Quotes from Bucharest after qualifying

Quotes from the press conference after a thrilling qualifying session for the sixth round FIA GT Championship held this weekend at the Romanian capital Bucharest.

Pole Position : Marcel Fässler - nr 5 Phoenix Carsport Corvette C6R : "Karl was very close to me; he was very strong. I was putting everything into my lap to try and beat him. I heard on the radio that Karl was pushing very hard and that he could gain a few seconds, but I was already in the pits, so I was stuck. The car was really nice to drive. I like city circuits, and this one is difficult, because the way the walls are, you could easily touch them and end up in the wall, you have to be between aggressive and delicate. You need to be really gentle. On a normal track, you can easily go fast, but here, you need to take your time and be careful."

Karl Wendlinger - nr 33 Jetalliance Aston Martin DBR9 : "The battle for pole was the same on my side; I kept hearing on the radio that Fässler was going faster. By the end, I got really good times in the first two sectors, but ended up being a bit optimistic in the second to last chicane and lost some time there. But I think we're on the pace. The track is difficult, but the car and the tyres are working very well."

Michael Bartels - nr 1 Vitaphone Maserati MC 12: "Over the radio as I was driving, they kept on telling me that I was too slow and that there was no way I'd catch up to them [Fässler and Wendlinger]. I think both cars were very quick, and we're just missing a second. Considering the weight we are carrying, and the lap time, I think we have a good pace with the car. It's a challenge to beat Marcel and Karl at this track, with their experience and the type of cars they have. I had no expectations to end up in 3rd in the qualifying, so this result is good."

Pole position : Gianmaria Bruni - nr 50 AF Corse Ferrari 430 GT2 : "The session went well for me. I set my lap time in the second lap. I wanted to see if I could get any better, but then we had the red flag, and I went into parc fermé. I really like street circuits and I feel comfortable around here. Even though I have lots of handicap weight, you just need to be fast, have skill, go close to the walls without touching them. The weight might change things, but not much if you know how to cope with it. The times in the end were very close and I think we're all equal."

Andrew Kirkaldy - nr 56 CR Scuderia Ferrari 430 GT2: "The red flag didn't work out well for us, because we left it for a while before deciding to head out onto the track. As I was doing my lap, it went red, so I lost out.  It's hard to start up again after you've stopped, but we're pleased with second place. It's definitely going to be hot out there. Some people were complaining that this was going to be two one-hour races, but now we've seen it's so hot, it‚'s better. It's going to be difficult out there, because if someone makes a mistake, it's going to be hard to steer clear of it, there's not much room. It might be easier for us around this track than the GT1s, because of all the power they've got that they can't use, so the traffic will be close. If you catch a GT1 car and pass it, it's going to be very difficult."

Fabio Babini - nr 62 Scuderia Ecosse Ferrari 430 GT2: "I'm very happy to be back at the qualifying press conference, it's been a good weekend for Scuderia Ecosse. The city circuit is good; I've only touched the chicane once. But everything's been fine, it's the same conditions for everyone. I was just a bit disappointed with the red flag, because I only managed two laps, but when I came in, I decided to go straight to parc fermé. Otherwise we did a good job during free practice with Pirelli; we have good consistency."

G2 Renaud Kuppens - nr 101 Belgian Racing Gillet Vertigo : "The time we got isn't very good, I was one second quicker this morning during the pre-qualifying session. But it's nice to be back in Bucharest. The circuit is very exciting with the GT cars. It's good to be back at a press conference, because the last three races have been difficult for us. I hope this race will allow us to forget it, because we got our best result when we were here last year."

Bert Longin - nr 4 PK Carsport Saleen S7R : "The car was immediately very good.  In free practice both Anthony and I were smiling for the first time this year.  We did practice on a hard set of tyres, to adapt to the circuit, and it was good. We then had some technical problems, and in the second free practice we felt that it was really good.  We were quite convinced that we could do something good.  But in qualifying Anthony touched the wall - I think he was too excited by being P4! But it's repairable.  But we have a possibility to try for a podium this weekend.  We have nothing to lose !"