Drivers: Rubens Barrichello🦄 (Ferrari), Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), Takuma Sato (BAR)

TV unilaterals:

Q:
How do you feel abꦰout yo🔜ur first pole of the season, here at Indianapolis?

Rubens Barrichello:
It feels nice to be here, I think it's a wonderful time. There are loads of Brazilians out there and I had quite a positive run, just going 🍌out, it was n🌌ice. I could almost hear them shouting.

Q:
You were very very quick this morning and quick yesterday of co🀅urse; how's the weekend progressed for you and how do 🌌you feel about the race?

RB:
I think the car has been good all the time. We made ▨some progress since yesterday, but I think Michael has made progress even so, so we were very close together this morning. Just before pre-qualifying, we made a small change to the car and it became a bit better. In qualifying, I think it was difficult for everyone because the wind was picking up and it was quite difficult driving on the qualifying lap. I didn't have much of a reference (point) because as you go out last you're just trying to do your best, but it was just an easy lap, trying not to m꧒ake a mistake, on the limit and finally my first pole of the season.

Q:
Michael, you sp🦂oke yesterday of having a reasonably difficult day and, of course, you were not out when the track was quickest in qualifying. You must be very pleased to be P2.

Michael Schumacher:
🌟In a way, yes, I'm pleased we're both on the front row. Naturally I would have preferred the other position but Rubens did a better job so that's where we are.

Q:
What were your thoughts as you were waiting for R🌳ubens to g🍬o out? Did you think he had a realistic chance of beating you?

MS:
I think he had, yeah, because I struggled in the mid sec🔥tor. I had to fight far too much oversteer in there and I lost reasonable time and there was o💎bviously the doubt that I would keep that position. Actually I was expecting to drop further back.

Q:
Takuma, that'♈s your third top three qualifying position of the year and here you are, right next to the two Ferrari drivers at Indianapolis. Surely it doesn't get any better than that.

Takuma Sato:
I think it's a gre☂at result today, for the team as well. I lost yes🐼terday's practice session so I'm really pleased, myself, to get back on the pace and also the team has done a fantastic job so far and it's resulted in the second row and that's a really good result.

Q:
Do you think you ca🐭n taꦅke the race tomorrow to the Ferrari drivers?

TS:
They are always very strong in the race, race pace, but I think we've improved our consistency in long runs so we are pretty much hoping we can get closer. That's what w𝓀e'll have to do tomorrow afternoon.

Q:
Rubens, you pushed Michael very hard in the Canadian Grand Prix, we saw you racing closer there. Ferrari are on record as saying they ar⛄e looking forward to seeing you racing, what are your thoughts tomorrow about the fig♍ht with Michael?

RB:
You know, being in front, I hope that he doesn't get as close as I got to him in Canada, but it's always a nice fight. As I said, I have no problems with Michael, I'm always proud to be racing against him. If I've won the pole today, I've won it against the best so I think it's just a positive side. I'm starting in a good place tomorrow, there's going to be a lot of people cheering us on tomorrow, especially the Brazilians, so just a good night's sleep and off I go, try🃏ing to win tomorrow.

Press conference:

Q:
Rubens, the tenth pole position of your career, and the first this year. You've had quicker week🐟ends here. What is it about you and Indianapolis then?

Rubens Barrichello:
I don't think it's anything specific about Indi♊anapolis. I've always liked it. I have always come here with pleasure. But it's just a fact that I think it's on a high. I mean, I think I finished quite well, Canada, even though the results didn't go, I was expecting a🌜 little bit better, but it's definitely on a high.

Q:
Now, you mentioned how the wind changes, how the wind affects. How does the wind affect the 🌼car? Where, in particular?

RB:
Well, I felt it when I started my lap, I went to the bank, and it was very gusty, and the car was moving around a little bit more. And so, you know, in a way, you just want to be precise more than actually be out in front because you quite easily can make a mistake in those circumstances, even though the car was behaving quite well. And so it was nice to get 𒊎it done.

Q:
In a way, your first sector was slighཧtly slower, but you picked up as you went through the sectors.

RB:
Yeah, I've always thou🌳ght if I was preparing the tyres or anything like this, but my car didn't feel as good as it should on the first sector, but it did feel quite good from there onwards. So, because the mid-series is probably the longest one. It was good to set a good time there.

Q:
Well done. Thank y♈ou very much. Michael, in fact, you were ver🐽y quick on the first sector, and if anything, it sort of just eased away from you later on.

Michael Schumacher:
No, not really. I mean, it went away in the second sector, though the last sector I was even quicker. I just slid ar꧋ound too much. I just𝔍 couldn't keep it on track properly on line, and there was a couple of corners against, and Rubens found a better way to deal with it.

Q:
Have you been happy with today.

MS:
We are in the front row. I'm fighting against Rubens, who has done a fantastic wee༒kend. He's been very strong all weekend long, and that's the way it is. That's the way we push each other.

Q:
But you have had bigger margins in other cir🎐cuits over the rest of the opposition.

MS:
Yea🏅h, I d♒id, but maybe Rubens didn't get it together as good as I did at that stage, and now he got it together just perfectly.

