Qualifying Quotes - San Marino Grand Prix.

Jenson Button:

"Obviously, I'm thrilled to achieve pole position - the first for me and the team. This is a fantastic moment in my career and the team's history, and I'm just so pleased for everyone who is now starting to see all their hard work and support pay off."

"It's great to break Ferrari's streak of poles so far this season - and on their home turf as well - but pole doesn't bring you points unless you work very hard in the race to maintain that starting position. We are under no illusions that tomorrow is going to be a tough race and we'll have to watch Michael every step of the way."

"The car feels great; much better than in pre-qualifying, when I had very low grip. I was really pleased with my lap, and it all came together when it counted. For the first time in my F1 career I'll be starting the race with no one in front of me, which I know will be a special moment for me, but I'll be focusing 100 per cent on the start lights, because it's all down to me from there."

Michael Schumacher:

"Once I saw that Jenson had done a good lap, I knew that for me it was a case of all or nothing. So I tried very hard, but I overdid it at the Variante Alta. I was actually lucky not to go off the track and spin. But even without that moment, I do not think I would have been quick enough for pole."

"I think it will be an interesting race tomorrow and a tight battle, especially the run down to the first corner, given the potential of the drivers at the front end of the grid. I was happy with my car today, although I did not have much grip in pre-qualifying as, once again I was the 'road sweeper' being first out on track."

Juan Montoya:

"I am very pleased with today's result, even if we did not equal the pre-qualifying session's positions as we were on a different fuel level. We have an excellent race car and this is what matters."

"We were able to improve the car from yesterday, and we are now in a good position to start the race. Jenson put in a very good lap, and also BAR and Honda have given him a better car with a better engine, this weekend. When I saw Jenson's time I thought: what time is Michael Schumacher going to set? It was an exciting qualifying."

Rubens Barrichello:

"Together with the engineers, we improved my car a lot compared to yesterday, when I was unhappy with the set-up. In qualifying, I was on a good lap, but it was not perfect in the final sector, which cost me precious time and positions. However, I am still confident for the race. We know we can count on a really good car and the Bridgestone tyres which we can rely on to go well even over a long distance."

Ralf Schumacher:

"On one hand, I am not unhappy because I know I have made the most out of the car, but, on the other hand, we were struggling with a couple of minor problems throughout the weekend and could not get rid of them completely. However, I am pretty confident for the race, as I believe my car is very well prepared."

"By the way, congratulations to Jenson on his first pole."

Fernando Alonso:

"Sixth is a good position for us, as I think the car is quick in race conditions, and that we can be very consistent on the long runs."

"On the timed lap, the handling was still a bit nervous, but I think that is the same for the other drivers - grip levels have been low this weekend, and that has made our job a bit more difficult. Overall, I am confident and think we will perhaps be able to fight at the front tomorrow."

Takuma Sato:

"It was not a perfect final qualifying lap for me because I didn't feel that I had a lot of grip, so I'm not satisfied. I was possibly riding the kerbs too much in the last sector, but the car generally worked well and I think we will have a strong package tomorrow."

"It is great to have two cars qualifying so high at the first European grand prix, especially with Jenson's pole position. Our new package has been working incredibly well, so everyone in the team, and at Honda and Michelin, should be very pleased with the results we have seen here. I am delighted that we have had such a good season so far and hopefully we can achieve another solid two-car finish tomorrow."

Mark Webber:

"I underperformed slightly in my first session, so we decided to make a slight change to the front flap to further improve the balance and general set-up of the car. This seemed to work and I am pleased with my final qualifying position for tomorrow's race."

"The boys have done a good job in preparing the car, and Michelin have delivered on the tyres, so we are in good shape for the race. I am aiming for some points here at Imola as we know we have a good car with pace on track. If we can capitalise on some attrition, then there is no reason why we cannot score some points. The circuit is historically hard on the car, so we will just have to wait and see what happens. We have the potential."

