World Champion 2002

„No question, in 2002 we had a great car, that thing was really good, and in the end you have to say that we were far superior that year. Which we naturally never expected and couldn’t have known. That season was nearly perfect, well, except maybe for the race in Austria, when Jean (Todt) told Rubens (Barrichello) to let me by because of the battle for the World Championship. But if we had known how the season would turn out and how the year would end, we would have approached it much differently. As far as I was concerned, that season was more intense than 2004, which was also very good. Maybe that’s just because of the simple fact that with a single race, with a single victory we won both titles. I can still remember driving across the line in Magny-Cours. Winning a World Championship with a victory is just a whole lot more fulfilling than eighth place like in 2003 or second place like in 2004.“

The admiration which the motor racing company felt for the Scuderia, was mixed more and more with amazement. Just how did they manage apparently never to lose their motivation?