Q:
You've had phenomenal record in the past races and nev⛦er finished lower than second.

MS:
Obviously, I still aim for one up and then my lowest one, but that's going to be the interesting one between us🦹 tomorrow and as well, Takuma and Jenson and whoever is in the position of doing so.

Q:
Takuma-san, in fact, you were fastest to the second sector overall, and if anything you lost🙈 a little bit in the final sector. Can you say where that would have gone?

Takuma Sato:
I don't know, it was a little bit gusty, and I wonder if the wind was a factor a little bit. But nevertheless I'm v༒ery happy with the result today. I'm particularly -- two cars in the second, last time, as I๊ said. And I think it was a great result for the team, and I'm really pleased about it.

Q:
It'🌱s a long stra🥀ight here. In fact, probably the longest at full throttle anywhere in the championship. What are your feelings about that, particularly has the team made any changes for you, given the reliability of the past few races?

TS:
Well, that's a bit of a grey area. We rea𝓀lly don't know about what is going on with the reliability issues. Just I was a bit under, and also Jenson's engi✨ne was quite on edges, and anything can happen at any time. I always had a problem this season so far, but obviously the Honda, everybody is working really hard to solve the problem, and obviously even the short times from Canada to here, we did a little, not treatment, but a little step for the engine for the reliability issue. We hope, we hope this one is OK for this Grand Prix.

Questions from the floor:

Q: (Massimo Lopez Pegna - La Gazetta dello Sport)
Takuma, what kind of a chance do youᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ really have tomorrow to beat these guys? Is it going to be a ques🍸tion of luck or something more?

TS:
To win a grand prix, I think you need everything but to be honest, trying to beat Ferrari is obviously very, very difficult as everybody has seen this year so far. But that is our aim and objective so we are trying and obviously having had these free practice sessions yesterday and today we seem to be a little bit consistent through the longer runs, which they are always strong. So we are hoping we can catch them up. We are getting better and bet🧔ter all the time so that is what we are going to hope tomorrow afternoon.

Q: (Bruce Martin - Sports Ticker)
Michael, is there a part of the track which is cruci𒀰al in the race?

MS:
Not on course, just next to me [laughter]

Q:
How faꩵr does that extend, all the way do♎wn, the first corner presumably as well?

MS:
We all want to aim for the win and to do this you have to finis🎉h. Most of us know that, all of us I guess.

Q: (Michael Vega - Boston Globe)
Rubens, you seemౠ to be pretty quick on this course since you got here. What is it about the circuit that suits your driving style and where do you think you were particularly fastest on your qualifying lap?

RB:
To be honest, as we were talking back there on Thursday, I have been saying I have been through so many changes in terms of driving. I started the season driving one way and I was finding it quite good in race pace and everything but in qualifying I couldn't get it going. Obviously I did a little bit of adapting and right now I feel that I am driving the best (I have) so far this season. I don't think it is specifically this track. Obviously I like it, I think Indy is, you could call it a part of Mickey Mouse and so on but it is quite a difficult part of Mickey Mouse. I mean, for you to go fast there it is quite difficult so it makes a challenge😼 which for me is something quite nice. So, obviously, I think I got it right in terms of set-up. I am quite happy with the car and the engine and the tyres but there is no specific reason why that is.

Q:
Rubens, i🌌𒀰s there one sector or another which has been important for you?

RB:
I think Michael has been going quite well in sector one and probably sector two is the one🐻, not just in qualifying, but sector two I have always been quite happy with the car and making up some good times. Sector three we are𝄹 pretty much even, so probably in sector two.

Q: (Thierry Tassin - RTBF)
Rubens, you just said driving in a different way. Can you be a little bit more specific in how𒊎 you drive differently?

RB:
It is just a fact that it is just because everyone is asking that. I have been driving a little bit on my left foot more since the beginning of the season but I am naturally a right footer, so obviously I am kicking with both feet now an𝐆d a footballer who kicks with both feet can be better. So I am a little bit of both but I have just got better as the season progressed on everything. I think I am driving a little bit back to last season right now.

Q: (Massimo Lopez Pegna)
Sꦚato, what kind of following do y🐷ou have in Japan? How famous are you over there?

TS:
I think, in Japan, they are all very excited about this season. Obviously, like, 15 years ago we had a massive following for Formula One and then we kind of lost it aꦛ bit in the late 1990s but we have come back quite significantly this year and I have got lots of cheering from Japan and I am really feeling positive information from all the guys. So, we are very happy about the progress we have made.

Q: (Jonathan Ingram - Palm Beach Post)
Tomorrow's race will probably be the hottest race of the season and there has been a lot of talk about consistency. Do you think the Bridgestone tyres will hold their own over the long runs versus the Michelins in the ho൩t weather?

RB:
Well, I think the answer is yes. We have a good Bridge🥃stone tyre, we have done some analysis and everything and since we have been testing since December and t꧋he tyre likes the heat as well. We proved that in Malaysia, so we are quite optimistic. Of course, we know the competitors are quite eager to beat us, to win the race, but I think we can be quite optimistic.