Jarno Trulli:

"A pretty good qualifying session for me. I made some little mistakes in the first and third sectors, but that only cost me a tenth or two. We are hoping for a trouble-free race tomorrow and then we are capable of scoring good points. Clearly, it will be a very close battle, but we worked well today, and I am optimistic for the race."

Cristiano da Matta:

"I am happy to be in the top ten again. Actually, I pushed a little bit too hard in sector one, which cost me some time. With another couple of tenths less, I would have been in the top six. The handling of the TF104 was quite good and the car felt really strong in the second and third sectors of my lap. I made no mistakes and was able to drive aggressively."

"Tomorrow, I will do my best to finish in the points."

David Coulthard:

"During my qualifying run, I locked up at the last corner, which cost me some time. However, despite today's qualifying result, our pace generally has been better here at Imola, and we have seen some improvement. I have no doubt that we will continue to make progress, but it will take some time. Let's wait and see what the race will bring."

Felipe Massa:

"I was happier with the car today. I made a mistake in pre-qualifying, otherwise my lap would have been better, but everything went well for me in qualifying and, given the strategy we have chosen, I am satisfied with my performance this afternoon. Our car will be more competitive in the race."

Olivier Panis:

"We have done a good job again this weekend. In fact, the gap to some of the other teams is much closer. It is positive that we are progressing constantly and concentrating on the right issues. Reliability is a strong point, so hopefully we can have a successful race."

"Unfortunately, I had an electronic problem on the warm-up lap and was close to stopping the car, but then the system came back. However, it may have affected my concentration and cost me three-tenths or so."

Christian Klien:

"This morning was disappointing, as I did not complete as many laps as I had planned. I made a driver error shortly after going out on track and, as a result of the damage to the car, the team had to do a very quick job in changing my chassis around with that of the T-car. They did a good job so when I went out this afternoon the car was well balanced and set-up for me."

"My qualifying lap was okay and I am reasonably pleased with how it went. I am looking forward to tomorrow, as I know that the R5 has good pace and I will be making the most of any opportunity to move up the grid during the race."

Giorgio Pantano:

"I'm feeling a little bit more positive at this race, because I'm getting much closer to my team-mate and that is the important thing for me. I think we have also made some changes which have improved the car a bit, and the gap between us and the cars in front is getting smaller. A few more races and hopefully we can close it even more. I'm happy with my qualifying and really looking forward to racing tomorrow."

Nick Heidfeld:

"I think my qualifying lap was not too bad although, halfway through, I started to lose a bit of grip, with oversteer affecting the rest of the lap. Otherwise, we have some new things and the car has improved since the last race. I would have hoped to have been even closer to the cars ahead of us, but we just have to keep working hard to close the gap."

Gianmaria Bruni:

"Unfortunately, we just weren't able to find a good balance for the car today and, on my flying lap, exiting the last corner, I hit the kerb so hard that it knocked the steering wheel out of my hands and I accidentally hit the button for the pit-lane speed limiter. As a result, I lost over half second before I could fix the problem."

"We'll run the new aero package tomorrow because we want to get some miles on it and develop a better understanding of how it works. It will be a tough race, but we'll see what we can do."

Zsolt Baumgartner:

"It has been quite a busy time for the team after the spin I had this morning. I have to thank the guys for the tremendous job they did changing over the spare car, which was set for Gimmi, during the lunch break. It felt different from my race car in the pre-qualifying run, but I just had to push hard for a time on the second run."

"Unfortunately, I made a mistake at the Variante Alta, but sometimes that happens when you are trying really hard. I am pleased, however, by the fact my first sector time on that lap was not bad. The goal is to have a consistent race tomorrow, as we did in Bahrain, and we'll just see what we can do."

Giancarlo Fisichella:

"I'm really disappointed. We made progress with the car today and it was better balanced than yesterday - and slightly better on the first lap on new tyres. In pre-qualifying, I thought I did a very good lap but, on my in-lap, I felt a problem with third gear. Unfortunately there wasn't enough time to change it before qualifying, so here I am at the back of the grid. It's my home race, and I knew it will be very tough starting that far back...."

