By role
September 26 2004

Spanish driver Fernando Alonso was satisfied to have finished 4th at the Chinese Grand Prix after a difficult weekend. The Spaniard never seemed poised for the podium due to a car that was clearly much slower than the ones of their competitors. Talking after the race an exhausted Alonso said:

"It was a pretty good race. We started the weekend with quite a lot of problems, we improved the car throughout the weekend and it got better during the race. I think these five points will be important for the championship at the end of the year. The next two circuits should favour us more than the last ones have and I am feeling good. My motivation his high and I am focused on scoring the points we need to get back second place in the championship." He said.

Jacques Villeneuve had a difficult race and was inmersed in traffic most of the race finishing 11th:

"I learned a lot during the race this afternoon: I know the R24 better, I have got a full race distance under my belt and I have also understood what a 2004-style race is like. To be honest, I just needed too long to get into the rhythm at the start of the race. I made a good start but I hadn't warmed the tyres enough and lost a lot of the positions I had made up. As soon as the circuit rubbered in more and the grip improved, I was able to attack but unfortunately, I couldn't stay close enough behind Webber in turns 9 and 10 - which meant that I was too far behind to try and overtake when we got to the braking zone for the hairpin at turn 14. Even so, I feel ready for Suzuka now."

Flavio Briatore, Managing Director, was unhappy with the pace of the R24 but sdattisfied of the effort of his drivers:

"Our race was easy to analyse: we weren't quick enough today. We are disappointed but we still got two cars to the finish and one at the foot of the podium. The team worked well during a difficult weekend and the drivers did a great job: Fernando pushed until the very end of the race, and Jacques succeeded with a difficult challenge. We have said that the championship fight with BAR will go down to the wire and that will certainly be the case. Our aim, more than ever, is to reclaim second in the championship."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering, was also complimentary of his drivers:

"It was a disappointing race today and we were not quick enough. Both drivers did everything they could and their races were near perfect. Jacques had settled in by the end of the race and I am sure he can pose a threat to our competitors in Suzuka. As for Fernando, he drove strongly and didn't put a foot wrong. This circuit didn't really suit the R24 this weekend and we do not exactly understand why. However, we did some good damage limitation by scoring five points and we hope to be more competitive in Suzuka."