Drivers: Jenson Button (BAR-Honda), Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Sauber), Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren) andౠ Michael Schumacher (Ferrari).

Questions from the floor.

Q:
Michael, after the first three races of the season when you were so far down in the standings did you think you would be in this posit🍰ion?

Michael Schumacher:
I was thinking we still had everything ওopen to fight for the championship. I didn't write off the championship at that stage, but I probably would not have imagined coming here with nine points in the lead.

Q:
Kimi, when you were so far ꦓahead of Michael did you think you would come here trailing behind?

Kimi Raikkonen:
This was so early in the season and I 𓆉was not expecting it to be an easy season because sometimes you hit problems and have bad races and it can be a completely different story. That is what happened to us and ever since we have been trying to close up again. We haven't come close eno💫ugh but at least we are still in it for the championship.

Q:
Michael, you said a moment ago that you have e🌞verything to 🎃lose. How comfortable is it that Kimi can drive with nothing to lose where as you have to be a bit more careful?

MS:
There is this feeling but on the other hand I have more option to beat him. But in my past experience what𝔉ever you think before is different to when you sit in the car. When I am in the car I just think of the situation and 🌳I react to the situation.

Q:
Do you feel calmer going into this cham🦩pionship than you have in the previous ones?

MS:
Probably not the last two ones. It was 🧸1994 and 1995 where we had a similar situation.

Q:
If you get your൩ sixth wor🔯ld championship will you find it very, very hard to get the motivation to push for the seventh?

MS:
That is the same question I got asked after my fifth🤪 championship.

Q:
And what was the reply then?

MS:
I'm still here.

Q:
Michael, when was the꧒ turning point of the season when you realised things were not so bad and you had ꦆa chance?

MS:
I always thought we had a chance. We had some bad luck and it didn't go too well in Hungary. This time although you know you still have it in your hands leading the championship at the same time you know how difficult it could be. But probably Monza, when I sort of hoped to predict the turn of th༒e situation.

Q:
Which car out of Willဣiams, McLaren and Ferrari is the better꧟ at this circuit?

Jenson Button:
They're all great.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen:
Well, I don't want to answer this question too specifically. I would say generally this is a fantastic racetrack here. When I was racing here in Formula 3000 I really enjoyed it and it doesn't really matter what car quality𝓰 you have to make it enjoyable. I look forward to this race because it is big fun to drive here.

Q:
But would you say one of those three was better than the other at this circuit, from what you have seen in the last 15🍬 races?

HHF:
I have never driven the ꦺcars. All I have seen of them was always when I received two flags. Only in Indianapolis did I have a chance to drive with Michael and with Kimi on the same lap and the cars are all pretty quick.

Q:
Kimi, you didn't test between Indianapolis anಌd Suzuka. Was that something that was scheduled before?

KR:
We had alrea🍸dy decided our tyre situation 😼and I didn't think it would make much change really to be driving in Silverstone.

Q:
Kimi, do you regret that so much money was thrown at the 2003 car some of which could have rather usefully been thrown at the one you are racing here this weekend🌳?

KR:
I don't know the money situation but I guess once you have twoಞ cars at the same time it is going to take time from the older one. So I think that was part of the reason they made the decision that we would use the 17D after this and then try to get the 18 ready for the race. It is just it didn't work out and once th🐼ey decided they would race the whole season with the 17D they started to work with that again and it has improved quite a lot since then. I guess without the 18 we wouldn't have been able to improve the 17D also because we have taken a lot of new ideas from that. It is really difficult to stay how it affected my season. We are in the situation where we have this car now and it seems to be quick still. I think it was the right decision to keep the 17D.

Q:
Michael, this is a big weekend for the Italian Tifosi because after the Grand Prix we have the motorbikes with Valentino Rossi fighting for the chꦕampionship. Do you follow the championship?

MS:
I am not following it too closely, honestly, but I can imagine the feeling of tജhe Tifosi with Ferrari and Rossi close to winning the championships💖.

Q:
Tyres have been a big factor this seas💜on. What do𒐪 you see the situation if the weather stays as warm as it is today?

MS:
I thought Indy wasn't too warm and the competition was pretty close. Monza was close and it was quite a reasonable temperature. I don't think we will receive a massive temperature that will hurt us. I have seen the situation pretty even where whoever 🌼takes 100 percent out of his car, out of his package, he may win.

Q:
Michael, are you going to drive thinking about both cham🌳pions𒁃hips or only the drivers'?

MS:
No, I am going to drive for both championships because, I mean, it is pretty easy - Rubens is going to win the race and I take one po꧂int so whatever Ralf and Juan Pablo do then we win the championship anyway. We have tw🌱o drivers in the team and both are responsible to do the best job. We both will try to win the race and it is obviously a very good opportunity for Rubens as well.

Q:
For all the drivers, what💛 do you think of the circuit changes?

MS:
I just flew in a helicopter over it just coming in but I didn't really see it very closely. I know there i♑s two chicanes and I don't even know which one we are going to take of the two. Someone has to tell me.

KR:
I have only seen it on te🧜levision from some other races.

JB:
I had a look at 130R and it is not 130R any more but it looks good. It looks quite easy, which is a good thing because I think you can sit closer coming into the chicane. B🃏ut they have made the chicane not quite as tight and I think it is easy to block, so I think you will be seeing less overtaking.

Q:
What is your opinion on the Grand Prix weekend💟 format for next season?

MS:
I would rather speak about it whenꦉ it is decided. Is there ♓some decision done?

Q:
It has been decided but not yet✱ ratified by the world council.

MS:
I think we have all heard many solutions.

Q:
Does this year's format need changing?

MS:
Maybe a bit more sleep on Saturday would be good. H🐻onestly, if you see the first cars have to go out on Friday, have to face the dirty circuit - what does it mean? It means as much as when the cars have different fuel on board. You don't know in what✨ state they are. You don't really know, 70-80 per cent of the time, what is the competition level.

JB:
Friday doesn't really mean too much, does it? But then again, you don't really know who's quick and who's not on Saturday, so it's very very difficult for the watching public to understand why a certain car is further back or further fo♔rward than it should be. I think a change next year could liven things up even more.

Q:
Michael, you've had so many adversaries come and go. It's been a long time since you have h𓆏ad to race Jacques Villeneuve, but your thoughts on him as a competitor?

MS:
I think he was quite strong, in particular in the last races when the conditions were clear. He was very strong. He was obviously still adapting, that there were certain moments when he wasn't yet fully into the system of Formul💮a One, but whenever he was, he was going very well.

Q:
Michael, you've had some very high moments 𒁏this🗹 year. What have been the high points this year, not necessarily races that you've won; any one moment that gave you particular happiness?

MS:
Certainly there are, indeed they were probably usually with the victories but probably𒆙 even the race at Silverstone.

Q:
Michael, 37 Grands Prix without any technical failure. Is the explanation that you h🅠ave a certainly feeling, special preparation at Ferrari or back-up systems🎃?

MS:
I think I just have a good team, which is very methodic, very pr✃ecisꦺe and they just do a master job. That's it.