By Ferrari Press Release (21/4/2004)
April 23 2004

Ferrari teammates Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello are looking to give their loyal tifosi another 1-2 finish in this weekend's San Marino GP. Michael Schumacher:

"We always do well at Imola and I hope that we are able to live up to our billing as favourites. We shouldn’t be too relaxed. Testing took place when it was very cold and this contributed to us setting fast times. Also, I think that the other teams have improved a lot since then and so I don’t think that the difference between us and them will be that great. However, if things turn out as they did during testing, I sure won’t be complaining!"

"Resting on our laurels serves no purpose; it will only lead to defeat. We always have to look a few steps ahead and continually improve and this is something that regards everyone. Even at Ferrari there is a lot that we can still improve. The European stages begin now and it is from here on that teams develop more consistency. We certainly can't relax in a period like this."

"It's precisely this (racing in front of the Italian crowd) that motivates every single member of the team and pressure is not problem; I've lived with it for ages, its what we have to do even though it seems to me that we manage quite well - don't you think?"

Rubens Barrichello:

"I’ve had a busy schedule since Bahrain, carrying out sponsorship duties for the team in Rome and Lisbon and of course I have also been involved in pre-San Marino testing. In Barcelona, the test was slightly inconclusive as I had a small problem with the F2004. But later at Fiorano, I got more running - one day in the wet and one in the dry - and the car felt good and we were able to evaluate new parts that we will use in Imola."

"To be honest, the best part of a race weekend for me is when I am driving the car on the track, so I don’t take too much notice of my surroundings at the circuit. I really enjoyed the first three races, but the big plus of being back in Europe is having less travelling time, especially when it comes to Monaco! This weekend of course is special, as Ferrari is racing at home in front of all its fans and I am looking forward to that."

"Imola was a track with very fast, nice corners, with a long straight that provided plenty of overtaking. We have seen some great dices there in the past, with Pironi and Villeneuve or Ayrton and Prost. But today, you need at least a half second per lap advantage to be able to pass another car. However, the track is still very challenging, as there is no other circuit where you have to be so aggressive driving over the kerbs. Therefore from a technical point of view it is very difficult to set-up the car and make it quick and consistent. That makes it exciting, but its general characteristic is stop and go. But it is the variety of tracks that makes the championship so challenging and I am confident that we will have a good weekend."

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