Thursday's press conference - British GP - Pt. 1.

Drivers: Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari), David Coulthard (McLaren) and Juan Pablo Montoya (Williams).

Team Personnel: Flavio Briatore (Renault) and Eddie Jordan (Jordan).

Press conference:

Q: Flavio [Briatore], what can you tell us about Jenson Button and whether he will be driving for Renault next year?

Flavio Briatore:
This is quite interesting. Honestly, we haven't decided yet. We don't know. At this moment, we are looking at different options which are the best for our team, and Jenson and Jarno [Trulli] have both done a very good job this year. I hope they are doing better in the future, but I don't know, honestly. I believe in one month's time we make our decision but for the moment, no decision has been made.

Q:
Everyone is saying that Fernando Alonso will take over from him. Does he really have enough experience?

FB:
I don't know about experience, but he's done one full year in Formula One with Minardi and testing our car and we don't know if Fernando is driving for us next year or for another team. Really, it's quite simple. We haven't made up our mind and I know there is much interest in what people are writing.

Q:
Flavio, an interesting story appeared that you were going to pose nude for a charity book. Is this true? (Laughter from Eddie Jordan)

FB:
Why are you laughing?

Eddie Jordan:
He frightens them away already. He doesn't need to do it any more. Jeeesus, what a sight that would be!

FB:
It's for charity, but not completely nude. It's for charity.

EJ:
What, are you going to hide your head? I'm better recognized by my face...

FB:
It's a proposal but not decided yet. Like for the drivers, not decided yet.

Q:
David [Coulthard], you've posed in the nude before. Any advice?

FB:
Yes, but there is no competition between me and him. I saw a picture of David in Sardinia last summer, which was quite good.

David Coulthard:
I think you've hit the nail on the head because when I did the nude shots it was in Miami and it was with natural light so the sun was on me and that's very important, let everything hang down low. It wasn't as embarrassing. I certainly wouldn't have done it in Scotland.

Q:
Eddie, how much would charge to pose in the nude, for charity of course?

EJ:
The funny thing is that, unlike David and Flavio, I am better recognized by my face. So I'm not sure what part I'd cover.

DC:
You'd show your face?

EJ:
Can we have a sensible press conference or are you going to degrade this into some meaningless thing? Can we have some serious questions because we're serious people up here? Aren't we Flavio?

Q:
OK, you asked for it. What about this new Honda engine, somebody says it's slightly heavier and doesn't actually show much improvement?

EJ:
That is a rumour, it's not true. It's lighter and there is more power.

Q:
Now you've just had a trio of fifth places. Is that about as much as you can expect from this year?

EJ:
To get points at all at the moment it's a big struggle for anybody, other than McLaren, Williams and Ferrari, and Flavio seems to have a handle on the next position so there's a little bit of a fight between Flavio who has shown better than we have for sure, but we're going to try to catch him. It's going to be incredibly difficult but there's a fight between Sauber, ourselves and Flavio and Flavio seems to have, at this moment in time, a better chance. So to get fifth places and points, I promise you, in the current environment, is not bad. That's not being complacent, it's being realistic. It is extremely tough and as this season gets longer, the big teams and hopefully it's David's turn to take Juan Pablo [Montoya] off this time so maybe we will have the chance of getting some points if they continue to do this, for which I will be eternally grateful. Please continue lads, it's great sport. But that's the only way you can do it. If they all finish, we're dead.

Q:
David, you've had a fantastic record here at this race, what can we expect this time?

DC:
I think on previous race performance we will probably be third row-ish in qualifying and seeing how the race unfolds, unlike in the previous races where there's been quite a soft tyre which obviously has benefited us over Williams. Compounds are obviously a little bit harder for these faster tracks so to be honest, I don't know just how that tyre is going to perform or how the two tyres we have are going to perform. But I suspect it will probably be a bit more durable, so it may be a case of if the Ferraris are running reliably and the Williams are running reliably then we will be in behind them.

Q:
So will you be battling with Juan Pablo again?

DC:
There's always that possibility. That was the first time we've been running wheel to wheel this year, in fact the first time since Juan Pablo came to Formula One, so it's good, in many ways, to get the first shunt out of the way and then we can concentrate on the next one.

Q:
Rubens, no Ronaldo haircut then?

Rubens Barrichello:
I was afraid that my hair wouldn't grow any more, so that's it. I let the guys, my friends at the CART race do it.

Q:
Have you had a word with Michael [Schumacher] about the result of the World Cup?

RB:
Oh yes. See: (reveals T--shirt with 2-0 written on it). Made specially for him.

Q:
What has he had to say about the result?

RB:
Not much, not much. It was good fun. After the game, I tried to call him everywhere, but he wasn't anywhere, I don't know where he was. He really didn't answer.

Q:
Where did you watch it?

RB:
I watched in Portugal this time. I was there for a golf charity tournament, there were a lot of Brazilians so it was good.

Q:
What have you been told to expect for the rest of the season, following the result of the European Grand Prix?

RB:
I don't think there's anything to be told. We are free to race. It was a good race in Nurburgring. I had a fantastic first lap and I was allowed to race. It was a time in the race when I was a little bit scared of blistering my rear tyres but that would have been my only problem, because, after my first pit stop, if I had pushed and then I had had a blister, of course Michael, if he was OK with the tyres, he could have caught me and overtaken, so I just took care of the situation, allowing myself to have three or four laps just taking care of the tyres and then pushing at the right time. People were saying that Michael did a 32.2s whatever he did and he was half a second faster than everyone but I think it was a case of pushing when the tyres were new or not and I think it was a fantastic race in terms of letting us race. And then, of course, I think every team would do the same, after ten laps to go there was no reason why both of just should fight for position and then crash. So for the rest of the season it will be the same thing - just see what's happening close to the final stage of the race.

Q:
We have nice English weather expected here with the possibility of showers. That's nice Barrichello pole position time, isn't it?

RB:
Well, sometimes it works your way and sometimes it doesn't. You just have to be there at the right time and in a way it's very funny because you can put the Silverstone race to whatever date you wish: July, October, May, January, sometime it's going to be raining anyway.

Q:
Juan Pablo [Montoya], I am sure the frustration continues after the European Grand Prix, the third pole position and the third failure to finish?

Juan Pablo Montoya:
Well, not really. I can't really do anything about it. I have been a bit unlucky on the engine side in the first two and in the last one I was fighting with David and my tyres were completely gone and I just spun. That's it.

Q:
Is that what it hinges on, this weekend, will it be tyres again?

JPM:
I think every race is mainly the tyres. Sometimes you get a really quick qualifying tyre and then you struggle in the race. In Canada it was quite good because it was quick in qualifying but we had a good race there as well.

Q:
I read that you said Michael is not unbeatable...

JPM:
I don't think he is. Rubens beat him in the last race. I think the guy is really good but he has got a really good car as well. I think the big issue we have got at the moment is the difference in the tyres. As you say, the Bridgestones can do the same lap time after 16 laps as in the first lap.

Q:
Have you got a feeling something is coming?

JPM:
Michelin are working really hard to do better tyres and they have, and it is just a matter of time to get everything right. I think it is going to be a bit tough this weekend for us because of the cold conditions, but the next few races coming are going to be good for us.