Sam Michael (Chief Operations Engineer): "Indianapolis is completely different to any of the other circuits on the Formula 1 calendar. It has the longest straight with up to 23 seconds on full throttle, followed by tight and twisty corners, none of them high speed at all. Part of the Formula 1 circuit uses two corners from the oval track, but they are full throttle so are considered part of the straight. The set-up needs to be geared towards good traction because of all the slow speed exit conditions. After discussions with Michelin we are confident they are taking a construction and compound that matches the requirements of the circuit. We are confident they will be competitive even though they have not tested here before. With the circuit layout demanding maximum downforce for the infield and minimum drag for the straight, we are sure to see a variety of different wing levels tried throughout the weekend. There will be a mix of different strategies at this year's race due to changes in the pitlane and a lack of historical data for the circuit."
Gerhard Berger (BMW Motorsport Director): "Following the tragic events in America this Grand Prix has been the subject of lots of discussions, but from our point of view now the most important thing is for everyone to concentrate on their targets for the race and do the best job possible. The circuit is not tailor-made for us like Monza or Hockenheim, but it has a long, full throttle sector that should suit us. Ralf has a score to settle here as he retired last year when in a strong position to finish second. For Juan Pablo the venue, where he won the Indy 500 in 2000, has a special meaning for him, and the victory in Monza will have made him even stronger. We are looking forward to the race and are putting highest priority on technical reliability, and if we achieve this we have a good chance of scoring some more points this season."