Grand Prix d'Espagne

Question: Congratulations, Mika, on your third consecutive victory in the Spanish Grand Prix. You must feel very pleased.
Mika Hakkinen: Yes. I don't know how to explain how pleased I am. I just... over the moon.

Q: You seemed to be capable of running quicker than Michael all through the race. Were you just waiting for the pit stops?
MH: Yes, and I want to say something about my crew. The guys did a fantastic job today, the pit stops were just amazing. As you saw, they worked brilliantly when I came in the second time, at the same moment as Michael. They changed the tyres exactly as they should have done. It was a fabulous job and I want to congratulate them on some great team work.

Q: David, you're becoming something of an expert at passing Michael Schumacher. Did you have any indication that he was in trouble?
David Coulthard: Clearly, because of the speed at which I was catching him, I could see that he wasn't driving at his normal pace, so I knew he had a problem. It was then just a question of trying to use my momentum as I caught up with him, to get by. Even when someone is running two seconds a lap slower [than your own pace], it can still be quite difficult to overtake. Trying to pass him, the first manoeuvre was quite close, when he pulled to his right. I was very surprised at how late he made the decision and we came very close to touching each other. At the second attempt, when I went for the outside, I felt confident that I could overtake him. So despite me making a mistake at my first pit stop - which is why I dropped behind Ralf and Rubens - the guys made a good decision by calling me in early for the second stop, in order to get me track position after that second stop.

Q: Following your accident earlier this week, we understand that you have a couple of bruised ribs. In view of the events surrounding that accident, has it been the correct decision to climb aboard your racing car and get back down to business?
DC: Absolutely. To get in the car, to drive and to do my job, and to go away from this race with maximum points: it is the best thing that could have happened for the team and myself.

Q: Rubens, today you benefited from a fight between Michael and his brother. Would you say you owe this win to Michael?
Rubens Barrichello: Well, in a way, yes. I must admit that the race hadn't been good [for me] until that point, because there's no way to overtake here. And that was the basis of my race. I was looking forward to the pit stops, which is when I overtook David, and I was hoping to get Ralf too. But the team had a problem involving Nigel Stepney, our refueller, and then my second pit stop was quite slow. So I lost time on both my closest rivals, and I could see that my only chance [of passing Ralf] would be as we approached Michael. I was lucky to be able to pass them both.

Q: Mika, the points gap between you and Michael in the World Championship is now down to 14 points. As we go to the Nürburgring, do you consider the championship to be still wide open?
MH: As far as the championship is concerned, it is a long way to the end of the season. Anything can happen - today was a good example - and now I am looking forward to the next test and the next Grand Prix. We have a lot of work to do, but this weekend we learned a lot about this car. I believe we can make it much quicker over the rest of the season.