Formula 1 News

2008 British GP, race: Honda quotes 

Ross Brawn: “We are delighted with the result from today’s race and Rubens’ first podium for Honda is very well deserved. He did a magnificent job out there, providing great information to help put together exactly the right tyre calls and strategy today. Without the fuel rig problem that we had at the second pit stops, he would certainly have finished one position higher in second place. We were aware that rain was forecast for today, and we had compromised our qualifying settings yesterday to be better prepared for the wet conditions, a decision which fully paid off in the race. Scoring our first podium of the season is a huge boost for the morale of the entire team, everyone here at the track today and all the people who work so hard back at the factory. It is doubly rewarding to have achieved this result at our home race, so close to both of our UK facilities at Brackley and Bracknell. Additionally, we have secured six extremely valuable points which opens up the potential to chase for sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship over the rest of the season.”

Jenson Button: “It was a crazy race today with the conditions changing all the time. We had some good pace on the wet tyres for the first part of the race before the heavy shower which brought both Rubens and I into the pits for extreme wets on lap 35. Shortly after that stop, I hit standing water at Bridge which caused the car to aquaplane off the circuit. I tried to spin the car round but there was another car coming so I had to get out of the way, couldn’t get the car round far enough and ended up trapped in the gravel. There’s always a bit of luck involved in this type of race and unfortunately it wasn’t my day for luck today. Congratulations to Rubens on his third place and first podium for the team.”

Rubens Barrichello: “It’s a great feeling to be back on the podium today after such an exciting race where the weather conditions really helped us to get the best out of the car. The most important decision of the race for us was switching to the extreme wet tyre when the heavy rain started to fall at half distance. I had a real moment at Club, going off at high speed and almost hitting the wall, and that made me realise that we needed to make a quick decision. After fitting the extreme wets, I was able to overtake the cars in front easily which was a great feeling. Making such a crucial decision at a key time comes from experience and from the team having the confidence in me to make the call. I would like to say a big thank you to the team today – to everyone back at the factory and also in Japan. Life is about learning from your experiences, and we have been through some tough times over the last couple of years. But I always had faith that there were good times ahead and I know there are plenty more to come.”

source: Honda Racing