The BMW WilliamsF1 team completed their last day of this week’s testing at
Jerez. Present was test driver Marc Gené. The day was spent tyre testing for
tyre supplier Michelin.
 Even
though it was a day of sunshine this really was not of any consequence for
Marc as the circuit had been deliberately flooded in order to further test
Michelin's new wet weather tyre designs and compounds.
All Michelin teams apart from Renault took part in the days testing. Marc
would complete one hundred laps by the end of the day, with a best lap time
of 1m:29.329. This week’s test was the last test of the year, as a testing
ban will be running from 15th December to 4th January, 2004.
For the BMW WilliamsF1 Team their final test of the year at the Jerez de la
Frontera circuit in Spain, saw Juan Pablo Montoya and Marc Gené on hand to
perform the testing duties. This concluded the intensive preparation
programme for the imminent introduction of the WilliamsF1 BMW FW26, which
will be officially launched on Monday 5th January, 2004, in Valencia.
During the four day test, the team worked on systems and reliability checks
of the new gearbox and BMW P84 engine, as well as electronic set up and
traction control routines. The wet weather at the start of the week enabled
ample testing of the Michelin intermediate and wet tyres.
Ho-Pin Tung joined the team on Thursday, a reward for his outstanding
performances in the Formula BMW Asia ADAC Championshp this year. The 21 year
old completed 42 laps in a 2002 FW24 and made history as the first ever
Chinese driver to test a Formula One car.
Sam Michael, Chief Operations Engineer, WilliamsF1:
"We’ve had another productive test at Jerez this week with Juan Pablo Montoya
and Marc Gené, running in the FW25 and FW25B respectively, in readiness for
the imminent launch of the FW26. Juan Pablo primarily worked on tyre testing
with Michelin and with the unpredictable weather we’ve been able to test the
intermediate and wet weather compounds. In addition, Juan also carried out
some set up work and developed some traction control routines.
Marc, meanwhile, concentrated on systems checks and reliability work with
the new engine and gearbox which proved quite productive in highlighting
some key areas on which to focus before the FW26 arrives. Towards the end of
the test, Marc also completed some tyre testing for Michelin.
On Thursday, Ho-Pin Tung assisted with our general test programme, driving
the FW24. He worked well with the engineering team and demonstrated a good
degree of competence and ability over the course of the day. His lap time
was very respectable for someone who hadn't driven anything like a Formula
One car before today.
After this week we have a test ban over Christmas and it is good to see that
the test team pushed hard right through to the end of the test. However, the
next couple of weeks will be far from a holiday as the whole factory will be
busy preparing the FW26 for it's first test straight after New Year in
Jerez."
Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director:
"The last test of the year was completed with Juan Pablo and Marc. There was
a lot of rain on Tuesday and Wednesday so the team used this opportunity for
tyre testing with Michelin who had brought some new casings to Jerez. While
the tyre tests were performed with the FW25 and BMW P83 engine, we ran one
P84 engine in another car. We managed to complete the scheduled distances
without incurring any problems as well as collating some valuable set up
data at the same time. It was therefore a positive test for the team." |
