemed to be very reliable, not only with the engine but also with the car. But in January we did have a few problems with the reliability but we've improved dramatically with that in the last few tests, we've had no major problems, so I think we're looking strong.

Q. This year, there are six teams running Michelin and four running Bridgestone. If next year another team decides to run Michelin, do you think it would be much better to have one tyre supplier?

JB:

Are they allowed to?

JPM: I think having two is definitely better, because the tyres are softer and there is a lot more grip. As soon as they go to one, you know we will start going three or four seconds a lap slower, I guarantee you, because manufacturers don't want to have problems or anything, so it's going to be a tyre that is more reliable, doesn't grain, it doesn't do anything, but it just doesn't have grip. I like it the way it is. It's good because you're fighting against Ferrari and there's a lot more things to it. You know you think we can get the edge on them in qualifying because of tyres, but maybe they will have the edge on us in the race or it depends on the temperature. There's a lot more factors and it just makes racing more interesting.

JB: I don't think…other team can't go…

JPM: I think it's got to be 60-40, doesn't it.

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