Kimi Raikkonen:

"Obviously, I'm disappointed to experience the same sort of thing two races in a row. However, there is nothing I can do about it, and I will just go out tomorrow and do the best I can. I will have a new engine and a lot of determination, so we will see what happens."

David Richards [Team principal - BAR]:

"Taking pole position in Italy has to be one of life's most exciting moments, and this demonstrates what an incredible job everyone has done. Jenson's calm and committed lap was superb, Honda has done a fantastic job and all our hard work with Michelin over the winter is now paying dividends. But I think as much as anything, it is the unsung heroes back at base in England who should be proud of everything we have achieved together for this pole position."

Geoffrey Willis [Technical director - BAR]:

"Naturally I'm delighted, but not too surprised, to be on pole here - the first pole position from the team and Michelin's first pole of the season. Following the last three very successful tests, we felt confident that we would be highly competitive here, and the new upgrades would be a significant advantage."

"We have a very strong driver line-up, with all three of them working extremely well together, which gives us a big advantage. Both Jenson and Takuma have good race set-ups and it's now down to the whole team to maximise this opportunity tomorrow."

Shuhei Nakamoto [Engineering director - Honda Racing Development]:

"Fantastic - Jenson really did a great lap. To have pole this weekend means a lot to us all because the last time we were on pole was with Ayrton in 1992. I am looking forward to seeing how both the guys get on in the main event tomorrow."

Jean Todt [Team manager - Ferrari]:

"For the first time this season, we do not have a Ferrari on pole position. Doubtless, it will not be the last, just as there will be races where we will be back at the head of the field in qualifying."

"Michael was on an amazing lap, but a small off-track excursion in the third sector cost him first place and so he finds himself starting from 'only' second. Rubens was also going well, but he was not impeccable in the final section of the track and so, maybe, he could have been a bit higher up the order. However, "ifs" and "buts" count for nothing in the end!"

"The car, the engine, the Bridgestone tyres, Shell's fuel and lubricants - we have everything in place to put up a good fight in tomorrow's race. Racing in front of our fans and employees of the Ferrari Maserati Group who will be here with their families will give us an additional boost to give it our best and do well."

Ross Brawn [Technical director - Ferrari]:

"It was a very exciting qualifying session, probably the most unpredictable so far this season. Obviously, we are a bit disappointed not to be on pole in Imola, but we believe we have what we need to be competitive tomorrow, given that we still have both cars on the front two rows of the grid."

"Michael's final sector didn't quite come together, and the same went for Rubens, who also lost a bit in the final part of the track, having managed, along with his engineers, to significantly improve his car compared to yesterday's free practice."

Sam Michael [Chief operations engineer - BMW.WilliamsF1]:

"It was not a bad qualifying today. We have made a couple of changes overnight which improved the balance of the cars for today. We have a good race set-up on both cars, so we are looking forward to tomorrow's race. Reliability-wise, everything has been fine so far but, over the race distance, the circuit will be very demanding on brakes."

Mario Theissen [Motorsport director - BMW]:

"We have witnessed an exciting qualifying today with an unexpected result. Congratulations to Jenson Button and BAR, who have achieved their very first pole position."

"We have decided our qualifying strategy in relation to the fact that the circuit becomes faster during the sessions. So positions three and five in the end are good results. We did not experience any technical problems."

Pat Symonds [Executive director of engineering - Renault F1]:

"A good straightforward qualifying session. The car balance was, as expected, reasonable rather than perfect, but both drivers put in good laps. The tyres are performing very well and providing the weather conditions remain reasonable, we can look forward to a competitive performance."

"As always after qualifying, speculation now turns to when the teams will make their first pit-stops. We certainly have not compromised our race strategy in favour of qualifying performance."

