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Ferrari
Jean Todt
"The championship could not have finished better than this, with two drivers on the podium. This season’s figures speak for themselves: ten wins, nine for Michael and one for Rubens. It has been a fantastic year. Today, we could have got by with three points, but we wanted to think big, not small, which is what the team deserves. A big thank you to President Montezemolo, who is here this evening to celebrate this happy moment with the mechanics, engineers and drivers. A big thank you also to the fans and those who always believed in us. This dream result has been obtained thanks to a dream team.”
Michael Schumacher
“We wanted to win the Constructors‘ Championship and we have done it, not just by getting three points but by winning and by coming third. It was a very tight and tough race and DC was pushing me all the way, so it was tough physically and on the car. I did not know Mika had jumped the start as I was concentrating on the lights. I did not have a very good start and struggled to get off the line and so I was third as David out-braked me round the outside. He was pulling away and I was concerned, because I could not go any faster. At that point he was definitely quicker than me. I was hoping he would pit early. He did and our strategy did the rest. David put me under pressure at the end, but I had looked after the last set of
tires so that I could have defended myself if I had needed to fight him off. Then I just concentrated on not making a mistake. After the team has finished packing up, we will have a big, big party tonight and then we can go into a winter holiday, which the whole team deserves. They have worked so hard and delivered a perfect car. It’s superb!“
Rubens Barrichello
“The conditions were very hot and at first I was worried the heat might affect me as I still have a bit of ‘flu. But the car felt good all the time and so I was able to maintain a good pace. I also did not make a very good start and Wurz and Villeneuve came outside me. I was lucky not to hit anybody. I went into the corner really fast and managed to come out of Turn 2 ahead of Villeneuve. I had a lonely race, but I think it was my second best one after Hockenheim, because I was not feeling well but still raced at qualifying speed almost the whole time apart from the last ten laps, when the team told me on the radio to back off. My only problem was at the second pit stop when I could not get first gear and lost a few seconds. I am very pleased. The season has gone very well for me and to finish in a strong position like this means we can start next year in a strong position too.”
Benetton
Flavio Briatore, Managing Director:
"Congratulations to the team our fourth place in the championship. This is a great motivation for the team after a difficult year and so well done to everyone here and at the factory. I am sure the team will continue to get stronger and stronger now as we have put in some good foundations this year and we look forward to welcoming Jenson Button to the team to drive alongside Fisichella next season."
Pat Symonds, Technical Director:
"Our objective here in Malaysia was to maintain fourth place in the championship and I'm very pleased that we have done it albeit by the narrowest of margins. Congratulations to the whole team. The result is a distinct improvement on last year and I believe it is nothing on what is to come in the future!"
Alexander Wurz:
"I had a good start and retained 5th place after a little battle with Villeneuve. This was all fun and I was enjoying the race, then I realised I had a problem with the brakes. It was very difficult to keep the car on the road so I am happy I finished the race in 7th place. But all in all it is very disappointing as I had been very quick all weekend and so I at least expected to finish in the points. Now I would just like to thank the team for the four years we have spent together."
Giancarlo Fisichella:
"This was a difficult race. I was on a one-stop strategy and it didn't work much in our
favor as I had a lot of oversteer on the car. But the important thing is we are fourth in the Constructors Championship and I am still sixth in the Drivers Championship, so I'm happy for
this."
Sauber
Pedro Diniz
"A short race for me today! I got squeezed a bit in the second corner by Nick Heidfeld, and ended up hitting Jean Alesi, so that was it. A long way to come for such a short run."
Mika Salo
"My car felt great in the first stint, and I was able to climb up to eighth place by my first stop on the 16th lap. The second set of
tires gave me big understeer, however, and it wasn’t until I got my third set after my other stop on lap 36 that I could really push again. The last five laps were the best; you could really feel the grip coming back. I’d like to thank Peter and the team for a happy year, and wish them every success for 2001, when I hope that some of the things that I have helped to develop this season – such as power steering – prove beneficial."
