Race Reactions - Monaco Grand Prix.

Michael Schumacher:

''To win here in Monaco, first you have to finish. In some ways it was an easy and straightforward race, because I was out in front on my own. But, at the same time, it was quite hard as we still had to fast lap times.''

''In some ways, the traction control made the race tougher physically as we are going quicker. I love this circuit as it is always a challenge. Today, I just had to think about reliability and make sure I didn't make a mistake. I asked Ross Brawn what some other drivers were doing and he told me to concentrate. I had no problem with backmarkers and my car was pretty good, even if I did not push 100 per cent because, in the early stages, when Mika was behind me I was trying to look after the car and the tyres.''

Rubens Barrichello:

"My race was not as easy as it looked, because round about lap ten, I started to get cramp in my right foot. I think there might have been a problem in the cockpit because the pedals were vibrating a lot and I had trouble with my heel rest. The team advised me on the radio to try and move my toes and drink more water. I could not feel my foot and so I was having to brake early and concentrate on not going off. After the pit stop, I pushed hard on the heel rest and the situation improved from then on. I have to say my car was brilliant, I've never had such a good car."

Eddie Irvine:

''That was more like it, wasn't it? That's a great result for everybody at Jaguar Racing. We still have a way to go but I'm delighted for everybody who has worked relentlessly towards this major step forward. The car felt good all afternoon, and I had a feeling on the grid that this race could result in a podium.''

''I made an OK start and Ralf Schumacher managed to squeeze past me on the inside of the first corner. He actually pushed me right over towards the Armco and I had no choice but to back off and let him through. I drove a hard race and the team performed brilliantly all weekend.''

''Our new aerodynamic package is by far the biggest development I have ever experienced in F1. We now need to see whether this works from Canada onwards and, if so, we will have cracked a major nut. Many people have been quick to criticise us in recent weeks and some quarters of the media have not exactly been understanding towards the challenge we face. All I can say is that these individuals do not understand the enormous task we face and I take great pride in having done our talking on the track today. Let's now focus our efforts towards Canada and see whether our new development is consistent on other tracks.''

Jean Todt [Team manager - Ferrari]:

"This is a great result, on a track which is very demanding on the drivers and the cars. Everything went very well from start to finish. We profited from the problems of our main rivals, which meant we did not have to push to the limit. I must compliment Coulthard for being very fair in letting Michael and Rubens pass him. The team did an excellent job without making the slightest error. Rubens experienced a pain in his leg, but overcame it to bring the car home in second place. Our lead in the drivers' championship is not that big and we know that in order to maintain this level of performance and reliability, we must continue to work very hard and methodically. I am also very happy for the Prost team who, thanks to a strong race from Jean Alesi, were able to pick up a very important point for their season."

Bobby Rahal [CEO - Jaguar Racing]:

''This was a real morale booster for the team and I'd like to pass on my heartfelt thanks to everyone involved with Jaguar Racing. We have faced many critics in the past few weeks, and I hope today's result proves that we are making progress. The magnitude of the task ahead of us cannot be overstated enough, and the challenge now is to turn this maiden podium into consistency. Jaguar Racing is not here to make up the numbers and our long-term goal is to win the world championship. That takes time, resources, stability and consistency. Taking third place alongside the Ferraris at Monaco is one small step in a very long road ahead of us. Nevertheless, it's just reward for the work everybody has put in and I'm delighted with our achievement today.''

Jacques Villeneuve:

"I am happy to have finished in the points. It's always a tough race and an easy race to make a mistake in, but we finished forthwith a car that was a little bit slower. We had a very good set-up this weekend, and the team did a fantastic job. The car was good and precise, and I could push with it all weekend. I kept pushing Eddie, although I knew he had a quicker car, but he didn't make a mistake. It's been fun.''

