Q   Gentlemen, congratulations on a superb grand prix and
    Michael Schumacher on your home grand prix win. You
    had different strategies to Jean Alesi completely and
    yet you were only 2.5 seconds apart at the end. Why
    was that?

MS  A good question, I think Jean started in dry tyres at
    the start and we did in rain tyres. That meant that
    we had to make another extra stop which, for my car,
    I wouldn't have liked to risk it because as this
    championship is, there's no reason to risk such a
    thing. But obviously for Jean, it worked out up to
    the last laps. It was very close and I have to say I
    have always enjoyed fighting with Jean because it's
    always a fantastic fight we have, really serious, but
    absolutely correct.

    And why I have been in front? I would say because the
    team has built up a strategy which worked up to the
    end of the race. I was pretty upset when I did my 2nd
    stop. I thought that's it, so now I can push and go
    to the end of the race and they told me I have to
    come in another time. I thought, 'Shit. That's it,
    now I lost the race,' but the team has done a perfect
    effort the whole weekend again and for me, it's an
    amazing thing.

    I had so much luck this year. Things went so well for
    us. Winning the German grand prix in Hockenheim, I
    thought this is the greatest I have ever achieved and
    it will be difficult to achieve it again, but the way
    I won this race today, it's unbelievable and again in
    Germany I made it full now. The two home grand prix
    plus the grand prix where I live in Monte Carlo and
    Spa. I won all of them.

    I'm very glad. I'm very glad for me and for the team,
    especially for the supporters I had here. They were
    tremendous, I mean the weather condition over the
    whole weekend, having so much support of my fans,
    it's just fantastic.

Q   The race was so full of incidents but pick out one.
    When you tangled with Damon Hill early in the race
    did you actually touch at that corner? 

MS  No, we haven't touched. It was close, but that is
    what racing is about but we didn't touch. I stayed
    outside, gave him the room while I wanted to continue
    and the next corner then he catch me up, until he
    made a mistake in the last corner and I could pass
    him back again. 

Q   Jean Alesi, an excellent 2nd place. A very brave
    decision to start on slick tyres with the rest of the
    field on wets. Why did you take that decision?

JA  Honestly, I have no possibility at this moment to
    fight. I was 6th on the grid. I had nothing to lose,
    so I decide to start in slicks. I'm sure it was the
    right decision. Even if at the beginning it was very,
    very difficult because sometimes on some parts of the
    track it was much, much quicker and some parts was
    very, very slippery but anyway, I'm really happy with
    the decision because I'm sure it was the right one.

Q   Now, with just a few laps to go you went wide. Do you
    think that was the point where you may have lost the
    race?

JA  Yes and no. Yes, because I lose a lot of time in this
    manoeuvre but the big problem was Hakkinen. When I
    catch him he just push and we have a new regulation
    now with the blue flag, I was very surprised, and
    they have to slow down. By radio they ask me push
    again, my team and I ask them to go to the clerk of
    the course to say something and I don't know what
    they said. I saw again some new blue flags, I try to
    overtake him and again I have some problems. So I'm
    sure I lose a lot of time at this moment and then
    ofcourse when I try to push I go straight on at the
    chicane and it was the last chance.

Q   David Coulthard, 3rd place again. What happened
    during the warm up, the 3rd time you've had problems
    this year?

DC  Is it the 3rd time? I remember Monza but, no I was
    very surprised. I came through the fast chicane on
    the warm up lap normally.

MS  Oh, it was you that was there?

DC  It was me again, yeah. I just got to the exit and the
    car snaps sideways. I thought 'Oh my god, not again,'
    and I stalled the engine and ofcourse then had to
    come back and take the spare car which wasn't ideal
    ofcourse for the race because your own car always
    feels just a little bit better. But all credit to the
    mechanics again, who had to yet again prepare the
    spare car for me, so a big thank you to them, and
    ofcourse that compromised the race a little bit. But
    I have to say for Michael to win with 3 stops, for
    me, it probably rates amongst his best wins. So big
    congratulations to him.

Q   Now at one point you were just ahead of Damon and it
    was pretty close and then you seemed to pull wide to
    allow him through. Was that orders from the pits?

DC  Yeah, it was at that time. Initially in the 1st part
    of the race when it was wet, I think I was running
    quite quickly but then as the circuit started to dry
    out I had some problems. The car was very nervous at
    the rear, so I couldn't commit as hard on the damp
    track as the other drivers. I wasn't interested in
    spoiling the battle between Michael and Damon, so I
    moved over and let him through and then I was
    surprised to find myself in front of him again later
    in the race and then he went off. I think I had a 1
    lap advantage to Barrichello so it was quite an easy
    3rd and so some good points.

Q   Michael, you're now 27 points ahead with only 30
    available. You must feel even more comfortable now
    with the position?

MS  For sure, I mean in my wildest dreams I wouldn't have
    thought about this being after that race 27 points
    ahead. It's unbelievable. I saw Damon in the wall
    suddenly and I thought that's the point now to more
    or less secure the championship and then I thought
    what I gonna do. Do I stay in 2nd position or am I
    gonna fight for 1st position and I was so strongly
    pushed by my fans and I really pushed very hard then
    to give a victory to my fans, which was dramatic. I
    mean, between me and Jean, it got very tight. We
    maybe could have got a lot wrong but, in this moment
    I took the risk because Damon was already out of the
    race. So by the worst I would have maybe stopped as
    well and it would have been 17 points up in the next
    3 races. I took the risk. I won the race. Nothing
    could have been better.

Q   We saw on your final lap, as you were going around,
    Damon Hill actually applauding you. He obviouly
    appreciated the victory here today.

MS  Yeah, he did and I think it was a fantastic and nice
    manoeuvre, the thing he done. I appreciate very much
    from him. That shows to the outside how it's really
    the situation between of us. We are not maybe the
    best friends but we don't really have problems
    against each other and there is not such a strong
    situation as has been built up by the press.

Q   Well gentlemen, congratulations on an excellent
    race.

-- 
David Goodwin