Peter Sauber
"We are happy to have achieved two goals today: a top 10 finish and to keep ahead of Jaguar in the World Championship for Constructors. Pedro was unfortunate on the first lap, but Mika had another strong drive to eighth place and the team did its customary job in the pit stops. Once again, the C19 proved very reliable."
Jordan
Jarno Trulli
"The team took the opportunity to fill the car with fuel. It was very hard to drive after that - I think the car may have suffered more damage than I first thought in that earlier incident - and I had problems with the
tire pressures. It was obviously a disappointing way to finish the season and it was really sad to hear that Johnny Herbert's last race ended with an accident. It's good to hear he's not badly hurt and I look forward to seeing him soon back in Monaco. I think everyone is ready for a break after such a long and hard season but, despite these disappointments, I can't wait to start all over again in 2001!"
Heinz-Harald Frentzen
"It's best to put the season down to experience and everything into next year and a new relationship with Honda. I feel optimistic because I know the team has the capability and the experience to put Jordan Grand Prix back on the podium, where we belong."
Eddie Jordan
"2000 has been an incredibly tough season, especially coming on the back of the successes of last year. Arguably, though, we have learnt more this year than last, and the disappointments have made us more determined than ever to be back winning races. Our new partnership with Honda will play a key part in achieving this goal. I would like to thank Mugen-Honda for the two years we have enjoyed with them - they have been fantastic. Heinz and Jarno have done a good job under difficult circumstances, and I know that they are really looking forward to 2001."
Prost
Jean Alesi
"This race started in hard conditions. In the coming together of the first lap, I was hit at the back, spun and saw a wheel flying and tearing my mirror apart ! I did not know whether the car had been damaged or not. By luck, the safety car came out and the team soon confirmed there was no problem on my car. After that, I was trying to catch up as much as possible and I finished the race, but not with the result we needed to progress in the World Championship… Now we have to prepare well for this winter and do our best to be ready for the 2001 Championship."
Nick Heidfeld
"Unfortunately, there is not much I can say about this race since I was out at the second corner. I got stuck between two cars and I had no room to avoid the crash. I feel very sorry for the team. Although it is not the prefect way for me to finish the season, I want to thank everybody. I wish the team all the best for next year and we will see each other again."
Alain Prost
"In fact, this race mirrors quite well our season overall. We finished the race, but without being competitive enough. In such a situation this year, it was difficult to hope for a really strong result in the very last race. But in a way, we are happy that the season is over. Now all I hope is that we can prepare our future with calm and serenity. Everybody is now ready at Prost Grand Prix to show up a new face for the 2001 season, and the challenge of our reconstruction begins as soon as today."
Williams
Ralf Schumacher
"I am massively disappointed, as starting from the eighth position I could have scored some points. My start was good even though my car was quite heavy, because of our one-stop strategy. I lost seventh place on lap one, when I was forced onto the grass when I was alongside a Jaguar. I couldn't even think about chasing the cars in front of me as I was suffering from big understeer. Even after the pit-stop my car's
behavior was only slightly better. When I was called in by the radio, my race was definitely over."
Jenson Button
"That definitely was not the way I wanted to end this season. The start was good, I managed to jump from 16th to 10th position. It wasn't looking too bad and with our strategy I think it could have worked out very well. But suddenly I saw some smoke coming out from the back of the car and the engine just died on the straight. This has been the best year of my life. I say thanks to the BMW WilliamsF1 Team, they have done a great job. It's a great pity to be leaving. Everyone in the team has been excellent and I can't wait to come back in 2003."
Frank Williams
"Disappointing end of the season, but perhaps a gentle prod in the direction of all the things we know we have to put right for next year (as is always the case for every team)."
Dr Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director)
"This obviously isn't a fairy-tale end to a fantastic season. We started the race with high performance engines in both cars of the specification introduced at Spa but unfortunately Jenson was stopped by an engine failure, the cause of which we will only be able to know in Munich. In Ralf's car there was a malfunction in the engine oil supply system. In order to avoid an unnecessary failure we called him in. We are disappointed now, of course, but I think that later in the evening we will only feel the pleasure of having achieved the third position in the Constructors' Championship in a more than positive debut
season."
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