David Coulthard:

"At the start of the formation lap there was a technical problem with the launch control, which stopped the engine. It's something we have tested a lot and it shouldn't have happened. Obviously I was frustrated when it occurred, but as a racing driver you have to overcome that and concentrate on getting the car started and get on with the race. I was stuck behind Bernoldi for many laps and I was afraid that if I took a dive he might cut across and we would both end up in the barriers, so I had to be very patient. We have to look at the positives and once we were in the race, we had a quick and reliable car. I'm pleased to finish in the points but I wanted to win."

Jean Alesi:

''This first point is such a great thing that I have the impression that today is a new start for our team. I am particularly pleased to have achieved the result at Monaco, too. I totally enjoyed my race although, towards the end, when I felt the car vibrating in the tunnel, I was really worried. It was a flat [left rear] tyre, and I had to go back to the pits to change it, which cost me fifth place points. But what is important today is that I scored the first point for the team. A big thank-you to all those who have been supporting us through our difficult times.''

Jenson Button:

"Things felt quite good today. In the first stint the car had a bit of understeer in the high-speed corners. In the low-speed stuff, on the other hand, we had a bit of over steer. After the pit stop it felt better. It was good to finish a race in the top ten, even if it is a little frustrating to be just outside the points. But it was nice to be racing for something. It was good fun and I hope we can sort out the problems we have had recently in order to chase points at every race."

Jos Verstappen:

"I'm really annoyed that we stalled in the pit-stop. I was having a great time as I passed about five cars fair and square during the early part of the race, which is very difficult here, and the car was feeling very good. It's a real shame as we should have been on for some points today.''

Enrique Bernoldi:

"My start was okay with just a little pushing and shoving. My team-mate got past me in the early stages and after that I settled into the race. I have to say it was pretty hard going, as I had to be careful that when I let the leaders thorough I didn't also let through the people I was racing with. I'm pleased I finished my first F1 grand prix in Monaco, but am a little disappointed there were no points in it for me.''

Kimi Raikkonen:

''I really thought my race was finished when I had to stop at the pits on lap 15 while running ninth, but the team was able to bypass the problem so I rejoined five laps down. It was a shame because I really like the Monte Carlo circuit. It's very different. After my unscheduled stop, I ran without traction control. The car ran trouble-free in the second part.''

Ralf Schumacher:

"That I am disappointed is obvious. All of a sudden a warning light came on, shortly after that the power steering went and as I came into the pits I could not shift anymore. When I came to a halt the engine cut out.''

Tarso Marques:

''I think I made a good start, as I gained two positions on the first lap, but after awhile, some intermittent problems began to arise. At first, they seemed to be electronics-related, but then gear selection began to be affected, and then the traction control. Finally, in the closing stages of the race, a drive shaft may have broken, because I lost drive almost completely.''

Fernando Alonso:

''The car felt pretty good, but after the first 20 laps I could not select first gear any more, so I was forced to use second gear instead. Clearly, from that moment on, my race became increasingly difficult. Under such conditions, all I could do was keep going and hope for the best, but in the end, the gearbox failed. Clearly, we must work on our reliability in order to improve our finishing record.''

Heinz-Harald Frentzen:

''Everything was okay at the start. I chose the manual option because it was safer and got away without incident. Although I couldn't overtake anyone, I was having a consistent and solid race and the car's handling and balance felt very good. I was in seventh place, chasing Jean Alesi, and I don't know exactly what happened in the tunnel. I experienced understeer after the apex, and then hit the barrier on the exit, sliding all the way down to the chicane. The impact was quite hard and I hit my head. Starting from thirteenth position on the grid was clearly unlucky for me today."

Giancarlo Fisichella:

"I hit the barrier at Ste Devote once because I had a brake problem, but then it happened again when my car stuck in gear. It was a shame because I felt really good throughout the race and we were competing for a top- six position again. The car was much better this weekend and I enjoyed my time on the track."

