Adrian Veidt: I did the right thing, didnapos;t I? It all worked out in the end.
Dr. Manhattan: apos;In the endapos;? Nothing ends, Adrian. Nothing ever ends.
Fernando Alonso: I think I will be more like a spectator, because I think the race will be very difficult to fight with the frontrunners. It was a nice surprise to be on the second row. It was a surprise because we had some problems in Saturday morningapos;s free practice. We were a little bit lost with the setup and were not very happy with the car.
So we came back to the setup we had on the car on Friday and in qualifying the car felt much, much better again - much more normal. So it was a good decision by the team and the engineers to put back on the setup from yesterday, and then we qualified fourth ndash; which is maybe a little bit better than we expected.
I am very happy to be on the second row and hopefully with a good start we can keep some good pace in the first stint and keep this position for as long as we can.
Q. Has the mindset and focus of the team changed after the victories in Singapore and Japan?
FA: I think the team are more motivated now. You feel in the mechanics, in the engineers ndash; now a fourth place is now not enough. Everybody wants more and more. This is very good. The guys were very, very late last night and this morning when the car felt not very good they put back on Fridayapos;s setup.
They work harder than ever now because they see some results, some success coming back. Everyone wants to contribute in this coming back. It is a good feeling. Being fourth, some of us are a little bit frustrated not to be in the press conference.
It is very nice, and it changed a lot ndash; four races ago fourth was almost worth champagne in the garage. Now fourth is a disappointment.
Q. What about your feelings? Are you more motivated too?
FA: Yes. I am more confident. On Saturday morning we had some troubles. The car was not feeling great, and when I arrived in qualifying I was sure the car was fine. Maybe some races ago I was not confident, but we sorted out the problems.
In qualifying I would arrive with some doubts, but here I arrived in qualifying full of confidence and I knew that if I could get into Q3 with the last set of tyres I could do a perfect lap. I was sure of that, and some races ago I was not sure of anything.
Q. Felipe Massa seemed unhappy after qualifying. How do you see his situation?
FA: I donapos;t know. For them it is difficult because they are fighting for the championship, but there are more teams and drivers between them. It is not a head-to-head race. It is normal, and I think (Lewis) Hamilton has been dominant all weekend, being fastest in practice and now in qualifying.
Starting on pole position he is the favourite, but I think Ferraris are starting second and third. We know that Ferrari have a very good race pace. They can take care of their tyres maybe better than McLaren, so they still have a chance.
The race will be interesting for the win, but it is a normal race for me. It will be more a defensive race against the BMWs and Toyotas. I think the frontrunners are a little bit too quick this weekend.
Q. The world championship could go to Brazil. Can you describe the feelings about being in such a situation?
FA: It is the same as it is here with two races until the end. I think when you realise you are fighting for the championship against one guy, the pressure is very high for the two. It is the same with two races to go as it is at the last race.
Here there is a possibility that the championship finishes if Lewis finishes in front of Felipe by five points. So there is pressure for both of them tomorrow at the start. There is a real possibility that the championship finishes here.
Q. What was it like for you? Did you change anything in your approach?
FA: No, I didnapos;t change anything. It was maybe a different situation because I arrived to the last race with Michael, but I only needed one point. The car was fast enough to score that point, so it was just a worry that something might happen mechanically to the car.
So it was a weekend where you needed to take care of the engine and the gearbox. It was not a performance thing like it is for them.
Q. Britain and Brazil have been without a world champion for a long time. You were the first Spanish champion. Can you describe what happened in Spain when you won the title?
FA: When you win it is a dream come true for your life. If you are a racing driver you want to race in F1. If you are in F1 and you become world champion then that is the maximum. You can do whatever you want with the rest of your life ndash; you are still a world champion in F1.
For the country, it had a huge impact. You make happy a lot of people in your country, and I think in Brazil and England it is also special. Both countries are very involved in motorsport, and in my case it was a little bit like discovering a new sport.
Q. There appears to be a chance of rain at some point on Sunday. What is it like racing in the rain around here?
FA: If it rains, we had the experience of it last year and it should not be too difficult to get used to the place. We know the race track from last year. The long straight is maybe the place where you have less visibility because the cars are running at full speed ndash; and the spray is quite big there.
Turn One, like in the dry, is quite important. You need to be careful there in the dry and in the wet ndash; because if you lock the tyres you go off.
Offline on the asphalt area there are some (advertising) boards painted withsome sponsors, and if you touch that paint it is very, very slippery. So you can finish in the gravel ndash; and the pit lane entry is difficult in the dry and the wet.
Q. Many people are struggling here to get the tyres up to operating temperature and to get rid of the understeer. You had some problems with that. Why is the problem so special here?
FA: I have no idea because it is not that it is especially cold. Saturday was 27-28 degrees ambient temperature, so it is quite hot. But the tyre temperatures we see in the garage are a bit low compared to the optimum temperature so we have no explanation. Maybe Bridgestone can say something more than us.
Q. The team principals have been talking about new rules. What would be your ideal F1?
FA: Going back to a few years ago. I think with the V10, and with two manufacturers for the tyres ndash; everything was about maximum performance. Even when you had not a competitive car, you could arrive at one race and maybe the Michelins would be working very fine and you would be able to race. There are more changes of winners.
Now with everything standard, all the races are won by the same cars. The fastest cars are always the fastest cars in any circuit and any condition, so it is a little bit more boring. And for the standard engine? I donapos;t like it.
But if it is necessary the team principals will say yes. If it is not, I donapos;t see any point to run a standard engine because we have standard electronics, standard tyres, the aerodynamics give you a very narrow window to work in, and the engine we have now is quite standard because they give us the V-angle, the cc ndash; so there is no more room to play. It will become like a GP2 category.
Q. How strongly will you challenge Felipe Massa at the start tomorrow?
FA: It depends how good is the start. If I start better than Felipe I will try and overtake him. If I start the same I think there is no chance to overtake because here the first corner is quite quick, so you cannot brake late or anything.
If we all start similar, it is one track where the start will be very, very smooth because we all will keep the position as Turn One is an easy corner.
Its getting chilly outside again.� It makes me excited.� You and me have been really really good, and weapos;ve been really really REALLY REALLY bad.� But weapos;re still together.� I donapos;t know if it was both of us reaching our breaking point, or it was just time, but most of what we were so trapped in has all fallen away.�
Youapos;re better.� I never thought it would happen.� I never thought it could happen.� But youapos;re better.
Now, its time for me to be.
Youapos;re my best friend, and Iapos;m yours.� You drive me crazy sometimes, and Iapos;m sure I do the same but I have an inkling weapos;re working with something good.
�
�
�
