Quotations

«It is always important to get as much seat time as you can, especially at this time of the year since our Champ Car testing is so restricted. The race should be very interesting as well, and I am looking forward to it.»

«Our car is good, but it's a little difficult under braking and I'm more tired than I thought I would be after my last stint. And man, that Ferrari is fast.»

«It was a very intense race. The whole team did a great job. What a way to start the season. I really enjoyed driving with David and Scott. We were worried at the last stop that the gearbox would go because it was vibrating. But it held together.»

«If I didn't feel like I could I wouldn't have entered the championship. I'll definitely try hard to see how it unfolds, but I feel we have the winning package. It should be in line with what I need to be competitive.»

«You need something -- I wouldn't say you need luck -- but you need things not to be against you. I think that's what we saw last year in the second half of the season. I think it is quite easy to realize that being able to stay at the top in three consecutive seasons is extremely difficult. The real thing that saves us is that we all realize that you can drop off very easily. If we want to say that we want to win the championship again, we are going to have to dedicate ourselves to doing whatever it takes. The Mexico City race just illustrated that point for everyone because it showed what can happen and what other teams are capable of doing.»

«It is hard to believe sometimes that after only three seasons, we have been able to accomplish everything that we have done with Newman/Haas Racing. But once you get around these guys, you see why they are so good. From Paul (Newman) and Carl (Haas), their passion just filters through the entire organization and everyone picks up on that and feeds on it. It is a pleasure to work with these guys every day.»

«I think it proves that we had a good winter testing, and it proves we didn't sit around waiting for the success to show up again. The team worked extremely hard to keep the edge on people and it seems to be working out.»

«The whole team made a great effort over the winter to improve and this is just the payoff.»

«I don't think anybody has to motivate me or this team. We still want to win just as much as ever, and everybody on the team is working hard to make that happen.»

«A lot of damage has been done already. You just need to look around and see what's happening. People are struggling to get deals and get into cars and the deals are coming at the very last minute.»