Jarno Trulli:

"I am extremely disappointed with what happened today. After a good start and a trouble-free first part of the race, I was struggling over five or six laps with the rear of the car. The next thing I knew, the car stopped at Rascasse on lap 50 with flames coming out the back. I'm not sure what the cause was but it seems to have been a hydraulic problem, with the car losing pressure over those laps, which explains why the handling became difficult. Until then, the car felt very good and I was not really pushing too hard as I was trying to save the tyres. Monte Carlo is clearly not a circuit where things go well for me. This result is so frustrating because we seem to be competitive. But we must be in a position to finish more races."

Luciano Burti:

''At the start, as I tried to overtake Verstappen, he moved suddenly towards my car, touched and broke my front wing, so I had to stop and change it. Then I was [running] quite quickly, not far off Jean's pace, but the frontrunners started lapping me, and it was difficult to keep space and carry enough speed. On top of that, right after the 20th lap, my brake pedal started getting very long, and I missed the braking point for turn one [Ste Devote]. I managed to stop the car but, when I tried to put it into reverse, it did not work and I had to stop there. We have to investigate the cause of the problem, which ended my first Monaco Grand Prix.''

Pedro de la Rosa:

''This was obviously a very disappointing race for me and a continuation of the bad luck that has plagued me so far this season. Come to think of it I've never had any luck around Monaco anyway, so I guess that's consistency! My start was OK and I actually overtook Frentzen, but I then had to let Raikkonen past to avoid an unnecessary first corner accident. I was able to hold my position comfortably from there on and the car felt very well balanced. On lap 18, at the left-hander before Casino, I had to let Frentzen through to avoid another accident, and then I just lost the gearshift and throttle, so I guess it must have been the hydraulics. Even though I'm disappointed it's been a good weekend for the team and we have shown that we can be competitive.''

Mika Hakkinen:

"I made a good start and was close behind Michael when all of a sudden the car just started pulling to the right. I went into the pits but the crew couldn't find anything wrong immediately and we decided to go back out. However the car was still behaving in a strange manner, and I decided that it would be impossible to go flat out and there was no other option than to retire. We are not sure what the problem was but I know that I didn't hit anything and I'm sure the engineers will find out very soon."

Olivier Panis:

''I am disappointed that my race ended so early. I am not sure what happened to the car. I was unable to steer through the slow corners, so I had to make an unplanned pit-stop. I came in so that the mechanics could check the car but, when I rejoined, I had the same problem. It's a shame, as I really enjoy the circuit here in Monaco, and I would have liked to have finished the race. However, I am happy for Jacques and the team that he finished inn the points.''

Juan Montoya:

''I made a mistake and paid for it. The car was good and I have nothing to complain about. The Michelin tyres worked well. My accident happened when I shifted down, lifted off, had understeer and crashed into the barrier."

Nick Heidfeld:

''We made the car a little better this morning so I was hoping for a good race. All I know is that one of the Arrows drivers hit me in the corner before Portier. I rode up over his wheel, quite high, and crashed into the barriers. I'm very disappointed.''

Craig Pollock [Managing director - BAR]:

''I am really delighted for the whole team, our sponsors and Honda. We just missed a podium - we though perhaps we could challenge for it, but it did not come our way. Monaco has always been a difficult race for us, but Jacques drove an absolutely brilliant race today. We are disappointed for Olivier, as it would have been great to have both drivers in the points.''

Malcolm Oastler [Technical director - BAR]:

''A really good result for the team. This is our third time here, but it's the first time we've scored points. Jacques did a great job. Its a shame that we didn't give Olivier the chance to do the same. We scored more points that a lot of teams today, which is great for our championship challenge.''

Ron Dennis [Team principal - McLaren]:

"An eventful and frustrating day but that is motor racing. At this stage its inappropriate to comment on the problems we experienced apart from that the fact that the responsibility doesn't rest with the drivers. Once the race settled down the team worked hard to contribute to David's points scoring drive. The championship remains completely open.''

Norbert Haug [Motorsport director - Mercedes-Benz]:

"David and Mika demonstrated what would have been possible for them today. David stopped through no fault of his own before the formation lap and lost every chance of winning despite the fact that he was the fastest driver during the race. Mika's race was equally disappointing, but at this stage we don't know the cause of his retirement."