Denis Chevrier [Operations manager - Renault F1 France]:

"Our qualifying performance today almost matches our best so far this season - in Australia. Both drivers put in very equal performances, and the new engine brought a gain which will be maintained throughout tomorrow's race. We are clearly in a position to challenge strongly tomorrow, but the question is now whether we can get a good haul of points, or whether we will have to settle for less."

Dr Mark Gillan [Head of vehicle performance- Jaguar Racing]:

"Mark did a good job today and completed several laps allowing us to make a few changes before his final qualifying to further improve the balance of the car. Looking ahead to tomorrow, we are in a good position for the race and we will be focusing on making a good start."

"Overtaking here can be difficult so we will be working on our strategy tonight to look at ways that we can make the most of any opportunities on track."

"It was frustrating not to have Christian complete more laps this morning ahead of qualifying but, as a result of braking slightly too late into corner twelve, the car spun and was damaged quite extensively. We were forced to change the chassis, but not the engine, and fortunately, as a result of the team working flat-out, we even managed to get Christian out for another eight laps at the end of this morning's sessions. He did a good job in qualifying and I am pleased with his position considering the little amount of running he has had all weekend."

Luca Marmorini [Technical director - Toyota F1]:

"I am really satisfied with our qualifying result. Traditionally, Imola has not been one of our more competitive circuits, but we are right in among a very close set of times in the middle of the grid. Generally, the set-up is good and the drivers have consistently improved it since yesterday."

"There are six cars within two-tenths of a second and so we can be optimistic for the race tomorrow. Imola is quite tough on engines but, currently, we have a 100 per cent finishing record in races this year. There is not a lot of full throttle running as the track has a lot of bumps and kerb-riding, which is stressful for engines and means very high rpm. Of course, we will be aiming for points in the race."

Ron Dennis [Team principal - McLaren]:

"Although it's clearly not apparent, we have made progress since the Bahrain Grand Prix. David's lock up in the last sector was costly, as the times are extremely close.

"Kimi's problem was related to a damaged exhaust valve seat ring, which was not considered by the engineers to be able to finish the race. As a result, we took the decision to change the engine and his race strategy for tomorrow."

Norbert Haug [Motorsport director - Mercedes-Benz]:

"We will change Kimi's engine after qualifying because we found a leakage in an exhaust valve seat ring. As a consequence, Kimi has to start from the back of the grid."

Peter Sauber [Team principal - Sauber]:

"We are pleased that Felipe got everything out of the car in the configuration in which we chose to run it today. Unfortunately, Giancarlo's gearbox broke after pre-qualifying, so he was unable to exploit the progress we have made on set-up this morning."

Eddie Jordan [CEO - Jordan GP]:

"Congratulations to everyone at BAR-Honda on their fine pole position. Honda's last pole was with Jordan and Heinz Harald Frentzen at the European Grand Prix at Nurburgring in 1999."

James Robinson [Director of race and test engineering - Jordan GP]:

"There seemed to be some different ideas about fuel load strategy in the first qualifying session today, and it's quite hard to understand why certain cars chose to do what they did in the second session."

"Giorgio wasn't happy with the balance of the car in first qualifying, but [race engineer] Dominic Harlow made a number of changes much to Giorgio's liking and he made good use of the car in second qualifying. Nick was reasonably happy with the car. Following his first run, he only made a number of small changes, but felt he didn't have as much grip in the second run, getting a little bit sideways at Aqua Minerale. It will be interesting to see where people are with regards to strategy in the race tomorrow and if any of the cars pit before lap ten."

Paul Stoddart [Team principal - European Minardi Cosworth]:

"Sadly, this has been our worst qualifying performance of the year and not one of which we are proud. Zsolt spun on his final run and Gimmi accidentally engaged the pit-lane speed limiter when exiting the last corner of the circuit on his flying lap. The result is that both Minardi entries failed to demonstrate their potential. This will make tomorrow's race difficult, but it's another day, and we look forward to completing one of our home races."