Schumacher Fights Hard And Is Aided By Reliability

By Dale Calkins
July 31 2005

Michael Schumacher took second place in the Hungarian Grand Prix today, a true testament to his driving skill. Schumacher fought extremely hard all weekend, but in the end the tyres were just not up to the challenge.

Badoer Prepares Ferrari

Schumacher Fights Hard And Is Aided By Reliability	Dale Calkins
Michael Schumacher Race: 2nd + 0'35.581 Michael Schumacher warned the Tifosi that this race would not be a good one for him, but after his strong second place today his pessimism does not seem to have been validated. Schumacher drove a very strong lap in qualifying, taking the pole for the 64th time, despite being a bit heavier on fuel than others. Michael kept the lead at the start of the race, but the pressure from 2nd place Kimi Raikkonen was quite intense. Both drivers rocketed away from the field, swapping fast lap each time around. Kimi would eventually take the first position during pit stops as Schumacher's tyres began to wear away as they did in Germany. Despite not taking top honors, it was clear that Schumacher drove a brilliant race and that all of the team's hard work is paying off. Here is what the 7-Time World Champion had to say about his race in Hungary: "I am happy with this result, which is a good reward for all the work the team has put in over the last few months. I was pretty happy with my pace in the early stages and there was not much between mine and Kimi’s, especially when you consider he was running lighter. But then the pace from the tyres got slower, even though they were still consistent. After that, it was really the pit stops that decided it. If I could have come in at the same time or later than Kimi, then maybe, given how hard it is to overtake here, I might have been able to win. In the closing stages, Ralf got closer, but by then, I was just looking after my tyres and I only went as quick as I needed to keep him behind me. We have made a step in the right direction. It is clear where we have to improve and we will keep on working, but we now seem to have improved our qualifying and early pace." Rubens Barrichello Race: 10th + 1 Lap Rubens Barrichello did not seem to benefit from Ferrari's increased pace this weekend, as he toddled home in 10th place. This of course was aided by a coming together with Jarno Trulli in the first corner chaos, resulting in the changing of Rubens' front wing. Before that happened, Barrichello was actually moving through the field, passing a few drivers into turn one. Unfortunately, Rubens' race was just not meant to be as he battled for mid field positions with Alonso, who had also lost a wing at the first corner. Here is what the Brazilian had to say about his lackluster drive: "I was a bit unlucky to get caught up in a big fight at the end of the straight. All of a sudden, the pack almost stopped and as I tried to slow down, I locked a wheel and went straight into the back of Trulli. I am really sorry for the team, because today we had a better car and a much better tyre, even though there is still room to improve. Without the incident, I think we could have got both cars on the podium, because I had a good strategy." Ross Brawn Technical Director Ferrari's Technical Director Ross Brawn, was certainly pleased with today's results, but still wanted more. Here is what Ross had to say about the Hungarian Grand Prix: "With Michael, we had a pretty good race and I don’t think there is much more we could have done. In the first part of the race, we pushed as hard as we could, but once we knew it would not be enough, from then on we changed our approach and simply managed the situation to ensure we did not become vulnerable later in the race. The tyres held up quite well. We had a good strategy today and I don’t know how we could have beaten Kimi because he was so quick. But we have made progress and if we can continue to do so then maybe we can have a strong end to the season. Of course, it was disappointing that Rubens got caught out at the beginning. On a track like this, pitting for a front wing and compromising the strategy makes life very difficult"
July 31, 2005
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