Alain Prost [Team principal - Prost GP]:

''Our car has improved to the point that, since Thursday, we have been within competitive positions. The weekend has, overall, been very positive for us, in spite of the difficulties encountered by Luciano, who unfortunately could not finish his first race at Monaco. Jean has done a great job, and the team's constant efforts have finally paid off today. This first result will allow us to work with a little less pressure, but we know that we still have a long way to go. It's great to be able to celebrate today, and I would like to thank and congratulate the whole team.''

Patrick Head [Technical director - BMW.WilliamsF1]:

''Obviously a pretty disappointing result as both cars made good starts and were fourth and fifth on the first lap. We lost Juan Pablo early and while Ralf could not stay with the Ferraris he had the pace of Irvine. We had some sort of electrical problem on the car, which caused other systems on the car to fail. We have a lot of work to do as we want race finishes and we will be working very hard on that.''

Gerhard Berger [Motorsport director - BMW]:

''Obviously luck is not with us at the moment. We lost one car due to driver error and the other with a technical failure. It has cost us important points today. It is a great pity we are not on the podium as this seemed a real possibility. Now our first priority is reliability.''

Mike Gascoyne [Technical director - Arrows F1]:

"We threw away points today when a fuel pressure problem caused Jos to stall in his pit-stop. He drove a solid race with some great overtaking manoeuvres and Enrique did well to cope with the pressure of having Coulthard behind him for nearly half of the race without making a mistake. We're disappointed that we have got two cars home at one of the toughest races of the year but not be rewarded with points.''

Peter Sauber [Team principal - Sauber]:

''I am very unhappy about the first lap, when Verstappen caused the accident which put Nick Heidfeld into the wall. Kimi Raikkonen had to stop so that we could switch to an emergency programme when a wheel-speed sensor failed on his car. He was able to restart, and despite not having traction control was able to set competitive lap times on his way to tenth place."

Paul Stoddart [Team principal - European Minardi]:

''The bottom line is that it has been a very disappointing day for the European Minardi F1 team, with both cars failing to finish. Fernando drove a strong race, rising as high as ninth but, sadly, a gearbox problem put paid to his chances of a top ten finish. Tarso also went well, but failed to reach the finish when a drive train problem forced him to retire.''

Pat Symonds [Director of engineering - Benetton Formula]:

"Giancarlo followed his good qualifying performance with an excellent race punctuated by one lucky escape. His afternoon was brought to an end, however, after he suffered a hydraulic failure. His car became stuck in gear and that caused him to hit the barrier. That was a great shame because he was certainly on course for a good points finish. Jenson was not quite as competitive, but the critical point in his race was trying to gain an edge on David Coulthard during our scheduled pit stop, and we were not able to do that.''

Mike Gascoyne [Technical director - Benetton Formula]:

"First and foremost it is nice to be back racing again and looking to score points, although it was disappointing not to take any home. Giancarlo did a fantastic job and pushed very hard. It was a great shame that he had a spin because he was on target for a top-six finish. It was important for Jenson to get a race distance under his belt. Overall this weekend has marked a big step forward. We thought our basic chassis package was OK and I think we have proved that. We know we have to be patient because we have improvements coming at Magny-Cours, and I think we can be very confident that we will get more and more competitive in the second half of the season."

Eddie Jordan [Team principal - Jordan GP]:

"This has sadly not been a good weekend for Jordan. We must put Austria and Monaco behind us and return to our point-scoring form of the first five races this season.''

Trevor Foster [ Managing director - Jordan Grand Prix]:

''As today's result shows, it was very easy to score points if you could make it to the end, which unfortunately, we were unable to do. Until we get the cars back and analyse the data, we can't be sure exactly what happened with either car. Heinz obviously hit the barrier, but we have yet to find the cause. It looked like Jarno had some kind of lubricant fire, possibly hydraulic fluid or engine oil.''