F1: British GP winners' press conference

• David Goodwin
• Myorganisation
• Sun Jul 14 23:22:45 EDT 1996

Q  Well, Jacques your second career win in a total of ten
   races, you must be absolutely delighted?

JV Yeah, I'm very happy. After the first win we had a few
   good results but we're most of the time second behind
   Damon, so we really wanted to put one on him.

Q  You had a good start and then you pushed very hard
   initially, building up a good lead, that must have been
   very reassuring?

JV Yeah, we had a pretty good start. Jean Alesi had an even
   better one and it was a good fight into turn one but,
   once I was in the lead and I knew Damon wasn't second, I
   pushed really hard so if he was able to get second and
   then he could run quickly, at least I would have a bit
   gap.

Q  Half way through you built up a lead of about 30 seconds,
   did you have any difficulty concentrating once you were
   so far out ahead?

JV No, because after the pit stop I was just behind Jean and
   I knew he was on one pit stop so it was important to keep
   pushing until I had finished my second pit stop to see
   where we were.

Q  Gerhard, we haven't seen you since San Marino, it must be
   great to be back in the top three?

GB Well yeah, it's a hard season for me and for my team so
   that's why we are very happy about the result today. I
   had not a very good position on the starting grid. My
   start was okay, but Eddie Irvine was quite hard in the
   first corner and he goes for it. I didn't want to take
   any risk because I need to get points. I need to get the
   team confident. I need points for the constructors
   championship, so I didn't get in any fight and once I was
   eighth, so I just pushed. I know I was on one stop and
   that most of the cars in front of me was on two stops so
   I just had to keep with them going and I know I am going
   to be in front of them all and once I was free I pushed
   very hard. I slowly caught Jean and just when I was
   behind him, I think he starts to get a bit brake
   problems and actually myself too and I start to play a
   bit on the brake balance and I get it just right until
   some laps before the end and then I had really brake
   problems on the slow down.

Q  We saw that on the television, we saw a pit board with
   'cool brakes' for you, do you think you could have passed
   Jean if neither of you had had no problems?

GB Well, you never know. I caught him in the second set of
   tyres because in the first set I wasn't happy with the
   tyre pressure. The car didn't handle nice but after I had
   stopped and I had the second set of tyres on I felt good
   and I could come immediately closer to Jean, so you never
   know. The last race I couldn't overtake him because he
   didn't do a mistake. This race, I don't know, maybe I
   could.

Q  Mika, your first finish in the top three this year. The
   last time we saw you was in Japan, bearing in mind what's
   happened in Australia and everything, this must be a very
   emotional moment for you to be back on the podium?

MH Well, I don't know it's emotional but it is a fantastic
   feeling. I mean, these two guys were too quick today. I
   mean, there is no chance to catch them or overtake them
   or anything and I had to just to keep my position and go
   maximum with the car and go and it brought me a third
   position, which is absolutely more than I expected to
   come here in this British grand prix.

Q  You had a fantastic start and then had quite a long
   battle with Damon. When Damon made a move and had a car
   failure going off the track, were you aware of that?
   Could you see that in your mirrors or not?

MH Yeah, he was all the time very close to me on the first
   part of the section, which I knew that his car was
   definitely better in the first section, and he was always
   catching he in Hangar Straight and staying on my tail in
   Stowe and then I kind of pull away in a couple of corners
   and there he came again behind and one point we came out
   of the complex, through the main pit straight, across the
   start finish line and we were heading for the Copse,
   which is the first corner of the track, and there he was
   again very close behind and suddenly he disappeared from
   the mirrors. I guess he went a bit wide.

Q  Jacques, Hockenheim, do you know the circuit there at
   all? What are your feelings about going on to the German
   grand prix?

JV No, I've never been there. It's a pretty quick track from
   what I've heard. It's not too complex and we've got a
   pretty efficient car on downforce, so I'm looking forward
   to that one.

-- 
David Goodwin